i can’t complete a scene
no voices heard
in early years
i’d not retain
i’m all alone
i see it all -
school tables
the painting easel
the cardboard bricks
graham crackers and milk
i’d bounce along a truck tire -
sandbox of neighbor
ate cream cheese
& jelly sandwiches
on the braided rug
their mother crafted
but don’t recall
our conversation
life was quiet
i took it in
the subtle moods
and the trees
were always my friends
the breeze before the storm
the excitement as they whipped
and roared -
i retain this
the forest of my mind
tethered to sweet honesty
and honeysuckle scents
to loneliness
and friends
later I’d own a record player
go ‘round and ‘round with puppy love
and shake your booty
hang out with girlfriends
talking of spooky things and boys
i’d pack my bag
fly south in the Winter
take hold
of my seabag
go adventuring
searching for words
8/3/2022
Categories:
seabag, childhood,
Form: Free verse
Cupid tapped my sailor on the shoulder,
“That one…” he pointed at me.
He aimed at me, sent the sailor’s seabag too -
we shoot to the top of Everest
with all its dangers.
We tumble and climb, tumble and climb
until at last we are forever in each other’s grasp.
My sailor proposed too fast with a golden ring.
I accepted after he begged for two weeks.
Mind over matter was defeated by head over heels.
I had been shy. If we had met earlier we might have passed by
each other but the playing field was all new. There was adventure
in his soul and longing in my heart to soar to new heights.
The sailor’s seabag was heavy with his past
but he found love and loves (children and grands)
and a God that was bigger than everything.
Tulips delirious dance, twelve with big fat leaves. Tulips alive
with life not death. Roses hold beauty but tulips last.
A sailor’s ring surrounds my finger. Ebon-etched leaves, unique.
Cupid’s bow in shadowbox - a little worn and bent in our heart shape.
2/7/2021
Categories:
seabag, marriage, valentines day,
Form: Free verse
shaped like a boat,
a sock peeked out,
down under the rim.
a baby bootie,
a boot camp scootie,
befuddled the face,
bright red,
of a pale blond —
a mother on the side.
could have been undies
lining the sailor cap!
waterlogged laughter.
sea of despair.
however... i showed her up,
dereliction of my polished shoes.
barely an adult,
sneakering to hide
in the head,
luckily placed as a guest
in the gatehouse
and not out on my rear guard
or thrown in the brigg
for my lack of attention to detail.
the blond carries her family in a seabag
— not allowed —
can’t find the other sock.
9/3/2020
All In A Day Poetry Contest
Sponsor - William Kekaula
scootie means child that is between the stages of crawling and walking. Here I’m using it as a baby’s sock.
sneakering is a play on words as I had absentmindedly put on my sneakers
Categories:
seabag, humor, military,
Form: Free verse
a baby bootie
ecstatically clings to her
clear garrison cap —
the navy does not issue
children in sailor’s seabag
3/6/2020
Categories:
seabag, children, funny,
Form: Tanka
As a young man, I cast off my line
And sailed into life's sea
My destination was unknown
Just happy to be free
I oft sailed troubled waters
Furling sails til the time when
I'd ridden out the turbulence
And my seas were calm again
Each storm I met would leave it's mark
But it also helped me see
It's all part of the voyage
It made a stronger me
My trips took me to many shores
Each offered something new
I would fill my hold with knowledge
Then my anchor weigh anew
My moral compass set my course
Truth kept my vessel straight
Integrity filled out my sails
Friendship was my mate
But alas, this weary sailor
Knew when he should sail no more
Since time and tide had run their course
I set a course for shore
I sailed into life's harbor
Where my anchor came to rest
Threw my seabag on my shoulder
Full of memories from my quest.
I often open up the bag
And relive the years inside
Back when I was a young man
And I rode the rising tide
Categories:
seabag, introspection, life, me, me,
Form: Rhyme