Time to Write a Poem

[Tinker]

 

 

April is National Poetry Month

Many poetry sites are encouraging writing a poem a day.  

This thread is my daily poems for April. Comments are welcome   Please join me in creating your own thread of daily poems, it is never too late to get writing.   ~~Tink

[Tinker]

April 1

Before the Dawn

In the early moments
of this Easter,
with the moon still high
and the stars
dusting the Spring sky
the house is hushed.

Grandkids finally asleep,
the Easter Bunnies
get busy.
Locked in the laundry room
with cellophane grass
and plastic eggs
needing to be filled
with candy and coin
and then hidden
before light.
Pretty baskets
with chocolate bunnies,
still hidden in the closet.
                   ~~Judi Van Gorder

Today is Easter Sunday

[Tinker]

April 2

Playing With Rhyme

When I sit down to write
I keep the rhythm tight.
I stagger out a rhyme 
and break the line in time.

With paper and a pen 
I paint a golden dawn
with mother doe and fawn,
in language one can ken.

When rapping up this piece
I nod my head to sleep
and know it's time to cease,
then file away to keep.
                   ~~Judi Van Gorder

12 Lines
Iambic trimeter quatrains rhyme with changing rhyme scheme aabb cddc efef

 

[Tinker]

April 3

Tanka #4

Ritual

His spotted hand shakes
palming a medley of meds,
halved, round and oval,
kidney, heart, blood, boost and pain.
A blue pill escapes his mouth.
                 ~~Judi Van Gorder

Tanka

[Tinker]

April 4

A Visit to the VA Clinic

The covered walkway
lined on one side with roses
and the other with white metal benches
is long and wide.  There is a sign off to the side,
"Smoking Area" with one green metal 
container for butts, but no smoke drifts 
from that empty spot. 

The benches are occupied 
with mostly men, some sporting a cap
naming Korea, Viet Nam, or Afghanistan
over the brim. They cluster in small
groups, all ages, one in a wheelchair
has only one leg, canes and walkers evident.

A sad eyed service dog hugs the leg
of his young master whose hand strokes a silky ear.
The dog wears a jacket that says "PTSD Dog, 
Ask permission before petting"  His young man
looks especially strong and fit 
among his older, grizzled comrades and yet,
he belongs. Each newcomer
to the walkway gets a nod or a hand  
Brothers born of war.
                                 ~~ Judi Van Gorder

---

 

~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~

For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@wildblue.net

[Tinker]

April 5  2018 #19

morning sky weeps
in silent surrender
the earth accepts
               ~~jvg

[bob]

On 4/4/2018 at 4:57 AM, Tinker said:

April 4

A Visit to the VA Clinic

The covered walkway
lined on one side with roses
and the other with white metal benches
is long and wide.  There is a sign off to the side,
"Smoking Area" with one green metal 
container for butts, but no smoke drifts 
from that empty spot. 

The benches are occupied 
with mostly men, some sporting a cap
naming Korea, Viet Nam, or Afghanistan
over the brim. They cluster in small
groups, all ages, one in a wheelchair
has only one leg, canes and walkers evident.

A sad eyed service dog hugs the leg
of his young master whose hand strokes a silky ear.
The dog wears a jacket that says "PTSD Dog, 
Ask permission before petting"  His young man
looks especially strong and fit 
among his older, grizzled comrades and yet,
he belongs. Each newcomer
to the walkway gets a nod or a hand  
Brothers born of war.
                                 ~~ Judi Van Gorder

---

 

~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~

For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@wildblue.net

Written with sincerity, and great feeling Tink...

These persons sitting in clusters,
comparing their accomplishment and failures,
Are Heroes...like unwrapped gifts of Freedom.

They offered themselves to The Many, 
who will never understand;
nor be curious to find out,
what undisputed cost they “shelled” out
to allow others a greater Freedom.

That greater Freedom being TVs, Ipads, 
new cars, warm homes, fine clothes.
The ability to travel anywhere,
to visit friends, or hold tender bodies of those they love...

