A Shovel—American Sentence

A shovel in a dirt pile stood leaning shaded against the fence.

***

An American sentence is a 17-syllable haiku written in a single line of text.

When the Day is as Pale as Moonlight—Free Verse

Is there a color that matches the light of an overcast day

Falling on the trees I see through my window

Glittering in the breeze and half-sun light?

***

A free verse poem has no set pattern for line or stanza length. Rhyme is not used, or it is used sparingly. The line length and the rhythm or the lines are dictated by the natural rhythm of speech or other concerns such as emphasis on a particular word, image, or idea.

And Sometimes You Get a Positive Response—Free Verse

I write like an asshole because

Sometimes the best art is made

With a restrictive palette of colors.

.

I write like an asshole because

I think it is particularly relevant to be

An asshole within the world of videogames.

.

I write like an asshole because

I think assholeism isn’t properly explored

Within the circles of folks who are out

Mowing the lawn on a Saturday afternoon.

.

I write like an asshole because

I’m afraid that you’re a man-made plastic material,

And if I wrote honestly, confessing who I am to you,

You would see me as the stars move across the sky at night.

.

I write like an asshole because

Everybody is capable of being

Like so many brown cigarette butts

In a tray filled with ash experiencing

The sphere of the Earth from time to time,

But only the true asshole artist can write like an asshole

And use your opioid properties and stimulant-like effects.

.

I write like an asshole because

I think I’m better than the images I’ve built

That have left so many others so frustrated.

.

I write like an asshole because

I think it’s funny to write with an

Exclusive and intentional placement of pixels.

.

I write like an asshole because

It’s easy once you get the hang of it.

***

A free verse poem has no set pattern for line or stanza length. Rhyme is not used, or it is used sparingly. The line length and the rhythm or the lines are dictated by the natural rhythm of speech or other concerns such as emphasis on a particular word, image, or idea.

I am a Tan Dog Snoring on the Ottoman on a Lazy Summer Morning—Prose Poem

What, exactly, is it that you want? I have been trying so hard to figure that out. But you won’t speak to me. And when you do, it’s a shrug and a sniff. Then, you look away. Why can’t you be like my brother’s dog, a big muscley bitch who barks and growls because she doesn’t like the look of me but wants to be pet just the same? I think she and I have come to an understanding. The dog is just telling me, “Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you.” because she doesn’t have the communication skills to get my attention. And I don’t like dogs, anyway. All they want is to be pet. And then, I’d have to wash my damn hands, again. But I think, it’s probably not me. Do you think it’s me? Am I the one who can’t be bothered to explain myself? Am I emotionally unavailable? Is that why I gravitate toward the second person point of view? D’you think I want to talk through you? Just to let you know I’m talking about myself?

***

A prose poem is poetry written without line breaks. Honestly, with the way I write, I don’t know how it differs from super-short flash fiction. But I have labeled it poetry, and I guess that is all that counts.

Looking on the Sky I See God—Free Verse

The unchanging celestial region

And the toxic plastic pollutant

Made of cellulose acetate

And the minds of sailors

Remembering the Cool Ocean Breeze—Wea’ve Written Weakly

And you find yourself walking the darkened streets at night.

Past the elementary school you used to play in as a child.

Past the liquor store where you stole your first pack of smokes.

And the things seem somehow cleaner here in the dark

Like they had been waiting to see you back there someday,

Waiting to take you by the hand show you what you’ve missed.

***

I wrote this poem in response to the Wea’ve Written Weekly prompt on Skeptics Kaddish. This week’s prompt poem is “Waiting for the Dark” by A J Wilson. If you would like to read the poem or participate in the prompt visit the post here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2022/07/27/w3-prompt-13-weave-written-weekly/

An American Sentence

What more can I write about the right turn sign I see through the window?

***

An American sentence is a 17-syllable haiku presented in a single line. This style of haiku was popularized by Allen Ginsburg.

Stop and Listen to My Genius Words—Free Verse

As I wrote this poem,

Would you believe,

My pen ran out of the ink

I needed to write my genius words?

It didn’t.

I didn’t even write this poem with a pen.

.

And I wasn’t so genius that I ran out of usable words.

There are so many goddamn words. So many!

And so many different combinations of words.

The truth is, I just ran out of Ideas.

.

And no. My pain is not worse than any you will ever feel.

How would I even know what pain you have been through?

And me, how would I even know what pain is?

I have barely just started out in life,

And there is so much I may never know.

***

A free verse poem has no set pattern for line or stanza length. Rhyme is not used, or it is used sparingly. The line length and the rhythm or the lines are dictated by the natural rhythm of speech or other concerns such as emphasis on a particular word, image, or idea.

Crosspollinated With the Grapefruit Tree—Free Verse

Have you found the treasure on the old lemon tree?

It has long since grown old and died,

But there was a time that it held

The largest lemons anyone had ever seen

Hanging on the tree and seldom used

Except when friends came to see.

They would ask why we never ate them

But they weren’t around when we had the dog

That never shit anywhere but under that tree

And they didn’t have the memory of that smell

Or the dog shit on the bottom of their shoes

From the times as a kid you had been sent out there

To pick the lemons for your older sisters

Who didn’t want to use the lemons

But did want to laugh at you

When you got out the hose and a stick

And whined as you cleaned between

The treads of your only pair of shoes.

***

A free verse poem has no set pattern for line or stanza length. Rhyme is not used, or it is used sparingly. The line length and the rhythm or the lines are dictated by the natural rhythm of speech or other concerns such as emphasis on a particular word, image, or idea.

Could it be that I am One of THOSE Assholes?—Free Verse

Stepping off the plane at the end of a flight from Jackson to Vegas

In the 95-degree cool of a Nevada morning,

I decide that there is more than just bullshit to the idea of a ‘dry heat.’

***

A free verse poem has no set pattern for line or stanza length. Rhyme is not used, or it is used sparingly. The line length and the rhythm or the lines are dictated by the natural rhythm of speech or other concerns such as emphasis on a particular word, image, or idea.