The seam was torn and its gap ignored,
in the canvas tent at the campsite.
Dark clouds surged from the west,
appearing suddenly over the Kentucky hills
just as the evening sky turned pink.
The parents' eyes met with understanding.
He had been sure it wouldn’t rain
during this get-away weekend--
had ignored her pleadings.
Comfort found in a nickel’s worth of thread.
The preparation was made in great haste,
in response to the call of distress,
regarding the death of a close relative,
on a cold winter day in March.
He packed his suit with other clothes,
remembered underwear and shaving kit,
but not a belt or suspenders,
so the trouser button did all the work.
Reassurance found in a nickel’s worth of thread.
A toddler walked up to the ledge,
not sensing danger or a threat,
until a parent grabbed it just in time,
before the fatal plunge.
The grasp was firm, the fingers tight
around the fabric of the shirt,
to save a life when buttons held,
and the danger was soon forgotten.
Safety found in a nickel’s worth of thread.
Categories:
canvas tent, allegory,
Form: Free verse
Gentility in a crystal sea,
Soft pitter-pat on canvas tent,
effervescent crescendo,
purest tears of angels;
terra-forma drinks
holy waters,
refreshing
Gaia’s
soul.
Categories:
canvas tent, appreciation, earth, environment, nature,
Form: Nonet
Acrobats and jugglers,
Trapeze, tightrope, hoops.
Horses running ‘round the ring,
Both singly and in groups.
Clowns and lithe contortionists,
Music from the band.
Dogs that climb and leap and prance,
All upon command.
Nothing’s changed in all these years –
It’s still a simple show,
Just like baseball used to be
So many years ago.
Circuses don’t need the flash
Of neon-techno-glitz.
When that happens, I, for one,
Will have to call it quits.
‘Til that day, I’ll ooh and ahh
At walkers on the wire.
A wooden bench, a canvas tent
Is all that I require.
Categories:
canvas tent, happy,
Form: Rhyme