Canine Verbs

I know the dog has
No words,
But the Wookie talks.
When I got back up at three
After sitting reading in bed,
She frowned at me, those
Brows knitting, thunderclouds.
When I began working the trash
Her tail tucked tight to her belly,
Her eyes wept, and she dropped
Her regal head down low;
See, she has a terror of trash bags,
When I snap one to open
She hides.
I do not know the reason why,
But she is a rescue so
Whatever might be,
I try to make clear that bags are safe,
But I am not sure she sees
Even humans taking that space.
She has settled now
Under the table at my feet,
Wookie and Tribble love
Times I sit down because
They can nestle close with me.
I think them extraordinary dogs
To adapt to someone like myself,
My canines bring such happiness
In their being, doing, living.

This Now

Now is an extension
Of every now this pandemic
Has held us, hostage;
For some, it began with
The first announcement,
There was a disturbing
Feeling, an uneasy inkling.
One hopes for the best,
But it is nowhere found,
A world on lockdown.
Life at home becomes
The new normal,
Some find themselves
Desperate for escape,
Some grow fearful of any
Exterior contact, staying sheltered.
Children homeschooled,
Telecommuting, lay-offs,
Entertainments canceled,
Doctors, nurses, medical
Professionals pressed beyond
Human limits, risking all,
And steadily, death tolls rise.
We are yet together, connected
Because of virtual life,
All of us, aware, knowing,
Hoping that humanity can go
Forward into a now where
Dying is no longer a constant
Fear, contagion is not everywhere,
A now where we can embrace
One another in loving security.

Prospecting

Sometimes the words hide
From those of us who often
Write,
We are left adrift, bereft,
With empty pages where belong
Delights, emotions, fears, images.
It becomes a time to wallow
In every medium, imbibe all
The different expressions,
Performances available
Until
The mind begins to percolate
With newfound creativity
Ideas which may be distilled
Into work whose focus is
Breathtakingly original in
Its content, measure, and scope.
Too
The borrowed quiet chased,
Captured, in a solitary moment
Away from this and that
Where a simple notebook catches
Jottings before the thoughts
Swim rapid away, is another
Form of what is needed to stoke
The flame of generation
In a brain no longer merely
Content to reveal the secrets
It has long sorted and contained.

Live, Revive

Even when time bends over
Seizing the present like a child’s toy,
Boggling the future, so luck seems
Turned foul as a laggard racehorse,
There remain visions of brighter prospect.
The still distant horizon is painted
By the life-giving sun in various colors
Of dreams.
We are living the opportunities
We can accept, and their broad scope
Greets us with hope, willing
To place gifts unexpected in
Hands held open, hearts forever
Seeking, minds outstretching,
Those embracing this how, this now.
Carpe Diem!

Ever So…

My house is somewhat
Unacceptable, a mess,
But it is also
Home, where I can be, do, dream,
The magics living inside.
I have my treasures
Which no one else so measures,
But they keep me here
On Earth where it is hard to
Want to be sometimes for me.
I am alone here,
But my house delivers welcome
When I need holding,
All life encapsulated
In this home where I create.
My body, my home,
Tattered, threadbare, torn, worn, wraps
Me into this living
All the pain, I overcome,
My house shelters, helps, supplies,
It is so peaceful
Here within these careful walls
The dogs and I are
Safe and have space enough to
Enjoy being within my house.

The prompt at Prompted Positive Poetry today is “My House.”