Conversations With Laurie (Poetry)

Test the Water

2012-02-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

You'd rather live with that silly little fool who can't open her mouth except to say "yes" or "no"…. ~Scarlett, Gone with the Wind

Yes is easier than no…
Yes, I’ll write for no pay
Yes, I’ll be there at nine
Yes, I’ll take that position
Yes, I’ll design a new sign

No is much harder…
No, I can’t ‘cause I’m broke (no, I’ll do it!)
No, I can’t ‘cause my dog threw up
No, I can’t ‘cause…hmm… I don’t want to
No, I can’t ‘cause I’m beat-up

It’s like hot and cold
this yes and no
from one extreme to the other
so take the time and think it through
test the water;
there’ll be no need to go undercover.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspirations:
Poetry Jam- Cold and Hot,
Ella's Edge at IGWRT- line from movie,
Poets United Thursday Think Tank- Yes

Wednesday Offerings

2012-02-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Detachment Mode

She learned the hard way
to detach
----to keep an arm's length distance from the others---
rObOtIcAlLy, like Frankenstein
she walked through life
a jolt of betrayal; a surge of protection.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (detach, jolt, surge)

***

Hooked on Small Stones

Ten crows on the wire
in the fog, a black and white picture
a semblance of normalcy.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poetic Asides (A habit poem)

January's River

2012-01-31T19:46:00.000-08:00

After waiting outside and in
freezing moments of blank time
floating silence, a tick-tock
tick-tock; will I be chosen?
Tick-tock, tick-tock; what
if I'm sequestered? Tick...
click, the clerk appears:
everyone can leave now.

*

Do the math:
A pile of grassy mud
Waist high, truck wide
Yellow taped perimeter--
Eyesore area

*

Morning shower
water's brown
front yard dug up
neighbor's frown
it's theirs, not ours
but still the same
the water's brown
we'll wait in vain.

*

The day ahead brings-
basketball games
snacks, check;
dance practice
time, check;
Pinewood Derby
cars ready, check;
family fun guaranteed,
check, check, check.

*

Driving home from the funeral home
After saying goodbye to a friend
I receive a call, a baby's been born
The circle of life continues again

*

Kids are all tucked in
I'm working on a piece
Hubby's back in school
So he's poring over books
He asks me for a favor
Could I make a PBJ?
To which I answer boldy
Would you like one poem or two?

*

Turning My Will Over:
In the silence of the morning
when the day is half awake
I lie supine and drink it in-
this new day you may take.

*

Weather forecast for SE Texas:
Today- rainy with a chance for cold
Tomorrow- sunny and warm enough for shorts
Repeat

*

Internet's down
and I'm up
the Energizer bunny
spinning like crazy
cleaning, cooking
shopping...
honey, Internet's up

*

A snowstorm of leaves
kiss en route
everything in sight.

*

No! Stop! Other end! No!
~swoosh~
AWWW...
Two points for the other side.

*

He carries cigarette butts on his shoes
enveloped in the dirty laces
ready to grab in a split second
if that’s all he has
a second
to run outside and puff
maybe once, maybe twice
but he’ll save it for later
and that’s okay-
he’s been clean a week now.

*

At Walgreens:
The lady in the checkout line
says she wishes they'd stop
saying each year was the end
of the world and then asks
for a pack of Marlboro Lights.

*

Hubby's first day of MBA classes
it's back to the MIA rat race again
as I play single mom to three
my head begins to spin.

*

He said we'd have to eat the sun
five layers, downhill to the core
yellow bell peppers... or orange?
Sour cream and, and some Cool Whip dyed!
Shredded carrots; no, no...mandarin oranges!
How about some cake frosting, too?
We better buy a lot of food coloring
for this freak of a model
oh, and a sliver of cottage cheese
moon on the side
don't you think?

*

Nature's connect the dots:
a bevy of crows ~ dark spots
in a winter-stripped tree ~ pencilled lines
on a cloudy day ~ white paper.
What will you see?

*

Bridal wreath dances in the wind
anticipating the big day
with the white dress.

*

Sitting in church
she picks her black
fingernail polish off-
peeling away the layers.

*

A Fresh Perspective:
Subbing makes me glad
I don't teach anymore.
Enough said.

*

warm Grape Nuts
on a frozen grapes morn
oh, no
flung across the keyboard
oh, yes
Friday the 13th

*

Impel was the word
that was supposed to be
but with a Texas twang
pronounced im-pay-el
by the teACHEr
he spelled it i.m.p.a.l.e.
knocking him out
of the final spelling bee.
I'm impelled to impale
HER. oink. oink.

*

For breakfast, grapefruit
the aisle in the sky;
a dose of Vitamin C, see?

*

Happiness signs:
Indigo gleams
Juniper shines
Kaleidescope dreams

*

Monday stayed home sick today
he was up all night complaining
with thunderous outbursts, discontent
and when he finally showed his face
at Morning Dawn's drive-in show
sallow was his color, off
so in he'll stay today.

*

Fog is a heavy cloak
of consternation
blinding
all perception
polluting
sanity
until
the son's light
lifts it.

*

hustle
tumble
ball
hoggery
shoot
dang!
come on
foul
scowl
hustle
lanky
swanky
woosh
yeah!

*

Microwaved or grilled
soap will never crayons be
scraps that melt together
but the house and yard
won't smell like school
rather, a fragrant shop
with an airborne lather.

*

Homemade taste
vanilla treat
in swirls
a cone
sweet
Blue
Bell
dig
in
.

*

What a naughty tactic
coming from the dogs
Jake and Snowy
placing their paws
at the fence's zenith
scaring off
the neighbor's cat

*

dancing figures across the wall
sun's shadow play
while outside leaves somersault
hours of winter's day

*

A two-week holiday, the kids rise early with anticipation;
back to school on Monday, the kids want to hibernate.

*

Loose bamboo shoots discovered
Reaching skyward in I's and X's ~
A boy's dream
A home owner's nightmare

***

@laurie kolp

aros, small stones- January 2012

Chilling Out

2012-01-29T05:38:00.000-08:00

Red Spot II, Wallisy Kandinsky

This frozen field, my mind, plays tricks on me
it goes from chilled to hot in seconds flat
shocks thoughts electrifying to my feet
and on the earth a flame of anguish sparks.

All because of silly things, a misplaced shoe
or perhaps forgotten homework, dirty tracks
across the rug, those crazy dogs
(oh, I love them so).

Then all at once I feel serenity
it startles like an unexpected touch
a cloak of permeable karma flows through me
like magic all the heat is gone
I’m chilled again, born into God’s realm of joy.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration:
*The Sunday Whirl (anguish, field, permeable, shocks, flame, fresh, startles, earth, born, feet, serenity, frozen)
Picture inspiration:
*The Mag

Bubbles and Whistles to Tickle Your Side

2012-01-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

Johnny knows how to
blow bubbles from
his nose when
he cries,
but I am the
ONLY one
in the class
who knows how to whistle,
the young boy told his mom
who laughed so hard it hurt.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: IGWRT- Mary’s Mixed Bag (A conversation poem)

Truth (Raveled Rhyme)

2012-01-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Could I but travel through these rocky

woods, empowered with a drive for inner

peace? A death-defying sanctum down

this road... of weary feet upon the ground.

