Old Police Station

people of the town argued

what to do with the old police station

it was rotting

sited on a valuable piece of real estate

could there be a grand concert hall there

people from miles away would come

grand attraction for thé community

a grand statement to wealth of the inhabitants

parking for commuters by day

for concert goers in evening

nixed from the get go

too grand a plan

now there is talk of low income housing

four stories high

one hundred units

in an already high density area

police station bulldozed

I am still searching

for five smooth stones

________________

NaPoWriMo April 16 prompt to describe an object or place and end with an abstract sentence

Change in Diet

Describe one positive change you have made in your life.

No more coffee

no more tea

cut back on sugar

no more burgers

or milkshakes

cut out the fries

only occasional potato

stopped buying bread

lost twenty pounds

but I miss the bread

Shifting

I see a tree in your pocket. I hear the buzz of the bee in your locket. The white sand beaches are shifting into the abyss. There is another crack in the earth. Plant the tree. Release the bee. It is time to unwarp the clock of history.

_______________

NaPoWriMo April 3 prompt to write a surreal prose poem. I sure would like to see what AÍ would make of this.

Here’s one

Fall

The leaves are turning and the crops are in. There is a cloud of dirt behind us because it is very dry, but we keep going on this old gravel road in the state of Iowa. Siri has taken us this way. She is good at finding a sheep trail like she did in southern Portugal. It was so bumpy, the panel showed lightning bolts on the tires, but we kept going. It is not always so difficult to find your own way.

fall is reflections

sound of a far off airplane

a swirl of clouds

Rain

“Didn’t it rain, children . . . “ Sister Rosetta Tharp

They called me Jazzy Jane

oh how I could swing

& sway

kept my blues close

had those summertime blues

moved to Seattle—-

“rain too long

all night long

rain all day

rain all night

rain rain rain rain rain

rain rain rain rain rain

rain children

rain

oh yes”

________________

dVerse prompt on writing from a genre of music. I choose jazz

My Daughter Remembers

My mother gave me Grapenuts

while other kids got Frootloops

those artificially-colored

little donut shaped

sugar puffed

cereals

in

box

with a toucan

singing commercials

guiding me through the taste

smells and sight of delicious

candy like breakfast nutrition created

to make me want more and more

dVerse prompt— a fruitloop (sp) daydream

Honey Love

Too much honey i poured straight from the jar

telling myself it would make things sweeter

how the taste would linger deep in my throat

poison to swallow when my love is far

*

give too much honey myself and I’m weaker

find a balance on this menu of love

sweet and sour are good combinations

let it bind in robust flavor for two

*

My love is greater with the right antidote

not one or the other but a nice mix

all ingredients combined in a bowl

stirred into an harmonious union

*

Too much honey can spoil the batter

love is a complex evolving matter

_________________

NaPoWriMo Day 9 to write a love sonnet

Hard Shell

hard shell

reveals a treasure

of many species

off in the distance

a misty presence

waiting to lift

__________________

NaPoWriMo prompt to ask questions based on prescribed words and write a poem from the answers—

What is a quahog?

A hardened shell

What is an oyster?

A holder of treasure

What is seaweed?

A cover for many soecies

What is longing?

A place in the distance

What is elusive?

A misty presence

What is fog?

A curtain waiting to lift

One Day

Who would think that one day I would be marching to Rule, Britannia with other wazungu, one Indian and a Kenyan. We sweat together, smile and laugh in a cheerful atmosphere of aerobic exercise.

Outside the matatus and tuk tuks drive on, delivering workers and school children under the tropical sky and half-moon.

on a veranda

wait for the rainy season

to fall on us all

________________

dVerse prompt to write a haibun and use of the word half-moon

Traveling to Mombasa

I am travelling to Mombasa with maybe five hours of sleep over two days. Delays, delays, delays and not sure I really slept at all. The movies keep me entertained. The food is okay.

The gritty leg from Doha to Nairobi, I see the desert beneath me and the three small children traveling with their mother let out sounds like a mad cat. They cry and moan sometimes in an echo of the other and sometimes in unison. This cacophony lasts for the duration.

let out a howl

unpleasant in the pleasant

changing of seasons