Best Talcum Poems
Love feels like it has gone far away
She used to exist everywhere it seems
Now she hides in fear of being used up or let down
Most now, don’t even remember what she feels like
I remember long ago
Love used to have big bright colors
lightening bugs would soar through the night sky
with dancing white beams that glowed in the dark
four leaf clovers would spring from green pines of grass
but would ever elude being found and plucked
by those wanting a taste of its Irish good luck
floral beach balls and pink rubber kick balls were the center of summers delight
camp fire girls adorned navy blue vests and strutted proudly holding red white and blue flags down main street on Memorial Day
lazy polka dot burnt orange black lady bugs
would sleep under the sun
waiting to be scooped up
each child hoping to find the lady
with the most dots
to win the game
cotton candy colored May Day dances held in the public-school yard always on the hottest and sunniest day of the year
each student excited about dressing up in colorful garbs from different cultures around the world
Love was innocent then...
Love had the best aromas too
tide detergent, vanilla extract
talcum powder, wonder bread
sweet potato pie
hot dogs on toasted rolls at the public pool
Chanel #5 on Church Sundays
lots of Chanel #5
Love had the most wonderful sounds
the rustle of fall leaves under your feet
the crunch of plastic sofa covers at grandma’s house
sitting on the porch listening to night crickets on dad’s lap
Maybe love is actually still here
Waiting for us to love her back
She has not been treated well lately
I hope that she will give us all another chance
And come back soon
Hopefully this time
She will stay
My Grandma smelt of peppermints.
Her kitchen of boiling bacon,
and margarine - it was always steamy
and 'welcomingly' warm.
The bathroom, off the kitchen,
smelt of carbolic soap, and a layer
of talcum powder dusted the cupboards
a reminder of its liberal use.
The garden, with a greenhouse,
had a glorious array of pinks
and Sweet Williams - it was always summer:
no winters here, always sunny, as I recall.....
The old corrugated air-raid shelter,
above ground now, was a haven
for childhood, childish games.
It smelt of paraffin from the heater.
My Grandma smelt of peppermints.
She would lick her hanky and
wipe my mouth if it was sticky
from the gingerbread she'd made.
My Grandma always looked the same,
never younger, never older:-
her memory etched in my cerebral
photo frame as I remember her ........
smelling of peppermints,
fingers deformed with crippling arthritis,
but smiling, wiping mouths, cooking,
or sitting in her little garden in a floral dress.....
She's been gone for thirty years now,
but still I see her there.
I see the tissue filled pockets in her
'pinny'and the pin-curls in her hair.
Yes, my Grandma smelt of peppermints.........
A slight hint of consternation was in her voice,
“Why did you tell those people I’m deaf and dumb?”
“I never said you were deaf, my Dear.”
She laughed, but I kinda felt like a bum.
Hell. It was just a joke.
One evening, she asked, “Will you love me if I get chubby?”
I responded, “Of course I still love you.
It would take much more than pounds and cellulite
To make me fall out of love…it’s true.”
Hell. It was just a joke.
“Would you remarry if I die before you?” she asked.
I said, “No…probably not…I’ve been spoiled by you.”
“But you’ve been a great husband. I think you should.”
“Whatever happens, happens is the best I can do.”
“If you remarried, would you play golf with your new wife?
And would you let her use my clubs?” she demanded.
I calmly smiled and said, “Your clubs are safe.
You see, my Dear…she’s left handed.”
Hell. It was just a joke.
Then, she whined and whined about her butt.
I responded, “Want to knock some inches off that ass?
It may sound strange, but I heard it works….
Rinse all your panties in Slim Fast.”
Hell. It was just a joke.
The next day, I readied for work, took ‘undies’ from my drawer.
They were engulfed in a fog of white, why I didn’t know.
So, I asked, “Honey! Why did you put talcum powder on my shorts?”
She slyly smiled, “That’s not talcum powder. That’s Miracle Gro.”
Hell. It was just a joke....I guess.
So, what is my wife’s most endearing feature?
Her sense of humor.... there’s no doubt.
Always a smile where angst or anger might have been,
A smile I never want to be without.
A humid afternoon , in the middle of August, has nothing much to commend about it. I can hear the humming of air conditioning coming from both sides of a familiar old street. It's too hot for even the ardent gardener to be out and about, and sidewalks are deserted, while children are herded into backyard wading pools. Clouds are softly framed in bands of charcoal grey.
I stand on the corner, waiting for the light to change, and waiting for cars to allow me to cross the street.
rush hour traffic...
bees circle the elm trees with
no notice of me
I approach the old Victorian, and can't help but notice how painted shutters need repair, and the garden needs weeding. Wild devil-grass is taking over the wind-whipped faces of dreary, old zinnias. Seeing it so unkempt, makes me a little sad
Drooping over the sidewalk, thirsty roses lean over to greet me, as I ring the bell. The old woman opens the door and suddenly her unbridled joy upon greeting me, has put sparks in eyes, and softened her face, while my worrisome mood evaporates, like a freshly-washed day. I'm quickly ushered into the talcum-scented foyer of friendship.
a wilted blossom
still beautiful in my palm....
new lines in her face
________________________________________________
7/19/15 For Contest Sponsored by Scott Thirtyseven
I saw the Four Horsemen -
the famous apocalypse guys.
