as Chairman Fauch Xi smugly took the stand
the giant red panda nervously clapped
his responses were briefer
than was Adam's tiny fig leaf
a 5th of silence can be a snake in the grass.
Alas, I cannot reveal much about my family as they are in the "witless protection program"
The system asked for Candor—
as if the Soul were Grain,
to pour upon their ledger-books
in tidy rows of Pain.
But Conscience keeps a chamber—
locked, and lit within,
and answers only when it must,
and never at their whim.
They call the Silent—“Lawless,”
they brand the Quiet—“Proud,”
yet Truth will not be summoned by
a magistrate—nor crowd.
For Ethics is a Lantern—
not carried for display;
it glows in choices no one sees,
when Power turns away.
And some—who wear the Laurel—
grow tarnished in its light,
for morals bend too easily
when Influence grows bright.
So keep your Counsel, softly—
let Judgment fall where due;
Contempt is not in Silence—
but in those who silence you.
up up and away
the fifth dimension singers
upbeat and pretty
I hereby decline
to speak my mind
You might publish the news
of my orthodox views
The Day the Country Died
November 22, 1963
three pm e.s.t
fifth grade
pa speaker clicks on
“today, at one pm c.s.t
President Kennedy shot
he is dead”
our young substitute teacher
gasps then starts to cry
we are silent
school is dismissed early
buses home, no one speaks
our country has changed
the fifth has fallen
cold, dark and mysterious
as votes are counted
cream pies no longer aiming
free land’s textual silence
I was still writing ARITHMETIC at the top of my papers
When I discovered everyone else had written math.
I said to my twin “they are writing MATH!”
My twin turned her page around and it said MATH.
I was horrified! Why had no one shared this abbreviation with me?
We were in fifth grade, so this was the same time I lost my club.
I had formed a little “Boy haters club” with four other girls.
Weird since everyone knows girls do not play well in odd numbers.
There is always someone left out, and it is usually me.
We used to meet on the playground during recess.
I had a yellow cigar box with our meeting notes.
The other girls went to the side of the enemy pretty quickly.
Soon it was just me and the cigar box
and a notebook full of why I hated these traitors.
four dimensional space-time
balances on a fulcrum
called our fifth dimension
a 'retreat' while
some four dimensional
knot sorts out
stan sand
Cinco de Mayo, five days into May
Celebrate with margheritas today
Or break open a Fifth
I offer as a gift
Have a fantastica day and shout "Ole'"
Intimidation
Blank sheet of notebook paper ~
No words can express
From steppes remote
luxurious mink coats
Fine leather boots
tailored suits
Fancy shoppes
five-star hotels
Back of splashy nightclubs
exclusive brothels
Rolls-Royces
and Bentleys
S-t-r-e-t-c-h ... L-i-m-o-u-s-i-n-e-s
cafes serving the finest cuisine
Wide-eyed with wonder
passersby gape
Dreams of Fifth Avenue
from tottering fire escapes
spring awakens
i pay the price
seeds blossom
i till soil
helping people carry groceries
i bear the weight of life
as every day
people live and die
a love song fills the air
but somewhere someone cries
distant figures of birds
silhouette sky
idle sky
ocean or void
yet passing clouds
shape imagination
the passing sun casts light
and shadows
Dimming light
candles flicker
Dry ink
No parchment found
Wonder within thought
Imaged sounds
Tracing
Back in time
A rhyme
Verse appeared
A Contest
With Constance La France
My chance to win Yalto
First
But 5th place is fine
Contest: Writing Challenge-Yalto Form
Sponsored by: Constance La France
Date Created: 12/13/2022
A season out of the ordinary,
A season beyond the sculptured,
Disarray in the elements of nature,
Chaos in time and space.
Turbulence pervades the climate,
There's a disruption in the sequence of nature,
Twilight encroaches on the day,
Uncertainty looms over the horizon.
Humans seek a solution,
They search for an escape route,
Freedom from the shackles of a deviant season,
A way out from the tendrils of a dark continuum.
Mystery comes out of its chamber,
The phantom unveils itself,
Humans are burdened by an unbalanced system,
They’re haunted by their negligence.
November 12, 2022.
2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 20 Poetry Contest,
Mark Toney.
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