I am sitting in a hotel lobby in a small town south of Des Moines
That means Iowa for those of you who did not know
I am drinking coffee with French Vanilla flavoring and sweetener
Waiting for my twin sister, listening to loud country western music
I would not mind the music if it was on a proper volume
It is weirdly loud and proud for six a.m.
as if it thinks it is better than rock and roll or bluegrass
my nerves are screaming
At the supermarket, squeeze this,
sniff that. Of course, color is the
first attraction: Fruit should not
be green -- vegetables must be!
So, green is not always best.
Children, take note! (Her daughter,
Little Genie, as ordered, wrote)
And if the same price for
one, choose the largest and weigh...
but scales sometimes are purposely
light, seldom right. (Genie again
wrote) Now let's do this again: I said
vegetables should be green...though
carrots better orange-yellow. Then there
are eggplants, they must be deep
purple. Oh, and the beets should
be nice, round, earthy red. Sweet candy,
gumballs, hot-dogs, highly processed
foods, hormone chicken and beef,
barbecue with artificial flavoring
should be avoided like the class
bully. (Genie wrote, if it taste good
it is probably bad for you) Read labels
on cans: Mono-this, Chlor-what's it,
if you can't say it, never plate it. Make
a list of these chemicals. Genie
used all the reminding pages in her pad.
(ended with, in the future, only go
shopping with dad)
What’s natural is rarely kind.
It’s what grows in leaps and bounds
From chaotic paranoia in the abstract
To orderly mitosis in the particular
An avalanche of exponential divisions
Until all resources are consumed
All space filled
And the cancer of desire
Meets its end.
Death is the end after all
And likewise the beginning
Each moment needing a start and stop
Somehow jumping the gap between,
Flavoring the next
With the scent of the prior.
The horrible truth is everything that is,
Is natural,
With it’s own particular shape in time and space
Whether man-made or not, random or not,
Or by design
By who knows what, how or why.
We can do our best to make it different, but
Nature still is rarely kind
Because it always has the bigger picture,
Firmly held within it’s mind.
(11/22/24)
(Turkish DOBAG rug)
Degrees of Soul
Awhile ago I got a Turkish rug that opened my eyes
To what real joy looks like
Transferred to one’s work.
In this rug I could see the soul of a weaver
Proud to be part of a tradition
She added to with each delicate knot.
And with my eyes so opened
I could clearly see by extension
The degree of soul of each work of art in my home.
And the range was startling
From nonexistent to brilliant glimpses
Into the creative Mind of the universe.
After a few days my vision grew foggy again
And the soul of all these pieces
Became once more hidden beneath the surface.
The window onto the essence of the Mind
Had closed taking with it the lucid vision
And sense of connection.
I was left apart but never separate
From the knowledge that soul truly exists
It’s mark on everything we do.
The degrees of soul are everywhere like this
Subtle and informing
Flavoring what it is we call quality of Life.
And so we live and breathe
Taking and giving an essence beyond words
Even when unconscious clearly manifest.
(11/14/24)
In Michigan, we have cherries.
Flavoring our whole state.
Tart juice that drips into everything.
So we add sugar.
Cherry trees nod as we drive by.
To the cherry festival.
I bring a tote bag to catch the cherry candy.
I try to pretend they are healthy.
Sure, they may have been made in a factory…
But the label says “Made in Michigan.”
Which takes my guilt away.
Because I like variety,
I’ve got many different boxes of tea upon my shelf.
Sometimes I might mix them up,
adding two different bags of tea to seep inside my glass.
Some flavors I enjoy consist of these: rose hips, jasmine,
hibiscus, cinnamon, apple spice, chamomile, mint blend,
and one called Tension Tamer! Its ingredients are
peppermint, licorice, and hops (to name a few).
“Real” tea contains antioxidants, which means
I ought to drink more of those teas than I do.
Though green tea is the healthiest, I still prefer
unique and naturally sweet herbal teas.
They have minerals and other ingredients to make them healthy too.
I enjoy a variety of them, with names like “blood red orange.”
I add a few of them together, seeping them in boiled water,
then flavoring them with honey. Ahhh, to savor nice warm tea.
at way-stressed words that echoed...
"my (main-you!) plea-is tea...tasting...
'of-odd-cause' heavy flavoring...cofcof..."
stan sand
He placed a strong arm
Around my small form
Carrying me to the darkness
The dreaded, musty
Cellar, where canning jars
Lined the clammy shelves
And I felt the caress
Of spider webs falling
Near my naked face
I was always a little reluctant
When riding his waist
Into the damp, cool room
Where a dirt floor
Left me fearful, loathe
To entering the feared place
Alone, but I was with him
My gentle defender
He would never let that spider
Get me – would he?