They rode silently past neatly folded laundry,
They approached me in silence,
their breathe a rye and meadow wind.
Each of them in turn,
gliding ghostlike past where I sat,
watching steam on the mirror
grow cold.
War had no use for me,
past my prime, bum knee.
Not even as cannon fodder.
Famine had little to work with,
I had known hunger, want, poverty,
nothing he had could scare me.
Pestilence likewise dismissed me out of turn,
for which I’ll be forever grateful,
probably too sedentary to spread the touch.
And Death, well, we all must dance,
but today is not the day, now not the hour,
Death merely bid me good day.
And then they were gone, their vacancy tangible,
while I decided to look up embolisms or strokes,
trying to close this doorway into myself.
Until I saw the tracks in the talcum powder,
heard the soft whicker of horse,
and tasted their life on my tongue.
A newborn’s toes wiggle like candy pink
Curled by rose petals, more fresh than morn’s scent
Flinging those buds, I trace her blossoms.
Pastel from the wink of sunlight’s blossoms
She chuckles as tiny feet gush in pink,
While the hammock billows a fruity scent.
In quick of naps,ten toes waft talcum scent
Till chuckles burst forth from jiggling blossoms,
My grandchild, my rose; graced by daytime's pink.
Lovely pink charmer wakes scent of blossoms!
For Kelly Deschler's Simply Beautiful #2
I can't remember if the sun was shining
Or if the clouds looked down on me as I stood
A child of ten standing on a window sill
Whispering to himself he should
It started shortly after I woke
Distant where the trigger was
I'm guessing just the overflow
of everything they did and said
Finally ground down by all around
And though I'd fought for years
Death becomes a friend
When she's the only one there for you
Knowing I would soon be in the playground
Where no nurse could make better the names they cruelled
Knowing my mothers boyfriend was down stairs
Waiting for his latest vile whim to unfold
My mind consumed by every name called
I was not the same they proved
Alone in my crowded thoughts
T o death I looked for belonging
As I dressed my imagination dreamt
What could happen today?
Exploding into the unknown
My strength rapidly dissolved
I could see no directions
that didn't lead to another painful day
As my journey to the end begun
All they told me loading the gun
All that made me different from
Pushing me closer and closer to the edge of no return
In front of the mirror I stood
Cut off my curly hair
No longer the golliwog
That their taunts would compare
I covered my skin in talcum powder
As I didn't want to be
That horrible thick coon
he always called me.
My hair a mess
My colour unmasked
Tired, Frightened, alone,
I decided enough, enough
Standing on the window sill
The last bastion for survival colliding inside
As the exhausted wishes to hang on
Were overcome by the desperation to escape this hollow excuse for life
No single tear a cry for help
As id learnt they choose not to hear
I urge myself towards an end to the hurt
where the crying would clear
As I engulf my mind in my final moments
And call for death to take my hand
From across the road a woman called
To this day she probably doesn't know she saved my life
Tears unintentionally
Created rivers down talcum powdered cheeks
But my mother didn't laugh
when she found me
I guess that's where you'd expect everything to be made right
I guess that's where I learnt to no longer believe
Through every promising word in the wake of what could
They didn't do what they should
A giggle Land where we cannot go.
0f pink fingers and crystal clear eyes
Forever azure springs and sunlit skies,
A place of talcum powdred .souls.
Unaware , from this life, they were taken
God did create this oh , so special place.
Angels never let them knoew they were forsaken.
To keep a smile on their dear, tender infant faces.
Squeaky toys and cuddly, soft teddy bears
Angel mothers do lullaby each newborn to sleep.
One day, with their Mommy,~ they might share
Meanwhile, in the still of the night, mothers weep.
Sleepless, they wonder, how is my child doing?
Their life always has a lost, dark empty space.
Does my baby need me, or is he just cooing?
The mother can ask for forgives and God’s grace.
But she wonders,very often what ‘s my baby playing?
You see, that is the story we are never told.
On her knees alone, each night, she is praying.
The Mother ages, lonely, shivering in the moonlit cold!
5/12/2023
Dedicated to my Mother on her birthday., today.
Thank you , Mom, for allowing me to have a life!
Sometimes hard, but mostly years of sugar and
magificent spice!
I left the noisome crowd and entered Caabia.
All was as before, save my own increased awareness.
The village square
a place of near earthly sight
(the senses, don’t you see)
Was veiled in powdered light
beyond peace beyond quiet
in total contrast to time’s deception.
