Blue Ribbon

Today I went to the county fair and was pleased to discover I had won a first prize blue ribbon for my crocheted tablecloth.

Unescorted Sporting Assorted Cavorting

This poem about ecstatic dancing was inspired by the text of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLzsaEwZ9tY
Is there an activity in your life that affects you deeply emotionally?


Unescorted Sporting Assorted Cavorting
15 June 2013

We have come to be danced.
Not the pretty graceful waltz,
Not the pretty pretty pranced
Please-pick-me defaults,
But to claw our way into the belly
Of the sacred, sensual animal hop.
The unhinged, unplugged silly
Cat is out of its box slop.
Holding the precious moment
In our palms and stomping
Our feet like we meant
No end to our romping.

We have come to be danced.
Not the jiffy booby
Out to be romanced
Shake your booty,
But the wring the sadness
From our skin skip.
Blow the chip off our shoulder badness,
Slap any apology with our zip.

We have come to be danced;
Not the monkey see, monkey do
Move like you're entranced
One, two, move like you,
But the grave robber, tomb stalking
Tearing scabs and scars raking
To rub the rhythm raw hawking
Against our souls' quaking.

We have come to be danced
Not the nice, invisible
Shuffle self-consciously enhanced
But the matted hair indivisible
Voodoo mama, shaman shaking‚
Ancient bones aleaping
Stripped casings forsaking,
To find our wings sweeping,
Sharpen our claws, loosen the tongue,
Shed dead useless cells of example
And slip into the ever young
Luminous skin of love trample.

We have come to be rocked
Not the hold our breath
Or splash in the shallows deadlocked,
But the ending of shibboleth,
By the trinity of physical body,
Hot breath and rhymthic beat.
Shouting hallelujah to embody
Rejoicing head to feet.
Please, mother may I?
Yes, you may take 10 giant hops.
The ollie ollie oxen free,
Everyone can come to our heavenly lollypops.

We have come to be bounced
Where the kingdoms meet head-on
In the cathedral of flesh announced
To burn back into the light dead-on.
To unravel, to play,
To take wing, to pray
To root in skin sanctuary enhanced,
We have come to be danced.

Description Depiction

Description Depiction
4 June 2013

Not some banditry
Nor a tedious litany,
But a bit of poetry
That's all about me.
Since high school
I've worn glasses.
My face isn't a tool
To please the masses.
I have a toothy grin
And a ponytail.
Although I'm thin,
I'm not that frail.
My skin is pale;
My veins are blue.
That's the tale
I'm sticking to.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
A far inferior exterior
Doesn't show off the lover
With a superior interior.
My written verbosity
Presents at times
My innate curiosity
And a love of rhymes.
I may look like a Nazarene
With interactions that are gracious
And come across all serene,
But my pursuit of goals is tenacious.
Other characteristics
Like competitive and organized
Are among my statistics.
A sense of humor is prized.
A chance to be creative
And play card games
Makes me appreciative
And furthers my aims.

Rattlesnake Outtake

Original post to LinkedIn Poets:

~ Diamondback ~
~
It does not come in front of me
no that would be nice
but it doesn't think twice
for it sneaks up from behind
aims for my back
when it plans it's attack
It doesn't give you a chance
but that's part of it's dance
Before it does battle
it loves to show off and
rattle & rattle then tattle
I stop and move not my feet
and I hold my breath
for it's about to strike
and cause my death
but the great spirit intercedes
and does a kind deed
for my ancestor sends forth
a hawk to pick up rattlesnake
for the hawk at the last second
grabs it with his talons
and gives it a good shake
then swiftly flies with it away
and drops the evil snake
into a canyon deep, tonight
I know that I shall have
sweet dreams
after I fall
asleep!

by bonnie j. flach (c)
posted 5-9-2013

My response: I was bothered that your poem kind of rhymed, but mostly didn't; so I reworked your poem. I hope you're not offended. 

Rattlesnake Outtake
10 May 2013

It does not come in front.
No, that would be nice.
It doesn't think twice
About sneaking to hunt
Aiming for my back
When it plans to attack.
It doesn't give me a chance,
But that's part of the dance.
Before it does battle,
It loves to show off,
Shake its tail and rattle.
I stop, not daring to cough,
Just shaking in my shoes.
I'm holding my breath
For it's about to choose
And cause my death.
But the great spirit intercedes
And initiates timely deeds.
My ancestor sends out
A hawk to pick up the rattlesnake.
With a last-second rout
The hawk gives it a good shake.
Then with the serpent
In his talons, swiftly flies away
For the evil snake's descent,
Dropped into a deep canyon's bay.
Tonight I know that I
Shall have sweet dreams,
Enjoying my shut-eye,
Protected by spirit teams.

Bedtime In Rhyme

Bedtime In Rhyme
25 April  2013

Shoot today in the head
And trundle off to bed.
Today was work and fun;
And what's done is done.
Tomorrow will be here soon enough
Bringing its own challenges and stuff.
Let's hope sleep comes on quick
And lying in bed will do the trick.
I just hate tossing and turning
When my brain keeps on churning.
With a yawn I said,
"Shoot today in the head.
It's time to hit the bed."

Rejection Reflection

The host asked for a reflection
Dealing with poetry rejection.

Rejection Reflection

11 April 2013

I didn't know the judge's predilection

About choosing from my collection

So after some introspection

I made a tough selection

Hoping for a connection

That would pass inspection.

After viewing the winners' section

My emotions went another direction.

It felt like a hit to the midsection

And I hid under the covers for protection.

Separation Celebration

Separation Celebration
30 March 2013

The announcement on Facebook
Of celebrating retirements
Was the invitation's hook
To meet a party's requirements.
Annette and Earl get to ignore
That hated alarm clock chore,
Rolling over for one more snore
And don't report for work anymore.
Common folks, both young and old,
Gathered at Vicki's Ramona bungalow,
Socializing all over the threshold
Inside and out, going with the flow.
Eating before hunger could vanquish us,
Chicken was a stomach-filling contender.
The barbecue sauce was delicious;
With ham and short ribs being tender.
Mixing and mingling in knots,
While drinking soda and beer,
People were toasting with shots
Making for plenty of cheer.
A band was set up in the driveway
With dancing just because,
Live music was more organic that way.
What a fun party it was!