Because I Sat
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Because I sat for a moment
On a stone bench
Feet on pebbled concrete
I noticed more bird song
With each breath
In
Then
Out
I saw a crow fly above me
With long bits of the garden
In beak
Back
And
Forth
Creating home in a tall white pine
Life was happening
Around me
Not
To
Me
Because I rested
Breathing
In
Then
Out
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A Free Verse Poem
1st Day of Spring
Cornelian Cherry
In three square feet of sidewalk
Riotous blooms unnoticed
*
While across the street
Humans jostle position
Focused on free water ice.
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Who Would Jesus Execute?
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Who designed capital punishment?
Would you acknowledge our ignorance?
Jesus knows enough are innocent
Execute mankind’s indifference.
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(A Bumper Sticker Poem)
Bumper Sticker Poems – a form I created, inspired by cento and golden shovel poetry, with the following guidelines:
In the Beginning Man Created God
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In life it’s important to question
The assumptions we bring to our worlds
Beginning and ending within us
Man may bristle at the suggestion
Created when opinions are hurled
God, let’s reduce this uncivil fuss.
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(A Bumper Sticker Poem)
Bumper Sticker Poems – a form I created, inspired by cento and golden shovel poetry, with the following guidelines:
#BalloonsBlow
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Glitter
Litter
Flitter
Bitter
In the garden glitter litter lies
I watch it flitter, bitter cries
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(A Tyburn Poem)
Pressing Pause
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We are all so busy
At least that’s what we say
It’s how we spend the day
We are all so busy
*
Saying yes without delay
So careless with our time
Intriguing paradigm
Saying yes without delay
*
Would it not be sublime
Daily to take a pause
And say no just because
Would it not be sublime
*
We are all so busy
At least that’s what we say
It’s how we spend the day
We are all so busy
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top photo by @the021439 cjf
Magnolia
Beauty
when in full bloom
appreciated just
for existing beautifully
age comes
admiration diminishes
but to some open minds
beautiful is
always
____________________________________________________________________________________________
#savestoneleigh
_____________________________________
We will honor the family who gave it
We will not allow eminent domain
An open space this garden shall remain
There’s a garden to save and we’ll save it.
We’re not prone to fighting but we’ll brave it.
There must be another space for new fields
From demolition this place we will shield
There’s a garden to save and we’ll save it.
Oh no! We will not let you pave it.
This too is a place for children learning
The school board’s proposal we are spurning
There’s a garden to save and we’ll save it.
We will honor the family who gave it
There’s a garden to save and we’ll save it.
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(An Echo Sonnet)
Picea omorika
_____________________________________
Who says these trees are evergreen?
Do the other shades go unseen?
This is the problem with labels.
*
Each month new tones come to the scene.
There are so many more than green.
This is the problem with labels.
*
Chartreuse, emerald, forest, citrine
Gold, crimson, coral, tangerine
This is the problem with labels.
*
Traits label omits is obscene
Trees so much more than evergreen
This is the problem with labels
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(A Go Vat Poem)
Connotation
(Inspired by Pensive or Thoughtful Mood a 1939 sculpture by Stella Elkins Tyler)
_____________________________________
Rubenesque a negative
Willowy a positive
Zaftig to avoid
Slender to attain
Chubby a dislike
Skinny a desire
Stout to loathe
Svelte to long
Why do these words dictate decisions and self-worth
When they say nothing about inner beauty and character?
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(A Decastitch Poem)
A Picture and a Poem 