There were moments
When I felt the worry
Radiate on my skin
Dank as the vault where
We found the delicious
Grape juice I would carry
Back home with me
From Granny’s storehouse
Of yummy treats
The leftovers from a garden
That had dried up
And turned back to dirt
And Pa was just kind enough
To remember how much I loved
That sweet nectar flavored
With dark purple grapes
I don’t remember when it started
And I don’t remember how long it went on
I only remember the mouthwatering
Sweetness meeting my tongue
Flavoring these moments
With whispers of love
It's the bee,
not the sugar
who discern the complete
dimension of sweetness...
It's the sea, not the salt who
is proficient in flavoring life...
It's love, not hate,
only love is qualified
to drive eternal
and divine life...!
Save the earth by going vegan
honestly don't know if I can
T bone steak bloody rare
each morsel a bite you cannot spare
Jawing on the bone when the meat is gone
lick the plate it's never wrong
Hot juicy hamburger with just the bun
each bite melts on your tongue
Savoring the taste of real ground beef
of all sandwiches it is chief
Life without bacon is a sin
the meat candy is a win win win
The smell the taste and even the grease
flavoring those veggies your force to eat
That great southern favorite chicken fried steak
eating for lunch supper or breakfast when you wake
Lots of gravy and that big Texas toast
to wipe your plate to enjoy it the most
Don't forget fried chicken with the skin
bite to the bone finger good licking
A world wide favorite that never ends
glorious is the flavor of fried chicken
Lamb fish goat and turkey
that great snack beef jerky
Ham on holidays or any day at all
meat is the dish cooked or raw
Roast, baked grilled fry or stew
meat is there for any mood
But it can never be said enough
going without barbecue would be too rough
If wishes fell like rain ~ then certainly I am the storm – Anonymous
Starry eyed dreamer
Filled with insight into joy
She colors the heavens
In azure laughter
Shining hues of compassion
Floating through the sky
In moments, rays break through
The dawn mists inspiration
Through the twisting ideas
Flowing into whispered tenderness
Flavoring the sunrise
With overwhelming smiles
Joyful lights that sooth the soul
With breaths of kindness
Shades of pure gold
Rain falls softly in the silence
Beating out a rhythm
Losing all thought of fear
Within the hazy harmony
Which sighs in the aroma of thrills
Joy portrays the happiness
Discovered in a touch of hope
Alive inside the faith that pours out
Delight through a heavy heart
One who beats with yearning for love
Wishes murmur through the spirit
Sending out verses of life
Energizing the inner truth, the fire
That ignites a flame of desire
Passionate poetry filled with vision
Moonbeams leave a weightless trail
Footprints echoing a prayer
For adoration which frees the mind
To reveal love for tomorrow
Faith and hope for God’s promises
There is a wall of stone erected in the woods
Where no one ever sees, only those who journey
Across the graveyard which borders it’s edges
Coloring the world in hues of passionate prose
Flavoring the site with spices of sweet scented cloves
Which beckon to our hearts from flowing rivers
Of sentiments which reveal the passionate joys
And mysteries discovered there across the branches
Where trees embrace the light with leaves which
Reach high above the limbs they grace with a fervent
Urgency, longing to touch the skies so bright and alive
With feelings of appreciation for the mystery of a wall
So vividly portrayed in the pines and beech trees
Where only God knows this stone structure’s secrets
And leaves us all wondering at the hues and harmonies
Discovered just beneath the surface of such ambiguities
A Wall in the Woods Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: craig cornish
October 3, 2020
Some of them are drifting vapor,
fluid pastel flavoring my tongue.
When awake, they linger like nectar,
or the hidden symbols of Jung.
Others are more like nesting dolls,
hand painted selves inside of selves,
secret centers wrung in reluctant recalls.
Narcotic sleep concocts misshapened shelves.
Still others are Fabergé eggs,
grandiloquent intricacies, ornate and refined,
interior parlors absent of regs.
Fantastic reservoirs are carefully designed.
But most of them are made of celluloid,
cinematic and impossible to avoid.
Published in the first PoetrySoup anthology- 11/20
LOVE IS ALL
a few drops of water
a breath of fresh air
a clutching embrace
a life will spare.
Love nourishes and preserves
the seeds that grow no matter how small
Vitality will root, life thrives longer
Just a small touch to give, love is all
Love is the nectar upon which life thrives
Commitment strengthens and nourishes the vows
Sincerity seasons the flavoring touch that strives
Gaining the gratification that love allows
L means life the gift of god
O means oneness that love brings
V means verity which secures the heart
E means expressing that which binds the love
Blood shall ring the butlers call
Step into the parlor
the fires spent, still burn
Painted in the faded tint,
nightmare shades to turn
Broken slabs of conscience,
rotted to the core
Splintered in a thousand words
never heard before
Gears abide the grinding,
slapping to the beat
Shards of incandescent lights
flavoring the meat
Slicing as you swallow,
whispering refrain
Caught like someone else's fate,
filtered through the pain
Dressed along the hallway,
mirrors shout their fear
There among the carpet stains,
distant as is near
Gasp for all you bother,
feast that final breath
Blood shall ring the butlers call
long beyond your death
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