My Little Basil

My Little Basil

My little Basil, how I love thee. Let me count the ways!
Your little pink nose spasmodically twitches in greeting as I peer into your pink igloo.
Your ears are slightly crumpled, not quite erect, like bed-head when you wake up.
Your great yawns showing your tiny tongue and big, pointy teeth.
Your folded front paws as you stand erect on your back feet.
Your odd habit of insisting on the corners of your cage being free of shavings.
How you deliciously relish stretching your front paw and opposite back paw.
Our game that I hand you food and you store it away.
How you look like a doughnut peach when you have your cheeks stuffed to maximum capacity.
You seem to be training for a marathon--hamster ball division.
And if I could enter you in that marathon, I know you'd win.
Uncannily, you come out of your igloo and look at me, just as I'm heading to work.
Full of character, cautious, cute, quirky--my little Basil.

Excerpts From the Survival Kit

Excerpts From the Survival Kit

Toilet paper
Tolkien's books
Truffles, chocolate
Trusted friend

Friday

Friday

NaPoWriMo's been fun fun fun.
Yay, writing poems in the sun sun sun!
Yet to Friday to I look look look,
I'll sleep 'n read a book book book.

Sleepless

Sleepless

What if they--
Or maybe I should have--
Really thought that it was--
Rather would have done--
You said, I said--

Chicken Poem #31

This was from yesterday, if you're keeping track.


Chicken Poem #31

Cooped up hens
run right back in
for cracked corn.
Treats win out over freedom.

How Very Odd

I didn't miss a day! This is yesterday's poem, I just didn't have access to a computer last night.

How Very Odd

The chick chirps out its protest
against being hoisted,
held upside down
and having its butt wiped
indignantly.
Flapping, flaying, it struggles to free itself.
If it had its way
it's excrement would become increment
and it would die
indignantly.
How very odd it is
to fight the hand that heals
to hold the toxins in
to insist on a false dignity
to the point of death.
How very odd I am.

The Process

The Process

Tarzan swings
Grasping in air,
lands a sure grip.

Exhilaration and terror produce movement.

Longing

Um, yeah, it's late. Whoever chooses to read this, please forgive me!


Longing

How I miss you!
I miss everything--
My knees going weak
from the weight of your presence.
The lightheadedness.
Holding you to me, as if for dear life.
Breathing together,
it felt you were part of my heartbeat.
I've never danced that close with anyone.
How long my lips tingled after we parted.
I miss you--
my dear Tuba.

The Life Locate

So, today's poem comes out of what I've been doing for five hours each day at my two week working interview. Using www.callbeforeyoudig.org, I describe the route the utility locator needs to follow so that the crews digging on site will know what's in the ground and not hit it. This is a poem in the style of a Digsafe order ticket. I'm writing to a pretty small audience (um, basically me) but that's ok. :o)


The Life Locate

Address: 29 years 9 months 15 days
Cross Street: Career Move
Location is just after the intersection on the Interview side of Layoffs. Live a life of Destiny and the Fulfillment of Promise, following a path of Obedience, then following Perseverance. At the point parallel to Decision Time, turn and follow directly to Listen. Creator requests call first to be on site at time of work.

Ode to the Gipp Farm

Ode to the Gipp Farm

Chicken butt, chicken butt
poop poop poop.
Don't get plugged up
running 'round your coup.
Don't eat the rubarb,
don't eat the peas.
Do weed the backyard
'specially 'round the trees.

Rabbit Buck, Rabbit Shy,
munch munch munch.
Breeding you should try
or you'll be lunch.
Would you like to hop out
maybe you could talk.
Please eat the brussle sprouts,
the left over stalk.

House sitter, house sitter,
look look look,
after all the animals,
then read a book.
Moisten all the seedlings,
lock all the doors.
In the fridge go looking,
what you find is yours.

Controlled substance

A 4 & 20, for 4/20.


Controlled substance

just a plant, this weed
you fight for it's legal right
it'll take the legal ground you offer
controlling you

Effects of Sunlight

Effects of Sunlight

My lack of thoughts are
reflected on the unmarred pulp.
The pen, so comfortable in my hand,
chooses not to move.

Seeking a muse in a change of medium,
Qwerty rests in silence.
Blogger autosaves the sparse html.
Nothing hyper here today.

Letting the Outside In

Letting the Outside In

Us and them
Inside and out
Familiar and other
Lines demarcating me and you

Heated winter homes
stuffy, airtight warmth
Windows keep the heat in
but the spring out.
Let the outside in
--give me air to breathe
sweet air to smell.

Here is safe
Here is comfortable
Here is not enough

What heat would I lose opening the windows?
I need to let the (w)holy other in.



The inspiration for this poem comes from one of Hillary's FB status updates. The first sign of Spring on April 6th, she opened a bunch of windows in the house and said, "Hillary loves letting the outside in." The phrase struck me and I wanted to make a poem out of it. This is rough sketch.

October 10th

October 10th

About pie
-
crust
gooey filling
tastes
sweet and comforting
Pecan is my father's favorite

Take That, Bambino

Take That, Bambino

$1.6 billion stadium
5,000 fewer seats
2 to 10 losing opener
Sweet proof that the Yankees suck



My inspiration for this emotional poem comes from my Red Sox roots and this article in the Boston Globe.

Representation

Today's poem is a senryu, which is in the same form as a haiku, but is not about nature. This particular poem does, however, reference a specific season.


