National Poetry Month Celebration 2019 - Post Poems Here!

[Gyppo]

Deb,

Simply beautiful with a fine lyrical flow.  Did you read this aloud to yourself?

If I had to pick a standout verse it would be this...

'The sunken ships 
of my regrets,
recovered in the haunting depths 
by luminous corals and tropical fish
wearing stained-glass wetsuits.'

Some of those semi-transparent tropicals do indeed look like stained glass, but it takes a poet to also make them into wetsuits.

Gyppo

[indar]

Deb,

Your #14 is breathtakingly beautiful.

https://sandiegopoetryannual.com/

Do you know of this publication? Your work would be a fabulous addition. There are several events around SD county in conjunction with it including scheduled readings by contributors. And some of the poets are well-known--like Marge Piercy. its a big beautiful book.

[Colm Roe]

30 ways to die. 
#1
Repetition.

She repeats herself
to fill impotent voids
that crept fertile,
and tendriled through
their fabric.

Decades together
sentence obligations to choose
repeat or silence.
He chose an old pair of shoes
inoffensive, comfortable 
happy to accept the absence of novelty,
of not having to scour media for material,
just being with her was enough now.

She chose repeat
but disappears a little more
with each one.
 
His attentive stare, open eyed 
suggests interest, and
the intent is affection,
but they remind him
of their chronology 
tunnelling deeper
to remove more
hammering
coffin nails

staccato

[Colm Roe]

Beautiful poeming Deb. Are you a scuba diver? 
This is one I'll read again and again.

[Deb]

I know it's awkward, going back to the beginning of this thread but I couldn't resist.

4/2

When a Person Dies

Odd people gather,
like a brood of same birds,
to remember a drunken rambling from 1978
or the childhood trauma of a dog
hit by a Dodge Dart—

mother cried, father nearly died
and later that evening, ivy rustled
and scratched
against a bedroom screen

Who was this person
leaving a life lying around
for all the wrong people
to remember?

by George

George, I think I've been to this funeral, a few times. All so familiar. I love, love, love the last S.

2.

Trees sway

as winds play

hide-and-seek.

Beautiful in its simplicity, Vaughn.


Nicole - I have re-read your CAROLINA GROCERY a few times and enjoy it every time. 
 

 

[Dave]

15

A New Democracy

one hu,
one vote.

[ajduclos]

Indar: A "triolet" belongs to family of medieval songs like the "rondeau".  The first line appears three times.

When you publish your chap book of triolets I suggest a beautifully rendered drawing of a trillium for the cover art.   

YES  !!!   Indar, yes !!!   Trillium as the cover art !!   Marcel, please take notice !!!!!!!

[ajduclos]

Tides

When the muse,
whimsical, stark, melancholy,
and often brutal taps me on the shoulder
or slaps me upside the head 
and says, "Write!"
it takes guts.

Beyond trepidation of careless cliché
and a forgotten Thesaurus,
lies a subconscious 
of carefully constructed walls
in decay
for they no longer serve.

Mindless games
like Solitaire and Mahjong -
weak levies 
against the turbulent tides
of an incandescent ocean
bursting with life.

Sanity ceases the gentle lapping 
on the shores of my memories
as a tempest 
threatens to break my grip
from the rocks I cling to.

I lose my grasp
on these thoughts
in a tumultuous 
tornado of words.
Snippets blown away.

Logic escapes
in churning angst
but the thoughts remain
dancing in kelp gardens
awaiting the next storm.

Although antagonistic, 
I welcome the ireful, rising swell
because I know 
when the seas settle
an upsurge of anguish follows.

Then the ocean calms 
to reclaim 
its rhythmic push and pull
of memories 
in tiny grains of sand.

The sunken ships 
of my regrets,
recovered in the haunting depths 
by luminous corals and tropical fish
wearing stained-glass wetsuits.

Low tide creates 
a mirror 
on the shoreline,
an orange and yellow sunset
with blushing clouds.

I find a sand dollar 
and marvel at its wonder.
Catch a glint of well-traveled sea glass
and appreciate the undercurrents 
that smoothed its sharp edges.

An intricate, empty seashell
held to my ear,
I listen to the ocean of my life 
echoed back to me, 
resonating in my soul.


~Deborah Manning-Galarza








 

Deb... I read "Tides" a while ago and have yet to regain regular breathing - you took my breath away and filled me with the the wonder of the ocean's truth, your last stanza deeply personal.  Marvelous job of weaving water...... 
 

[ajduclos]

Hey Gyppo - totally loved and touchingly affected by "Sewing Room".  A very sensitive and descriptive piece of writing.

Especially touched by this stanza:

First a handmade sewing chair
designed to fit just her.
While he shaped and glued the wood
and made minor adjustments
she sewed the cushions,
a comfortable but solid match
like their life together.

Beautiful, Gyppo !!!

Aj

[Deb]

 

Deb,

Simply beautiful with a fine lyrical flow.  Did you read this aloud to yourself?


Some of those semi-transparent tropicals do indeed look like stained glass, but it takes a poet to also make them into wetsuits.

Gyppo

Thank you, Gyppo. I do read everything aloud before I submit but I've never been accused of "a fine lyrical flow". I'm flattered. Had one of those nights where the phrases continued nudging me. The bones of this one flowed and then I dressed it up a bit. I wrote 3 pieces today. A landslide of thoughts. So many metaphors, so little time.  

Your "Sewing Room"  is a joy to read. Idyllic. Makes me think of my aunt and uncle. Lovely. The last S reminds me of me.  RE: The real lady in red... I've met and helped her too, she may be a relative of mine. Tragically beautiful and pitiful at times.

Tracy," A Bird, A Dog, A Truck"  a stellar piece! The stand-out for me is this S. I understand the sentiments within very well.

"Today is a web of wrinkles 
skirting the eyes you see 
as maps of a world 
you want back."

Indar, Colm and AJ, thank you so much for your kind words. It means a lot to me. I'm thrilled by your replies. Thank you.

No Colm, I am not a scuba diver but have spent most of my life close to the ocean and the Channel Islands are close by. I'm an advocate for saving the oceans and coral reefs. We've taken the kids to aquariums everywhere we can and I once went on a glass-bottom-boat cruise on Catalina Island where I saw kelp gardens. 

Colm, I'm amazed by how you keep finding fresh ways to take us on this journey of Death. Your pieces make me think and each time I revisit them, I catch an underlying meaning I hadn't caught before. Well done.

Indar, I relate so much to your work. Travelogue is beautiful, loving your contributions.

Sharon, "where the apple dropped" is reminiscent of my own grandparents. Are these yours? Your words are smooth like butter. A wonderful read. Your imagery is remarkable. 

Marcel, "Triolet #13", I can see the rain and the one I love. Nice!

George, your "4/13",  simply intimate, graceful, and sensuous in so few words. 

AJ, "Hubris" nails it! Great one. It can't be completely you, you have plenty of empathy. A poem bursting with hubris. Love it.

Dave, "#13" is relatable and well done. I recognize myself here and despite the reminder of my own mediocrity, enjoyed the read. Your descriptions push all of the right buttons.

There are so many more I'd address but fear I'm littering up the board.  I haven't read one poem that didn't move me somehow. What a combination of entertainment, therapy, and enlightenment!

Thank you all for sharing.

~Deb