Blasted by these days and hours?
Know thee not alone!
Cursed dog, how ye devours!
Build thy throne of bone!
Dark fire, whistle through each vein!
I am God and Death!
Coming wrath, art thou insane?
Dragon, fire thy breath!
Vampire, hide thy coffin well.
Witch, thy favorite spell.
O for Heaven without Hell!
Hear me, wedding bell!
Thought-spark, sing in me! Bright bold!
I must find more gold!
What to have and when to hold?
How it's getting cold...
Rabid is the ravine? When?
Does it need to be?
Sacred vision, then again!
Prophet, poet. Mead!
Doom and Death, thy coworker.
How I must requite!
Cast, enchantment! Slick and sure!
Erebus means Night!
Volcano above me?
Well, Capacocha's dark.
Say a word for fancy-free!
Covenant, Boy, and Ark!
Going solo is no fun
when you are the only one
playing alone on your own
so show me your saxophone
and you may hold my trombone
then if I feel the need
I'll finger your keys
to vibrate the reed
'til my slide retracts
as we're a match made in heaven
quite the catch in fact
a musical marriage
and that's not all
we'll make beautiful music
yes we'll have us a ball
and altho' yours is woodwind
I have the itch to make a pass
so here's my pitch
you can kiss my brass
A gentle breeze carried the tune
of a lady gone too soon.
I listened to it longingly until,
inside my bones, it caused a chill;
and then blew my dreams through other bones,
across centuries of dulcet tones.
Man's best friend
in need of a feed
is a friend indeed
so
with a knick-knack here
and a paddywhack there
give your mutt a bone
pat your pet
cuddle your canine
canoodle with your poodle
or smooch your pooch
and he'll hound you
'til the cows come home
wagging his tail behind him
I’m sure my first words
As a child were “No!”
Followed soon after by “Why?”
But I only really realized today,
A bit surprisingly
Given my 66 years on this earth,
That I dislike following
Either other’s directions
But particularly other’s trails
Obviously wishing instead
To find my own way
Changing it as it changes
Moment by moment.
And it’s been over fifty years now
That I’ve been able to make my own way
For better or worse,
Although we all know
The journey is always better
Than the goal.
Today I hiked in to view
A wild and remote local canyon
And it only became enjoyable
Once I was free to wander
Willy-nilly up the open
Rocky and grassy slope of one side
Meandering between shade spots,
But the first mile or so
Following a cattle and game trail
Through a forest
Was more a chore
Than what it’s like to explore.
And that’s the key word
And key experience here
Exploring
All the things it means to be
An independent individual.
All the things it means to be
Alive.
(5/28/25)
Naked are the bones so hallow
crowned around my soul
Give heed unto the wounds Ive sewn
I'll mend me back to whole
Though broken I'll remain to pave
the path that is my sound
My roots undone thine will be one
hallowed by thy ground
Victory unspoken
I'm forever bound to never
Bones bare and shown
yet never known
My chaos is forever
Ariana shrugged facing Josh’s mocking clap
the stringy harmonica rang acrobatically on the streetlights.
He handed her a firebomb,
eyes sharp as vinegar.
They ran across the hot asphalt,
watching the brass kite rise.
Both caught in the whirlpool of the maze,
they guided the trumpet,
mandolin filling the air, sinking into the smokehouse.
Her jacket flared, body pitching like a haystack, cracked like an explosion.
Cigar smoke swindled
trembling hands at the phone’s text crime. Tightened waist, ribs vacant
Her throat rasped open,
gasping. Stomps flew, trumpets lit,
feathers popped, and breath spilled like bone in the dusk.
Ariana shrugged facing Josh’s mocking clap
the stringy harmonica rang acrobatically on the streetlights.
He handed her a firebomb,
eyes sharp as vinegar.
They ran across the hot asphalt,
watching the brass kite rise.
Both caught in the whirlpool of the maze,
they guided the trumpet,
mandolin filling the air, sinking into the smokehouse.
Her jacket flared, body pitching like a haystack, cracked like an explosion.
