Upon trying to stimulate my pineal gland
Through OM chanting for the first time
There before me in the silence that ensued
I saw a great void of raw existence
Frozen and unassuming
Like a door I’ve never opened
In a place I’ve lived my whole life
Everything and nothing was different
Staring at the cat between my feet
I reached down to touch it
And got to see where they exist
I should stop writing because
I feel like I’m bastardizing the eternal
Making a vain sport of it with a poetic devise
I am the very void upon which I now gawk
I took off my clothes to excuse my presence
I should not post this but probably will
Life remains a grand head game
Even after you’ve awakened the divine
Seeing the sacred should change one’s life
but now I’m not sure
Perhaps this is the true epiphany
Blessing In the Shadows
Shackled and battened by the restraints of humankind
Hounding ego, gnawing the essence to stay behind
Reverence for soul lessen, protruding unkind
Assigned to desolation, fulfillment confined
Dying hope slipping, clutching the foundation of fate
Only feeling torment, loitering till the final date
Accepting all righteous acts to come as bait
Unknowingly unearthing a hand deterred from hate
Awakening to a notable entity, driven by solicitude
Fearful to the unforeseen, but ready to be renewed
Weaving potential realities, leaving behind the unfavorable until ensued
Released ultimately from the ocean of inhibitions to conclude
Nicolaus Copernicus
said earth was not the universe’s center. Thus,
controversy from religious backlash ensued.
Later other scientists made his ideas better viewed.
He formulated a delicate scheme,
So that he could obtain vital funds
From gullible, if friendly virtual persons
And spend his life in idle, useless pastimes.
In his egregious vanity, he concocted stories.
Thus, he would meditate on pulling strings
Of his listeners' consciences.
Insane in his delirium, he would meditate
His famous tales read newspapers for inspiration,
Send messages to all he judged to be ripe
For a monetary gift to help assuage his need:
Alas, not many took the bait.
Occasionally, someone would send
A miserable donation. Until he found
His haven in an old kindly woman who felt pity
And send him a thousand-dollar gift.
Profound words of thanks ensued.
He was courteous hoping to get more,
Inventing a lack of funds to rent his home.
FICTION?
Daphne got stuck
under the bed,
and then…
I had to get her out
from under the bed,
my dumb ass dog.
A tug of war,
paws and whining
ensued…
and then,,,,
I won.
Someone
had an accident.
Someone
was hiding.
After the battle…
we had a discussion
about going under the bed.
isn't easy
because I talk about nothing
all the time.
It is late March and I love
everything I see
around me:
blooming trees
that I don't know
but appreciate
one color at a time,
bees that are busy and
industrious, sunsets that
are never identical and always
worth ogling over,
as well as
the bare buds
of creativity and song.
That was a mouthful
of a stanza
that I hope
you swallowed down
as smooth as a lozenge.
I tried not to embarrass
my cool kid.
I tried not
to get excited
about the birds
in the trees
who could care less
about golf, and scores,
and fancy pants, and awkward
golf carts.
I made it five minutes.
Then, I asked Ben:
"Did you hear
the goldfinch."
Immediate
embarrassment
ensued.
I learned my lesson
and went back
to my golf cart
to continue drawing
the goddess of war
because I admire
strong women
who face battle
when it counts.
They are the women
who don't shut up.
Of the creepiest spookiest eeriest sights on Halloween
We decided the most terrifying one was the graveyard queen
Dressed in veil of a dead bride, perched next to grave stones
She was eerily creepy in ghoulish, garish ghastly gray tones
Many of us had been lured out here by an older brother
Warned not to go by our father, uncle and grandmother
Screaming that ensued gave the night a Halloween glow
As we thought of being grabbed, and pulled way down below
Best Halloween ever, we all agreed with each other
Glad we had not listened to anyone but our brother
The boys pretty much ran off, terrified of course
We girls rode back home on a headless man’s horse
They stream in, seeking liberty
hoping for some sympathy
America once extended a welcome
Today the outstretched hand is seldom
Leaders neglected to check the newcomers
for police records, to view their true colors
We let in too many criminals, too much crime
with neither good reason nor rhyme
A perfect storm ensued
migrant murder and corruption
dominates the news
giving well-meaning Americans the blues
A tragedy could have been averted
had not government shirked its sworn duty
But now there are mass deportations
narrowly backed by a jilted population
"Forgiveness heals an open wound, the spirit repairs the soul"
My father-in-law always used to say
McCants Mill Pond was a large body of water
Any one bigger, far away I want to stay
He didn't want near larger backwater
Years passed and time flies by, he passed as well
His widow's dementia got worse, at home she'd stay
Then one week we all planned a vacation so swell
We are off to Tybee to see the ocean spray
Headed to the Atlantic Ocean, my what fun
We'd have our grandson, and his great-grandmother, too
One of them hadn't seen the ocean, so much sun
What excitement on the long trip ensued
When we're there, we camped next to the Atlantic
We said, "Mawmaw, "you are looking at the ocean".
