Every tenth sundry
ven-
dor owns at least a
hundred and seven-
ty free flop-
of-the line gamey
loconut
brief cakes loved by lep-
ers prying
into malty poor
pound
pay dirt
left dangling
both uncodifried
and super seeded with the wood-
en
heaped goons of small and
in-
significant re-
lated risk bakers
misusing
government fun guy.
Misty morning
Under a canopy
She sits quietly
Happy to be alive
Relishing in nature's bounty
Oblivious to the cold
Open to what comes
Managing the monsoons of the month of May
Sturdy mushrooms making the best shelters
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
[JCB Brul Contest : Scents of Autumn
FIRST PLACING : Standard Contest ]
mellow
maturation
cinnamon floats woody
musky flesh loamy depths spice-wise
mushrooms
•••
I cannot sleep - my mind is uneasy.
You can see, I'm no longer light and breezy.
Was there something more, I still need to say
about mushrooms to dear CayCay?
They were all out standing in their field
with an ass or two and a few moose
along with a stray Canadian goose
when someone let the Appaloosas loose
not a welcome sight nor pretty view
while the moose who cud did slowly chew
the well-trained colt did not bolt
or even buck to shuck us
the goose didn't give a honk or hoot
but the asses kicked up such a ruckus
and if mushrooms you have half a mind
to seek (not the magic kind of stalk)
be aware take care of where you walk
as there by the end of the week let me remind
the field was knee-deep if not chock-a-block
with what the livestock left behind
The morning was dark and misty
venturing out before the throng
weaving between oak and elder
the path I took was long
I stumbled on a clearing
and fell down upon my knees
it was there I started digging
through discarded wood and leaves
burrowing through the top soil
breaking deeper in the dirt
my fingers and palms wore earth stains
nails had worked to earn their worth
sensing something beneath the surface
of what was left behind
reaching in with all purpose
the hand I found was mine.
To be truly, fully present
Of consciousness and
answering why we are here,
These studies are a promising field of research
Yet by powerful backlash
research has halted
For severe depression and PTSD
Universities use micro-doses of psylocibin
Derived from mushrooms
It lowers stress and doesn’t
cause hallucinations
Follow up studies show dramatic improvement
of conditions not previously responsive
to conventional medications and therapies
This chemical is still widely banned
Except for a few controlled studies
Underway at accredited, renowned medical
and psychiatric departments
at major universities
When popular conventional
therapies prove ineffective
the 60’s and 70’s proved a fertile ground
for those seeking help
New age treatment called Primal Therapy,
When religious cults such as love Guru’s
Hare`Krishna mantras, Buddhist chants
of Nam-Myoho-renge-kio or being shakabukued
or Hollywood fix its— for anxiety’s
mental illness failed,
Came the psychotherapists
and the latest Primal Scream Therapy
new and experimental, so-called Hollywood therapists
took it to levels unimaginable and a bit too far
and should have never been licensed!
The forest digests
rot and decay,
where mushrooms
gladly grow
Afternoon ember flare coddles forest
Nodule noses, from dark bark eyes sap drips
Naked soldiers, Summer’s subside promised
Farewell foliage, spun fairy floss gossip
News spew swept red runaway train carriage
Ridiculed witches watch fireworks astral
Rudimentary broom aircrafts encourage
Twilight wake creatures creep from log capsules
Twitching whiskers, dusk susurrate translate
Trampled damp mushrooms mulch to mildew fleece
Orange fungi full moon balloon inflate
Hot flight flame exhales exhausting release
Grey limb wind tortured troops groan, familiar
Guards gravely wait for Winter’s insignia
31st August
Written for Contest:
Whispers of Autumn
Sponsor: John Lawless
A world arises as dryad clusters of interlaced oysteruos flair umbrellas fairies from sunburst orb piercing rays. Vast umbra fae churn soil into a sea of plush fungi filigree in midst fields blanketed with lush evergreen forestry. Highland's spore-bearing rush wild, elevating charm. The gloaming illumination, an alternate universe climaxes as Jinns grant wishes to intermesh the electric event, an
aesthetic landscape
strawberry capped stems with white
polka dot sprinkles!
pixie’s apple bright garden
toadstool suspects virulence
For an hour
Cicadas saw at the early August evening
While thunder purrs as kittens
In the yarn of dark clouds balled up out west over Ionia County
Trees prepare their umbrellas
The Tigers on TV swing away in the 3rd inning
A good book in hand
Then out of hand
A den of lions-wind roars outside our patio window
Devours the screens
I jump back
House turns black
And our 100-year old standing friends
Just like that
Break in half no more than the unlucky draw of straws
While others are plucked like Hedgehog mushrooms
All thrown down
At dawn
Sunlight strikes of leftover lightning
Flashes through new holes punched in the canopy
I hadn’t seen the sky in my backyard for decades
But there it is
Claw marks across the laid-down lambs on forest floor
And upon the beast of me who lies beside them.
I tested sweet mushroom ice cream
Delicious, its taste was supreme
The cream of the crop
From food fair farm shop -
It wasn’t a dope induced dream!
Potatoes And Mushrooms
Fries are not only deep-fried sticks to which nothing permanent connects
But also, what happens when a person makes some serious mistakes.
And a way to eat however many potatoes a person wants to in one sitting
Even after a couple of inconvenient but needed fittings
Steaks are better for people than snakes especially at lakes regardless of who bakes but sometimes more fat than meat -although maybe not in sweet old Crete Maybe that doesn't bother a Pete or a Skeeter - however it does bother me even without bees.
The hatred of mushrooms is sometimes based on uncorrected misconceptions but they make poor brooms for bedrooms and awful grooms-not to mention bad brides but they are pretty good stuffed, as are potatoes!
In 1968 I was filling my hope chest with embroidered tea towels.
I spent a week’s salary on a mushroom canister set in 1969.
Sears had a collection of mushroom kitchen items.
They were called the Merry Mushrooms.
I began embroidering new tea towels that matched the MMs.
Not realizing that mushrooms had anything to do with drugs.
She has skinny legs the elderly elf king said.
But her stripes are darling- green, blue and red.
She is the queen of the mushrooms I am sure.
Her motives are kind and her heart is pure.
His spoiled son Chester who knew very little at all.
Wanted an elf princess who was voluptuous and tall.
She is truly amazing, his father said, talking her up.
If he had his way, she’d arrive in a loving cup.
Chester had his eye on a gnomette with a goosey grin.
If she did not suit his needs, he would date her own twin.
The skinny legged queen of the mushrooms felt a bunch of relief.
She was empathetic and kind. They shared not one belief.
It worked out well in the end, they both got their way.
Chester got his twins, who were giddy, merry and gay.
The Queen of the mushrooms had a life full of love.
Best scenario for both, orchestrated by the angels above.
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