There was a motionless standing figure now distant
I had not noticed before
OR
The person had not BEEN before
(and before when I cannot say)
Beneath salubrious trees a row of benches
in the talcum grass
the way ‘round this motionless figure AND
a silent throng come out of their dwellings
(the house doors stood open)
a tower bell chiming
(in my mind because there was a tower seen)
a perfect pastoral village as before
only NOW this mysterious distant presence
I entered the scene and took a seat
‘neath the trees
my feet on the talcum grass
head in the powdered air
And since the central subject did not speak I asked the one next me
“Who is this presence?”
“He is the naked man.”
“What sayest this man?”
“He says nothing.”
“What does he do?”
“He does nothing.”
“Where does he go?”
“He goes nowhere He is alone in Harmonia.”
“Is he beautiful?”
“No one can tell.”
“What thinkest this man?”
“He thinks of nothing.”
“Can we approach this man?”
“WE MAY NOT!”
i feel so settled in your presence
it seems so definitively calm here
i want to go on excursions never experienced with you and just discover
once upon a time i was a lonely soul yearning for any type of communication
i remember the footprints in the dust at every corner that had the scent of stale talcum powder
i remember the cable fluctuating between being off and on every other another
i remember listening to my old walkman under a few layers of cover when the power was cut off on a very cold day in winter
i recall sitting in the dark of my dusty, cobwebbed apartment letting the streetlight conceal the truth of my loneliness
i recall the draft coming into the screen in the living room and becoming painfully dizzy from daydreaming
i heard creaks on the stair steps and crackling in the walls
even introverted the darkness has a thousand eyes to truly see
even in hiding i cannot hide the from the strong stance stare of the obvious
knowing this, i decide to take a chance to makes bells ring like the freedom flapping of each wing....
....i feel so settled in your presence
it seems so definitively calm here
i want to go on excursions never experienced with you and just discover....
Dimpled cheeks tearless eyes
pouting lips beguiling smile
the scent of talcum powder blue
breath as fresh as the morning dew.
Tiny hands open up to light
warm and soft a baby's eyes
a single curl around fingers mother twirls
and wonders at this mystery untold.
Blessed is one who receives this gift
a child a love so tender and rich
filling hearts with wonder and joy
of fathers and mothers___be it girl or boy
HEAVEN IS A SPECIAL PLACE
In Honor of the Unborn
8/8/2023
A giggle Land where we cannot go.
0f pink fingers and crystal clear eyes
Forever azure springs and sunlit skies,
A place of talcum powdered souls.
Unaware, from this life, they were taken
God did create this oh, so special place.
Angels never let them know they were forsaken.
To keep a smile on their dear, tender infant faces.
Squeaky toys and cuddly, soft teddy bears.
Angel mothers do lullaby each newborn to sleep.
One day,with their Mommy,~ they might share
Meanwhile, in the still of the night, mothers weep.
Sleepless, they wonder, how is my child doing?
Their life always has a lost, dark empty space.
Does my baby need me, or is he just cooing?
The mother can ask for forgiveness and God’s grace.
But she wonders, very often what ‘s my baby playing?
You see, that is the story we are never told.
On her knees alone, each night, she is praying.
The Mother ages, lonely, shivering in the moonlit cold!
Scent of change upon the breeze,
as we bid farewell to Summer.
Hear the softly spoken murmur,
of leaves changing in the trees.
The cooler nights begin to tease,
as we reach for blankets, warmer.
We try to stave off Winters rumour,
in the last warm days we seize.
The moon's harvest ring shines bright,
seems to be made of a bed of talcum.
Homes are sheltered, windows shut tight,
yet emit a feeling of welcome.
Wood smoke lends its flavor to night,
as I walk in the birth of Autumn.
For the contest; September-Your Choice
Sponsored by Brian Strand
Placement: 1st
mildly awake
I savour the smell
of talcum
Vigus and I were childhood buddies
who ventured to make some ice cream
It was to be our special creation
that would be a dish most supreme
We got some sand from the sand heap
and sifted it with a fine mesh wire
to give the dish a fine consistency
so its quality would be superior
We crumbled up some dried dirt
and pounded it with a hammer
then sifted it with the wire mesh
and made chocolate talcum powder
We mixed these ingredients in a tin
using a piece of stick as a stirrer
and blended them for quite a while
until there was a uniform texture
Vigus continued the stirring
while I added the water
until the mix was nice and firm
and chocolate brown in colour
Now who would taste it first
we both said to each other
After thinking for a while I said
I believe I have the answer
I said let's ask Greedy Mackie
who was quite a beggar
always sponging off our snacks
in a very shameless manner
We asked Mackie to join us
and I got a piece of candy
Vigus stirred it in the mix
in the full view of Mackie
While Vigus stirred in the candy
We raved how sweet the dish would be
Then we asked who would taste it first
saying that person would be lucky
I suppose Mackie's thoughts
could only focus on the candy
When we asked the question
he raised his hand and cried "ME"
We gave him a spoonful of the dish
which he put it in his mouth greedily
Vigus and I watched most intensely
to see what his reaction would be
Mackie bolted for the water tap
spitting most profusely
I guess he learned a lesson that day
that he should not be so greedy
Vigus, Mackie and I were about 7 years old