what we reap (20161106)

it all has to be cut down
the waist-high grasses we
thought were wheat
but turned out to be inedible

there was no chaff to separate
no flour to be ground
no bread to be baked
but the unleavened
hardtack of regret
and false hope

——

for
as everything turns grey
writing prompts by J.R.Rogue and Kat Savage
4. What We Reap

a charmed moment (20161105)

screen-shot-2016-11-05-at-8-16-00-pm

touch us gently, please
i wish for bread to fill an angel’s evening

this moment feels charmed
you shared your need like a quiet dance
devote a thousand words to
ask a promise I can never keep

——

for
Specks and Fragments/The Elusive Trope
Magnetic Poetry Saturday Challenge

November Open Mic

NO I did not forget! I’ve just been busy. yeah, that’s it. Busy. With a Capital B. Because I’m so Important with a Capital I.

Officially, I welcome you to the November Open Mic. Have something you feel thankful for? Record yourself. Need to vent? Record. Have a heartbeat?

You know…

The Skinny:

  1. Record yourself reading one of your own works.
  2. Post it on your site.
  3. Include a link to this site in your post.
    OR Comment on that month’s call for entries
    OR send me a message using the contact form.
  4. I will post a link with your name and poem title RIGHT HERE.
  5. It’s an open mic invitation. NOT a challenge.

Some tips:

  • Go simple.
    I record using my iPhone, then email/share the file with myself. I very rarely edit it, unless I really waited too long to start talking.
  • Want better quality?
    You can get a relatively inexpensive mic on Amazon that you can hook up to your computer. Some of there come with editing software. If I do edit, I use Audacity on the Mac. It’s free and pretty easy to use. There’s a version for Windows, too.
  • Hosting.
    If you pay WordPress to host your site, you can add your audio by clicking on the Add Media button in the post editor. Have the free WordPress? You have options.All of the sites below will let you upload audio. Some will host for free up to a certain amount of storage. (I think with Youtube, you’ll have to upload a movie, but you use a still image and add your poem.)

  • Questions?
    Ask below or contact me using the contact form (up above). I’ll try to help you out!
  • And if you have any tips, feel free to share them!

November 2016

******

Voeko
This is Ground Control

******

Pleasant Street
We Two

******

Poet Rummager/Rose
Five Haiku Poetry: Mime Frog

******

Pleasant Street
My hot button

******

Pleasant Street
Convenance

******

Crow
long enough (words)

the natural bridge (20161104)

all the dragons have been put
in pet stores and the magic
swords melted down into third place
trophies for dodgeball and the
rings that make you invisible
are plastic slap bracelets even
the dwarves have lifts in their
shoes and are as clean shaven as
they dare to be without losing
their street cred

whatever natural bridge
led from that other place to this
or held up under our feet long
enough to let that other place thrive
here has collapsed under
the weight of adult shoes

——

for
as everything turns grey
writing prompts by J.R.Rogue and Kat Savage
3. The Natural Bridge

the debt for happiness (20161103)

what do you want to do
marry every girl you know
that gets pregnant

messiah complex
if she’d been more educated
might have been her guess
though misguided
both she and i, really

her exasperation at
my naiveté
my disgust at her lack
of compassion

and carrying that
knowledge about us both
a red check in a black column
shaped like a ridiculous valentine heart

——

for
as everything turns grey
writing prompts by J.R.Rogue and Kat Savage
2. The Debt for Happiness

a painting in vengeance (20161102)

there is no reason to look
in your direction any more

this portrait is done

sallow yellows and sickly greens
of a soul split open like a rotted pear
dark bruised purple of pride
swelling just under the eyes
the whimpering greys of despair
running in streaks through your hair
casting ashes on your skin
and the reds
anger–blind rage–just blindness

so many drops, so much crimson
a shower of blood
that would make a butcher invest
in an umbrella

——

for
as everything turns grey
writing prompts by J.R.Rogue and Kat Savage
1. A Painting in Vengeance

the runcheon rattles

file2651310428158
photo by Driscoll

the runcheon rattles, its chains are long
it keens a ghostly murder song
upon the moors, upon the heath
with rasping, fetid, icy breath

the runcheon rattles, its chains unwind
with wailing moan it hunts though blind
across the meadow, out of the wood
where no child ventures whose soul is good

the runcheon rattles, its chains pulled taut
’tis bloody though it lacks a heart
amidst the town, within the lane
it shudders in the cold and rain

the runcheon rattles, its chains a ruin
its labored breath a grating tune
beyond the hedge, through the gate
it tarries not lest it be late

the runcheon rattles, by chains unbound
all too soon its prey’s been found
upon your hearth a sudden frost
the runcheon rattles–and you are lost