The day will come when these aging men
will lose their meaning, or luster, and slowly disappear.
Pray that a time of great peace is bestowed upon us
...AND GOD HELP US ALL...
that we should never see another
walkway lined with unclaimed “gifts” of Freedom.
                        YarnSpinner
 

[Tinker]

April 6

Midnight Rain

Midnight's uneven racquet,
kettle drums tap out the beat.
Words keep time with the rhythm,
unrelenting,
slumber ending rain.

Thoughts slide into puddles
to discover in the dawn,
write it now.
                      ~~Judi Van Gorder

Verse Form: Boketto

[Tinker]

"These persons sitting in clusters,
.....
 Are Heroes...like unwrapped gifts of Freedom. "
                                                     ~~YarnSpinner

Thank you and this is so true and never does it seem more tangible than whenever I visit the VA.

~~Tink
 

[Tinker]

April 7

Hitler's Legacy

Over seventy-five years
and there is still a fascination
with the atrocities
of World War II.

No day goes by
without running across
a TV documentary, 
a movie, 
a book, 
a grandkid's school project,
a political reference of some kind, 
to Nazi Germany
            or the holocaust.

And yet,
some still deny
it ever happened.
              ~~Judi Van Gorder

anaphora
history

[bob]

I agree with you in your statement:

"And yet,
some still deny
it ever happened.

A very close family member came to this country as a deported person from Germany, in the 50s... and a survivor of WWll.

Though old enough to have known of the atrocities that were carried out during the holocaust...

To this day he refuses to believe it. 

In my mind, I have to believe that possibly this is a door he has locked in his mind, and threw away the key. 

I do not dwell upon it; all wounds have to heal.

YarnSpinner

[Tinker]

April 8

Sunday Visitor

A little brown bird
flew onto my deck
this Sunday morning.
I spoke no word
when she cricked her neck
and fluttered one wing,
then hopped right up to me.
I smiled my best hello
as she turned to fly free.
         ~~Judi Van Gorder

[Tinker]

On ‎4‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 2:42 PM, YarnSpinner said:

sn my mind, I have to believe that possibly this is a door he has locked in his mind, and threw away the key. 

I've been to Dachau and walked the grounds and stepped inside the crematorium.  Dachau wasn't an extermination camp until near the end of the war.  It was one of the first camps and  began as a camp for slave labor of catholic priests, gypsies and homosexuals.  Jews were added later.  It is about a 40 minute train and bus ride from Munich, if I remember right.  But the town of Dachau is not far from the camp and the residents had to see the ash in the air. 

My husband watches WWII documentaries all of the time.  Because he is pretty much chair or bed bound, he watches tons and tons of documentaries but WWII is a common theme.

When did we get so old?

#21

Big Bang on TV
repeats over and over
canned laughter screeches

#22

he sits in his chair,
snores to Nazi's, El Chappo
and reruns of Friends

#23

smoothie of Ensure,
banana and strawberries
his sustenance
                    ~~jvg

[Tinker]

April 9

It's My Birthday

Waken by the phone ringing,
my granddaughter singing,
my texts keep pinging.

They all say the same
but there is no shame,
my birthday's to blame.

So I build my day on wishes.
I'll start by ignoring the dishes
and count up all of my riches.

I hold my blessings near,
grateful for another year.
                ~~Judi Van Gorder


 

 

[Tinker]

April 11

Convenience

Amazing products
manufactured in the US
and abroad
zero shipping cost
online shopping
now.

Priced for best value
real deals
immediate service
multiple choices
easy return.
           ~~jvg

Bingo Poetry   #1. Write an Acrostic, prompt: shopping

April 12  Wrote a haiku for Poetry Bingo knee surgery

[Tinker]

April 13

Flight

the milky way
spreads across the heavens
star dust scattered warp speed driven
in space to shine and blend
while some will die light years away
stars for miles with no end
on holiday

~jvg

 Star Sevlin

[Tinker]

April 14

#25
he sees cockroaches
climbing the hospital wall
fever burns his brain
                   ~~jvg

 

 

 

[Tinker]

April 15

#26
slack mouth open
a snore escapes in fatigue
I sit watching
               ~~jvg

#27
hand tremors make
feeding himself difficult
I hold the spoon
                ~~jvg

[Tinker]

April 16

Deadline

Taxes
dreaded taxes.
Accounting
receipts
justification
Mind boggling
numbers
I pay
then I pay more.
Never enough.
Frustrated
~~jvg


Terrible but this is all I have for today.  

