OCTOBER

-i- Dahlias stand upright against Autumn skieslong after the sunflowers have fallen;Flowers have turned to fruits,empty spaces grow in the garden. -ii- Flowered teapots speak of happy days,sit pretty in the cupboardswaiting for the daysteeped in friendship and reminiscence. -iii- Voiceless faces roam the wildernessdrowning in words, seeking truthheavy hearts seek solace in a drifting

TREASURES

My treasures are a visual prayer my eyes delight to see: a garden full of flowers a pocketful of butterflies, flying free; broken seashells smelling of the shore flowered teapots from days of yore cards and notes bearing good wishes faded photos of familiar faces Then, there’s the warmth of sunshine and the freshness of

JOURNEY

  He could have chosen to fly alone light as air, weightless as feather He could soar higher, go farther on his own. But he brought me along on his fantastical ride – loneliness would not weigh him down – He and I, we journey as one.   _____ DVERSE POETS’ PUB Poetics prompt.  We

A FISHY STORY

  Ashen skin glisten beneath incandescent bulbs Lifeless eyes stare wide-eyed at customers feeling their flesh for firmness Sweat and blood mingle on the muddy floor Voices rise voices fall earnest haggling ends in a bargain Ah, the sultry heat seeps out of skins Money changes hands dead bodies are wrapped in yesterday’s news and

THE PENITENT

The revelry is over – I strip the  mask from my face laying it bare like an altar stripped of flowers. I anoint my lips with prayer. My vulgar lips singing earthy songs now sing silence. Ashes now adorn my head in place of the crown that was my pride. My colorful clothes, ah, those

INSOMNIA

  Crickets chirped in the moon-kissed night The ticking minutes wore down my spirits The bed creaked, the sheets swished Where? Oh, where was sleep? Cars rolled down the city street; the freight train honked. Weren’t they beat from plying through daytime’s heat? And here I tossed and here I turned envious of the snoring

SEEDLING

Planted by the wind watered by rain a seed grows in the garden A rose, by the looks of it Will it be an English rose or something wild that suffocates all other shrubs for now I will let it grow until it flowers ~~~~ One of the pleasures of  preparing the spring garden is

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

After a rainy spell, I stepped into the sunshine of a spring afternoon  to go to the blooming cherry tree near the city green which was about a mile away. I did not particularly relish walking on city roads, busy as they were even on a Sunday afternoon. Fear of getting run over by oncoming

BUTTERFLY

  The quiet of butterfly wings as they glide in the air speaks of grace that need no herald nor fanfare, and ever brings mindful hearts wonder. Written for DVerse Poets’ Meeting the Bar Prompt – Brevity.  Frank wants folks to write a five-line or shorter poem.   I chose to write a modified tanka  with

ANTICIPATION

One day, flowers will bloom again and I will cup their velvety petals like treasures in my hands One day, birds will sing again and my heart will beat in harmony with their song One day, the sun will be warm again and the earth and rivers will wake and the air will burst with