20 20 EDIT
hindsight
re-write
The anxious crowd
Gathers
Slowly anticipating
The grand opening
A bud trembles
Dew drops shiver
A late sun
Unlocks the stage door
A gentle hum builds
Slowly
Petal fingers open
To unheard applause
A chatter of sparrows
A distant hoot
The muffled cooing
Of doves
Stage right
Crimson capes
Opening
To nature’s suitors
John Donne, English poet innovator and scholar
finished life wearing a clerical collar.
Most famous for sermons and love poetry,
a wife and twelve children also had he.
Tommy Turkey revealed that last year
Farmer Joe made old friends disappear.
To the new birds he said,
“Heed my words or be dead
should that farmer with axe reappear.”
The new birds thought his tale was a fable.
Tommy cried, “Run as fast as you’re able.”
To the corn field he fled
while his dumb friends instead
ended up on a Thanksgiving table.
I tried to read a favorite poem of mine for you.
Your eyes glazed over.
You could have been a lizard on a rock
sunning yourself, entirely unaware
that I felt as though I were there in front of you
reciting my words of such beauty
that an angel could have been
singing them while playing on a harp.
You may have even fallen quite to sleep.
Not once did you look up or glance at me.
You told me later, in fact, you had no use for poetry.
Another time I tried to read a poem to you.
It was a poem meticulously crafted just for you.
I could tell you liked it, for you were its centerpiece.
You pricked up your ears a little bit.
You thanked me, but no sweet words
of great appreciate did you return.
I am a stranger in your world of pure practicality.
Your love for me is steadfast and real; however,
asking if you’d love me if I were not a poet
is like asking a mother if she’d love her baby
if it were not merely there cooing in her lap.
Her independence deferred
History wipe, silenced in denial
Component of family unit secure
Current form stands as emblem
Entirety kindly quiet unheard
Cleansed of horror occured
Corpses buried won't stand trial
Heinous parade she could endure
Hosts pretense without problem
Outline dent, identity blurred
Safe matriarch role preferred
Sedating sandarac sent via smile
Dizzying aphrodisiac calamine cure
Disarming smooth cabochon gem
Exhibits traits 1950's referred
Dissolved scrag, unburdened
Drama curtains pull closing titles
Screenplay prosperity props are pure
Scripted mid century holds them
Outcast character murdered
Eleventh of New Year Era
Start with the first line -
no,
start at the first word;
the human brain is not equipped
to produce brilliant ‘first words.’
Consider ditching it
and its associated adjectives,
trust me there will be adjectives,
if not controlled
they will breed like rabbits.
Imagine you only have
$5 of original things to say,
be economical, for if you overspend
the poem may go bankrupt before the end.
Run it through a spell check – twice.
Send it out upon the internet
with a light heart.
Some poets will already know
what will happen next –
crickets.
Student Procrastinator
Grammar
Crammer
Multiple Casino Guy
Scrambler
Gambler
Casino Loser
Lamer
Gamer
A Playboy’s Malady
Fun guy
Fungi
Slasher in Prison
Knifer
Lifer
April 27, 2021
Denver wheeling
Spinning,
Thinning
Itching,
Scratching
Black box shouting,
Pause recording
Stop stalling
Part 2
I want Air Force 1,
Fuelled and ready to go
At my command
Draped in invisible camouflaged
blue shadowed by red arrows
Part 3
I wish to see the falling angel
for myself
Viewed from 1st class champagne
in hand washing caviar and truffles
down
In questionable company
Part 4
Knock , Knock
What's the dark secret you
are keeping well hid behind
Black door with golden number 4
Part 5
Or more to the point
What's the actual cost
Per say in human lives
Or bribes to the contrary
Part 6-6-6
Taxation donated sponsored
Death becomes
charity / clarity
The devil's in the detail
Part 7
Why there is no,
Part 7
Can't you see
As at the stroke of 8 the white flag
was clearly raised and so to
with it the towel thrown in
It's all over bar the shouting
Extra , extra nothing left to do but
read and write and crow all about it
Service an agenda and ramp up
the recriminations
Renegade master,
Power to the people
When We Would Complete Edit
after we read it
we would complete the edit
give proper credit
Jim Horn
8 to go to complete
8,000 poems.
Please edit my story he whispered
It's the story of an orphan child
Who lost his way home in the noon
On the lonely road left alone
A mile away from home he walked
His story to be edited
Edit his story and tell him that
Tomorrow is a good day to behold
To remember his home alive
And rewrite his history of the home
Away from home he had lost
Edit my story that I had survived
Away from the home I resurfaced
That life was a mystery and a conquest
In many ways it writes our stories
But Please edit my story
And I will retell my history
While we humans are living in fear,
those sweet cats and the dogs we hold dear
get added attention
since we’re in detention.
Pets are thrilled that Corona is here!
Our societies came to a crawl,
but the creatures are having a ball.
Gators saunter to stores.
Monkeys, goats, and wild boars
running free aren’t so dumb after all!
April 23, 2020 for Janice Canerdy's Limerick Contest
(I think my fingers hit the wrong keys first time around!)
Attribute two my poet tree book edit tor
I no that the write punk chew asian, speeling and grammer are sew impotent when righting poet tree, don’t chew think sew two? Sow four my book eye will bee making shore aye ewes my smell chequer.
This is attribute to the wonderful lady who is going tubby the edit tor of my poet tree book. Eye don’t think shell have any issues after reeding this tribute as my werk is prefect!
Seriously, I will stress I am NOT leaving Poetry Soup, I have a lifetime PM and I intend to use it until I can no longer pick up my pencil. I am just taking some much needed time out to focus on getting my poems into a book. It has been my intention to do this since I left work in 2016 and now the time is right for me to put my plan into action.
I will be dropping back from time to time to read some of the amazing poets here and to make the odd comment
Jan
1st April 2019 (despite the date its not an April fool's joke)
ideas silence
creators denied free thought
speech control power
Here they are to edit me
I don't care, can't they see
I'll say what I want, I'm free
You can ask me, Maybe even plea
I won't agree
It's me, not we
I'll charge like General Lee
Make you take a knee
You will pay the fee
If you don't let me be
You should probably flee
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