In 7th grade English, my class got to read,
With Mrs. Kaminsky, my first
Taste of Shakespeare, the dream of “A Midsummer Night”
And for weeks we were fully immersed.
We couldn’t have done it alone, without help –
The language and style, to us
Was a challenge and yet with our teacher to guide,
We sailed through it without too much fuss.
I’d need a refresher to dig out the plot
From the recesses deep in my brain,
Though the love of the language and what it inspired,
Front and center, to this day, remain.
My grandson just told me (he’s 7th grade now)
That in school, with his class, he’ll soon start
The very same play, his first Shakespeare, as well,
And that knowledge tapped into my heart.
I hope I can find my old copy from school,
Which is scribbled with jottings I wrote
When, to 7th grade me, the idea of a grandson
Was more than remotely remote.
Hatred, see the world with love?
Sure. That can't be helped.
Agony, arc. O alcove:
Wendigo is whelped.
Sickening loss, tempest toss.
Hard work, go to waste.
No use hanging on the cross!
Bitter is the taste!
Caiman, the gulf floor. Abhor?
Oh, good sir, you bet.
O computer, where's the door?
Aren't we fancy-fret.
Thrashing round the thresher?
O chaff blue, from brown grain.
Cannibal, refresher?
That flesh, sir! Deign to drain!
Red mountain, yellow forest.
Wild will be that fire.
Lava, ignite. Pray, poor pest.
Sad thy sprawling sire.
Parents, clutch thy offspring?
We do the best we can.
Sacrosanct? Sick? Silvering?
Reconcile run? Ran.
Ghastly gale. Green gibbous glow.
Cobalt blue bad moon.
Captive, open door. Let's go?
Well, it's none too soon.
Tiny crosses. Metal.
They fell straight from the sky.
On that cliff? Gas pedal!
Eternity, odd eye...
Refresher from the ‘Requirements’ sign,
you’re way too tall to write this line.
The fleshy muscle so relax
Whispers use at ease without pressure
Or charges unto words-- tax
Your tongue is of no man's measure
Yet you are man's owned refresher
When silence parades climax
That heartbeats live in tempting leisure
To save possible regrets in flashbacks
Your tongue has never been sour
To the night of Your belove
When in checks of his heart's dour
Strengthening his charged dove
Your tongue is sweetie
Everyone loves and wants it
That's a great meaty
Of a quest in thought missing hit
I never walk away to give pressure,
Or separate pleasure and pain like thresher
Does to grains from husks and straw,
Nor to mock your breathing flaw,
But to take a class of trust's refresher.
If you told me you on your way
I'd have told you stay a little longer
Atleast one more day
To tell you bye or tell stories longer
Either way it won't be easy letting you go
Cause you had so much ahead of you
I remember how we used to go,
On and on of what you had dreamed of for you
A new chapter had just began in your life
A refresher that's why we called you a fresher
Cause it was your first year into this new life
Only for that chapter to close soon after,
It's sad that we had to hear from your mum
That she'd not heard from you and got concerned
Only for your mum to go look around, and as a mum
In the mortuary was the last place to go around
Your death has got me questioning alot of things
But for now I wanted to send all our thoughts your way
And perhaps to send you all the things,
we have in our hearts so that you shine on your way
The PO£T
Part of me says yes, yes, yes to a hot air balloon ride.
The other part shrieks NO! Because we know what could happen.
It happened once in Iowa, and the photos were on the front page of newspapers.
The balloon had burned up and the people had fried. I was about eight.
I can’t, I lie, simultaneously desperately wanting to take a ride in one.
They coax, they cajole, they tease me for years, begging and grinning.
Eventually the right persuader came along, and somehow got me on one.
We were like birds, floating effortlessly in the air. The wind gentler up here.
I felt like I was in heaven, watching the quilt of the land get smaller.
The silence was the most amazing refresher I had ever felt.
A loud sigh came out of me; my stress disappeared, my backache was gone.
I never wanted to return to the land of the walkers; I was an eagle now.
*Image of Blowing Bubbles by Pixabay.
Blowing Bubbles
(Collective, Coordinate, and Create)
Complacency lies within my stronghold,
a campaign against relentless pressure,
of vague outlooks for a better threshold,
ere I chanced some fields as a refresher.
