tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80819285275691672892024-03-19T03:04:40.734-05:00OrangeUaPoetOrange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-88700271368288969972023-11-12T08:06:00.032-06:002023-12-12T10:05:39.943-06:00The Challenged<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Challenged</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">There was a magic about him<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">to walk into a neighborhood bar<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">randomly, purposefully step up to strangers<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">shake their hands without saying a word<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">move on to the next, and the next, and then leave<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Daily, his routine was celebrated<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">as was his name, Sedric<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">bespectacled, near bald<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">always wearing crisp clean khakis<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">solid-colored, short-sleeved shirts and patterned neckwear.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">When he did speak<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">the words seem to stab<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">like they were interrupting<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">some inner voice already in conversation<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">like a waitress jabs, “Anything else?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">What Sedric wore brightest<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">was a smile of accomplishment<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">perhaps a set number of hands impacted<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">or a circuit finished, like a marathoner's last mile<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">like a pen happily returning to its plastic pocket protector<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">On the grayer days<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">he would drag his necktie<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">like some unholy umbrella<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">confessing to the sidewalk<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">how long the hours were<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Everywhere we live<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">there is a Sedric shaking hands<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">whom we see in a foretelling mirror<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">beyond the taint of laughter<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">whispering, "There, but for the grace..."<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(26, 25, 24); color: #1a1918; font-family: AtlasGrotesk, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </p><blockquote style="border: medium; caret-color: rgb(26, 25, 24); color: #1a1918; font-family: AtlasGrotesk, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span> Aaron Williams</blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p> <span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 25, 24); color: #1a1918; font-family: AtlasGrotesk, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">@2023 by Arts by the People for inclusion in their </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(26, 25, 24); color: #1a1918; font-family: AtlasGrotesk, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Moving Words</i><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 25, 24); color: #1a1918; font-family: AtlasGrotesk, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> collaborative </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 25, 24); color: #1a1918; font-family: AtlasGrotesk, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">film project</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(26, 25, 24); color: #1a1918; font-family: AtlasGrotesk, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Note: Over a nine-year span, this poem was submitted more than 200 times to a variety of literary journals worldwide. I always believed in the piece. It was only when accepted by ARTS by the People did I realize the deep imagery of the work and how it could indeed inspire a film. The film aired November, 2023.</p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-25960312262156024872023-07-05T16:04:00.004-05:002023-07-05T16:04:29.737-05:00<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Whoosh of a Sliding Glass Door</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br />There is a part of me rural <br />like deer gathering on Sunday morning <br />like the scent of skunk entering my car vent <br />cans of Busch rusting in red clover <br />and lilacs blooming, lilacs blooming, just for me <br /><br />There is a part of me rural <br />as a blue jay swoops, screeching at my cat <br />as she explores an unleashed frontier <br />green emboldens after a welcomed rain <br />as I am ionized after each shower of the Perseids <br /><br />There is a part of me rural <br />like dust resting on a country store's front windowsill <br />"Come in, run fingers over your past" <br />waiting to be reborn, then being reborn <br />my inner child toddles on barn wood flooring <br /><br />There is a part of me rural <br />as the whoosh of a sliding glass door <br />has inside running outside <br />mint green sheets waving at turquoise gutters <br />free from a reality that nothing is on tv <br /><br />There is a part of me rural <br />like cascading billboards for Meramec Caverns <br />like winds winding the giant ball of twine <br />streams of red, white and blue church doors <br />staring at free air defining my simpleRR smile <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoFooter" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"> Aaron Williams</p><p class="MsoFooter" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">Published 2023 in <i>Kansas City Voices</i>, Vol. 18 </p><p class="MsoFooter" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-57707448972559450442023-01-12T02:48:00.024-06:002023-12-12T10:07:30.783-06:00Holiday Remembered<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Fifteen years in the making, I am pleased to offer the now published version of "Holiday Remembered," appearing January 6, 2023, in </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Panoplyzine</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, Issue 23, Winter 2023</span></p><p class="MsoFooter" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://panoplyzine.com/holiday-remembered-by-aaron-williams-2/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Link to Holiday Remembered</span></a></p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-58087088778599097002023-01-12T02:39:00.006-06:002023-01-12T02:45:31.299-06:00<p>Pleased that three poems were accepted in the fourth quarter of 2022. Yay. For some reason having problems getting the link for the first one appearing online to show in this blog. Please copy and paste into your search engine to read it. Not sure how to fix this problem. Hmmm.