LA GUERRE
LA GUERRE
folks cry out with
hearts full of grief
this war is like a thief
taking away any & all:
the young, and old~
men, women, ‘n’ children
families torn- separated
left wondering if they will
ever be re-united again
this war brings death
many bodies lying ’bout
like nev’r before— woe.
#LAGUERRE
Inspired by Chinua Achebe’s Collected poems~ poem picked:
’Air Raid
It comes so quickly
the bird of death
from evil forests of Soviet technology
A man crossing the road
to greet a friend
is much too slow.
His friend cut in halves
has other worries now
than a friendly handshake
at noon.’
Pablo Neruda
Are you two
always that happy?
a neighbor asked
suspiciously one day.
To the outsider
the voyeur
the consumer
of antisocial media
that exalts
appearances
and polaroid moments
to the detriment
of real relationships
that bleed and scar
and therefore believes
that nothing is as it seems;
that screams loud
and often without
ever listening to
the other such that
real communication
is becoming archaic
and truth a word
with no meaning;
to these onlookers
our love
seems exaggerated
photoshopped
for Facebook
or Instagram,
public consumption
uppermost
in our minds;
but we are truly blessed
to have found love
that makes suffering
pain and heartache
something shared
and therefore less
burdensome;
to smile not just for
a camera but rather
because
our hearts are full
of joy in our love and
the life we have built
together;
to lay quietly and hear
our hearts beat
as one
holding hands
while legs entwine
like puppies
as we fall asleep.
Where I does not exist, nor you,
So close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
So close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.*
*https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/121705-sonnet-xvii-i-do-not-love-you-as-if-you
Thechnoplane
When I was sick and lay a-bed
I had my cell phone by my head,
And my laptop beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.
And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my favorite TV show,
With characters with different skills,
And a villain whom the hero kills;
And sometimes sent my friend a text,
Scrolled up and down on Facebook next;
Or brought my selfie camera out,
With Snapchat filters all about.
My attention span was short and still
I had a lot of time to kill,
And so I spent my waisted brain
In the virtual land of Technoplane.
By Lily Hawkins
Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Counterpane”
Her answer
This beating heart, so broken and incapable
Of warming this frail frame, could, if it were fit
And full once again of earnest longing,
So brighten your days and visit your twilight visions
That you would crave the skill of mending,
Alas I fear it cannot be—it is hidden—
It shies from you.
(Inspired by Keats, “This living hand”)
Free to Choose (Inspired by The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost)
Lost wandering in a golden wood,
two paths lie ahead,
and make that simple choice I would,
but alas: it's the very choice I dread.
For choice itself is like a fly,
a timid brush and it's no more,
but making one often feels as dry,
as lying upon a desert shore.
It freezes me, immobile,
fear strangles my voice,
renders me unable
to make that simple choice.
And no matter how hard I try,
no matter what I do,
no matter how loud I cry,
those paths still lie like new.
I start to think there's no way out
from this horrid, wretched place,
but as I put more and more faith in doubt,
i see the solution, face to face.
I just not let this choice engulf me,
I must not let it win,
for if I choose, I will be free,
like I was, and I can begin again.
Leaders Valuable
In D.C. did a miracle
A harmonious Congress decree
The Potomac, sacred and clear, ran
Past leaders so valuable to Man
With wisdom greater than the sea.
So with fierce resolve and much sweat
They toiled to fight a dangerous threat
Together they outsmarted many divisive foes
And kept citizens inspired and on their toes
All cheered and vowed never to forget the past
The time honor triumphed over vice at last
(Kubla Khan)