“Haiking Haikus”
In the forest, the
illusion of loneliness
is overwhelming.
I lose the Spring in
my step somewhere along the
Emergent Tower.
Towering among
the forest canopy, its
wooden bones reach out.
White smoke rises from
above and beyond the tree-
tops: Nuclear steam.
The world sways beneath
my feet. I know it’s better
to bend than to break.
*image taken during the Haiku Hike on May 6th, 2018 at Holden Arboretum
“Apple Blossom Lament“
Springtime snow of
apple blossoms
poupouri-ing the ground,
the sidewalks, the parking lots,
with pristine white petals
fragrant and sweet
in the cool breeze
of a warm sunny day
wind sweeps away
Gaia’s aromatic debris,
an unseen janitor
with an invisible broom,
whistling while he works.
*image courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.Net
“Mourning Dandelions”
I walk in my front yard, the dawn
brings out golden lions
lounging in emerald grass.
Their teeth drip sunlight.
Perhaps later, I will
harvest bright blossoms for
an herbal infusion, light and sweet,
to celebrate May’s arrival.
Then I hear the lawnmower’s low growl.
Those sharp lion teeth can’t survive
the sharper blades cutting, splitting,
ripping them from the ground until
they come back again
Bright and beautiful.
Nothing keeps them down for long.
Upcoming events:
May 4th
Star Wars Day: look for events in your area, follow social media posts and celebrations, or just celebrate the franchise in your own way at home!
May 4th-5th
25th Annual Dandelion Festival at Breitenbach Wine Cellars! I used to take my son to this every year when he was little. There is a dandelion picking contest every year for the little kids, who then turn the blossoms into dandelion jelly. There are vendors and tours of the winery, dandelion wine and jelly for sale, and the big event is the annual Dandelion cookoff!
May 5th
Free Comic Book Day falls on the first Saturday of every May. Participating Comic Book stores around the country give away special edition FCBD comics to the delight long time comic book fans and the enticement of new ones. The special editions are created to be stand alones, so you don’t need to worry about jumping into the middle of an unfamiliar series. Many stores also hold costume contests and giveaways, so don’t miss out!
May 25th
Towel Day is a fan created holiday in honor of Douglas Adams, creator of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and other series, former Doctor Who writer, and all around hoopy frood. In addition to such activities as learning to fly or drinking (Terran versions of) Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, fans conspicuously wear towels on this day in order to call attention to the author’s work. The idea is drawn from The Guide itself:
“A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.”
I’m sure there are more obscure holidays this month that I’ve missed, but at least I’ve called your attention to my favorites. Go forth, and May the Fourth be with you…always.
*I wrote today’s poem in honor of the Dandelion Festival this weekend.
***image courtesy of http://publicdomainpictures.net/
“License, Insurance, and Registration”
Please.
Shiny black cop cars
compact fuel economying
across city streets and
highways, two counties
wide. An assault of vehicles
by sheer numbers on an
otherwise uneventful day
–no holiday traffic,
no special events,
no reason apparent
for the barrage of Blue
all burnished and new.
Bright blue lights
spiral drivers to
the edge. Must be the day
the new patrol cars arrive
begging to be driven,
needing validation
by way of speeding tickets
and arrests, my taxpayer
dollars paying for each
glitzy new vehicle
to slow traffic,
raise my insurance,
and justify the expense
of shiny black cop cars.
I hand over my papers,
look the cop in the eye and tell her,
You’re welcome.
Upcoming events:
April 27th
Akron Nervous Dog Poetry Night from 6pm-9pm. I will be reading for about twenty minutes, so I hope to see you there!
April 28th
Western Reserve Writers’ Conference(9am-430pm) If you get a chance to attend, it’s definitely worth the trip!
*This poem was inspired by the day 18 prompt for National Poetry Month, courtesy of Cuyahoga Library combined with an oddly high number of police vehicles in my area the previous day.
*image courtesy of http://publicdomainpictures.net/
“Young at Heart”
The oldest person I have known
had paper pale skin that hung
in sheets off her
frail emaciated frame,
a thin wisp of a woman
with silver white hair
and glasses with lenses so thick
they opaqued with light
or magnified her
round eyes anime large,
the bright blue orbs
of a young pretty girl
trapped in an old woman’s body.
She wore flowers in her hair.
If you enjoyed that poem, please come to the Massillon Public Library’s Local Author Fair on Saturday, April 14th from 11am – 2pm where I will be reading, along with other talented local authors.
Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the poem.
.
*This poem was inspired by the day 9 prompt for National Poetry Month, courtesy of Cuyahoga Library
*image courtesy of http://publicdomainpictures.net/
Every April is National Poetry Month, as decreed by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. One of the things I love most about living in northern Ohio is the writing community. Cuyahoga and Cleveland have two of the best public library systems in the entire country–for very good reason: both support their writing communities with literary events and outreach programs, public readings, open mics, and free workshops and classes.
During the month of April, for several years now, Cuyahoga County Public Library has celebrated National Poetry Month each April by giving the community a month of daily poetry. If you sign up for their email reminders, each morning you will wake up to a new poem, a poetry recommendation, and–my favorite part–a writing prompt for the day! I can’t recommend this enough; it’s one of my favorite things about this time of year!
As if that isn’t enough, there are tons of poetry events throughout both Summit and Stark County. I’m going to share a few with you, and I’m really excited to be reading at some of them!
Saturday, April 14th, 1030am-1230pm: (free) Literary Cleveland Poetry Workshop
@ Cleveland Main Library
–bring 10-15 copies of a poem you would like to workshop
Saturday, April 14th, 11am-2pm: (free) Local Author Fair
@ Massillon Library This will be my second appearance at this Local Author Fair. I hope you will stop by and discover some great local talent!
Sunday, April 15th, 2pm-4pm: Foolin’ Around with Poetry
@ South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch of Cuyahoga Library
Meeting Room 162 (20)
Saturday, April 21st, 1pm-230pm: (free) Open Mic Poetry Featuring CSA Student Poets
@ Cleveland Main Library
Literature Dept
2nd floor
Friday, April 27th, 6pm-9pm: Nervous Dog Akron Poetry Night
@ Nervous Dog Coffee Bar
I am thrilled to be reading some of my poetry at this event!
Saturday, April 28th, 9am-430pm: (free) Western Reserve Writers’ Conference
@ South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch of Cuyahoga Library
If you are not lucky enough to live in Ohio, you can still check out your local libraries to see what events they host during the month of April. And email knows no state boundaries, so you can still sign up for the Read Write Poetry emails from Cuyahoga library. No matter what you choose to do, I wish you a happy April!
“Thinking in Poetry”
Narrating my day
as I go about the hours,
silently writing in my mind
that the corn on the cob I examine
is yellow with absorbed sunlight,
its golden white kernels
its own clouds and sun,
huge globes plump with the rain
of so many seasons,
and the taste of spring
the drowsy sun fades
behind the black silhouette
of a springtime tree
the air smells of lilac
or honeysuckle or apple blossoms,
the pungent sweetness
of blooming spring flowers
*Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the poem.
*image courtesy of http://publicdomainpictures.net/
