Does your heart
break open
on a regular
basis?
Do you ever
find yourself
weeping
in the back
aisle
of a bookshop?
Do you ever
see
a person
on the street
and have
to look away
because you are
overcome
with
sadness?
Me too
Quadrille
Rain Song
Skies gather, darken
rain falls straight and true.
Its sound
hitting the roof
is a comfort,
my lullaby.
There are dramatic storms
with lightning and thunder,
or showy, flashing sun
but the rain,
the tranquil rain,
sings me to sleep
with its gentle song.
Lillian at dVerse Poets Poets asked us include the word tranquility, or a form of the word, in a quadrille, which is a poem of exactly 44 words, not including the title.
Changes
Today is unseasonably warm
The shed wall is thick with Asian beetles
We’ve had once-in-a-century floods
the past three years.
Running through my brain,
insistent as an unfed cat,
is the thought
this isn’t right
Is it too early to panic
or too late?
This is in response to dVerse Poets, whose writing prompt is a quadrille (44 words) including the word ‘early’.
Circus
-Image by Carter Goodrich from the cover of the New Yorker, October 30, 2017
follow
the yellow-haired clown
through
the house of mirrors
see yourself
and the world
distorted
beyond recognition
then ride
the roller coaster
into the dark
try to
knock down
the impossible, weighted
bottles
the insufficient
ball
falls to the ground
with a dead-cat bounce
This is a Quadrille (44 words) containing the word “bounce” written for De at dVerse.
Band Member
Signing up with the Sargent
audition unrehearsed
first chair potential
the score, peppered with notes
unwarranted, unanswered, unsent
and I, virtuoso in
a minor key
play
plucking my heart
con dolore
transmuting
pain to melody
oxidation to harmony
and regret to
solo
This is for dVerse where we were asked to write a Quadrille (44 words, including title) including some form of the word, “pepper” in honor of the anniversary of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Weather Report
It’s grey today, and drizzling
inside my head
clouds gather behind my eyes
Outside the sun is burning
stars are turning
and the world hurtles
on
Looking out the window
I see only the fog
of my breath,
condensed
Then, without warning,
I storm
This is a Quadrille, or a poem of exactly 44 words for dVerse Poets’ Pub. And Mish has asked us to include some form of the word, “drizzle.”
On Outliving One’s Child
He pads down dark corridors
peering into empty rooms
Loss curls around him
rubbing his stubble
He swallows it whole
and feels it settle
heavy
in his belly
Picking at a frayed seam
he wonders how he can be both
so full
and so empty
This is for Bjorn at dVerse Poets Pub where we have been asked to write a poem of forty-four words including the word, “curl”, also know as a quadrille.
Scars
You tried to love me
with your broken
glass heart
and I tried not to
let you see the cuts
the damage
the blood
But in the end
I dropped my mask to the ground
and pulled my scars around me
like a blessing
This is for dVerse Poets Pub, where De asked us to write a quadrille (44 words exactly) including some form of the word, “scar.” Click on the link and check it out.
Open
Go to the window
Earth’s curve waits for you
under wild skies
Run through the door
spin, sway, swing and play
Hinge
the circle
spill outside
boundaries fall before your feet
Breathe in heaven
swim with stars
Reach out
palms up in supplication
arms open
Writtien for dVerse Poets Pub, where Victoria asked us to write a Quadrille (44 words, exactly) about some aspect of the word, “open.”
Journey
In the beginning
trepidation, excitement
so much to look forward to
I will begin
today
I will step
into a world
swirling with chance and choice
a broken world full of hope
Anything can happen
that is the fear and the wonder
anything can happen
This is for dVerse Poets Pub. Click on the link and check it out.
In Other Words 