Day 30 - Farewell

ashes on a bookcase
photos in a book
a favorite rhyme
and wintertime
a suckerpunch left hook

you were my fiercest critic
you were my dearest friend
manners of an esquire
ya bit me like a vampire
one day we'll be together again

Day 29 - Never *blank*

Never found what I was looking for
Never lost a race I didn't enter
Never met a woman I didn't fall in love with
Never met a man I could trust
Never saw a sunset that didn't make me think of home
Never saw enough sunrises
Never said what I should have to some
Never shut up around others
Never wrote anything that made complete sense
Never really cared
Never realized...

Day 28 - A Sestina

his mind envisioned the plane
as he stood outside and saw
a forest, a coniferous wood
before it a field of sand
he needed to make the cut
and needed to be in shape

her mind envisioned the shape
she worked on a different plane
one job, the patterns to cut
hours spent on a scroll saw
hours more, the edges to sand
on hardboard and balsa wood

the man wisely harvested wood
lumber began to take shape
stacked, away from the sand
each stick smooth from the plane
cut to width on the saw
purposely given a narrow cut

when the patterns were cut
they selected the wood
though nothing went to the saw
it had to dry before it took shape
from the jointer and plane
and months before they sand

in front of the forest in the sand
a runway marked with a cut
long enough to land a plane
and not end up in the wood
and an airfield began to take shape
and they were happy with what they saw

then it was time to saw
and alternately sand
her designs began to take shape
as the various pieces were cut
together they shaped the wood
and they gave birth to a plane

they flew in the plane and they saw
the expanse of the wood, the breadth of the sand
he'd made the cut and she'd created the shape

Day 27 - Longing

She stands upon the mountain
The sheer edge below her feet
Facing East
A solitary island
In a sea of sand
Watching
Waiting
Wondering

He stands upon the rocks
The sea crashing at his feet
Facing West
Alone
Upon the crowded
Angel-Isle

And through the mist
Of time and space
A beam of light
And hope
Shines

Day 26 - Miscommunication

"Wind's a comin"
said the raven.
The man looked startled
by the raucous laugh.
"Looks like rain too"
he added, and wheeled.
the man showed fear
being from Generica.
"You're on your own."
The bird turned
and rode the wind East
as the clouds churned.

Fighting the storm
back to his car
the tourist wondered
why no one had warned him.

Day 25 - Event

blindfolded and bound
when the snake struck
the world spun round
chanting
ancient text
buffeted by the guardians
kneeling before the stone
the words flowed
within me without me
until I was a part
of the light

Day 24 - Travel

as I ready my steed
the tibetan mountain pony
I see the neighbors
leading similar beasts
to the trailer
the rack
I wave as I ride by
on my way to the trails
and wonder where
they are bound
it's not till I see
them
later
on the trail
that I realize
what they've done

Day 23 - Regret

A.L.G.
I still remember...

She looked me in the eyes
moments after she was born.
I took a title, pledged a vow
to keep her safe and warm.

For all my life I'll wonder

Her parents divorced, her dad remarried,
her mama never changed.
I left the country, her grandparents raised her
in the Nazarene's name.

For all my life I'll wonder

My letters unanswered, my queries ignored,
they kept her from her past.
Three decades later I shed dry tears.
Will I ever meet her at last?

For all my life I'll wonder

Day 22 - Work

this is my first villanelle, so beware

If this day should be my last
would my name be praised?
And would they say a good man passed?

Would some be sad and some aghast,
perhaps wailing from the crazed,
if this day should be my last?

Who would say the die was cast
at dinner while they grazed?
And would they say a good man passed?

Several years before the mast,
decades in the maze.
If this day should be my last...

Looked, and it was vast.
Heard, and it was praised.
And would they say a good man passed?

It shouldn't be done fast,
great works are slowly raised.
...if this day should be my last...
And would they say a good man passed?

