I raised you south, but he went north.
I vote for Geezers, he votes for Sneezers
I despise cats, he has filled a house with them
We still love each other, my son and I.
I taught you to stand up for yourself and others.
I raised you to cook and clean and do your own laundry.
Anticipating that you would grow up and be a great catch.
I pushed you out of our nest, encouraging you to marry and father.
We have wonderful debates, he and I and his wife and children.
When I say, “I think you should,” he laughs, saying “If only I could.”
We disagree about so many things and yet, I am bursting with pride
For he has developed into his own person.
My seventy-two-year-old cousin has raised a forty-eight who lives at home.
She has always provided him room, board, and a meal. He has never jobbed.
When he threatens to move out and become independent
She says “break my heart why don cha?”
Break My Heart Why Don Cha Contest
Written 2-03-2021
Sponsor Edward Ibeh
Categories:
sneezers, mother son, my children,
Form: Free verse
S lowly, imperceptibly, long summer days start to die,
E vening comes down, like a smile to a frown, softly as a sigh.
P atination turns to grey, suffused with rustic hue,
T ides turn and skies burn a different, steely blue.
E verywhere is hunkering down, now that summer's lost,
M ornings are fresher, following the thresher, now rimed in frost.
B ucolic ease flushes the trees with dazzling autumn shades,
R uminants sleep in byre and barn as daylight softly fades.
I nsular people in city and town find refuge in their mufflers,
S unny smiles and beguiling eyes morphing to sneezers and snufflers.
Categories:
sneezers, autumn, seasons,
Form: Acrostic
They never cover their mouths.
They come in sneezing and hacking.
They are germ-mobiles, and I am stuck with them
They are walking disease-spreaders she hissed.
Not in a whisper, but more like a low voice the six-year-olds could hear.
I stare at her, wondering if there is anything she likes about teaching
I spray their desks and their hands with hand sanitizer, she tells me.
I keep away from the coughers and the sneezers as much as possible.
One of them came up and threw up on her shoe while we were talking.
I had to bite my tongue so it would not laugh with abandon.
Categories:
sneezers, funny, school, teacher,
Form: Prose Poetry