 

[Tinker]

April 17

Cream Stuffed Donuts

It's an infection that laid him low
but he's fought back, way to go
Being prodded and poked
is his job someone joked
Pain is his constant friend
trying hard for his knee to bend
Weakened by age and wear
He wants all to know he's still there.
Trapped in a hospital bed
served toast of bland wheat bread
A cream filled donut his only request
I can't withhold, he needs some rest.
                   ~~ Judi Van Gorder

 

April 18 posted at Member Poetry The Box

Edited April 18, 2018 by Tinker

[Tinker]

April 19

Than Bauk  #5
frustration fools
us and pools fear
all rules are gone
            ~~jvg

April 20

West Wind

Across the bay
watch the swaying 
palms play in time

with the West wind
determined to
rescind the calm
               ~~jvg

Than Bauk with climbing rhyme

[Tinker]

April  21, 2018

 Uncle John's Palace

Our visits
to Uncle John's
were my introduction
to country life.
And we always left
with fresh eggs.
He has been
gone awhile now.

Today we
finished building
a tiny house
with a penned yard
and new chicks
are growing.

Soon there will be
fresh eggs
gathered at dawn
from brooding bins
Plymouth Rocks, California
Whites, Leghorns
and Indian Rivers.

My cousins
are coming for lunch
and in Uncle John's memory
we will christen our project
                                                                                                                                     "Uncle John's Palace".
                                                                                                                                                    ~~Judi Van Gorder

[Tinker]

April 22
Conversation at the Office

I'm moving to Mexico
I want to pay what I owe.

Your policy is paid through May
there is nothing that's due today

I simply can't afford to live here
anymore. I'm going south this year.

Buy protection down there, for your Prius.
I wish you the best, Vaya con Dios.

I am alone and free with not much money
I'll retire in Baja where it is sunny.
                    ~~ Judi Van Gorder

Con-Verse

April 23
Tanka Confessional

I just wrote to form
one of the worst poems ever
the elements met
without heart in harmony
with the rhythm and sonics

rhyme and syllables
predestined by previous
invention template
to emulate and torture
words and meaning to comply

Maybe that is why
I prefer to write free verse
without restriction.
         ~~Judi Van Gorder

April 24

Middle Ground

Today's
political
climate is disturbing
regardless of your preference
erratic and impulsive leadership
creates a distressed atmosphere
one side too sensitive
one uncaring
So sad
          ~~jvg

Rictameter

[Tinker]

April 25

#29
Forty four minutes
to write another poem
for NaPoWriMo
          ~~jvg

Footnote: My apologies, committed to write a poem a day at another site. The challenge is named NaPoWriMo and the poem had to be posted by midnight. Obviously I wrote this with 44 minutes to spare.  

April 26

Fevered Rambling

Cramps bite down
inside my gut
while nausea rises
to the back
of my throat.
Some mysterious
malady
has attacked
my body
and dulled my brain.
Maybe tomorrow
I'll have something
to write.
                   ~~jvg

[Tinker]

April 27

Glory

The colors of the sunset
change at the whim
of the elements.
At times, streaks of crimson
blended with violet
and vermillion
wash the sky.
At others,
an explosion of golds
and orange burst
on the horizon.
Whatever the choice
of the day,
the colors eventually slide
silently into the sea;
at peace
with the knowledge
that another well spent
day is complete
and it is time to rest. 
              ~~Judi Van Gorder

April 28

Funny Man

[Tinker]

April 29

Haiku # 30

the sky is dark
the day's challenges are met
clean sheets on the bed
                       ~~jvg

[Tinker]

April 30    I did it.   A poem a day for 30 days.  Yeah.

 

Temple Boy a Pathya Vat