Day 21 - "twofer" - a) Haiku - b) Anti-Haiku

a)
when the words are changed
count becomes irrelevant
experience stays

b)
western pride
cannot conceive of a form
not their own

yet the tree
unchecked upon the mountain
is the form

Day 20 - Rebirth

The journey of the Sun
Is the journey of Myth
And the journey of our Soul
By what name do we describe our own path

How small the beings who
Must bring the eternal to their own level
How sad their own rebirth is
Trapped in the walls of another's myth

Is it for us to bend and follow
Or fight our own way
Through the night
To be reborn at dawn

Day 19 - Angry

cat sex music

once again
the same disc
the same song
the overbearing volume
the complete lack
of consideration

my mind wanders
wonders
and I consider
levels of pain to return
but they pale
in comparison

Day 18 - An Interaction

crystal shards
polished
marked
twenty-four symbols
call out from a bag
of silk
the sound of them
moving together
spilling
words
phrases
thoughts
a reality beyond
time
an answer
or more questions

Day 17 - All I Want Is *blank*

all I want is
a morning after
less disaster
occasionally plastered

all I want is
rolling thunder
pirate plunder
visit down under

all I want is
a new mexico sunset
the chance to get you wet
a win on a small bet

Day 16 - A Color

"green"

at times, so rare, so desired
yet at certain moments
brief flares through the year
so many random sightings
between the endless brown
and red
the bands of verdant splendor
against the backdrop
of endless sky

Day 15 - Change the title of an existing poem

"2 little what's"

what are we doing now?
stumbling blind, wondering how.
what are we doing then?
can't even discover until it comes when.
what are we doing now?
carry the weight, try not to bow.
what are we doing then?
find out the answer or come back again.

with apologies to e.e. cummings

Day 14 - "twofer" - b) an "anti-love" poem

A balm
Anointed in oil
Caressed
Massaged
With salt
And citrus oil
Talons tear into the beating heart
Tenderly stroking
Fragrant air
Warm breath
Tongues of flame
Searing to the point of crackling
Ice bath
Shock
Warm embrace
Returned to the shelf

Day 14 - "twofer" - a) a "love" poem

An unconscious itch
Or slight pressure
A constant gnawing
Not like hunger
More like something inside you
Is hungry
Hours spent trying to define
Something as subtle as a hammer
As succinct as smoke
As definable as
Breath

Day 13 - Hobby

the view is endless
the air thin
ravens circle doing tricks
as deer watch through
thick rows of trees
tracks cross the trail
several sets
all moving toward
the stream I crossed
sunlight fills me
after dappled canyons
of aspen and pine
and I breathe
deeply of the mountain air
before dropping off the
other side
to dance my bicycle
through the trees

Day 12 - So We Decided To *blank*

get away from the crowd
step out of the light
talk on the porch
look in each others eyes
flirt shamelessly
play silly games
run in the yard
find each others arms
fall in the grass
roll out of our clothes
change the future

Day 11 - Object(s)

Twins

They stand resolute
Unchanging
Yet ever-changing
Brass to my sight
Yet shadows shimmer
Black
White
They have stood for
Millenia
These pillars
Have welcomed the faithful
Guarded the secrets
Withstood
Their names are known
Yet unknown
Unspeakable
For my oath prohibits

Day 10 - Friday

A week day
Another work day
Same shit different day
Anticipation

It's a long day
Want it to end day
Start off slow day
Anticipation

Lasts all day long day
Take off early day
Wear aloha shirts day
Anticipation

Day 9 - Memory

Last Ride

The sun was somewhere on the horizon
Hidden by a mist that coated everything
Before it burned away in the morning's light
The curve in the road became tighter
The outside sloping down
Pulling
I looked
I followed
I found myself in the weeds
Still moving at the same speed
Until

Until

Until my front wheel hit a mound of excess asphalt
And the Universe had to decide where the momentum was to go
The mound didn't move

I slowly flowed through the air turning upside down
And sideways
My hands on the bars
My feet on the pegs
Hundreds of pounds of steel between my knees
Every plant
Every mote of dust
Ingrained upon my mind
It took forever before
Impact
On my left side
My knee beneath the engine
And I bounced onto my right side
My other knee
Before finally sliding to a stop

A Moment With the Author

Some people are going to read the previous ramblings and say it isn't poetry. Some may say it isn't even writing, per se. But to me it matters not. The point of this exercise is exactly that; an exercise.
The fact that I am attempting to form groups of words based on a simple prompt every day is exactly the sort of thing I need to get the juices flowing.
I have a number of journals. Some lay about the house like unwanted relatives, collecting dust and ridding my fridge of beer. Others live in jacket pockets, to be scribed within on the chance I find them. A few actually travel with me on purpose, to be available when I need them. But none receive attention daily, or even regularly.
Now I have the sharp poke, the push, the little prompt to get me to scribble at least a few lines a day. And I find that I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Day 8 - Routine