I close my eyes and trust the sound
of birds singing to a higher

power. Will it lead me through? I need not

cower; one step I take, one leap of

faith and I am closer to the

truth.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank (Roads)

The form is one I created called Raveled Rhyme. Here are the guidelines:

first word of line 1 rhymes with first word of line 2
last word of line 4 rhymes with last word of line 5
first word of line 7 rhymes with first word of line 8
last word of line 10 rhymes with first word of line 11
lines 3, 6, 9 do not rhyme; or they can rhyme with each other
last line is one word/ same as title
lines can be of any length
unlimited number of lines

****

Please... tell me what you think.

Subcutaneous Communication

2012-01-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

Over, under, out -- Roger
acquired an infection
that with quite some introspection
and a wreck he had resulting
in reactions slow and lumbered
a slothful snail they called him
prompting great consideration
of a viral invasion deadly
in his network crashing body
creating bubble condensation
on his skin, this Trojan foe
a risk of life taken
for hooking up this microchip
to the world-wide web;
over, under, out.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspirations:
IGWRT Kenia's Wednesday Challenge (future)
3WW (bubble, lumber, wreck)

A Tongue Twister?

2012-01-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

He asked me if I'd ever

felt a tongue

outline my body from head

to toe, enticing pleasure, warming

sizzle, moisture spreading, heartbeat

threading pulses that

drive you crazy

and

said

no
~~
~~
~~
~
~
~
YES

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poetry Jam (senses)

Warning: A Small Package

2012-01-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

Photo: Boris Hoppek

She came in a small package

fleece worn and ribbon tied

innocent and modest, or so she seemed

with silky smooth skin

a fountain of milky pearl

wrapped up like a bow

laid upon for the taking

temptation on a platter

this grackle, waiting to attack.

~~

@laurie kolp

Picture inspiration: Magpie Tales

Snippets of the Truth

2012-01-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

The Peabody sisters had a knack for story-telling

a charm in whispering words that crush the human spirit

scatter ashen children with shards of gore and horror

droning on about dark urges roiling from the depths of hell

virgin maidens whose lips scald all who come too near

chasing sanity with magic spells a basic instinct --

for their stories told were but snippets of the truth.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (ashen, knack, scald, sisters, crush, instinct, story, scatter, urges, shards, charm, whispering)

Also linked to IGWRT's Open Link Monday... anyone's welcome!

A Day at the Sun

2012-01-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

Suzy invited me to the sun one day

We swam through Cool Whip as we played

Leap frog with peaches and mango

Jumping hoops of pear mandiango

Until the heat was too much to bare

So we stripped down to our underwear

And lo and behold I did discover

Fruit salad in secret places uncovered

@laurie kolp

My son's edible sun

Please join me at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads where the topic is NONSENSE

Roaming, Back Home

2012-01-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

I was outta there in a flash
skid marks hot on the street
still smoking as I lit up
my middle finger waving see ya
windows rolled down, wind in my hair
singin with the B-52s
the world was mine to roam at last
hip-to-hip through the WILDerness

and I went back in a fla-flash
of the C-word diagnosis
ten years older and wiser
dying to help out as needed
the bedroom still a sunny yellow
I saw my future through shutter slits
ready to make a change, but how
would I get there from here?

@laurie kolp

Poets United Thursday Think Tank: Goodbye
Poetry Jam: Going Home Again

On School

2012-01-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

white-knuckled fists grab the rope
follow the leader with hope
of a reward at line's end;
an elemental godsend

This is in response to Grace's form challenge (the Tanaga) at IGWRT

***

An Edible Sun

He said we'd have to eat the sun
multi-layered, downhill to the core
yellow bell peppers... or orange?
Sour cream and, and some Cool Whip dyed!
Shredded carrots; no, no...mandarin oranges!
How about some cake frosting, too?
We better buy a lot of food coloring
for this freak of a model
oh, and a sliver of cottage cheese
moon on the side, don't you think?

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (downhill, freak, sliver); aros Day 18

@laurie kolp 1/18/12

SEXercise

2012-01-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

The secret to a smaller
waistline only Mama
knows, but Papa wasn't
complaining. I've never
seen them more in love.

@laurie kolp

Picture/prompt inspiration: Poetry Jam

**Click here for my dVerse OpenLinkNight offering.**

An Anchor or a Buoy?

2012-01-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

sculpture: Jason deCaires Taylor

Her cries for help mere bubbles
as dread of a drowning death
surfaces
petrification the anchor
pulling her down
down
down
until
surrender sets her free
a buoy.

@laurie kolp

Picture prompt inspiration: Magpie Tales

Reels of Real Horror, Imagined

2012-01-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

I’ll let this poem write itself while

I sit still and contemplate

no… worry, really, about you

and your friend’s crazy notion

to sleep outside in freezing

temperatures the depth of my morbidity

starting to surface in this horror picture

show between my ears and suddenly you are

lying dormant, frozen to death in your sleep and I’m

kneeling at your side sobbing uncontrollably

unaware of the spectacle I’m making, which

in all honesty comes from the hot pink tent

pitched in your friend’s front yard

~gasp~

the next reel shows a maniac kidnapping

you as you try in vain to scream

but your friend’s already dead so this man

takes you away like Elizabeth Smart and I am

there trying to save you but he says,

“Shut up broad!” and throws me in the icy pool out back

~shiver~

now a texting soccer mom is driving

home in her Cadillac SRX after a crisp

night of debauchery, jumps the curb, runs into

the yard and I CAN’T STAND THIS ANYMORE

so I make a resolution to have faith and let it go

after all, “They’ll be inside the house within the hour

anyway,” says hubby and I hope he’s right because

I’m not ready to sign on the dotted line

step back from mollycoddling and let you

learn the hard way.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (vain, dotted, dormant, reel, kneeling, surface, still, spectacle, depth, resolution, contemplate, broad, crisp)

Nature's School

2012-01-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Somewhere in Austin, TX

When all the world was green
Children played outside with one another
Learned the dynamics of relationships
How to get along, give and take
They moved their growing bodies
Realized their strengths and limits
Raced down grassy hills like barrels
"Last one's a rotten egg!"

Reason became second nature as they
Darted through lush fields of connect the dots
"Tag, you're it!"
Played hide-n-seek with trees as base
(They made good hiding places, too)
Through the thick forest a game of maze
Discoveries made textbooks could never teach
When all the world was green

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: IGWRT w/ Marian- (When all the world was green)

aros

2012-01-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

Bridal wreath dances in the wind
anticipating the big day
with the white dress.

