Month: January 2022

Lingering Pain

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He stands at a distance

Lots of space between you

But he might as well have been

Close enough to touch you

Because you felt the sting

Of a verbal belt to the skin

His words like hot fire

Burning deep within

He probably doesn’t even know

How sharp the words were

Retreating into the night

You just mumble yes sir

So you stay in the shadows

and treat your wounded pride

with a bit of self healing

and your time you do bide

when you begin to feel safe

and can walk tall again

you will be out of the glare

of his wicked loathsome grin

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – belt

It’s An EMERGENCY

… a little something for the invisible hopeful masses

***

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Quick

Call the hospital

Hurry

Fast

My heart is erratic

And my head is a mess

I fumble and mumble

I must be in duress

It all happened today

When you had something to say

You spoke to me

And I felt the glee

Of actually being seen

And not by someone mean

So hurry quick

Which doctor do I pick

One to stop my pounding heart

Or one to pick my brain apart

I do not know

Which way to go

What is this feeling

I know I’m reeling

No need to push and shove

I think it may just be love

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – hospital

Mumbles … Variation

Appalachian Spring

I am sure you are getting tired of hearing this, but I love music, all kinds of music. When this word prompt came up my mind went back several years to my Music Appreciation class in college. There was one composer in particular that caught my attention – Aaron Copland. He was an American composer who did many great compositions.

One of the Copland’s pieces was “Variations on a Shaker Melody” from the Martha Graham ballet Appalachian Spring. In music a composer sometimes takes a theme or melody and will produce different versions of the melody thus creating a variation.

If you listen closely to “Variations on a Shaker Melody” you can hear the reoccurring theme or melody (in this case the shaker hymn “Simple Gifts”) many times. This ballet won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1945. I hope you enjoy this song.

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – variation

How To

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I wish there was a handbook

On how to trust again

A way to figure out

Who is honest as a friend

I have been lied to

And I have been hurt

I guess I need to look up

How to let go again

Because I need to lose

The pain

The anger

The tears

The past

But if I forget it all

Wont it just happen again

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – handbook

Man vs Snow Pile

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The all-day snowfall finally seemed to be tapering off.  He surveyed the neighborhood, it looked rather pretty with the pristine fallen snow.  He was just about to go outside to clear a path on the sidewalk and driveway when Mrs. Davis from next door called his house.  He answered the phone and listened intently on what she had to say.  She had a proposition for him, and it could be beneficial to his needs right now.  At seventy-two she was well past her prime in snow-shoveling years and had a doctor’s appointment in the morning she could not miss.  She wanted to know if he would clear her driveway for her.  She would pay him handsomely and he was desperate for money since he had been laid off.

He agreed to her deal and suited up for the cold weather.  Just as he approached the door, he knew things had just gotten worse.  The snowplow went down the road piling up a large bundle of snow at the end of the driveways. He went after the pile of snow with a dogged persistence.  He was going to earn that money if it killed him and with his bad heart it just might.

Just as he threw the last shovelful of snow up onto the yard, he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed.  Thankfully Mrs. Davis was walking by the window at that moment and saw him fall.  She immediately called 911 and waited for the ambulance.

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – dogged

No Memory Of It

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She turned and walked away

It was impossible to talk to him

He was drunk again and

He wouldn’t remember a bit of it

It was the usual fight

She had asked him not to drink

He said he wouldn’t

Just a half an hour later

He was well on his way

The dispute had turned the corner

To his total denial about drinking

She felt like he thought she was stupid

Didn’t smell the alcohol on his breathe

Didn’t see the bottle beside his chair

Didn’t notice he was unable to stand still

Didn’t hear the slurring of the words he spoke

It was all too familiar

And it again broke her heart

She climbed the stairs

Sat on the side of the bed

And began to cry again

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – dispute

Again

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Again and again

The same thoughts

Run around in my mind

Asking myself

What about tomorrow

Will I be happy again

All the same worries

Like a broken record

Or MP3 on repeat

What about tomorrow

Will I be happy again

Repetitive thoughts

Like a hamster on a wheel

Run back around again

What about tomorrow

Will I be happy again

Just when I think

They may have quieted down

The echoes start again

What about tomorrow

Will I be happy again

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – repetitive

Just Wait, The Weather Will Change

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Slip and slide

All over the place

Now wintertime is here

The snow and ice

Keep building up

And trouble could be near

No school or work

The roads unpassable

The blizzard has started I fear

Hot cocoa and games

To pass the time

Until the roads are finally clear

Then shovel and snowblower

Work overtime

Until the cold brings tears

Rest and recover

Tomorrow they say

The best day of the year

Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – slip

No, Thanks Man

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Overall, the preponderance of what I write on WP is poetry or my attempt at free verse poetry anyway.  But there are times when I get tripped up by a prompt word that in no way would flow with any kind of a poetic tempo.  This is one of those times so I will thank Fandango for the challenge and politely decline to find a poetic entry to this one.  Let’s move on… the one from this morning looks a little easier.  I think I can work with it … stay tuned to find out!

This was my sad attempt at Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – preponderance