Surprise Email

On the 31st of July I got a surprise email: "Congratulations! It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been awarded a First Place Gold Medal Prize for World Poetry Movement’s Best Poets and Poems of 2011 International Open Amateur Poetry Contest!" The award name is so long, I think they should have shortened it down to Best New Poet of 2011.

Here's the prize-winning poem:

Yesterday's Rose

dedicated to Hazel, Margaret, Betty and Doris

18 January 2012

While passing into my yard

By the white picket gate

I noticed the rose on guard

Had entered a wilted state.

When a faded petal goes

That's yesterday's rose.

Still wanting to belong,

Joining where she can,

Singing her own song

While hoping for a man.

Wearing old-fashioned clothes,

That's yesterday's rose.

She can still kick up her heals

And enjoys dining and dancing.

She know how it all feels

And what's life enhancing.

One of today's widows

Is yesterday's rose.

Looking for a good time

When she can whim it,

Spending her own dime

Within society's limit.

Not youth but wisdom shows

That's yesterday's rose.

Reunion Communion

Reunion Communion
24 July 2012

We met on the mountain at Seventy's Flat,
Out where there's room to swing a cat,
Socializing in an informal format,
Mixing a potluck with chitchat.
Rob works in sustainable power.
Lauana's a supervisor of intervention.
Randy sells cars by the hour.
Let's not forget to mention,
Julie's been a nurse for 35 years, not a quirk
Just after she was born they put her to work.
Teri's a factory site planner in Queen Creek.
Monte teaching high school seems like a jailer.
Ralph's a Dallas temple worker, so to speak.
Jimmy visits his grandkids in a trailer.
Scott teaches the children in third grade
And for the newspaper is the resident
Sports writer. From a bit of a renegade
He now serves as stake president.
Nancy's always been a housewife
And probably will be for life.
Allen's an over-the-road truck driver.
Diane's a lawyer in Moab, at times.
Kerry's a real estate bust survivor.
Alma writes poetry and rhymes.
Doug stays around like a homebody
His wife travels like she's somebody.
Janet's a social worker in Texas.
Silas said he works in sporting goods.
David in Hawaii's a construction nexus.
We all had a good time out in the woods
Mingling conversation and small talk
Offering apologies where owed,
We're as perennial as grass in the sidewalk
And as tough as weeds in the road.

Lies and Stories, Defeats and Glories

Lies and Stories, Defeats and Glories
17 July 2012

We've known each other for ages
Since we were five, maybe four,
Long before we had jobs with wages
When we were innocent to the core.
After graduation we took on
Life that could be outrageous,
Unwilling to just look on
Before life could age us.

We've known each other for so long
It's kind of useless to put on airs.
We've come back to where we belong
To share life's cares and scares.
We'll just talk about the facts.
Nobody would be rude and uncouth
Enough to brag about their acts
Or lie to stretch the truth.

Declaration of Exhilaration

Declaration of Exhilaration
4 July 2012

My four-year-old self emerged today
It felt safe for him to talk and play.
For years he kept secret hidden away,
Afraid of getting into trouble he'd say.
Now he gets to do things his own way.
This Fourth of July is a celebration
Of his freedom and liberation
After years of self-incarceration
From unfiltered victimization
To the point of obliteration.
From the years of suppression
It'll take some decompression
And incremental progression
Before he takes full possession
And my voice finds expression.

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.

Frustration Proliferation

Frustration Proliferation
28 June 2012

I'm clawing at air
And pulling my hair
As an illustration
Of my frustration.
In my car's engine
The wires rubbed on
The pulley and wore thin
So the A/C's gone.
I've already overpaid
One shop for diagnosis.
I felt betrayed
Adding to my psychosis
When they wanted more
To fix the wiring issue.
I had two friends who swore
From the motor's view
The space to repair
Is much too cramped.
Today another mechanic their
Opinion rubber stamped.
My sturdy little car's
Now at the third mechanic's.
I'm hoping for the stars
To align, not anxiety panics.

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.

Ideal Appeal

Ideal Appeal
7 June 2012

It feels like summer outside
So open the windows wide.
I hear a twittering bird,
A glorious day is assured.
Sandals and shorts at that
Will go with my straw hat.

Examination Determination

Examination Determination
7 June 2012

Like most days begin
I stand, stretch and test
My body and naked skin
To see what feels best.
My hands touch around
Evoking tactile sensation
Slowly going up and down
My skin in each iteration.
My motions have stops and starts,
Lingering on the delicate parts.

Thru the window sunlight
Adds to my skin's perception.
It feels so good and right,
I give it a welcome reception.
The grinning smile on my face
Says I'm glad to be alive,
Enjoying the world's embrace,
And learning how to thrive.
I'm sure you'll list
Me as a sensualist.