Creation Invocation

Creation Invocation
14 January 2016

Speak to me, Muse.
Inspire me to write
So that I feel of use
And not small or trite.
Help my preparation,
Thinking and exploration
In search of inspiration.
Speed up the period of incubation
In my subconscious foundation,
Of sorting and reaching validation.
I want instant illumination
A triggering of my imagination
To the point of forced creation.
Please, ease the implementation
Of my rhyming communication
Into a pleasing presentation.
Muse, please whisper in my ear.
Whisper enchanted communiqués
And the secrets I want to hear
To end this writer’s block phase.

Not Your Typical Watcher

Not Your Typical Watcher
10 Nov 2015

I spot the staid suburban sentinels
Posted out on their weekly missions,
They’re keeping this night’s vigils,
Standing by the curb like apparitions.
They’ll stand all night waiting strong
For the trucks and into the next day.
Then the garbage trucks’ll come along
And haul all the smelly trash away.

No Fooling, Final Ruling

No Fooling, Final Ruling
27 June 2015

Any lesbian or queer fairy
Has a legal right to marry.
This bitter debate hasn’t cooled,
But the Supreme Court has ruled.
We get to count as people, too;
And merit just the same as you.
To me it seems that no one boasts,
Only rejoices in their online posts.
The affirmed sense of pride
And worthiness I have inside
Heightens the way that I feel
To make my love seem more real.

Romancer Answer

Romancer Answer
23 May 2015

My love is like a blossom
Or a beautiful bloom.
The feeling is awesome,
Like a heady perfume.

Sadly, flowers don’t last long
And the petals quickly drop.
I hope my ardor proves to be strong,
Strong enough to come out on top.

I don’t usually give cut flowers.
Their beauty fades, goes pretty fast.
Blooms may express love’s powers,
But I want my love to go on and last.

Let my love be something that endures.
Perhaps, of a substance yet unknown
To represent my love as it matures.
Maybe I want beauty carved in stone.

Stone won’t change in my lifetime.
A statuette would only gather dust.
Should I celebrate with a rhyme?
Sure, poetry will keep my love robust.

Not Tasking, Basking

Not Tasking, Basking
9 July 2014

Among the abandoned mines,
We look at the summer sky.
Relaxing in the pines,
We watch three hawks circle by.
Sitting on the porch swing
Listening to the birds sing,
Swatting occasional flies,
Not doing a darn thing,
Just swapping true lies.
Together, my friend and I
Watch the evening sunset.
As the time goes by,
Life is good, you bet.

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."

Any Clock's Toolbox

Any Clock's Toolbox
4 July 2012

This little rhyme
Reminds every schmo
That life is time.
You just never know
How long you've got,
So I advise giving
Life your best shot
Here and now; living
Usefully and productively
To improve the existence
Deftly and constructively
For all earth's residents.

Proactive Versus Reactive

Proactive Versus Reactive
19 June 2012

They were with all the rest
Mormons well-dressed
In their Sunday best.
Maybe it was a crusade,
But for sure this was no charade
Marching in the gay pride parade.
Drag queens and the Sisters twirled
As political currents swirled
Mixing in this brave new world.
These active Mormons were there
Showing signs that they care
For lesbians and gays everywhere.

Real Bleak Workweek

Real Bleak Workweek
19 June 2012

Many days this seems if it's
Not the way life's supposed to be.
Ready to call it quits
Filled with some pain and tragedy.
You're like an automatic machine
Doing the grueling daily grind,
Going thru your routine
Driven out of your mind.
Experiencing a mix of fury and bored,
Wanting to call in sick or go on strike.
Eventually going out of your gourd,
The boss wants your head on a pike.

Terse Verse

Terse Verse
22 March 2012

How should I frame a thought
To make it sparkle and shine?
As a terse verse it ought
To turn out just fine,
Stated short and sublime
Rolling line by line
With rhythm and rhyme.

Possibilities and Limitations

English is a wonderful language full of possibilities. Wiktionary has over two and a half million English entries. Although many words are science and industry specific. Sometimes I think English never met a word it didn't like. Many foreign words have been imported whole. That means many rhyming possibilities.

However, in composing poems, periodically I've come across a word that's hard to rhyme. The Complete Rhyming Dictionary edited by Clement Wood on pages 117 & 118 gives a short list of words that don't rhyme. I've spent the last few months going thru my rhyming dictionaries culling words that don't rhyme or that rhyme with only one or two other words. In other words, these are words to avoid. They can still be used in poetry, just not at the end of the line to rhyme. My hope, dear reader, is that you will help me add words to or delete them from my list. Here's a sample of common English words that don't rhyme: agent, also, ancient, bogus, bozo, budget, bulb, citrus, country, damage, delta, eighth, else, film, fortress, gospel, govern, helmet, hungry, icon, iron, joyful, junior, kiln, kingdom, liquid, limit, market, memo, naked, ninety, object, office, poem, polka, questioned, quotient, refuge, riot, sahib, sculpt, temple, topaz, ulcer, unit, velvet, visit, width, and wolf.  For the complete list, you can contact me by leaving your email address in the comments or use Facebook or whatever works.

Writhing or Writing

Writhing or Writing

30 August 2010

Rhymes going thru my head

As I’m lying in bed

Trying to fall asleep.

Instead of counting sheep

Out of my chaotic thought river

I have couplets going thru my mind

Examining my vocabulary quiver

Just begging for me to find

A perfect place for them

In a paean or poem.