42 Red-winged blackbirds along the little lake
5 herons in the marsh
1 eagle keeping watch on the foreshore
21 robins in the neighbour’s trees
a pair of house finches back in our blue spruce
Spring calling in the dawn and dusk
Twittering joy on the wind.
Black night
sleep tight
creeping creature
thoughts feature
rampant racing
adrenaline pumping
thumping heart.
Black night
count sheep
crush the creeping thinking
shrink the thinking
block thinking
stop thinking
Black night
sleep tight
Yeah.
Right.
When Pluto was a planet
You cleared your neighbourhood
Scooped all the negativity
Flung it to far reaches
You spun in your orbit
So well rounded.
We wanted to come along
But your journey is long
and oh, so cold.
Where you are looking
impacts what you see.
I’m looking at you.
You’re not looking at me.
Now Pluto’s a dwarf planetoid
because it doesn’t bring friends
on its journey,
like staying along is what a
far out, cold planet wants.
Remember when Pluto was a planet
and there was a we.
There the wind blows
So softly sliding past
Trees,
tremulous,
speak,
susurrus over the snow
. Listen
. Listen
. Listen
Wind whispers wishes
. Be well
. Be well
. Be well.
The mountains are a
ghostly presence,
faint phantoms
looming above the lake,
wisps over white paint palette
there
not there
Winter hovers
over misty memories
of summer storms.
(Sometimes the breakdown of a relationship is not a surprise to folks watching from the outside).
.
When I met his eyes
.
I saw into the depths
saw his emptiness
unfaithfulness.
He knew I knew
His fake jokes couldn’t mask
the pain he’d cause.
He looked away,
alarms his charms didn’t sway me.
I could see.
They believed
his false smile
piled on adoration
while he crafted
mutual ruination.
She
has strength beyond
will rebuild,
move along.
Step. Pause.
Step. Pause.
Step. Pause.
I hear the wedding march.
Step. Pause.
Step. Pause.
This isn’t going to go well.
Step. Pause.
Step. Pause.
Step. Splash.
Nope.
Not well at all.
Blub.
Blub.
Blub.
What wind brings
Don’t wrap this silence in your memory
Gather the fallen
leaves
Your departure: a beginning.
Going means coming to understand
Summer wildfires
Sometimes ashes fall
Sometimes rains wash everything
away
Sometimes snow rises to the eaves
Don’t wrap this silence in your memory.
There’s something new on the breeze.
NaPoWriMo prompt for Day 21 was to use repetition modelled after http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/poem/2008/11/there_was_a_man_of_double_deed.html.
There was a girl who spoke the words
That wrapped the world, but went unheard
When the girl began to dream
T’was like the universal scheme
When the scheming came to naught
T’was like a void that time forgot
When the void it opened wide
T’was like a cave with home inside
When home called loudly, she went in
T’was like relief flooding within.
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(ignore ads following)
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Read all about it!
Societal shut down has brought species recovery!
Extra! Extra!
Covid virus no longer mutating!
Read all about it!
Oceans recovering!
Extra! Extra!
No gun deaths in the USA for tenth year in a row!
Read all about it!
Universal health care keeping people healthy world-wide!
Extra! Extra!
World-wide living wage improves productivity and eliminates poverty!
Read all about it!
Addiction recovery at all time high!
Extra! Extra!
No billionaires! Fair wages and prices for all!
Read all about it!
Earth voted happiest planet!
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A bit of a twist on the NaPoWriMo Day 13 prompt to write a poem on a news article you wished to see. Couldn’t narrow it down, so I just took all the headlines I wish were true!
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Shawn L. Bird 