Audacious

What I want to say
Does a speedy estimate
Of words I contain
Before deciding it is
Safe to brave so much fresh air.

There is a beauty
In the newly bestowed clear
Space – nothing hurries;
The birds are better at home,
Exhaust is missing rush hour.

I walk breathing deep
Though pollution is absent
Pollen soldiers on
Running my nose, forcing these
Sneezes and coughs troubling me.

A calm filters down
A peace often dearly missed,
Acceptance descends –
A careful celebration,
Renewed clarity, fresh air.

The prompt today for Prompted Positive Poetry’s Facebook Group was “fresh air.”

Sheltering Silence

Writing hides today
In the quiet shadows left
Behind upon our
Exit en masse from places
We typically frequent.

The patter of steps
No longer echo in halls,
The hushed whispers
Between co-workers are now
Fallen into deep silence.

The schools are empty
With no laughter on playgrounds,
Parents have become
Educators somewhat unsure
Their skills, patience, will suffice.

Words wander quick away
Bringing lonely quietness,
Writing hobbles on astray.

The prompt for the Poem A Day Challenge Countdown on Poetic Asides was “quiet.”

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

I never imagined
We would live in
A time of plague,
But as I think
It would seem life
Has prepared me.

I learned as a wee
Little one in my
Illustrated Holy Bible
The fate of the Egyptians
Who in the Old Testament
Chose to stand against God.

I often read Edgar’s,
“Masque of the Red Death,”
And a few times I braved
Stephen’s apocalyptic masterwork,
The Stand which invaded
My dreams with fear.

Various articles on 1918
With their focus on
The failure of the grid,
Were supremely worrying,
Then more recently
Chuck’s terrifying Wanderers.

When the first news broke
In the New York Times
That the Coronavirus was
Fast-moving in China
Something clutched at me
And I became concerned.

As it spread further
Taking a tenacious hold
Worry invaded, and with
Each report of increased transmission
Fear escalated until a panic
Began to set in, spooking me.

I gathered my nerves
Convinced God is in Control
Knowing isolation is my lifestyle
Finding some peace that time
Is easy to occupy when creative
Hoping and praying as life goes on.

This was written about 4am after watching Netflix on the tablet in bed. I should have put it up earlier, but I was not sure how I felt about it. I try to focus on positive things, but I think there must be some use for poetic comment on the times.

Redoubtable

It was brought to my attention
That my infatuation has not gone
Without notice among those few
Who are aware of my propensity
To, through an unfortunate mutation,
Assume an addiction to almost
Anything presently in existence.
There are no confines within
Which I am unable to exercise
The trait whether reality, fantasy,
Imagination, or creativity, it is
All-encompassing in time and space
Even when I make courageous
Attempts to restrain desire
There is very little I can do.
Love takes me over and chooses
Whoever and whatever it will
Filling me with such longing
Little in the universe can be denied,
Though I have over a lifetime realized
If certain things are avoided,
Never kept in my vicinity,
My voracious appetite does
To a lesser extent, prey upon me.
So I shelter when I may
Restricting my interactions
And become in less position
To have cause to say, “Take It Away!”

This was prompted by “Take It Away” on the Facebook Group, Prompted Positive Poetry. In all sincerity, I did not think it would be the answer to the prompt. It worked out though.

Short Form – Tanka

The prompt from the Poetic Asides blog by Robert Brewer for the Countdown to PAD Challenge today is a “Short Form Poem.” Playing my game, though he did not mention tanka in his list, I chose it. Tanka are counted syllable poems of 5-7-5-7-7, and I love them.

Priorities

Now this weight gain seems
Definitely less awful,
Like the defiant
Mind, body, invoked wisdom
Choosing protection as goal.

Mirth

Laughter sneaks into
The space between silences,
Frothing out over
The loving cup which splashes
Pleasantries freely abroad.

Okay, so we know I could do these all day long. No one needs me to test my limits.

If you are a poet, writer, or really any kind of creator, I recommend you go to Poetic Asides and jump in with your own brand of creativity.