***

Sitting in church
she picks at her amaranth fingernail polish-
peeling away the layers.

***

A Fresh Perspective:
Subbing makes me glad
I don't teach anymore.

Enough said.

***

warm Grape Nuts on a frozen grapes morn
oh, no
flung across the keyboard
oh, yes
Friday the 13th

***

Impel was the word
that was supposed to be
but with a Texas twang
pronounced im-pay-el
by the teACHEr
he spelled it i.m.p.a.l.e.
knocking him out
of the final spelling bee.
I'm impelled to impale
HER. oink. oink.

***

@laurie kolp

*To view my River of Small Stones click here.

*Linked to IMGWRT Open Link Monday

Virtuous

2012-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

Veering off the path

impulsive volition

violates

God's plan

~versus~

vehemence

blind faith

victory

one step at a time.

Which will you choose?

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank (Choices)

A Sunny Day

2012-01-11T05:02:00.000-08:00

They said to let go
of brutal resentment
focus on this moment

inhale love and trust
(children laughing)
exhale sullen memories
(Retribution 101)

or drive to the first
beach on the left.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (brutal, sullen, trust)

***

aros, Day 11

For breakfast, grapefruit
the aisle in the sky;
a dose of Vitamin C.

Signs

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

aros, Day 10

Happiness signs:
Indigo gleams
Juniper shines
Kaleidescope dreams

@laurie kolp

I used Traci's Poetry form that came from the challenge at IGWRT. You can read more about it on her blog Poemflow.

I came up with a form I named Raveled Rhyme. If you try it out, please share. Mary Mansfield has written one here.

Thank you Traci and Mary.

A Rainy Day

2012-01-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

aros, Day 8

Monday stayed home sick today
he was up all night complaining
with thunderous outbursts, discontent
and when he finally showed his face
at Morning Dawn's drive-in show
sallow was his color, off
so in he'll stay today.

Linked to IGWRT's Open Link Monday

@laurie kolp

Suicide in the City

2012-01-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

Friedlander Yul

Within a forest of buildings

reaching skyward

a raven roosts

a raving crow

wasted

waving

spreading wings

flying high

flapping

then

falling

his

death.

@laurie kolp

Picture prompt inspiration: Magpie Tales

The Man (Blind) and My Demise

2012-01-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

With hair like straw of wheat thatched upon a roof
and eyes as gray as stones beneath the earth

the man appeared in lightning’s fluttering flash
at the wooden gate where I stood, for what
forgotten on this night of blackened mist.

I watched his weathered hands grope the fencepost
with troubled breathing and bubbling spit

thousands of reasons rushed through my mind
on why I should turn and bolt
but
I
stayed.

The blind man with a raspy voice
asked if he could come inside awhile
sit and warm up at my cozy hearth

a fact I wondered how he knew, too late
I realized as my head bounced on rooted
ground, a dormant fear I had I felt rebuild
and I knew he was back
to
finish
me… sigh.

@laurie kolp

The Sunday Whirl (thatched, hearth, fluttering, breathing, flash, gate, stones, grope, rebuild, thousands, bubbling, forgotten)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

aros, Day 7

Fog is a heavy cloak
of consternation
blinding
all perception
polluting
sanity
until
the son's light
lifts it.

Little Dribblers

2012-01-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

aros, Day 7

hustle
tumble
ball
hoggery
shoot
dang!
come on
foul
scowl
hustle
lanky
swanky
woosh
yeah!

@laurie kolp

A Lesson in Soap

2012-01-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

aros: Day 6

Microwaved...

...or grilled...

...soap will never crayons be
scraps that melt together

but the house and yard
won't smell like school

rather, a fragrant shop
with an airborne lather.

Splurge

2012-01-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Homemade taste
vanilla treat
in swirls
a cone
sweet
Blue
Bell
dig
in
.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank & Poetry Jam

Life Assembled

2012-01-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

Ella's post over at Real Toads today is called the Art of Assemblage. We are to make a list of 10-12 beloved items around the house. Rename or add adjectives for each object. Assemble them into a poem.

I walked around my living room and came up with this list:

1. cardinals- friendship, vibrancy
2. angels- hope, truth
3. piano & guitar- musical expression
4. Nerf gun bullets- fun, children
5. dogs- unconditional love
6. plants- fresh air, life
7. pictures- family, acceptance
8. computers- connections, wires
9. fireplace poker- gusto, pokes
10. BOOKS (everywhere)- opportunity
11. crosses- faith
12. board games- entertainment, togetherness

Here's my poem:

Life Assembled

Life is in the air we breathe
the hope, the faith, the vibrancy.

Expression flows in wired dreams
a song, a poem, Monopoly.

Acceptance comes from up above
family fun and crimson love.

So with a child's veracity
enjoy today's opportunity.

@laurie kolp

Ferocious Friends

2012-01-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

What a naughty tactic
coming from the dogs
Jake and Snowy
placing their paws
at the fence's zenith
scaring off
the neighbor's cat.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (naughty, tactic, zenith) & aros, Day 4

aros, Day 3

2012-01-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

dancing figures across the wall
sun's shadow play
while outside leaves somersault
hours of winter's day

@laurie kolp

Reveal

2012-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

unravel truth
travel within
your beating heart
seldom seen
translucent sheen
two souls apart
release lament
appease guaranteed
a refreshing start
inhale honesty
exhale façade
reveal

@laurie kolp

At Real Toads, Kerry challenged us to create a new poetry form. My form is called Raveled Rhyme. Here are the guidelines:

first word of line 1 rhymes with first word of line 2
last word of line 4 rhymes with last word of line 5
first word of line 7 rhymes with first word of line 8
last word of line 10 rhymes with first word of line 11
lines 3, 6, 9 do not rhyme; or they can rhyme with each other
last line is one word/ same as title
lines can be of any length
unlimited number of lines

**

Here's a tighter variation excluding the stand alone rhymes with longer lines:

Emancipation

Splashes of deep cinnamon
clash with the muted décor,
walls resemble the forest floor
balls of explosives drop white
swirls of leaves at death’s fight.
Girls in pink gingham with scented
tissue offer the crowd breasts augmented
issues of sexual prowess. The men agree
voices howl like CRACKS of a tree,
choices garnered at the local dive;
emancipation.

@laurie kolp

Driftwood

2012-01-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

Moevs, Marina River

Pick-up sticks on the river bank
reveal chaos amidst a reflective odyssey
left behind, the jumbled wreckage remains
untouched the course in life has changed
as the past fades into a distant mirage
allowing room for a peaceful future.

@laurie kolp

Picture inspiration: Magpie Tales

aros, Day 2

A two-week holiday, the kids rise early with anticipation;
back to school on Monday, the kids want to hibernate.

