Thursday, March 30, 2017

A POEM 4 2 DAY

INVISIBILITY IS A BITCH




I get awesomely annoyed when
People act like they don't see me
On line at the check-out counter
Pushing their shopping cart filled
With hundreds of dollars worth of
Stuff into the line at an angle
From another direction cutting in
Ahead of me squeezing into a space
That isn't there invisible like
I must appear



Wednesday, March 29, 2017

POETRY CHALLENGE #47


WRITE A POEM IN WHICH YOU BECOME AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING: A HAT, A SCARF, A PAIR OF SHOES.

What do you see, hear, feel taste, smell? How do you look? What do you do differently now that you are this object?


Thursday, March 23, 2017

A POEM 4 TODAY


FIRST DAY OF CLASS




Teacher went on and on about
I don't know what
Voice echoing
Unwinding like a snake
In the grass eyes feeling
Sleepy head starting to bob
And weave momentarily
Yawning stretching for an
Instant out of the woods drifting
Again eyes closing blinking
Head nodding eyes staring into
Space drifting further eyes closing
Closing closed into a zone where a
Voice echoing somewhere in a tunnel
Unwinding somewhere beneath my
Eyelids wake up sir class is dismissed.








Wednesday, March 22, 2017

poetry CHALLENGE #46


Write a poem that is based on a scene from your life when the whole family got together for a "fun event."





Thursday, March 16, 2017

A POEM 4 2-DAY


F-WORD



I still don't say the f-word
I call it memorial
The f-word
Too final
For me
Too much to fret
I still haven't visited her
Body in the ground yet
Though I have closure
Peace I found it somewhere
Around here about a long
Time ago without
Knowing what it was.



Wednesday, March 15, 2017

POET PROFILE


WILLIAM STANLEY BEAUMONT BRAITHWAITE  (1878-1962)
was born into a well-to-do, family  in  Boston, Massachusetts.

Braithwaite was largely tutored at home by his father, William Smith Braithwaite, who had spent time in England studying medicine. The younger Braithwaite studied the usual subjects, plus French and literature. His father died when Braithwaite  was the age of  7, his death plunging the entire family into poverty.

Braithwaite's mother, Emma Dewolfe Braithwaite began working as a domestic to support her growing family.

Braithwaite had to quit school at the age of 13 to help his mother support the family. He worked as an errand boy for various proprietors for a few years. Finally, at the age of 15 he was apprenticed to a typesetter for a publisher, Ginn & Company. It was here that he developed an affinity for books, writing and poetry, and where he began writing  his own poems.

Braithwaite eventually published 3 volumes of poetry.

His first book, "Lyrics of Life," was self-published in 1904.  His 2nd volume, "The House of Falling Leaves," was similarly published in 1908. His third volume, "Selected Poems," was published in 1948.  Braithwaite's poems reflects  his love  of the universal theme of  loneliness and passion.

During his career, Braithwaite compiled and edited numerous poetry anthologies from poems collected from various periodicals. These yearly anthologies helped to launch the careers of many American poets.


Braithwaite died at his home in Harlem, New York in 1962.













POETRY CHALLENGE #45


WRITE A POEM THAT SUGGESTS HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR PLACE IN YOUR FAMILY, YOUR COMMUNITY, AND YOUR COUNTRY.



Thursday, March 9, 2017

THURSDAY POETRY PROMPT

WRITE AN  "EKPHRASTIC" POEM
***The Last Supper - a painting by Leonardo da Vinci



COLORATION


In the museum I
Viewed a reproduction of
The Last Supper
The most admired most
Studied most famous painting
Of all time circa 15th century.
Then I saw
Another copy done by a
Lesser-known artist circa
20th century who made a
Radical adjustment in the
Complexion blush by depiction of
Melanin-rich faces with images
Much closer to reality











Prompt by RL Brewer's "Poetic Asides"  Blog

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Thursday, March 2, 2017

A Poem 4 Today


STORM WATCH


It felt like a summer
Storm but spring had not yet
Arrived. Dark cumulus clouds gathered
Across the firmament. Vibrant
Winds rushing in from the
East brought a
Loud rumbling burst of
Thunder with torrential
Rain drops.
I closed my eyes to the
Flashes of lighting and
When I awoke the storm
Had passed over.


Wednesday, March 1, 2017