What will hold us up
When the columns have crumbled?
When the pillars fall?
We took for granted
Truths that no longer hold firm
Cracked foundations all.
Will we then be rocks?
Stanchions raised in proud protest,
Resistors indeed!
Category: Poetry
Dystopian You
You stand on the corner of
Climate Change and Rising Seas
In the neighborhood of Zika,
Deep in the heart of
Nuclear Destruction.
Wave to North Korea’s crazy
Dictator across the Ocean of
Despair, one insult away from
Gracing us with a big, bad bomb
And a centuries deep winter.
Curtsy to Putin, our Russian pal,
His KGB ties beside the point.
Stand in bread lines with comrades
All. Take time to learn Cyrillic
Script for future reference.
Stockpile bandages and canned
Goods. Be sure to save the books and
Works of art. Listen, you won’t Remember when the boots come stomping And the knock comes in the night.
My Life in Monochrome
Monochrome memories from way back, when all my dresses were shapeless plaid shirtwaists,
Three for ten dollars from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. I was a thrifty kid, poring over the
Thrift section searching for the best buys so Mom didn’t have to. My brothers could own
Five striped cotton crewneck t-shirts for a bundled price, as well. I circled the best deals in
Crayon, then waited for the order to arrive, always hoping that at least one of my new
Dresses would surprise me by featuring a full skirt and a crinkly petticoat like Debbie Reynolds
Wore. Disappointment never interfered with my attempts to twirl in a simple cotton dress.
My dresses were never this cute. ^^^
Where are the Heroes?
Where are the heroes?
Have they gone out of style?
I fear they’ve all fallen,
Victims to old King Vile
Where are the voices of dissent?
Have they been silenced?
Rebuffed by the bully from his pulpit
Neither fair nor balanced.
Where are the watchdogs?
Have they been blinded?
Given poisoned bits to calm their barks
No longer straining at the leash.
I Don’t Sleep
I don’t sleep when you’re away, my thoughts chase, circling ceaselessly without remorse.
Each hour weighs a ton, each minute pounds against my skull, what if? What’s that? Check
The clock. If I fall asleep right NOW, I could manage five hours before the alarm sounds, now
Four, then three. Who does math at four a.m.? Could I reset the alarm? Thirty minutes
More? But I’ve already eaten up that time with my calculations. Please hurry home. I don’t sleep.
Seduction
A bottle of Cabernet
Fuels anticipation
Fragrant candles lit
Gentle kiss, just there,
Measured strokes invite delight
Touch of velvet skin
What would you offer
For one night in tender arms?
All the world’s riches
Slow Clap
After your heartfelt speech I started a slow clap, but no one joined in. The saddest
Part was that you deserved every accolade, but my attempt fell short and silence
Reigned. Is there anything more damning than the sound of nothing reverberating around a hall?
Later, at the soirée we held hands and danced languidly to the strains of a small jazz combo.
Smoke Gets in your Eyes took little of the sting away. You still felt the absence of applause.
Song of the Lake
Hear the frogs singing
Their song of the lake
Throaty and fervent
A call for a mate:
I’m strong and I’m virile
Froggy voices declare
I’ll take you by moonlight
My frog lady fair
Come croak to me, lover
I’ll capture your heart
On the still, calm waters
We’ll cavort in the dark.
Frog fortunes are made
In the conquests they make,
In the courtships brokered
On the shores of the lake.
Drinking Wine and Taking Stock
Drinking Wine and Taking Stock
By Leslie Noyes
It’s late on this cold Sunday night
My team is losing, and I’m taking stock
Who out there understands my plight
I drink wine and watch the clock.
Fake news, I’ve heard, is killing us
Our democracy barely surviving now
And while truth is worthy of a fuss
At present, veracity has bowed out.
Marches are planned, vigilance urged
I take heart in good people on my side
Senators on speed dial hopefully heard
The earnestness with which I cried.
Mistake
Don’t
Mistake me for a reasonable person. I’m too angry, too burned by the lies you’ve told carelessly.
How could you be so cavalier? The propaganda you’ve turned into incontrovertible
Truths will be the end of us all. This is the way the world will cease, not with a bang, but a
Tweet.
Praying for Eyebrowz 