when do we stop being a child

Pacific Northwest Ballet corps de ballet dancer Andrew Bartee as the Nutcracker in the fight scene from PNB’s Stowell/Sendak Nutcracker. Photo © Angela Sterling

when do we stop being a child
attracted to candyland
eating charms off a page of fantasy
living an Atari game life?

a nucleic dance.
colorful alchemic snatches.
patented monsters
who march to their
distinctive leitmotifs;
deeply connected
to sounds of flute and horn.

he put his soul toward
regaining happiness;
an awkward cuteness.
representational adults
walking the road
riding the toad
ordering a la mode;
living things that only eat sweets.

easy to understand
masterpiece literature.
sisson, tombé, pas de bourrée.
king of the meeces
born for the very first time.
assemblé, royalé
time to fall in love
with dolls.
time to give a trusting hand
to a charming prince
of a country without a name.

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Written for:

Poetics: Sendak & the Wild Things

Since I used to live in Seattle and had gone to see the Maurice Sendak version of the Nutcracker, this is what I let inspire me for the above poem.

Today’s prompt, by Brian Miller was to write a poem “about anything Maurice Sendak related. Be it his books, any memories you have of his words or images, his personal life or even putting yourself into one of his stories. Or maybe even try to see the world as a child may see it.”

Image credit: nutcracker tutu & dancewear

Black Tailed Fliers

Black-tailed Flyers

Black tailed fliers semi-hover, thrust, retreat,
and fly backwards. Still facing their foes,
they swiftly assault. They strike and repeat.
Black tailed fliers semi-hover, thrust, retreat,
and flap flight patterns. Each bird knows
how to sustain and support a propelling wingbeat.
Black tailed fliers semi-hover, thrust, retreat,
and fly backwards, still, facing their foes.

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Written for:

Poetics: New view for you

Prompt, by @bmiller007, was to choose a picture from the dverse page and write a poem that reflected the picture. I chose to write one in Triolet form.

Photo credit: Tracey Grumbach

Like Those Times

Tammy Setting up Supersonic Wind Tunnel Experiment

It’s like those times
You dig your fingers into the wall
And pull yourself to the corner
Just to let your essence
Seep into the ceiling crack
Propitiously cut there
By the most recent rainstorm.

It’s like the time you crashed
Into the bathroom, only to use
Your robe as a rope, to climb
Down through the heating vent
Just to find yourself surrounded
By the energy generating
Bowel of your house.

It’s like that time you
Threw everything out of the closet
So you could crawl in
Under the empty hangers
And sit there, in fetal position
Like a stow-a-way to an alien planet
Where they wave magic titanium rods
And cure your aging and your breath.

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Today’s prompt, by @bmiller007, was to write a poem about 1999: So what were you doing in 1999?  Which experiences do you recall vividly?  Well, that’s easy, I got to MY DOCUMENTS/POETRY/1999 and pick something.

I was just getting separated from my x-husband. I had two teenage boys, two dogs, two cats and a horse. I was also going to University of Washington majoring in aerospace engineering. For summer vacation, I had my shoulder replaced in 1998 and my knee replaced in 1999. I did this the day after the last final, so I could have the whole summer to heal. Fall of 1998, I was stupid enough to take Aeronautical Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Advanced Calculus and Modern Physics all at one time. I could not handle that load with all the other things going on in my life.

As for the picture, aside from classroom, homework and regular things students do, rocket science requires you do some cool lab work. So literally, that picture, is what I was doing in 1999. I loved those zebra sneakers!!

I did not edit this. Obviously, I don’t write like this any more.

Posted on:

Poetics – 1999

private dreamliner

Pelican

retinas scanning
duskish horizon

shoulders stretch
airfoils grow

angles | changes
feathery at armpit

on his back
private dreamliner

conserving momentum
physical phenomena

catapult
to lift

updrafts
to sustain

yet to this fowl
it is but fishy

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Today’s prompt, by Brian Miller was to write a poem inspired by Reena Walkling, from Missing Moments, where she shows off some amazing photographic skills, and even writes poetry.

Posted on:

Poetics – Visual-eyes-ing

Also posted on:

Open Link Monday

Image Credit: Reena Walking