Tag Archives: free verse

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 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!



NaPoWriMo 2024 Challenge Day 16: The Corner Shoppe

The Corner Bookstore 

She lost me in Whispering Leaves…
“Only need a few minutes,” I said,
“go ahead…run your errands,
I’ll be here when you get back.”
She smiled that smile and said,
“See you later then.” I’m a terrible
liar. As I stepped through the portal
of this urban nook, books stacked
floor to ceiling, in eccentric, hoarded fashion, shelves, if there were any,
buried deep beneath dusty tomes begging to be touched, to feel
the gentle caress of fingertips
sliding along the page edges,
turning each sepia-stained leaf
to reveal hidden treasure.

It had only been minutes when the
store clerk weaved toward me
through narrow pathways banked
by beautiful books, my wife in tow,
“Here she is…” she declared, while
glancing at the title of my recent find.
“That’s a good one,” she winked,
“you should take it with you…”
My dear partner, my heart, smiled
that smile again, “you should, take
that book home, and a maybe few others.”

I don’t deserve her, I mused, as she
carried my new, old books to the register.

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 16 Challenge: write a poem in which you closely describe an object or place, and then end with a much more abstract line that doesn’t left seemindaysgly have anything to do with that object or place, but which, of course, really does.


NaPoWriMo 2024 -Day 8 – A Perfect Day Interrupted

Background Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/kalhh-86169/
A Perfect Day Interrupted

It was a perfect afternoon.
The shopping mall wasn’t too crowded
and I found the perfect parking spot
near the Sears store entrance.
Was in and out in record time with
the perfect gift for the twins’ birthday.
It was a perfect afternoon until you
came barreling out of nowhere slamming
my car from behind as the light changed
yellow to red, when everything went black…
The screech of tires and car horns
jolted me back, having been propelled
into oncoming traffic. It could have gone
badly, it could very well have been…you know…
I remember thinking then, “when my time comes
I hope it’s quick, something I don’t
see coming, like being rear-ended
in a mall parking lot”…I remember
thinking that would not be a bad way to go.

-kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 8 Challenge: write a poem that centers around an encounter or relationship between two people (or things) that shouldn’t really have ever met – whether due to time, space, age, the differences in their nature, or for any other reason.