The parakeet stands at the microphone,
white and yellow feathers lit
as though morning itself
has perched beside him.
He leans forward slightly,
a small body holding
a large intention.
He has not made a sound.
Yet the room feels tuned~
a pause rising like a curtain,
waiting for whatever note
he is gathering in his chest.
Even the air seems to pause,
as if anticipation were
a kind of music,
a bright, trembling thread
drawn taut between
what is and what might be.
He lifts one foot,
then the other,
a tiny choreography
of readiness.
The microphone gleams,
patient, expectant,
as though it knows
the first note
will change the day.
And when he finally opens his beak,
the world draws closer~
not for the song itself,
but for the miracle
of the moment
just before it.
Spring approaches slow and tentative.
Sunshine warms the air gently cradling sprouts.
It's been worth the wait.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 3rd place 2026
Any child will tell you...
Christmas is the best holiday of all.
The secret is drawn-out anticipation.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026, Honorable Mention 2026
It's time to play, your chance to tease,
massage my mind and gently squeeze.
Seductively, you'll dance for me,
attentively, you're all I'll see.
Your tempered touch will fuel my dreams,
invade my world, ******* my screams.
My blood will rush, my body yearn
to taste your heat, sizzle and burn.
Your whispered words will scream and shout,
your tongue will probe, your lips will pout.
You'll fondle flesh and slowly strip,
your fingers will splay, stroke and dip.
You'll take my passion deep inside,
unleash your hunger, own the ride.
We'll fight fatigue's ferocious kiss,
all guns blazing... We'll die of bliss.
I wait with hopeful heart
By the window that overlooks the road to home
Counting dirt
The clock strikes ten
Last bus passes by to unknown
Again
Men dead
Rot to the bone
Fade
I wait with hopeful heart
Last bus passes by to unknown
Fade
The touch of winters first snowflake
The sound of rain was most magical ~
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
"We'll be in touch." Each job interviewee is dismissed with this nerve-wracking cliffhanger. On the line, a highly-coveted dream job sought by the qualified and overqualified alike. One out of several job seekers - just put through his catechisms - exits the "Interview In Progress" door, as another walks in. It's a feeding frenzy. Competition for the great gig is fierce, but Lady Luck will smile on only one. His mind and heart, racing. Do his employment chances glow like the sun? Or will he be blown the kiss of death? Oh, to be a fly on the wall during decision time! Until then, a dream job hangs on a slender thread. The prolonged suspense is agonizing as they all wait for the moment of truth .
a prolonged suspense
lady luck smiles on just one ~
job of a lifetime
As at the opening of a hidden bistro,
the moment before stepping onto a narrow side path, cliff-shaped—
waking the color-warmed buttons
of clothes that slept, cradled on a hanger,
standing before a mirror that flows toward you,
the tremor of seeing myself in your eyes.
The first path simmers a cloud-loosened sea into a latte,
flowing toward the distant beloved…
End year’s dusk, new year’s dawn,
Lessons learned, new possibilities,
Gratitude fills the last page, anticipation pens the first,
Farewell old year, welcome new year.
Droplets fell on my skin, rhythmically, from an unmeasurable height.
My hair stood up, but not out of fright.
I stayed still, and that marked the end of the night.
It didn't erode my soul, but solaced my spite.
Forget me not our rendezvous ~
a candle in the window burns for you
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
May we be blessed to understand…
in the time before any creation…
how much joy and comfort and delight
there is in the anticipation.
It was one of those days, oh it was!
When the clouds had decided to escape from sun's claws.
And loomed over the city in a cloak of grey,
Letting escape rare streaks of ray.
Time had all but stopped, waiting with bated breath,
For the rain to come pouring down in a heavy sheath.
Children stopped playing; birds nestled deeper in their nests,
While the clouds gathered over horizon for their quests.
The winds decided to play along picking up speed,
Making the trees bow down in heed.
Finally the sun won this long battle of will,
Breaking through the bondage in a quest of kill.
Breeze sighed through the lands one last time,
Before the afternoon broke through, sweet and sublime.
Since you've left,
The soil still bears your footprints,
In the yard with the old oak tree outside.
Since you've left,
The tap still drips in the sink,
As if paused mid-turn.
Since you've left,
The cushions in the sofa lay haphazard,
Waiting to make space for you again.
Since you've left,
The vendor waits an extra minute,
While passing by the house.
Since you've left,
The old neighbour still looks over my shoulder,
When he sees me approach.
Since you've left,
Lullabies don't sit on the tongue,
With the same familiarity as they used to.
Since you've left,
Toddlers have stopped gazing at the world,
With the same wonder and awe.
Since you've left,
The lady down the road missed a loop,
While knitting the sweater for her youngest.
Since you've left,
The willow droops lower,
Despite the early spring.
Since you've left,
Hope has become helpless,
And anticipation reconciled with dread.
Since you've left,
The moon has ceased to rouse poetry,
While its blemishes have taken up the words and the ink.
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