Category Archives: free verse

wild blackberries

wild blackberries 

I don’t mind
being encroached upon
by the invasive species
of these foothills…
blackberry brambles
hug the long driveway
to my house on the hill
bursting with fruit
I don’t mind
that the deer, the squirrels,
the rabbits, chickadees, finches,
cardinals, and wrens will glean
most of this year’s bounty…
I don’t even mind sharing
with bullish, boisterous bluejays
I’ll happily savor my annual
handful of luscious sweets, fingers
stained a lovely shade of purple-blue
how gracious my neighbors are
sweetly serenading me, gracing
me with visits that take my breath
they don’t mind me
trudging noisily along the wood’s edge
rustling them from their burrows
and perches…they don’t mind
being encroached upon by me…

~kat


loving…and little deaths

loving…and little deaths

it’s occurred to me
that I have been dying
my entire life, little by little
teardrop by teardrop
heart-stop by heart-stop
as every love cut short
nips a piece of me and
carries it like a souvenir
over the rainbow to summer land,
to heaven, to Valhalla, leaving me
to stop the bleeding, to heal
to move on until the next assault
of grief comes wielding a sickle
slicing bits of me, it’s a crash course
in letting go, you know,
preparing me, I suppose…
and when my time comes to shed
this beleaguered flesh
my soul will surely be bejeweled
with pieces of you and you and you…
if I’ve loved you and you me,
I’m afraid it’s inevitable…so
I’m apologizing in advance,
for contributing to your own
collection of tiny deaths,
if I should be the first to leave…
forgive me
for snatching a bit of your light
to keep me in the dark unknown
imagine me in the mist
beyond the veil, bedazzled
with pieces of you and you and you
on some starry starry night
we’ll dance around the moon

~kat

Rest in Peace, Thelonious Myles – May 31, 2024 ~ We loved you for two years…not long enough for you or us, but at least you knew you were loved. ❤️


on the way to becoming

on the way to becoming

I dipped my toes into the dirt the other day
leaves of grass gave way, crushed under my feet,
blades of green sprouting through the in between
I expected to feel magic, connection, something
I don’t know what I was thinking…it’s been so long
since I‘ve let my feet run free, unencumbered
by socks and hard-soled shoes, not a day goes by
that I allow myself this luxury, so long it has been
that my feet stumble, my toes curl inward, when I try
throwing me off balance, how unfamiliar it feels,
I suppose it has been too long, but I hope not too late
to reconnect with the space beneath me, with the world
around me, with the dirt, cool and moist, soft and forgiving
there is magic, I’m sure of it, I’ve just forgotten how to dance
while on my way to becoming, I forgot how to become undone

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 23 – ode to unsung heroes


ode to unsung heroes

they’re not obvious,
your superpowers,
but I’ve seen you
light up a room
with a simple smile
I’ve watched you slay
the closet monsters
with a lullaby and
heal wounds with a kiss
I’ve watched you juggle
groceries, several toddlers,
an infant on your hip, and
an over-stuffed handbag
filled with bandaids, bottles,
diapers, wipes, and snacks,
while navigating across a busy
parking lot, arriving safely
at the car where you deftly
pack, strap, and tuck everyone
in for the ride home…
you wake up early,
lay your head down late
sleep lightly, always
at the ready to serve,
and you do all this without
expecting anything in return
you love deeply, so deeply
you are the wind beneath
the wings of your fledglings
you may think nobody notices
but I do…you’re a true superhero
don’t you dare let anyone
tell you that you’re weak

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 23 Challenge: write a poem about, or involving, a superhero, taking your inspiration from these four poems in which Lucille Clifton addresses Clark Kent/Superman.


NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 17 – thinking out loud

thinking out loud

this
is
totally
absurd
the latest,
have you heard?
like nothing
we have ever
seen
idolatry
to the extreme
feigned religiosity
disgusting evangelicals
who make our lives
a living hell
they flock to him
like birds to seed
he uses them to
feed his greed
they willingly concede
he owns them ‘til
the day they die
mesmerized by
juicy lies
I pray they see
the honest truth
before the devil
demands
his due

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 17 Challenge: write a poem that is inspired by a piece of music, and that shares its title with that piece of music.

Finally catching up after a crazy week!!! I was more inspired by the title than the actual lyrics of the song, “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. This is what I often think to myself in mixed political company. I have to fight myself from screaming what I really think out loud! In this climate things are better left unsaid, that is if one cares at all about seeing another day!