****************************

AROS (A River of Stones)

2012-01-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

I'm taking part in the January AROS challenge- to write a small stone daily. What is a small stone? It's an observance written into a short poem or vignette. Click here to learn more. It's not too late for you to join.

I participated last January and July. Taking note of the small things helps me stay in the present moment and enjoy it. It slows me down and helps alleviate stress.

I will post my small stones here daily (along with my other memes) and then add them to the tab at the top of the blog, My River of Stones, along with last July's stones.

********************

Day One:

Loose bamboo shoots discovered
Reaching skyward in I's and X's ~
A boy's dream
An adult's nightmare

@laurie kolp

Linked to Real Toads Open Link Monday

A Lone Feather Lost in Time

2011-12-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

You tossed Calvin Klein’s and Polo sweaters
in my face when all I really wanted was your
time; forgiveness you wrapped up in a gift bag
whenever guilt swallowed your pride, hoping to
stop the handmade letters I left on that hideous
plum yarn of yours, begging for a start to finish
game of Scrabble or Guess Who; stitches of time
I craved like an old friend, but you handed me
the shovel, prepared bright trays of cookies and iced
tea. You expected my best as I searched for words
of praise, found them drifting in the wind a lone feather.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (loss * shovel * friends * expected * stop * plum * letters * drift * sweaters * wind * stitches * yarn)

OLD & NEW

2011-12-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Organized(un) systems, uh, edifice, yes!
Layered(multi) labor(ous), no, HERCULEAN
Dabbling in numerous ~~projects~~ ventures(ad)

&

Neat
Execution of
Work

@laurie kolp

Happy New Year to all of you!

Prompt inspiration: Real Toads Mary's Mixed Bag ~ "Ring out the Old, ring in the New."

Chasing Dreams

2011-12-28T13:58:00.000-08:00

Regret shoved me into dusty corners
a shadow trapped in sticky cobwebs
where I dwelt on what might have been
if only I'd followed my heart.

Past mistakes made me homesick
left me crying like a freshman in August
after being abandoned at the college dorm
feeling like a mismatched china plate

and although home wasn't the most stable place for me
I longed for it because it was better than where I was
alone in a golden castle writing letters I never sent
reading them over and over while listening to our song.

I had watched you drive away without a backward glance
after drawing a map leading south and cramming it down your throat.
Now I'm sitting in the corner chasing homemade apple pie dreams
hoping for a scoop of vanilla to melt away the pain.

@laurie kolp

Poem inspired by Michael Buble's song, Home. Click here to view the You Tube video.

Prompt inspiration: Poetry Jam

Breaking Free

2011-12-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of this wall protecting my heart
A stockade guarding against friendship
Keeping you an arm's length away

From me

I'm sure there must be someone
Who won't leave
Or die

So here's some TNT
Go ahead... demolish the fences
Help my resolution give birth to brighter days
Bring those defenses down

But let the transformation be
As gentle as a butterfly
Breaking free from dormancy
And flying into your arms

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW ( demolish, resolution, transformation)

Beauty Makes No Distinction

2011-12-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

Bert Stern image

Diamonds and pearls
glitter and shine
putting on the Ritz,
a glitzy design.

Do blondes have more fun?
Look at Marilyn, Anna Nicole
caught by the bright lights
sucked into a static bowl

of drugs and promiscuity
big hair, bigger smiles abreast
slowly dying on the inside,
painful childhoods do attest

to the fact that beauty-
platinum hair and plastic knives-
makes no class distinction;
addiction kills lives.

@laurie kolp

Picture inspiration: Magpie Tales

Also, accidentally linked to dVerse Open Link Night. Click here to read the poem I meant to link.

A Sneak Peek

2011-12-25T18:57:00.000-08:00

The kids had been awake since five o'clock
until six they gathered in the boys' room;
it was a chuckle that awakened me

or was that a squeak in the floor,
a little let's-get-a-sneak-peek-squeak?
I pop up and run out and whew... the coast is clear!

I decide to hurry up and turn the coffee pot on
since the deluge to begin needs caffeine squared
and the late night left me feeling like I need some.

That's when I see it, the bike standing there
(the last one I had he traded for a car and all I
really want is something to get around on)

I become a cheerleading mime, snap a picture
slap on the coffee then dive into bed with the kids
until he wakes up five minutes later
goes to see if Santa came.

@laurie kolp

Shared at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Open Link Monday

Born, Within You

2011-12-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

Be not afraid

for He will bring you peace
a heart filled with love and joy
within yourself an eternal manger

where He dwells

at times, appears as an angel
in the people you meet
a decree for life
pondered
tidings of goodness

haven’t you heard?

Be still, without haste
He whispers to you and me

rejoice.

Be not afraid-
where He dwells
haven't you heard?
Rejoice!

@laurie kolp

**Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays to all of you!

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (heart, decree, afraid, heard, manger, shepherds, tidings, pondered, joy, angel, peace, haste)

Hearts of Gold

2011-12-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

My children (ages 2, 6 mos and 4) Christmas 2003

It's in the eyes of children everywhere
the ecstasy a rainbow to their soul
filled with awe and wonder on this eve
when miracles give birth to hearts of gold.

@laurie kolp

Thanks to all of you for the gift of joy you've given me this year. I hope you have a golden weekend full of miracles and ecstasy!

Prompt inspiration: A Word with Laurie at Imaginary Gardens (use ecstasy in 5 minutes or less)

National Haiku Day: December 22

2011-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

cuddling by the fire
children wait in merriment
for Santa's entrance

*

red noses
shining through the night
cold season

@laurie kolp

Posted at Poets United Poetry Pantry and The Purple Treehouse

A "Rumple of Paper" Mess

2011-12-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

His (non)festive imagination
left no room for cross-examination
a belief he held strong
(and he was never to be wrong)--
the holidays were but a symbol of greed
a "rumple of paper" mess for those (not) in need.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (belief, festive, rumple)

One Too Many

2011-12-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

One solitary moment is all it takes
one too many drinks at one more bar
just this one time behind the wheel
because home is one mile away.

Today I saw a bumper sticker, said
"A drunk driver killed
my daughter and I'm MADD!"
Well I would be, wouldn't you?

Last week one drove around a school bus
hit two sisters and their grandfather
life will be forever changed
from that one mistake.

And a bond hearing yesterday
to lower bail for that "poor man"
a dozen people spoke on his good character;
after all, he only messed up once.

So here's to all the ones
whose lives have been lost
either in the ground or behind bars
to one too many drinks.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poetry Jam (Solitary)

Undelivered Letter to Santa (Burns Stanza, or Standard Habbie)

2011-12-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

This time of year threads worry so
I cringe upon the season's glow
Fear of presents lost in spacial flow
High expectation's plight
With dreams of pricey "Apple" -oh!
Flying doubt through the night

That money will appear in time
To fill the tree with gifts sublime
And satisfy the kids' dreamtime
Won't you help me, Santa?
Or I might find myself in grime
To fill your shoes, Santa.

