“Handmaid of Patriarchy”
the garden rezoned
Embattled virility
misogyny cloned
As Delilah revolts
a new Samson on scene
One half of the whole
left to drown in the stream
Each genders new quotient
to minus the plus
A He without Her
— the destruction of us
(Saint David’s Pennsylvania: May, 2025)
Categories:
rezoned, men, women,
Form: Rhyme
There are times when my thoughts make me dizzy.
What day is it? Did I forget to make an appointment?
My mind becomes so boggled that I'm thrown into a tizzy,
knowing more hours in a day is the healing ointment.
Rushing around in circles, but not getting anywhere.
If I try to travel too fast, I feel like I'm in a cul-de-sac,
repeatedly missing my exit before I'm even aware
that I'm a freight train roaring down the same track.
Houses in the crescent curve are just empty facades.
Sometimes I have trouble recalling which one is mine.
It's confusing to live in a world infiltrated with frauds
and continue to think, "Everything's gonna be just fine."
Cul-de-sacs have only one way in and the same way out,
but when pressing anxieties of life get me distracted,
I'm a pugilist hugging the ropes, sadly losing the bout.
It's time for circular streets to be rezoned or redacted.
February 23, 2023
This or That, Vol 16 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Edward Ibeh
Categories:
rezoned, anxiety, stress,
Form: Rhyme
He was vulnerable
only in the present
The past and future self-deposed
their fantasies atoned
Moments claim unto themselves
a singular refluence
Strength unnumbered past the count
—battle lines rezoned
(Dreamsleep: August, 2022)
Categories:
rezoned, time,
Form: Rhyme
Emma was the name of my best friend
Once long ago in grammar school.
We learned, played and ate together.
Even our lunches we would pool.
When school reopened in the fall,
I looked for her. She wasn't there.
I knew nothing of schools rezoned
Or of adults who didn't care.
Nor how a beloved friendship could
Be sacrificed for common good.
Categories:
rezoned,
Form: Rhyme