I dive headfirst into Masonite’s wood fibers
compressed baked & primed
blending boundaries of life,
lightning and death’s
cycle of pain in paint
as a path to tranquility treading
through inner turmoil of vibrancy
A hummingbird in her shell breaks away
the triaged torment
for a moment, quietus cabaret on
cacti untamed canvas
conveys an observer in one’s
own collard greens
Tehuana traditional gown
from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
ripe reds & burnt orange
Oiled in, the gods Xolotl,
guard dog portrayed
Aztec god & fertility goddess
Motherly milky way
flanking figures,
a fiery orb of the sun
& the cool, silvery moon
dualities of balance
Fresco muralist Diego Rivera
cuddled infantile by Kahlo,
adorns a frontal lobe’s
opened third eye
& wears Buddha’s mouth
apprises of oriental wisdom
both his & hers
naïve folk art
enveloped in a cosmic
love embrace of the universe
Courageous stories end courageous words, issuing peaceful assemblies
Laid away as day was valued, enjoyed without symbol
Divisive victory hiding overtures of bread
Hardships and arrogance about how we fed
In adams apple, the evening gowns
And cities skied believing hounds
Talks behind, collard barrels as wine
Another stretch and dance
A loft, building a glance
So far ahead the subway can fly
Counting callouses torn, empty greetings sigh
Departing mystery of burning sisterly
Caverns of sounds
Jostling of crowns
stunned labored breath
the soft pale grey collard dove,
waits for tender hands
Constipated onions
Immaculate cantaloupe
Collard, mustard, turnip greens
crabgrass eating artichoke distant
Are the carrots potatoes fried display?
But the watermelon
Praise on the tomato mustard says
We be going to have ketchup today
6/17/ 24
written words by James Edward Lee Sr.
Once a green worm gets an Agro journal
Finds a write-up about the fresh vernal
Stops eating cabbages, collard and kale
Gets thrilled and goes on reading its own tale
Reads highly and grows into a bookworm
Feels unsafe to be there for a full term
Gets panicked seeing killer solution
Figures out for a quick resolution
Mutates into a moth with glowing hues
Flights around flowers with a lovely muse
Kids Creativity and Learning Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Eve Roper
Rhyme Zone & HS
Date: 08-03-2023
newly deceased ghost lit his own caustic farts
wearing aluminum kitty cat ears with red jeweled hearts
our resident wild man Count Dracula laughed
as wisconsin cheese's weird math wizard graphed
gram’s annual preteen sunday school halloween party
was sailing with forthright butt-clenching gasses so farty
too many lima beans hidden under collard greens
fed to disguised beauty queens
embarrassed guests stood with their backs to the wall
scurrying titmouse squeaked displeasure to all
too much cutting of the cheese
a close by witch yelled out “jeez!”
Who made these canapes?
Yelled three disgruntled apes
bathroom was occupied all night
and the living room never smelled right
next year we will serve deer
and a whole lot less beer
beat cop heard what was said
he came around, Captain Fred
he arrested two who were dragg’n
passed out as he pushed them into paddy wagon
was one of those moments of gas
that we all wished would soon pass.
She takes her wand a sugar cane long
And waves it in the air singing a song
She likes to make her heroic cape
From collard green leaves that she crochet
She makes her brazier from coconuts
With licorice straps sticky to touch
Her bald head blessed with a crown
from grapevines with grapes hanging down
Her skin is thin from all the chemo
She is stronger than superman in her soul-food soul
She uses cotton candy to make her socks
Shoes so fancy by Goldilocks
Bet you never again will see
A skirt made of dried fruit candy
Yellow sun rays shine on her face
Fighting cancer with food in more than one way
6/14/22
Written for A MERGER WITH FOOD POETRY CONTEST
Sponsor Natasha L Scragg
Family Holiday Dinner
A time to submit,
A time to commit,
And pray for Jesus’ forgiveness.
A time to witness.
A time to express
And ask God, our family please bless.
A time to say grace
And thank the Lord
For the food we are about to ingest:
Yams and ham, turkey and cornbread dressing,
Mashed potatoes and gravy, and hot-buttered biscuits.
Green beans, collard greens, and corn niblets;
Sweet potato pie and a three-tiered cake;
Ice-cold water, soda, and milk,
Coffee or tea, and wine to drink. Amen.
