The PAD prompt for Day 14 was the word “report”. Here’s mine.
April in the South
Canceled plans for the day
Checked radios and batteries
All day long the weatherman predicts
But no one really knows
Just when and where
In the backyard cardinals gather
Do they understand?
Where will they shelter when the storms arrive?
A breeze belies what is to come
A brief reprieve in the heavy air
Pressing all around
A pale haze under darkening skies
Waiting, waiting
The prompt for PAD Day 16 was to write a “favorite” poem. I wrote this using a Bop poem format…
Favorites
What’s your favorite is a hard question
Who’s your favorite is loaded
Say green instead of yellow
Anytime, and no one cares
But if it’s political or familial
Look out and step lightly
I love, I like, I’m a fan
My favorite today may change
But doesn’t just blow with the wind
It grows and evolves
I am allowed to prefer
Southern rock over classical
There’s room in my spirit for both
I can love pie best
Without giving up cake
I love, I like, I’m a fan
The better question might be
What’s your favorite today?
Don’t answer to tickle the ears
Be honest and sidestep
If you must
For who doesn’t prefer peace?
I love, I like, I’m a fan
This reminded me of a portions of the lyrics of Murder in the City by the Avett Brothers.
…I wonder which brother is better
Which one our parents love the most
I sure did get in lots of trouble
They seem to let the other go
“Always remember there was nothing worth sharing
like the love that let us share our name.”
Oklahoma, April 1936. Iconic photo taken by Arthur Rothstein.
I recently finished Woody Guthrie: A Life by Joe Klein. It sparked my interest in that time period, especially since that is when my grandfather deserted his family on the side of the road in Florida.
The prompt for PAD Day 10 was to write a deal poem. Mine is based on my recent readings.
The Hand Was Dealt
Displaced, depressed
Wandering the windswept plain
On dust bowl shattered dreams
Homeless, hungry
Pushed on by black blizzards
Forlorn figures on the road
Farms gone, families scattered
Despondent souls eroding
Through dust bowl shattered dreams
The prompt for PAD Day 4 was Case ______. This isn’t my best work, but I can’t help but think there are others out there that feel the way I do on the topic.
Case Cutters
There is something about a case cutter
That gives me the heebie-jeebies
Give me a knife any old day
I can handle an ax or a hatchet
Scissors are simple
Toe nail clippers a breeze
But keep those case cutters
Away from me
Not In This Soup Alone 