Day 29 PAD 2023

 

This poem is presented in its rough draft form for the PAD 2023 challenge and will be revised.

“I am Here”

I watch my shadow move in front of me, the wind, still angry from winter, assaults my face. My stride is still as quick as my youth, just not as strong as my shadowed legs wobble with another burst from mother nature. For a second I feel my presence cutout of the air around me. I am here. The world is beneath my feet. The wind has to move around me. My gumline stings as I smile. My shadow reflects my existence on the concrete. I am the moment. But then my shadow moves without me, and now I am trying to catch back up with the day.


Poetic Form: Prose

Day 7 PAD 2023

 

This poem is presented in its rough draft form for the PAD 2023 challenge and will be revised.

“How to Fall in Love”

Interlock the fingers, touch palms.
Keep your heart calm.
Stay with her pace,
go anyplace.

Talk about the clouds, or just smile
and walk awhile.
Feel her presence,
this will be tense.

Find a moment to stop and gaze,
at her crossways,
then turn to see
what this can be.

Poetic Form: Minute Poem

Poetic Form 86: Rondel

 Walk By

No one turns to see me walk by.

Shadow fades as they blankly stare.

I keep my head down in a prayer,

a lonely song I testify.

The street is crowded, suits and ties

mix with soleless shoes, smiles rare.

No one turns to see me walk by.

Shadow fades as they blankly stare.

Everyone has an alibi

for the way they hide their despair.

No reason to connect, don’t care.

No one turns to see me walk by.

Poetic Form #86: Rondel

The rondel is a French poetic form with 13 lines, usually eight syllables,

in three stanzas. The rondel uses a rhyme scheme with refrains (AB):

ABba

abAB

abbaA

I'll be the one

I’ll be the one you can dance with

    when the melody is the storm

I’ll be the one you can laugh with

    when the punchline is another hardship

I’ll be the one you can lock hands with

    when the distance is unspoken words

I’ll be the one you can walk with

    when the compass has lost true north

I’ll  be the one you can dream with

    when sand has filled the bottom of life

I’ll be the one who sings

I’ll be the one who dances

I’ll be the one who loves

    You

        when all the world has turned away

I’ll be the one

    that completes this two...

Walk

There is a sidewalk in front of our house.

My two boys use it to ride a tricycle and

      a big, colorful plastic car.

On Wednesday mornings, 

      I set my garbage on it.

Some weeds try to grow throughout the summer.

       Ants,

            there always seems to be ants on it.

But that's it.

The nightly walkers use the street, 

with the cars,

and others on bikes.

Maybe it's the way the mailboxes are set in the sidewalks.

     Walking side by side, 

      one has to turn their shoulders, 

      or even stop,

                   to get by.

My youngest will holler,

"Mailbox, watch out!”

          when we walk around the block. (on the sidewalk)

I notice we always get stared at.

Is it because we are on the sidewalk,

 crossing their yard?

Have we become so disconnected,

that it is an invasion of privacy to walk on the sidewalk?