With love,
laurie kolp

*

Prompt inspiration: Kerry's Mini-Challenge for Sunday at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads

Trouble at Buck's Billiards

2011-12-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

Lee Friedlander, 1966

Trouble sat in a booth at Buck’s Billiards
ruminating over his fate of disgrace
that began last year when Lady Luck left
his purple face a sore reminder
of the game of Life he gambles with

      a crushed fly stuck in the earth
      held ransom by his own free will
      states of freedom only a dream can reach.

I see him over there as I rack the balls
and I, a low-life citizen, happen to catch his eye
lag behind the hungry gaze beseeching me
while I mouth the words “Come with me.”

He follows me to the room upstairs
where I release him from the dirt
watch him fly free once again

      he shoots me in the chest, leaves a hole in my heart.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl
(happen, game, lag, luck, year, dream, states, trouble, citizen, purple, fly, earth)

Picture inspiration: Magpie Tales

The Gift of Words

2011-12-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

Prompted: An International Collection of Poems is now available through Amazon and Barnes&Noble. You can also purchase it as an e-book for your Kindle here.

The idea was conceived by an international group of poets that met at Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides, and with the permission granted from Writer's Digest, were able to choose previous prompts from the site to use in the book. Edited by Pearl Ketover Prilik and published by Really Love Your Book , the project was completed in six months. The anthology includes a forward by Robert Lee Brewer.

Among the "prompts" included: type of person, inverted pyramid, prayer, location, love/anti-love poem, all I want, message in a bottle, water, time of day, and after leaving here.

All proceeds go to the non-profit organization Lit World, whose main goal is to "cultivate literacy leaders worldwide."

With just one purchase of this fine book you can help advocate literacy and the "redemptive power of story" throughout the world.

Won't you join me in spreading the word?

The poets:

▪ Daniel Ari

▪ Michele Brenton

▪ Salvatore Buttaci

▪ Anders Bylund

▪ Janet Rice Carnahan

▪ Diana Terrill Clark

▪ RJ Clarken

▪ Barbara Ehrentreu

▪ Hannah Gosselin

▪ Michael Grove

▪ Jacqueline Hallenbeck

▪ Patricia A. Hawkenson

▪ Michelle Hed

▪ Linda Hofke

▪ Cara Holman

▪ Jane Penland Hoover

▪ Khara House

▪ S.E. Ingraham

▪ De Jackson

▪ Elizabeth Johnson

▪ Iain Douglas Kemp

▪ Pearl Ketover Prilik

▪ Kim King

▪ Laurie Kolp

▪ Andrew Kreider

▪ Catherine Lee

▪ Amy Barlow Liberatore

▪ Shannon Bo Lockard

▪ mike Maher

▪ Nikki Markle

▪ Buddah Moskowitz

▪ Bruce Niedt

▪ Connie L. Peters

▪ Nancy Posey

▪ Jane Shlensky

▪ Jay Sizemore

▪ a.m.Trumble

▪ Sara Vinas

▪ Paula Wanken

▪ Claudette J. Young

*

{Quotes from LitWorld's Facebook page.}

JOY- Off the Cuff

2011-12-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

Poets United Thursday Think Tank wants us to write "off the cuff" today. Anything goes, just write. Here's what I came up with after receiving this treat in the mail today from my dear friend, Jeni.

spreading joy
one little red chirp at a time~
heavenly inspiration

@laurie kolp

Click here for daily hope

A Protest for the Season

2011-12-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

It’s the twinkling stars lighting up the tree
leaving those immobile in close proximity

the silence and the glory cradled gently to our heart
warming each sensation, joining relatives apart

the wonder of the season and each joyous song
that hushes retribution, forgives every wrong.

Let’s all join together with peace and love on earth
so our only protestation is of Jesus and His birth.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspirations: 3WW (immobile, proximity, retribution) and Poetry Jam (occupy)

Slander

2011-12-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

image by Mostafa Habibi

Stranded and sinking
salacious scuttlebutt
settled in quicksand;
such a slanderous rut.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Magpie Tales

Fort Me

2011-12-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

~ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom~

It’s rapid fire, my heartbeat
sending rare pulsations to my fingertips
a grip I lose within this burning spasm
tumbling down the stairs a broken doll.

These shards of icy glass blowing
feel like prickly penetration poking
a downpour on my clammy skin

or bark from the sequoia rasped upon
defiled and released upon, this staunch enigma
spacious as it seems and weightless
yet confined within earthly walls reaching
to the sky, these elements I’ve built around Fort Me.

~ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom~

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (rapid, glass, spacious, pulsations, weightless, elements, tumbling, grip, enigma, spasm, rare, released)

Also posted @ Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Open Link Monday 12-12-11

*****

2011-12-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

a trail of seagulls
marks the ocean map spreading
hope for brighter days

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Fireblossom Fridays on Imaginary Garden with Real Toads (Arrivals and Departures)

At the Mall

2011-12-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

A woman was waving a flag
at shoppers caught up in phone tag.
With all of her might
and for passive delight
she distracted those gabbers, that hag.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (flag, might, passive)

Popcorn

2011-12-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

Boy Scout
popcorn is divine.
Buttery, caramel or cheese
if you please
kernels or popped and bagged air tight;
it came in today, we are
munching.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads/ cameo poetry form

The Missile

2011-12-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

Lunch, George Tooker, 1964, Columbus Museum of Art

In December they gather at the mission
genuflect and take a seat on pine needles
and bark, a meeting of sorts among the
villagers. The women bake goodies and
pies crusted with subtle ingredients
that include vanilla and pecans, so divine
they melt in your mouth and leave you
wanting for more. This particular night
two amorous preteens sit in the dark
corner kissing and laughing without an
inkling of the developing uproar. A man
laden with problems too heavy to carry alone-
unemployment and addiction, loss of family
and home- reaches insanity’s precipice,
grabs the first thing he can find and hurls
it across the room like a shot put. The
trivet flies by the lovers and shatters
around them. They stand up faster than
popping corn and run to their parents
thinking they’re in trouble and ashamed
while the man scatters in the woods.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration:
Magpie Tales (photo)
The Sunday Whirl (A wordle~ amorous, subtle, inkling, laden, genuflect, vanilla, mission, bark, crusted, precipice, December, trivet)

The Lighthouse

2011-12-02T06:44:00.000-08:00

Bell Rock Lighthouse

A beacon in the murky night
a sign of hope, a guiding light
that shines within profundity
puts on course those lost at sea.