Dunoon

Oddly geometric boats ply the distance
between the steel island
And the Island
A hackney into town
then a walk up an old lane
Into the chippie for a pie
or a pudding
Then along another ancient path
Up Castle Hill to the tower
Or perhaps further down
At Highland Mary's feet
And watch the sky
The hills
And hope for those shimmering bands
Of color again

Day 7 - "twofer" - b) Dirty

Twenty elbows and eighty wheels
Pushing hard around a track-full of attitude
Maybe five pairs of eyes watching
A book of rules waiting to be ignored
Full contact
Constant contact
Competitive spirit no man could match
A fast play
Positions change
Someone is down but no one saw a thing
Except the smirk on the face of the girl still skating
The slap on the ass from her team mate
And you know
She got away with it

Day 7 - "twofer" - a) Clean

tight line, steep approach
loose rock, a root, shift
weight
don't touch the gears
jerk left, slip, recover
mad scramble, more roots
shale drift, not as steep
low branch
switchback
cactus reaches, hungry
pull up
push down
burst through the claws
momentum
before the wall, the lip
pedal, timing, approach
yank, pedal, weight, lunge
crest, hold, grin
cleaned it

Day 6 - Something "missing"

whisper

a tickle beneath my nose
and a brief roseate flame
scent of cardamom
and jasper when it's crushed

diffused light sparkles
behind my eyelids
and a hint of static
on my lips

my arms coil to
pull the warmth nearer
to pull
into themselves
through the empty sheets

Day 5 - Landmark

La Bajada

A world away from the climb of death
when it was the Camino Real
Elegantly smoother than the original 66
Yet it still strikes fear when it snows
Still reaches out to crush the weak
Still stands vast and forbidding
to all pushing North
Ancient volcanic wall
Primordial in its simplicity
Yet when I crest the windswept ridge
And see the lights between me
and the mountains
I know I am home

Day 4 - Animal

Smudge

He looked like he'd been blessed by the ashes of the palms
The only mark on an otherwise white coat
Streetsmart
Hard
Too many miles for one so young
Persistent as a child at Halloween and indeed that's what he was
Lord of the frozen wastes
Nothing showing in the snow but golden lanterns
Highly intelligent eyes
Efficient killing machine
Yet vulnerable and needy as any child
Soft and compassionate
My worst critic
My best friend
The brightest lights burn hot
Burn fast

Interlude

While digging through boxes today (attempting to salvage a moment of accomplishment), I found the volume that contained my older ('80s) prose. There are several I will post, but for now I'll just add this one...

Enchanted
I hear your name and
See webs of color
And the strong flow
Of equine muscles
And I feel the gentle
Power of the
Healer
Then the drum that is
My heart
Suddenly shifts the
Rhythm

Day 3 - The Problem With *blank*

the problem with dawn

she slides through the slightest gap
filling my mind
my soul
with her last minute of frost
before filling me with the promise of warmth
cyclic
eternal
with no care for one's own agenda
she pushes herself through dreams
and desires
she is all-knowing and unknowing
the beginning and end
death and rebirth
curse her
adore her
revere her
worship her
for without her
there is nothing

Day 2 - Outsider

The Visit

A feast
and friendly chatter
More handshakes
than a convention
Warmth
and genuine pleasure
And then the door closed
and there was a man
With a sword
Still amiable
But the line had
been drawn

Day 1 - Origin

Tradition

Where did it begin
And can we ever know
Centuries or millenia
A path that follows
an exodus
Predates a race
A culture
Several faiths
The mysteries were
never solved
Yet the tradition
continues

Prelude

So this site for poets, Poetic Asides, has this challenge; a poem a day. There are subject prompts for each day, including Twofer-Tuesdays. A friend of mine, Michelle LaFlamme-Childs (great poet, by the way) turned me on to it, and I thought, "why not."
Some of it may be esoteric, some of it inane, but it will all be from the gut, and will mean something to at least one person. And mostly I hope to have a little fun and get back in the habit of writing.

Each post will be titled "Day ~" followed by the prompt from Poetic Asides.