Word Worm2 -Random Acts of Writing

   Because of the hole in her heart she had to be wary of items falling in. It simply wouldn't do to use a bent coat hanger to poke around in there, amidst arteries and aortas and other vital parts. Best to be careful from the beginning, posting caution signs around the cardiac sinkhole.
*****

     To be sure, it was an attack of The Positive People. At first she didn't know what hit her but then slowly, as she recovered, it dawned on her. They were unfailingly - some might say militantly-chipper and aggressively optimistic. Her wounds were internal, a sense of failure because she had allowed-and The Positive People knew it-feelings that were less than positive.
*****

     Wondering when the "write local" movement will take hold and what it will mean for my writing. Should I start foraging for wild words? I know there are some feral words nearby but they might be hard to catch unless I set a trap and what would I use for bait to entice them? Perhaps I should attempt to raise my own phrases - cage-free, of course.

A.H.

Word Worms

Word Worms

     Soon the words will build up and I will have to let them out because it really wouldn't do to run around with words attempting to poke out of my body, like word worms crawling out after feasting on my innermost thoughts and feelings and then-gorged and dying-commit literary hair kari on a white shroud of paper, their desiccated bodies one final expression of angst, a calligraphy of pain.

Word Worm1
 
     She must have thought that, within 2 minutes of meeting her, I needed to know about her knee surgery, her failed store and kitchen remodel. So much information spilled out I almost tripped over it. Her running commentary interfered with my ability to peruse her garage sale and I fled to my car, slamming the door to prevent unwanted data from infecting me.

A.H.

Donald's Lament plus Two Haiku

Donald's Lament

When I think of Comey
my mouth gets all foamy,
my fingers tremble and twitch
I do have such an itch
cuz when I'm all bitter
I must take to Twitter
and send a tweet
not at all sweet.
*****

Receipt acknowledged-
gift of yellow-rumpled warbler
present at birdbath.

In the heart of June
I could marry Alaska,
divorce in winter.

A.H.

Tiny 'tudes*

*bits of gratitude ='tudes

For my sister Lisa Holthaus Valentine and her ongoing commitment to gratitude. See her blog at habitualgratitude.

Dry right now
can't handle
big gulps of gratitude,
but can quell
my thirst for appreciation
with tiny 'tudes.
Will savor
sips of flavor
thru the day
and feed my
appetite for wonder
with liitle plates
of thanks
artfully arranged,
garnished with grace.
For dessert
I shall devour
one divine sweetness,
a final tiny 'tude.

Wishing you lots of tiny 'tudes and some big ones too.
Here are some of mine:
-the adorable, questioning sound my cat Oscar makes
-the baby green heads of perennials breaching the soil
-fun words like: petulant, flummoxed, prattle

Please share your 'tudes.
A big thank you!

Aileen

Drive by Fruiting plus 3 bird poems

Driveby Fruiting

Menu announces
that Charlissa's French Toast*
is topped with honey cream cheese
and swerved
with a side of raspberries.
Hope no injuries occurred.
At least it wasn't
a head-on collision
involving blueberries
or a sideswipe
by strawberries.

*Charlottes cafe in Kenai, AK
*****

Playing hide and seek
when I want a closer look-
shy little sparrow.
****

That cheeky bird*
tarted up in brash colors
proclaiming cheeriness-
doesn't he know
gray is the color today?
My sister is sick
and still he persists
in brightness.

* Western tanager
****

What I could learn
from a bald eagle
is this-
don't fight the wind.
Open your wings
and simply float.
That is all
and it is
everything.

A.H.

Because It Is Spring

Because it is spring,
after fourteen months
of winter,
hope arrived
along with
two Canada geese
skidding into
Reflection Lake.

Because it is spring again,
and a junco
scampered in the yard,
it is possible to
believe in green
replacing black snow.

Because it is spring now,
perhaps the sweetest ever-
daylight is on steroids
and a Sandhill crane
winged a welcome
across the sky.

A.H.

Abandoned

Those vehicles,
covered in snow,
abandoned in parking lots-
what stories
do they hold?
Is there
a parking lot
for abandoned lives?
"It just wouldn't start."
"It was running poorly."
"I didn't like the way it sounded."
"I was tired of it."
"It wore out."
"It broke down so often."
I couldn't find a good mechanic
for my broken down, little life
so I parked it here.
Will come back
when I have more-
time, money, energy,
ideas, inspiration.
Until then
it will be alone
on this acre of asphalt
surrounded by
melting snow.