@laurie kolp

Picture prompt inspiration: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads

Listen

2011-12-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

Soul's Whisper by Ella's Edge

Listen
like a sentinel in the woods
still as a deer
calm and gentle
as I whisper in your ear
words of comfort and peace
how to act in your life.
Don't dart away in fear
have faith in me and listen
lean on me in strife
I'm whispering in your ear.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank (Soul's Whisper by Ella's Edge)

The Foxhole

2011-12-01T07:19:00.000-08:00

Within those plush layers
of froufrou and fluff
cheek-to-cheek gobbledygook
and compliments you puff

hides a scaredy bear banded
                 with verdant envy
                            waiting to lash out, slash
                                            eyes, hoping we won't see

behind the fancy greenery
all the froufrou and the fluff;
you're just an Average Joe
in a foxhole full of stuff.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Theme Thursday (Inside)

Rewritten

2011-11-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

I think I've written this poem before
so correct me if I'm wrong,
the one about the quaint cafe;
a lover's tryst amidst the throng

or should I say a mob it was
of eavesdropping ears
trying to hear three words
that could melt away the years

of relationships cheating
the signs don't always behave
one double-crosses the other
breaks promises they gave

and all at once commitment
jettisons from the heart,
all because two lusty souls
were uncommitted from the start.

Does this sound familiar?
I'm sure I've said these words
in perhaps another voice,
a common theme not unheard.

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (behave, jettison, mob)

Backwards Story

2011-11-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

A path of golden bricks did not appear
nor did their love survive each passing year

like irksome weeds grave complications grew
outside the rain an omen with “I do.”

One Friday night a t-shirt contest wet
when through the crowds their eyes imploring met

her aspirations as a wife to be
while a wild cougar on the prowl was he.

Two clashing hearts can’t force a jointed climb
not once upon a lonely wayward time.

@laurie kolp

Poetic inspirations: Poetic Asides PAD Challenge- _____ Story, With Real Toads Open Link Monday

Signs of Life

2011-11-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

a ruddy imprint on the bricked underpass
one tobacco-tainted sofa, sans cushions
deemed passe haute couture for some
while others spring on the posh decor

@laurie kolp

Picture inspiration: Magpie Tales

The Rubáiyát of a Poet

2011-11-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

With inspiration splashing at all times,
a rush to write it down in metered rhyme
poetic form or free verse, crashing waves
a tidal surge of moody and sublime.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads ~ Rubáiyát

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:40:00.000-08:00

God’s love
Radiates when
Attitudes of gratitude
Take over all thoughts
Instantly replacing
Tense nonsense;
Underlying worries
Disappear and
Eternal peace reigns

@laurie kolp

Read more poems on gratitude at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' A Word with Laurie

Scandalous Supposition

2011-11-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

Misery lies within the hollow depths of nothingness
a spiraling void wrought through shallow minds
obsessing on circumstantial myths
situations miffed

(what-if next year my lover leaps from a cliff?)

leading to complete hysteria
in a bottomless pit
while the present moment flies away
a dove in search of inner peace.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (hollow, misery, shallow)

He's the Best (Strophe form)

2011-11-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

From the Ukraine or Korea to Cajun Country
he takes on their accents unconsciously;
my husband globally communicates.
His coworkers and friends delight in the fun
to hear him speak in native tongue
like a movie star, he punctuates.
Once on a Polish ship, speaking like they do
a Coon-Ass called on the phone, too.
He ping-ponged back and forth in hot debate
from one slang to the other with such ease
others begged for tips from their knees
while he said, “Hurry up we can’t be late,
my family needs me now, let’s go.
They’re number one on priority’s row.”
Yes, one of many reasons why my husband is just great.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: With Real Toads (Strophe form) & PAD

Fleeting Moments (Puente form)

2011-11-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

a planet in the night sky
a spark in crackling fires
an ice cube clinking crystal
a whiff of sweets the nose acquires

~pay attention to the little things ~

a stranger trapped in silence
an adult drowned in alcohol
a mindless one oblivious
a smolder brewing in the hall

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (diamond, mindless, spark, fires, ice, smolder, oblivious, sky, silence, planet, trapped, drowned, fleeting)

*Click here to learn more about the Puente form

Leaving the Pit

2011-11-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

I used to think that I
Was but a bothersome fly,

And perhaps less important
Than a crack in cement.

That what I said didn't matter,
So why mouth it?
That if I left I'd be forgotten,
So why visit?

I felt guilty with each gift or praise
Each accolade my doubt did raise.

Could it be that I
Was nothing more than shy?

Perhaps a little fearful
Of your discriminating eye?

Today I'm still working on it
Thanks to you I'm leaving the pit.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank

Silence in the Breeze

2011-11-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

Capricious chimes clap, this chilling wind
sporadic as a child on the kitchen floor
banging pots and pans as clashing cymbals clang
composing symphonies unparalleled, until

like a gasp for breath, a silence fills the air
which from this window seat arouses me
through the back screen door to take a look;
curious and confused, I trudge through.

The sighing wind blows hair across my face
as a bow stroking strings of violin
a taste of honey coconut across my lips.

Once antelope prancing through the trees
now sentinels on guard, the wind chimes still.

As my eyes rest upon the source
a brilliant halo light shines through the fog
emitting golden rays that circle me
fill my heart with inner peace
and drop me to my knees in gratitude

because I know God is with me here
in this silent moment in the breeze

and every time thereafter when I sit
bridged at my desk beside that windowsill
and hear wind chimes gasp for quiet breath
I bow my head and lift my life in prayer.

@laurie kolp

*Posted for Ella's challenge at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads 12/7/11

**You can read a different version of this same poem (in Stacatto form) here.

Wednesday Words

2011-11-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

A Circle of Love

A rainbow of hands
multi-sized, clasped
like a jeweled necklace
grasped, together as one
in an impetus circle of love,
a vindication to God's testament
of inner peace and acceptance
utter tolerance and truth;
solace from above.

***
Once Upon a Prayer

a false accusation
of indecent exposure--

(when everyone relieves
themselves on the roadside,
so why should it matter
at the Boy Scout camp out?)

the impetus to prayer
for complete vindication
which after awhile worked,
and as a full moon
on a clear, starry night
spread solace within

(mooned ya!)

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (impetus, solace, vindication), Poetic Asides PAD (Once upon a _____)

Danger on the Other Side

2011-11-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

Beyond the hedge danger lurks
Burdens hide as leaves take fall
Mayhem in the murky ditch
Aroused by swirls of black mold
Algae morphing into asps
Ready to strike its victims--
Stay on this side of the fence

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: With Real Toads (Orion poetry form), Poetic Asides PAD (Deadly/dangerous)

Life's Eternal Song

2011-11-13T06:11:00.000-08:00

Come with me and take
a seat, the invitation's open.
We can play musical chairs
while angels play their harps
with lyrical notes of love and
trust, our fruitful bond spreads
wide. We'll skip and join bent
elbows like a dove's peaceful
wings, until one by one we're
chosen for life's eternal song.