Cigar smoke swindled
trembling hands at the phone’s text crime. Tightened waist, ribs vacant
Her throat rasped open,
gasping. Stomps flew, trumpets lit,
feathers popped, and breath spilled like bone in the dusk.
Thoughts of a Border Collie While
Pondering a Bone
Mine, mine, mine, I think
as I drip drool on the floor.
Bloody meat clings
tenaciously to the hard bone.
White fat, like veins of gold,
marbles the red treat.
My owner is thawing this delicious
delicacy on the counter.
I watch and wait with longing
as I think of the animal odor.
Sharp canines will soon tear
and rend all from the cow’s femur.
My probing tongue will pull the tangy,
succulent marrow from its hiding place.
When all has been eaten, it will
become my favorite chew toy as
I will gnaw, gnaw, gnaw until not
one atom remains.
Then I will lay back in the cool shade
and realize I am a lucky dog.
Muscle and Bone Growth
All muscles and bone growth will
take a break to
catch up on
their reading.
Version One:
A table shared,
wood smoothed by stories,
hands marked by the land,
holding not to let go,
but to hold dear—
crumb and crust, life flourishing between us.
Not to quiet hunger,
but to relish, pressed in hands,
the warmth of something earned,
and shared.
Version Two:
A table shared,
wood worn soft by stories,
hands touched by the soil,
holding not to part,
but to cherish—
crumb and crust, life growing among us.
Not to quell hunger,
but to enjoy, shaped in hands,
the warmth of something gained,
and shared.
BONE BEACH
This was the island where it famously ended
Upon a peaceful tribe, violence descended
A proud history lost and poorly defended
Raiders seeking alleged mythical treasures
Pillaging gold and jewels by cruel measures
The beach a battleground, now just bones
In a warm tropical breeze, palms still sway
Yet there is so little now that is left to say
As identity and history are now blown away
There are so few memories now remaining
And no voices are left for any explaining
The beach a poor record, now just bones
Perhaps a few who had sailed to the East
The remnants of the many now deceased
One day may return for the annual feast
Having left their rich culture far behind
Shocked at the scene they would now find
The beach a desolate place, now just bones
Waves crash against the ribcage of shore
Where unburied bones play on the beach
The dead swim in shallow pools beneath
Lost Souls never finding their exit door
The living are not welcome to come here
Sometimes they are seen staring from afar
Too many have tried then have disappeared
And death is always what the living fears
From the cliff above the bones are seen
Dancing in the sand, splashing in the sea
Is it a dream or nightmare in unreality
Unexplainable to the living, what does it mean
It means that so much we humans don't know
And even less in which what to believe
Belief is only a product given forcibly
Forced to reap what someone else really sow's
This place of bones called Skeleton Bay
An unexplainable retreat for the dead
A phenomenon unstudied this haunted beach
A place where only the dead meet and play
Written for contest "Bone Beach" 0/25/2024
Hosted by: Anthony Biianco
**WON 1ST PLACE IN CONTEST**
Great surfing you may not have guessed
can be found in the upper northwest.
In a full rubber suit
the great whites think looks cute,
the dawn patrol shreds the gnar best.
Seems the beaches were starting to groan;
the supports underneath were all blown.
But now that Ozempic
has come to Olympic,
it appears they will stand on their own.
Once fleshy, vivacious, with curves,
Bone Beach is now lacking in verve.
When whales get reported,
the lifeguards who sort it
have nothing but sinews and nerves.
How I long to see Baywatch again,
and the slow motion bounce for the win!
Although healthy is wise,
put some meat on those thighs
or those bones will protrude through your skin.
Inviting nature lovers with glee
Welcoming toward freedom where they can flee
Bone beach exudes grand artistic worth
Amidst mother Earth’s radiating mirth.
Serene in its mystical tranquil delight
While seemingly enigmatic for artifacts’ sight
Bone beach oozes with attention gain
Along its offered fascinating terrain.
As paradise for photographers in their posting zest
Designed wondrously, marked by creativity’s best
Showcasing archeological beauty as treasure
Bone beach is a place I want to visit with pleasure.
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