She stood there, then not looking dramatic
She said, "Now, that is a large body of water".
If you have never seen any of the oceans
I say prepare, they are large bodies of water
Even more than McCant's Mill Pond's grand promotions
So go, relax, enjoy the waves and saltwater
We had two, enormous Black Walnut trees
That would shed every leaf in the fall.
The lawn would be blanketed, brilliant yellow
As the cold, north winds would call.
The task was foreboding to say the least,
The work would be hard, I conceded.
To prepare for winter and snow to come
Raking the leaves was needed.
Many years since, in a distant state
I find myself raking again
And a memory stirred my heart anew
And with joy I remembered when….
After toilsome hours of gathering leaves
My body sore and aching,
A ritual started that to this day
Brings fondness of raking’s partaking.
My son and daughter would anxiously wait
For the leaves to be heaped in a pile.
At my, “Okay!” they would dive in headfirst
And be buried alive with smiles.
Laughter ensued, and joy was the mood
As our mountain of leaves exploded.
Rake ‘em again! Pile it up so we can
Dive in over and over, with Fall overloaded.
By Tom Valles
Vulnerability
One decided to let you enter one's
Space and thoughts.
I assumed you were finally the one
At least one's mindset concluded that.
Vulnerability isn't weakness or is it
Pumped up for kicks?
Resulted from a deceitful tongue with
The results of broken trust over time.
Revisions like the seasons ensued on the road
Like beforehand.
Similar situations? Sooner or later, individualized
Faces are often challenging to cast from one's mind.
Opening oneself to others allowing yourself
To be deeply known and understood.
Having a preference for being one's true
Authentic self flaws and all.
Scavenging with mixed emotions of inaptness
By the harsh realities of a dubbed life of vulnerabilities.
A bold faced cad of human form
Flesh and blood but not the norm
Retraced his steps through the wood
Careless fashion unparalleled as good
Yet the cliff came ending his trail
Of scattered footprints to no avail
Some were cloven others not
Armed with a net as I was taught
Climbed a tree of scruffy pine
Darkness ensued where sun did shine
A scream came from out of the blue
Chills ran up my spine as if held by glue
Creepy crawler my escaped human quest
Smelled so foul I do not jest
Of sweat and blood and maybe pee
Sweltering in the moonlight he saw me
Escape uncertain no wings had I
A sacrificial lamb in his ungodly eye
Of flesh and blood and simply bones
He devoured me except my clothes
He took his leave ~ his final bow
an emptiness ensued
His music lingered in the air
its warm cachet intensified the mood
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
rainbow chicken was in one of her moods, not of delight.
She sat on the fence kicking her feet; she is not always bright.
Her outfit was outrageous, as it often is, of course.
The rest of the barnyard poked fun at her, especially the horse.
Who does she think he is? the horse bellowed to the sheep.
The sheep kept quiet, for they often do not make a peep.
The rooster got irritated and tried to pull his daughter off the fence.
A fierce struggle ensued that did not even make sense.
Charise, the sewer, made a marvelous potato bag
What will she use it for the sink asked a dish rag.
I think she’ll put potatoes in it, but this is only a guess.
Maybe she’ll put spoons in it, suggested the watercress.
They held their breath, wondering who would win the bet.
That afternoon, the bag was filled up to her neck and was set.
Potatoes! yelled the dish rag; I was right, I have won!
An argument ensued, which ruined all the fun.
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