An unbarred gateway proposes choices,
on precipice edge, stood I unafraid,
beforehand plucked via inner voices,
immersed midst crowds and not a renegade.
Flexible me changed my apprehensions,
once a loose rock in a dry riverbed,
my comfort zone without trepidations,
till spate rolled and mold and I got ahead.
Match I, my concerns, then welcome anew,
for change on its own force dreams to be true.
2020 November 28
*1st Place*
ALL YOURS (Mar 26)
~~Brian Strand: Judged 2021 March 26
Dampish eventide
Thunder lurks raindrops do fall
A jasmine's cocktail
May 17, 2020
8pm PST
Poem 1,274
"Plain women know more about men than beautiful ones do."
-Katherine Hepburn
Plain Women
Those pretty ones, those halidomes with cascading blond hair, who mark themselves with beauty marks to impersonate imperfection, whose reflection in the mirror hugs them tight, spreads their charm far and wide like butter on endless bread. They know every inch of their own beauty. But for men, they know how to slip him on their pinky and like a velociraptor, lick their lips forking a man’s tender heart.
her self-reflection
the dereliction of him
untamed perfection
Invisible attributes and adorable makeup tug and squeeze, pleasing to the lips and thighs. She’s a quick study, takes refresher courses on his mind. The plain woman quicksteps, closes in, captures her man’s heart unabashed to enter his personal space, the puzzle just her size. She lassoes him over and over again. He’s satisfied.
a lifetime study
his eyes, his important tasks
plainly she loves him
1/8/2020
Maureen McGreavy’s She Inspires Series KH Poetry Contest
We need a refresher course in mercy and love.
For once again, we've allowed Fascism
to raise its ugly head; while we stayed silent!
Life is harsh, and pain is a part of it.
But, so too is love!
Often, feelings of compassion surface
only to be ignored;
as we retreat to the darker corners of our minds.
Our voice is powerful, combined with others.
Yet, we feel it'll make no difference,
so, we choose to stay mute.
Our fears and frustrations
cower like subordinate shadows
ashamed to be seen.
We are all tethered to our feelings,
and when we allow our humanity full rein:
Hope summons sensations that can alter our reality.
We need to metaphorically
sever the political head of Medusa:
so our hearts no longer turn to stone;
under the intolerant gaze of bigots.
And reaffirm that our moral foundation
is an extension of our faith:
and that we will no longer remain silent.
At our passing, it's our souls God will judge;
not our political affiliations.
Friday is a free day
We are off work.
Last year on the first week
My principal volun-told me for an extra duty
and I had an all-day workshop on this Friday
So while everyone else had the whole day off
I was held captive from 8:30 to 3:30
I received a summons on Friday
I was invited to a MANDATORY refresher course
all day this Friday.
I sent back a sweet note
saying if they wanted to appoint another person to this duty
I would gladly back out, but I am unavailable on Friday.
I did not think it was fair, when it was not even my idea.
Weirdly enough
I almost immediately received a missive
saying it was no problem
Since I had already been trained, I could skip this training.
Active shooter intruder training
A serious business here in the U.S.
We teachers have to take a refresher course every year
This reflects my fear that guns are too easily purchased
Shame on lawmakers who allow everyone to have assault rifles
We are learning lock out, get out, and take out.
Take out is horrifying.
It involves being violent ourselves.
Last resort, but still, I am shaking after this training.
Shame on the lawmakers.
Cabbages are wonderful to taste and see
Multi-colored look, various recipe
Green, maroon, yellow, purple and white,
Love to get you always
At breakfast, lunch and dinner
You’re the wrapper
Refresher!
Packrat Hell
Life choices
What to do?
Shoot ‘em
Desert Heat
Life choices
What to do?
Install A/C
Monsoon Storms
Life choices
What to do?
Dance naked
Rattlesnake Skins
Life choices
What to do?
Load gun
Roadrunners Knocking
Life choices
What to do?
Say hi
Lightning Strikes
Life choices
What to do?
Stay inside
Flooded Washes
Life choices
What to do?
Get boat
Cactus Fight
Life choices
What to do?
Call 911
Booming Thunder
Life choices
What to do?
Duck - laugh
Summer Tans
Life choices
What to do?
Cover privates
Poolside Refresher
Life choices
What to do?
Drink Micheladas
Sub Categories
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