</p><p>https://panoplyzine.com/holiday-remembered-by-aaron-williams-2/</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-55520681580957808762021-03-13T17:24:00.010-06:002021-03-13T17:30:31.791-06:00<p>Buck on Baseball</p><p>a concrete poem published by <i>Boog City</i>, issue 137, 2020</p><p><a href="https://wordpress.boogcity.com/boog-city-paper/boog-city-137-the-baseball-issue/buck-on-baseball/">https://wordpress.boogcity.com/boog-city-paper/boog-city-137-the-baseball-issue/buck-on-baseball/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-84956580176144855292021-03-13T17:20:00.007-06:002021-03-13T17:31:53.899-06:00<p><a href="https://thescores.org.uk/aaron-williams/">Mississippi</a></p><p>a concrete poem published by <i>The Scores</i>, Issue 9, 2021 </p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-41005508555597702292020-12-31T06:56:00.003-06:002020-12-31T06:58:03.973-06:00<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Showing Me the Moon</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(A Terzanelle for Dr. Michael Castro, the first official St. Louis Poet Laureate)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">showing me the moon<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">underwear too far down<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I thought of him a loon<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">more harlequin than clown<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">the pattern was quite checkered<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">underwear too far down<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I feared a sight soon peckered<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">lower and lower slid his pants<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">the pattern was quite checkered<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">his grab too often on his lance<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">got the lad excited<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">lower and lower slid his pants<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">too soon he was self-knighted<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">waddle waddle everywhere<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">got the lad excited<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">the question remained who would stare<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">waddle waddle everywhere<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">showing me the moon<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I thought of him a loon<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Published 2019 in the now-defunct <i>Not Your Mother's Breast Milk </i>blog</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-28597581992920591782020-12-29T18:46:00.003-06:002020-12-31T06:57:08.467-06:00<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Waiting for What and When</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Soon, a day will come<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">when I will look in the mirror and not know who I am<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">not recall how I got that scar above my eye<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">stare at photos, unable to place names on faces<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Already, I am opening drawers filled with keys to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">locked doors in buildings that have been demolished<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Daily, I pass structures haunted by long kisses from<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">lovers whose lips have long abandoned me<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Today, I pulled the cord on the bus, stood up<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">stood out standing still like a stilled life<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">and did not think at all<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I smiled, charmingly<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">they like me more when I smile<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Published 2018, <i>Vallum, </i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Memory and Loss </i>issue, Vol. 15:1</span></p>Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-51165660403568275562013-02-01T22:54:00.025-06:002020-12-31T07:01:08.117-06:00That Last Strand of Time<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrMxdOLkFYDKeQcw9xm1VR0MT6wvUKuVG-JipelMxmVPovOD9ufGD4bhEQZXCdYkIRCg5QsCSth9jNENfRxSM0u_ea17QWo-0NEMIUPjSMC-BtWL-gTFOfxg-VS6QTEpCky3ydtdcp-Q/s1600/stihl-deathbed-scene.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrMxdOLkFYDKeQcw9xm1VR0MT6wvUKuVG-JipelMxmVPovOD9ufGD4bhEQZXCdYkIRCg5QsCSth9jNENfRxSM0u_ea17QWo-0NEMIUPjSMC-BtWL-gTFOfxg-VS6QTEpCky3ydtdcp-Q/s640/stihl-deathbed-scene.