@laurie kolp

Picture/prompt inspiration: Magpie Tales

What Mama Left Out

2011-11-13T04:45:00.000-08:00

Mama had told her about the birds and the bees
long before boys rendered her motionless, made
her heart swivel, like August of last year at the
country club when Lifeguard Sean rapidly pulled

that poor kid to safety and she saw the ripples
in his golden six-pack abs, the strength in his
Popeye arms. All rationale lost balance to her
fluttering heart, made her giggly and embarrassed
when he was cleaning the pool. She wore a coral

bikini, tried to point her finger and invite him
over to her lounge chair, but he never took notice
to her eloquent sentiments because he was too busy
flirting with Fred. Mama hadn’t mentioned that.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (bees, balance, cleaning, coral, finger, eloquent, motionless, safety, rapidly, point, strength, swivel)

A Faithful Flight

2011-11-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

When you wish upon a blackbird
spread your wings in golden sky,
dreams take flight, faith guides you
a magic silhouette on which to fly.

@laurie kolp

* I know, mine's not dark, but it's what I saw in the picture.

Picture prompt inspiration: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads

Forgiving Winter

2011-11-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

A powder white blanket
spreading icy cold snow
may seem to you quite beautiful
but to me a deathly blow

smothering, confining
my claustrophobic eyes
this fine quilt of winter
strips me down to size.

Until the sun does shine again
upon my reaching limbs
and at once I understand
forgiveness from within.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank (picture) & Poetic Asides: PAD Day 10 (a different perspective)

Mustered Strength

2011-11-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

He lived through his hitch
made a toast to victory and
drank a pitcher with his buds

and then another and another

so he could muster up
the strength to go home

wheelchair bound.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (drank, hitch, muster)

Time Won’t Wait

2011-11-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

Time doesn’t sit by the back
door like a hungry dog, it
can’t be retrieved from the
marshes or chased up a tree

rather time runs as fast as
a greyhound, packs a trail
of conditioned modalities
until you let go, break free.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: PAD Challenge
Also shared at With Real Toad's Open Link Monday

Animalistic Love

2011-11-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

a piercing strident boom flew through the air
when your delirium set in and suddenly I was
a dappled monster trying to eat you up

with the drooling swish of a rabid wolf and
Herculean strength you stopped in mid-step
ripped your pleated clothes off then dug
your fingernails in my clammy skin

all the while screaming at perfect
shatter-crystal pitch, the demon living
within your shell emitting words that always
seem to reignite my desire for you

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (dappled, piercing, shell, air, strident, reignite, delirium, emit, pleat, pitch, swish, seem) & Poets United Poetry Pantry

**

Implosion on Highway 105

2011-11-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that spontaneous
road trip when, like shards of glass,
your cutting words crashed in my lap,
shattered our happily-ever-after dreams?

Everything I thought we had
now engorged in lies, glazed over
that scarring day our future
imploded on Highway 105.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poetry Jam, PAD challenge

Hope O-O-Os

2011-11-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

They passed the calumet
around the campfire
a ceremonial rite of passage
marked with peace.
To the heavens smoke
rings lifted O-O-Os
hope disharmony
in the world to cease.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Click here for more on today's world blog-blast for peace

Savored

2011-11-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

Seeds of fall~

a taste of orange

juice on sun-dried lips

savored.

@laurie kolp

Picture prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank

My Ears Are Killing Me

2011-11-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

"Listening looks easy, but it's not simple. Every head is a world."
— Cuban Proverb

cymbals echo in my ringing ears
a cacophony, a cry for clarity
!crash! permanent hearing loss
!ping! it might be a tumor, a tumor, a tumor
colliding my world suddenly
all thoughts and words go back to that
!crash! permanent hearing loss
!ping! it might be a tumor, a tumor, a tumor
November’s debut symphony
instead of music from my muse
my ears are killing me

@laurie kolp

Written for PAD Challenge, Day 2

Dilly-Dallying

2011-11-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

While sweeping remnants of Halloween’s
ruckus I find a candy bar wrapper which
leads me to last night’s treat bags where
a breakfast of champions awaits. Of course
now I need some milk which leads me to the
fridge where I notice fingerprints and
crumbs, outdated food and limp lettuce
which I must throw away. I remember today
is garbage day and we forgot, so I hurry
through the house and gather trash where
I find my daughter’s clothes piled up on
the floor which leads me to the laundry
room which I notice is a slipshod excuse
for cleanliness. While I’m at it I dust,
vacuum, mop, scrub toilets, shower, shave
my legs, finally get around to that pile
of someone else’s treasure for Goodwill
which leads me to my computer to look
up locations where I find the blank page:
Poetic Asides Poem-a-Day Challenge 2011.
Oh, yeah… that’s where I started.

@laurie kolp

Click here to find out more about the Poetic Asides November PAD Challenge. Come and join the fun!

Skip Dessert

2011-10-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Touch
me there
and
I will
pounce on you
like
a cat
clawing, hiss.
I feel your tongue
caressing,
tease me
dip
tasting
creamy pie;
resist
the
urge to
cheat.

@laurie kolp

I can't believe you have such a dirty mind! Come on now... pies, dieting...

Prompt inspiration: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads where Kerry challenged us to try out the Waltz Wave form.

Spooked Spirits

2011-10-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Key by key, letter to letter
the ghostwriter types away
spooky untold tales long buried,
while a player piano in the corner
key by key, note to note
booms low bass clef chords
incense burning, lights dimming;
spirits chase scary folk away.

@laurie kolp

Picture prompt inspiration: Magpie Tales

Ghost Gutter Inn

2011-10-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Flickering… a mélange of sidewalk signs
that in a second flashes ‘orange’ and ‘red’
neon lights carved too bright to really see
{mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha, mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha}
the hungry thing… lurking… in the shadows
twitched in time the demons in your mind
caught unaware inside Ghost Gutter Inn.

The air of night a bloody gurgle in its throat
that if you listen close enough you’ll hear
a THUMP followed by a crooked laugh
{mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha, mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha}
like a genie… possessed… in a bottle…
twitched in time the demons in your mind
vanished inside Ghost Gutter Inn.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (twitched, crooked, bloody, sidewalk, bottle, flickering, gutter, gurgle, thump, vanished, carved, caught)

Also linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Halloween share

Balancing Billy

2011-10-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Billy the Penguin slid through the ice
bumped his head and fell down twice,
until his wife knit five colorful bands
to wear on his tail, fins and "hands"
for balance with magnets inside--
and now Billy the Penguin can glide.

@laurie kolp

Picture/prompt inspiration: In Tandem

Upon Receiving the News

2011-10-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

Inclined
to prepare for
the worse but hope
for the best, she felt as
vulnerable as a child on the
playground. cornered by a ruthless
bully. hoping this was all just a figment
of her overactive imagination; let the battle
begin... she was prepared ... to fight... and win.