A.H.

A Series of Small Satisfactions*

May your day hold
a series of small satisfactions,
little yippees scattered
about the hours.
Enough of
the dullness triplets-
blunt, bland and blah.
Sprinkle bits of sparkle,
give it up for
glint and glimmer.
Is that a baby-delight
bursting onto the scene?
Say farewell to
fickle and foul,
guilt be gone.
Bid welcome to
zip, zing and zest
as seasonings splashed
onto this day
as you savor
a series of small satisfactions.

* Phrase stolen from "The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey.
"...perhaps a series of small satisfactions scattered like sequins over the texture of everyday life..."

A.H.

Peruvian Hummingbirds

Please may I
be reincarnated
as a hummingbird
from Peru?
Could become
a sparkling violetear,
an amethyst woodstar,
or a
black-throated mango.
Quite fancy the
rufous-crested coquette.
Wouldn't mind being
a fork-tailed woodnymph
or black-breasted hillstar.
Booted racket-tail
sounds fun.
See me flitting
among greenery
seeking sweetness,
cavorting with the
marvelous spatuletail.

A.H.

Maximum Alertness to Life* and Prayer for My Sisters

Maximum Alertness to Life*

See the tiny branches
outside the window
weaving patterns
against the sky,
a study in black
on a gray canvas.
Now a chickadee
wanders into the scene-
flits and leaves
as a raven
catches the corner
of this evolving portrait.

*phrase stolen, heard on radio (wish I could attribute)

Prayer for My Sisters*

We were fledged
in the same nest
and now have hatched
our own lives.
Hope you are held
in comfort today,
supported and secure
in loving hands,
your nest
a sanctuary in storms.
Wish you a good view
wherever you perch.
If needed
my heart flies to you-
an irridescent feather
to soften hard landings.
Fly on
sisters of the same nest.

*in response to prayer request from two sisters
I am grateful for seven splendid sisters.

A.H.

Word Pictures from Peru

Night Bus to Arequipa

We clung
to the belly
of the metal beast
as it lurched and groaned
into the night
crawling along mountain roads
shuddering and shaking.
At first light
we approached Arequipa
where the creature
spit us out
into the day.
*******

Cusco

Cusco clutches
the mountain sides
and thousands of steps
bite the earth.
Huff, puff,
feel 11,000 feet.
Walk carefully
on uneven stones,
narrow streets,
cars constantly arguing
with the road
and each other.
Honk, honk!
Street dogs
contibute their offerings
to the experience.
Oh s--t,
didn't see that one.

A.H.

Write Against Wrong and Triplespeak

Write against wrong
or be quiet?
Swallow the bitterness
and anger
or speak?
There is no safety
in silence.
So, I ask:
why are we
making America mean
while schoolyard bullies
pretend to govern?
****

Triplespeak

Unsure doublespeak
covers it.
Lying about lying
about lying
needs it's own category-
triplespeak.

A.H.

Shrinkage No More plus Don't Agonize, Organize

"Some shrinkage may occur during shipping."

Shipping shrinkage
might be acceptable
for cereal
and other items
but I am
standing still.
No shrinking necessary,
did too much in past -
here, let me make sure
I'm not too loud, soft,
hard, quiet, big, little.
Let me get smaller
in case you need
more room.
Shrunk myself
for too long-
no more shrinking!
****

Don't Agonize, Organize

Things to organize:
my closet.
Give unneeded items away
to someone who needs them.
My thoughts:
so I can pen letters
to elected officials.
My heart:
so I don't become
what I dislike.

A.H.

Coronation/Inauguration plus haiku

The Lyin' King
will be crowned
this week.
He will continue
to make noise
and preen
his golden mane
amidst bluster
and bluff,
trampling truth
in his hunt
for admiration
and domination.
I am not cowed
by his roar
but I am afraid
my own weariness
will lead to
silence.

*****
The composition:
a study in black and white-
a raven on snow.

A.H.

Solitary Bird*

Was the single
Pacific Wren
lonely,
jealous of the
thousands of
Bohemian Waxwings?
Did the lone
Common Goldeneye
feel uncommon?
Does the
Song Sparrow
mute it's melody
envying the mass
of Common Redpolls?
What to make of the
coincidence of
three
Three-toed Woodpeckers?

*inspired by the 2016 Anchorage Christmas bird count

A.H.