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That Last Strand of Time<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That last strand of time with you<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I would twirl your white hair<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">‘round my finger ‘til it hurt<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">and never let it go,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">never let you go,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">if I could<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That last strand of time with…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I would write L-O-V-E squared<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">twining words for warmth<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">to walk cooler paths<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">hold hands like wreaths<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">revered<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That last strand of time<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I would breathe you<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">like purple lilacs<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">steeping spiced tea<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">fresh cut mint<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">air<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That last strand of…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I would cry<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">white darkness<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">the curtain call<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">falling<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">down<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That last strand<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I stare<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">at closed eyes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">exhaled<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">depth<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That last…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">gold<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">whispered<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">mined<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">That<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">last<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times;">strand</span></span></div></blockquote><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">At<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">last<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Stranded</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Published 2018, <i>The Healing Muse</i>, Vol. 18</span></p>
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Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-2313779385865885382012-05-06T13:36:00.026-05:002020-12-31T07:02:19.340-06:00Hope on a Windowsill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzFA7RcqvMIE1UFw5dP5NCbpDBaDnZO1DvqXY4NitNstlruHVUuMtyX4qZ0vPHXFnSmWOHfH0bl7v2U0m8BWZGxKrRwdFZXFd6RgDJxqLtPP1Q2F7fDjCR2izxIr0aKIYMo8TfxCDlUA/s1600/wishbone+on+a+windowsill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzFA7RcqvMIE1UFw5dP5NCbpDBaDnZO1DvqXY4NitNstlruHVUuMtyX4qZ0vPHXFnSmWOHfH0bl7v2U0m8BWZGxKrRwdFZXFd6RgDJxqLtPP1Q2F7fDjCR2izxIr0aKIYMo8TfxCDlUA/s640/wishbone+on+a+windowsill.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Hope on a Windowsill<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">wish<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">bone<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">one<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">thanks<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">giving<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">day<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">met<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">another<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">left the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">year before<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">waiting wanting<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">wanting waiting<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">for that special<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">some one<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">to pull<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">on the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"> other side.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">2018 Community Award Winner, <i>Hope/Ephemera Poetry Contest</i>, The Lawn Chair Soirée, Montreal, CA</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p></div>
Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081928527569167289.post-80023286770335677822012-05-06T11:54:00.035-05:002020-12-31T07:00:34.576-06:00Insight<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_PkjcTOL07IuMVU5pjJMk4g4lA5ruA9jwUxXD9rkYxml2sK4hisjAwVxtEJ4_uOkIIkgHJaVRORbr5ppQYcXC4vDl-8rhknvd1A1GY5MWciv0yHinOMdz8BHm1zD95xrKQ7MSsG4RuA/s1600/Castlewood+State+Park+09302011.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_PkjcTOL07IuMVU5pjJMk4g4lA5ruA9jwUxXD9rkYxml2sK4hisjAwVxtEJ4_uOkIIkgHJaVRORbr5ppQYcXC4vDl-8rhknvd1A1GY5MWciv0yHinOMdz8BHm1zD95xrKQ7MSsG4RuA/w400-h266/Castlewood+State+Park+09302011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">I met a blind man on the trail <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">accompanied by two sighted friends<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">who offered to let me pass them by<strong>.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">I elected to remain<strong>,</strong> standing<strong>,</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">almost alone<strong>,</strong> with my eyes closed<strong>,</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">and breathed in the first decaying scents<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">of the oncoming Fall and heard<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">the talking breeze that carried hawks<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">he had seen before me<strong>.</strong></span></span></span></div>
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Winner, <span style="caret-color: rgb(48, 59, 65); color: #303b41;">2013 <i>Poetry in Motion Contest</i>, Metro Arts in Transit, St. Louis, Missouri</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(48, 59, 65); color: #303b41;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: times;">(photograph taken 9-30-11 at Castlewood State Park, St. Louis County, Missouri)</span></span></span></span></div>
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Orange UaPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632961217537118235noreply@blogger.com9