Whitestone Hoodoos
Near where I live,
just up the hill above the airport,
is a place of mystery and wonder,
a place wizards might once have dwelled,
or young warriors wandered in search of vision.
It’s a thicket of chalky hoodoos, sitting now
like a forest of plump petrified dwarfs made of meringue
sculpted by uncountable drops of rain
and whatever it is you might call a single unit of wind.
It’s enchanting for sure,
but largely ignored by the sensible folk.
It’s a place of unclimbable slippery slabs and
crumbly sliding slopes, of snakes with rattles
and succulents with thorns.
I’m sure to some eyes it’s just a barren hill,
and to others an inspiring view that’s always just out the window,
to some a marvelous result of random tectonic drifts
and to a few at least, a glimpse into the past
when wizards and warriors met
under the shadow of watchful dwarves
and ate the bitter root.
(from my third book, SUN MADE FLESH AND FIBER, 2019)
Categories:
whitestone, nature,
Form: Free verse
December is approaching with gelid gusts,
soon the candid snow will spread its white blanket
and dominate the lifeless and desolate land;
nevertheless, those pallid swifts with wide wings
search for warmer places livelier and more pleasant.
Gianni and Lucy follow their flight and look sad,
no birds flying around while they build with fast hands
a fat snowman with a tomato nose and cherry eyes;
it's not what they had in mind, or saw in Winterland!
" We need a wool cap to cover his head and he'll stay warm,
if ravens come by, they'll eat the cherry and tomato and deform
his face not hearing his sobs and his tears turning to ice;
what an unhappy snowman Jerry would be without eyes and nose...
oh, if only glue could hold them in place, we would get some!"
And through the entire afternoon, they watched their snowman
ready to send away any intruders with a huge rolling pin.
Those pallid swifts with wide wings have left the hushful Whitestone*,
and proud of their work, the creators of the chubby snowman
smile and clap their hands when more snow comes down;
their dream is realized, mom rewards them with an ice cream cone!
* Whitestone, Queens, NY
Categories:
whitestone, bird, children, creation, december,
Form: Rhyme
Isn't New York City the leading global city?
Wait...why is it called The Big Apple?
And for those who don't know...here's the aswer:
it was named after the poor street vendors,
selling apples during the Depression.
And despite all the traffic jams and noises,
New York City is still a great city!
Manhattan's avenues are quite at night...
illuminated by those skyscrapers!
See the Brooklyn Bridge cross the East river,
such wonders are The Whitestone, the Throgs Neck,
the Washington and the Manhattan Bridges!
Yes, Queens is the melting part of the world;
where would you find such a diversity?
Entered in Brian Strand's contest, " Sonnet Me "
Categories:
whitestone, history, peace, people, places,
Form: Sonnet