A Friend, A Job, A Painting, A Lie

Auguste Renoir Odalisque 1870, oil on canvas at the National Gallery in Washington, D.c.
A Friend, A Job, A Painting, A Lie

just the other day
i ran into an old friend
her name? well i couldn’t say…
i remembered then
we were close once, as she walked away

night shift at Denny’s
i kept cups filled with coffee
serving strangers for pennies
and kept company
with other odd night owls like me

intoxicating
her dark eyes piercing my soul
provocatively posing
she draws me in close
ensnared by her charm, she swallows me whole

it’s just a white lie
you’re just trying to be nice
so look ‘em straight in the eye
don’t let them ask twice
bend the truth a bit, that’s my advice

~kat

Na/GloPoWriMo 2022 Day 21 Prompt: write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question.

For today i decided to use the Horatiodet, a short form of the Horatian Ode that I created a few years ago. I wrote a stanza for each part. They don’t really mesh. Not sure if they were supposed to, but it’s on prompt and you get 4 for 1 today! 😊

The Horatiodet is a total of 5 lines, syllable count: 5-7-7-5-9 / rhyme scheme: ababb. In other words, it is a short Horatian Ode (only one stanza), a form based on the style of Horace, Quintus Horatius Flaccus (December 8, 65 BC – November 27, 8 BC), the leading Roman lyric poet.

A Cheesy Limerick

Photo courtesy of PDPhotos@Pixabay.com
Not sure what Limburger cheese thinks about how its odiferous essence affects diners, but I have heard that if you can get past the smell, the cheese itself is delightfully nutty and sweet! Adding “Try Limburger cheese at least once before I die…even if it kills me!” to my bucket list. heehee! 

A Cheesy Limerick

From the Duchy of Limburg, now Liège
hails a much controversial cheese
though it smells like foul feet
it tastes nutty and sweet
slap a slice between rye if you please!

~kat

Na/GloPoWriMo2022 - Day 20 Prompt: write a poem that anthropomorphizes a kind of food.

thinking out loud…a prelude

Photo courtesy of StockSnap at Pixabay.com.

thinking out loud…a prelude

just listen
let me talk
nod your head
give me an uh-hmm or two
eye contact…i need eye contact
and your time
and your attention,
your presence
i need you to be present

i would do the same
if you needed me too
you know it’s true
i’ve been there for you
so i’m hoping
it’s not too much to ask
at least i hope not

and one more thing,
well maybe a few,
i don’t need you to fix anything
or defend me or get mad
or tell me what i should do
i’d like to figure that out
on my own, as i said
all i need you to do is
let me talk
just listen

-kat


Na/GloPoWriMo2022 Day 19 Prompt: write a poem that starts with a command.

this is why

this is why

hummingbirds return
to gather
sweet nips of nectar

bare wintered tree limbs
are greening
soon the leaves will pop

ever faithful dawn
rising sun
she quells the dark night

it is possible
anything
if you can dream it

i have all i need
it’s enough
to love and be loved


~kat

Na/GloPoWriMo2022 Day 18 Prompt: write your own poem that provides five answers to the same question – without ever specifically identifying the question that is being answered.

For today’s poems a series of Kelly Lunes - three lines each with the syllable pattern: 5-3-5.

A ReVerse Poem

Off topic today for Na/GloPoWriMo2022. Couldn’t really go there just yet. but if you would like to give it a try, here’s a link:CLICK HERE. 

Thought this was a good time for a ReVerse. Maybe bring me some closure. it’s been a rough year 2022, but i’m really trying to write a little bit every day.

Have a lovely end to your weekend…
A ReVerse Poem 

death comes a-calling
letting go to ride the wind, to fall to pieces,
on bursts of breath
Shadow follows close, a breath away
we don’t want to be late
(to) day’s fiery dénouement
we’ll tip whistling kettle to cup,
act like everything’s okay…
curse the Muse, blow out the candles one by one
think i’m gonna go unplug
the moments after the rain
because ignorance is bliss
after all these years
life cycles on,
don’t look back, but if you do,
(there’s) a cricket crooning loudly
this is what growing up feels like
spring on the cusp.
i don’t want your opinion
left in the wake of a visit from death

~kat


A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time.