-----------------Outdoor Shower
Under ancient oaks
golden bamboo reaches up
full moon sweet jasmine
GINSU-KNIFE EASTPORT , MAINE
There is a beautiful Old Town in North Florida with 4 seasons.
I havent seen snow there yet , but have heard stories.
Way down upon a big old river, made famous in song.
A Gulf breeze stirs up salty dreams. Shrimps , oysters.
Swamp cabbage and fried mullet are on the table. Grits,
collard greens and Mamas Cat Head biscuits. Cane syrup too.
Sweet tea in our glasses.
Rocking chairs await.
I love hanging around family and friends
on Thanksgiving Day.
And the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade on
the tv.
The amazing aromas of the food just fill the
air.
The table is sat, The golden Turkey, stuffing, gravy, Ham, Mac and Cheese, Collard Greens, Dinner rolls, Cranberry sauce, Cakes, Sweet
Potato Pies and assorted drinks.
Then we say grace, and go around the table
and say what we are thankful for.
But due to the pandemic of COVID-19 Thanksgiving isn’t going to be the same this
year.
It's almost like the special day is canceled.
The government officials are suggesting that if
isn't necessary, don't travel on an airplane.
There has been a surge in new Covid 19
cases.
Families all over the world are missing their families, and tremendously.
This year has been filled with a lot of heartache and pain.
We must celebrate Thanksgiving differently this year.
Some are having zoom potlucks, creating new
ways to celebrate.
Although this year has been very bleak, there is still much to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving from me to you.
Alexis Y.
11/25/2020
collard-flower a vegetable, fruit, no flower white plumage
ruffled cluster
and diamond head
8/29/20
written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2020 ©
A garden
~
Ms Ruthie's Garden my neighbour ;
she had such pretty pearl white peonies;
red, yellow, oranges roses and begonias;
~
had a pure immaculate lawn;
on purpose separately grown dandelions;
pick, cut the leaves washed boil them in a pot;
Ms Ruthie dandelions from her garden,
~
...tasted as good or better than collard greens
6/10/20 ©2020
Garden Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Dear Heart
3rd placePlacement in the contest
lets talk food
the weather is cool
let cook
not by the book
get down with turkey sound
let have collard green
some green bean
for the theme some white meat
gravey as a treat
now that finger licking good
you can knock on wood
this meal for all sinner
THE
THINKSGIVING SOULFULL DINNER
Although she was my grandmama,
We all called her Miss Ida.
Children and grandchildren alike did succumb
To this quaint, obscure, southern custom.
In the days of gold and lavender,
Mother was "Miss," and father was "Mister."
When buttercups danced in the sun,
When skies were vaguely cinnamon.
She gave to me a lilac, gingham dress;
It was cherished for its prettiness!
Among my oldest memories
Are those of being at Miss Ida's knees.
She had a certain wood stove,
Warm like those sunsets of mauve.
And used to cook wild collard greens,
In days when I wore little blue jeans.
When bluebirds flew around the bend,
And crows from the sunny South End,
When cherries drooped upon the trees,
I began life at Miss Ida's knees.
From a very little age, I have loved birdatching. before we go on a trip, we used refer some books and write down a list of birds to check on. we actually gave up this habit after several of our successfully planned trips had to be canceled due to disastrous weather. now I'm 15 and my friends think I'm nuts, but I still love birdwatching. we note down the birds in every trip and make a big list of the birds we've seen.
I have seen...
. IPH
. CS Eagle
. Sp. dove
. Col. dove
. RW lapwing
. Rv bulbul
. BHIbis
. OM robin
... I don't remember all, but the list goes to some number near 200...
*it's tiring to write the full names of birds when you just see them, especially when there's several birds in one place, so we devised for ourself a special abbreviated coding system, which may or may not give out some hilarious meanings.... anyway, here are the real names of the birds.
IPH - Indian pond heron
CS Eagle - Crested Serpent Eagle
Sp. dove - Spotted dove
Col. dove - Collard dove
RW lapwing - Red wattled lapwing
Rv bulbul - Red vented bulbul
BHIbis - Black headed Ibis
OM Robin - Oriental Magpie Robin
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