Representation

Infrastructure, armed
forces, research, foreign aid--
here comes the tax man.

Diurnal Eloquence

Diurnal Eloquence

Average beings chatter.
Diurnal eloquence flabbergasts.
Gloomily harvesting interest
jocular kinfolk languish.
Multitudes neutralize ovations
parking quietly recumbent.
Solace temps umbrage
vexing weaned xenophobes--
yearning zephyrs.

Bad Pizza

Bad Pizza

What ailment arises
from the bowels of my being
that compels me to communicate?



Dedicated to Pastor Bob.

Michael Ananda

Michael Ananda

Who is like God?
Who brings such delight?
Who bestows such blessings?
Who's very name inspires joy?

Listen for the answer.
Follow the taste of freedom.
Test the way of true life.

Where you've toiled in empty duty,
there is refreshing fulfillment of purpose.
Where you've seen only stagnant puddles,
there are vast unfathomable depths of oceanic love.

Who is like God? Who is like God?

Hesed Shel Emmanuel

Hesed Shel Emmanuel

Betrayal, mockery, abandonment
Fists, whips, chains, thorns,
Nails, nakedness, shame

What would you endure for love?



The title of this 4 & 20 style poem is transliterated Hebrew of my favorite Hebrew word and my favorite name for God. The translation is, "The steadfast love of God-with-us."

Dress Deferred--an OULIPO

Dress Deferred

What happens to a dress deferred?

Does it dry up
Like a rake in the sup?

Or fester like a sorrow--
And then run?

Does it stink like rotund meconium?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a systaltic swig?

Maybe it just sags
like a hebdomadal lobby.

Or does it explode?



This poem is an OULIPO--which stands for the first letters in some French phrase. (I recommend following the link to learn more.) The basic idea is to take a poem already in existence and apply a formula to the poem to produce a new poem. Dress Deferred takes Langston Huges' Dream Deferred and for each noun, substitutes the seventh unique noun found the the dictionary after the original word. It also takes each adjective and substitutes the first unique adjective found in the dictionary after the original word. Thus, if we let Dream Deferred be represented by L and Dress Deferred be represented by S, we get:

(N_L+7)(A_L+1) = S

A mathematical approach to poetry!

Synaptic Synopsis

Ok, I confess. I missed a day in the NaPoWriMo. I offer this 4&20 style poem as penance and explanation.


Synaptic Synopsis

Like a dropped fly ball--
Like that thing that almost happened, but didn't--
Is communication between
my brain and me.

Deadline Approach-eth

Deadline Approach-eth

Putting words
On paper
Expertly
Monday night

A Psalm of Sarah, daugher of the King

A Psalm of Sarah, daughter of the King

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord God of all,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Father, Son, and Spirit,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To the Father who sent the Son,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To the Son who died and rose again,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To the Spirit who indwells,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him who formed me in my mother's womb,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

And knew my name before I was born,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him who kept me in my youth,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

And spoke to me as I grew,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him who kept me from dangers,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

And preserved me in the midst of them,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him who broke the chains of sin,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

But first taught me strength while bound,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him who brought my ancestors across the Atlantic,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

Those who settled in Plymouth and Plympton,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

Who through tuba brought me to MAJN camp,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

And through MAJN camp to St. Mary's College,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

And through St. Mary's College to Jerusalem,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

And through Jerusalem to the Pacific Northwest,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him who destroyed the plans of the enemy,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

Who taught me to be a daughter,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

Who loosed my feet to dance and my hands to worship,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him whose delight is in me,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

To Him who will fulfill the plans He has for me,

For His steadfast love endures forever.

O my soul, give thanks to the Lord forever,

For His steadfast love endures forever!

Noise

Noise











(Inspired by 4'33" by John Cage)

Their

Their

Her feet find the way
to the quiet bend of the river
to their rock.
The wind mixes with her hair
seeking a dance.
Entrusting the right hand
with the clasping of the envelope,
her left hand tucks the wayward hair in place.
Her legs set her down on the rock.
No dancing today.
The wind contents itself
with caressing her cheek.
Her hands find themselves
opening paper.
Her eyes offer the pebbles,
then the river ripples,
for contemplation.
But this kindness, too, is not accepted.
Her eyes
release saline moisture
to fall
to mix
with the ink.

Virtue

Virtue

A drop of water
A breath of wind
An act of whim

The river carves the rock
The wind bends the tree
The habits form the soul



This poem was inspired by N. T. Wright's lecture, "Learning the Language of Life: New Creation and Christian Virtue." It is amazing! I highly recommend listening to it several times. It's a free download at iTunes (look in iTunesU) or at this web site.

NaPoWriMo

I am taking up a friend's challenge and endeavoring to participate in NaPoWriMo. For the uninitiated (which included me 48 hours ago), NaPoWriMo stands for National Poetry Writing Month. The explanatory blurb from that web site follows:

"Each year poet bloggers throughout the country participate in NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month). An adaptation of National Novel Writing Month, NaPoWriMo challenges participants to write and post a poem each day in April."
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/540

As with National Novel Writing Month, the purpose is to write. Thus, editing, polishing, critiquing, are all thrown to the wind for the duration of the month. Just get it down on paper. At the end of the month, one has a great amount of raw material with which to work, and editing can commence. So, as long as we understand this isn't my best work, I gladly welcome feedback and suggestions. :o)


Ingredients of Relaxation

Rain against the window
Star Trek on the DVD
Root beer in my hand
A blanket about me