@laurie kolp

Poetry inspiration: 3WW (figment, inclined, vulnerable)

I Reach For You

2011-10-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

When night air touches stagnant dreams
and stirs hot cocoa longing schemes
of life extreme, too much to bear
I reach for you and hold you tight
somehow I know you'll make it right
a warm respite brought on by prayer.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: With Real Toads (Welsh poetry with Grace)

Natural Engagement

2011-10-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

We rode our bikes into verdant fields
of tomorrow, our future as bright as
the diamond on my left hand, then

at night we made love under a starry
sky and cuddled in our tent like
bears hibernating in winter's frost.

@laurie kolp

Inspiration: Open link at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads

After (Hours of) Going Nowhere

2011-10-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

"Slow down. I'm asking him
for directions since you're too
proud to admit defeat," said
the disgruntled wife, panting

~after (hours of) going nowhere~

a trip to the city nit-picked down
to every last detail, suitcases
packed, tickets hot and wild plans lost
to self-will; she'd finally had enough.

@laurie kolp

Picture inspiration: Magpie Tales

Prompt inspiration: Kerry at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads asked us to write a puente poem. You can find out more at the site.

Camouflaged by Tapestry

2011-10-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

From the beginning I watched as she retreated to the back of the bus. She could hardly drag the black garbage sack overstuffed with her belongings, the metal hangers and shoes poking holes like misfit branches from bags of raked up leaves. I offered her a hand, she shook her head no. There was this glaze in her eyes that reminded me of misty clouds on a rainy day. A stretched out ragged skirt hung from her hips like dusty curtains on rusted-out drapery hooks. I could tell she’d been through hell and back. She sat by the window, oblivious to the rolling hills passing by, the autumn trees with colors like the sunset, the bridges crossing over water that sparkled diamonds in the sun; and I sat across from her, turned and leaned against my window, legs straightened on the vinyl seat after hours of cramping in front of me. I watched her head nod up and down with every twist and bump. I followed the movement down her hunched over shoulders to her deathly still chest. I saw the tracks up and down her arms and in her hand a razor blade gently lying in her cushioned palm like a rosary, the blood swirling designs camouflaged by tapestry.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (rusted-out, nods, beginning, glaze, stretched, ragged, straighten, rolling, bridges, clouds, blade, drag)

Also posted at Imaginery Garden with Real Toads (prose prompt 11-16-11)
Also shared at Poets United Poetry Pantry

How to Find Your Way Back

2011-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Stuff this container of glitter in your jeans
pocket, sprinkle it on the ground like salt
as you enter the woods. Along with your
flashlight, compass, water, whistle, map
carry yellow duct tape in your backpack.
Tear pieces off, stick them on landmarks
you find noticeable that your daddy
will recognize; not some little
leaf on the ground, but interesting
sights that are eye-level like tree
trunks and hanging branches.
Should you get lost--
use your flashlight,
blow the whistle
scream, shout
jump up and down
but don't run around,
watch for bears
pigs, snakes,
banana spiders.
Aww, forget it... stay home with me.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: With Real Toads- A Word with Laurie: A how-to/list poem. You can read another version of my poem there. Hope you'll hop on and join the fun!

The Scary Adverb Poem

2011-10-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

This piece was also featured in DMV Culture on December 21, 2011. You can see it here.

********************************

“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
― Stephen King, On Writing

Chillingly I sat
outside the scary
ship, long forgotten
and lonely as hell

when a creepy sound
echoed through the
foggy night air
attached itself
to my tiny orange
pumpkin earring ear.

A shiver ran through
my lanky body, but I
turned around to see
what was there; a
pirate ghost laughing
hysterically, waving
a long sword purposely.

I hightailed my way
out of the dungy shipyard,
decided my sucky life might
be worth living after all.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, where Kerry asked us to use a Stephen King quote or excerpt to inspire a spooky poem. I just finished reading King's On Writing (which I highly recommend). He stresses the importance of not overusing adverbs (when writing novels) which inspired me to write this poem.

Osculating Fire

2011-10-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

The tattered t-shirt a dying
ember within his tentative

mind

was stamped forever
in a heart long frozen, how

she wore it like a yule log
glowing merriment and joy;

a breach of judgement
ignited concupiscence,

he touched her crimson lips
with his, probed further

until she pulled back,
slapped him like a grease
fire on the stove.

@laurie kolp

{osculating~ kissing; concupiscence~ strong sexual desire, lust}

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (breach, ember, tentative)

My Stronghold

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cinquain Form:

Timber
Ever reaching
I carved my heart on you
Will you take me in your branches?
Stronghold

@laurie kolp

********************

Tanka form:

A heart carved with love
Reaching out I long for your
Everlasting warmth
With strong arms titillating;
Leaves me satisfied

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspirations: Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Isabel Doyle's Tree-Hugger

No Lucky Ducks

2011-10-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

The young girl breaks
from the working line
looks into my camera
with a thoughtful stare

a bit perplexed
... or so she seems.

I ask her what's wrong
read her red heart lips
exaggerating each syllable,

"These ducks aren't lucky!"

and we roll over in laughter
to mask the sadness we feel.

@laurie kolp

Picture prompt inspiration: Magpie Tales

Dancing at the Ocean's Edge

2011-10-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

In the shallows of the ocean deep
where broken shells are gathered
and sea foam cotton is a mirage
that fools the young at heart,
causes feet to drop on textured sand

a burst of pain settles in the toes
now dancing through hoops of fire;
one shoulder twists and then the other
like a bolt of Charo shimmying
rolling tongues until she topples,
forgives the waves for cutting in the fun.

@laurie kolp

Poetry inspiration: The Sunday Whirl (forgive, shoulder, topples, shallows, bolt, broken, gathered, dancing, drop, burst, causes, feet, hoops)

Also linked to Imaginary Garden With Real Toads Open Link Monday

Recycling Red

2011-10-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Red
A sore thumb amid a green thumb
Hitchhikes through life unnoticed
Until a bright light picks him up
Plants him in a thriving garden
Filled with books to be shared and
Read

@laurie kolp

You can read more about book boxes here (thank you Kerry).

Picture prompt inspiration: Kerry @ Real Toads

Famished by the Sun

2011-10-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

The dying grass crunches beneath bare feet
that walk a path each passing rainless week
back and forth to the yellow sprinkler hose,
in hopes at least a bit survives this drought.

Trees and shrubs blanched white begin to wilt,
a frown it seems as if they've given up
craving autumn's shades of orange and red;
blind hunger lost in sun's unending heat.

@laurie kolp

Poetry inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank (hunger)

Early Morning Delight

2011-10-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

The aromatic air led me to this place;
percolating coffee, cinnamon, vanilla
swirled into tantalizing tastes I admire.

You ordered a piece of apple strudel
while I puckered up my lips, painted them red
hoping you'd follow me back to the hotel.

@laurie kolp

Poetic inspiration: 3WW (admire, follow, piece), Poets United Midnight Snack