20 Questions: A Confessional Poetry Challenge

Ang, such a glorious and angry prayer. Can anyone understand someone else's conversation with the ether?

Remember this one? Anshul led me to think I'm of a Unitarian bent. I made a tiny edit to encompass all the elements and one other important sphere in our galaxy ...

A Hymn Of The Spheres

I live a prayer;
each step, each breath
a psalm of praise
to existence in this sphere.

My passage bends a blade
of grass beneath my feet
in a dance of glory and fire
to radiate heat for today

I breathe in supplication
to the need for oxygen.
I drink in acceptance
that my thirst must slake
with elements tied together

and arranged for my use.
It moves me amongst the life
gravity holds to this sphere,
this earth, my life, a prayer.

eta: A special prayer written for friends in a time of deep sorrow... It was an honour to have a passing acquaintance with Doug, I only wish I'd known him, too.

I only pray that a poet's heaven,
Is simpler than here on earth.
Where joy in beauty, trust and faith
Is all that measures worth.
A poet walks but a short time,
Upon the worldly shore,
But if his words are meaningful,
He'll be remembered evermore.

Adieu Smithpeter.

It's lovely. I especially like this strophe because it presents such a balanced image between the great passion with which we burn and how brief the time we have.

My passage bends a blade
of grass beneath my feet
in a dance of glory and fire
to radiate heat for today


I remember, too, it because my score came out pretty much the same on that test. :)

And the sp poem is good, too. You know it's just about five years since we lost him. Seems like just yesterday he was still with us, raising hell and making us laugh and writing all that wonderful poetry.

:rose:
 
Thanks for the idea EO. I don't know if I've let you know how much I appreciated the input. Now you know though. I do.

And thanks for the 2nd poem - you must have added it while I was replying.
I saw it and would go back to the 1st tab - not there - I wondered what was going on, so went w/o quote. Now I see what happened.
A nice eulogy prayer for Smithpeter.
 
death never answers prayers
(you lied)
he hacks the line
between beats of
electronic hold music
"oh god I hope we don't get caught"
death answers
I got this one
 
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Question 4:

When was the first* time you saw your mother** cry?


*or last, most recent, etc
** or father, spouse, sister, friend, etc
 
Serenity

QUESTION #3: Have you ever prayed?
Philosophically agnostic billions of galaxies 15 billion years wide.
Hydrogen burns hot, helium ash and heavier till iron.
Our star will choke at carbon, never blow to build bigger.
Our small silicate sphere spins, warm for water's wet wash -
condensing continental crust, liquid for life,
not all oxygen occurring in oxides.
Orthogonal spiritual dimensions. Cartesian coordinates of creation.
God gives growth, not granting our greedy grab.
Serenity and strength, I think I'll try it another day.
 
Question 4:

When was the first* time you MADE your mother** cry?


*or last, most recent, etc
** or father, spouse, sister, friend, etc
I know you regret, even to this day
when your anger gave rise
to hasty words that flamed
out of your dragon lips
and burned the youthful hope

that you finally approved
of my choice. Not just burned,
atomic vaporization. "Bitch!"
wasn't the only wrong, but tears
washed it all away, all clear.

Hormones are hell. Yours
at the end of fertility
mine just beginning years
of cycles. A moment
shared between women.
We can laugh it off, now.
 
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a chair

ninety nine rivets
and a red horn,
though she would not place herself
until he nailed

the back of the chair. then she leaned
on jeweled golgotha,
words pressed between her palms.

"have you ever prayed?"

her prayers are a deep drug,
barbed, brutal,
addictive.

Was this a prototype for the double dildo chair?
 
Question 4:

When was the first* time you saw your mother** cry?


*or last, most recent, etc
** or father, spouse, sister, friend, etc

That insidious form
of blackmail Mother
passed on to at least
one of your girls, alright
if I am honest two.
But not so loudly
embarrassingly public
in my case
A broken family
because of you,
using tears to illustrate
what a disappointment I was
not being molded in your image,
for making you cry
such a hard hearted child
I fell for it for years,
my guilt ridden soul
must have been the only thing
that ever pleased you.
 
in the alfalfa

mother taught me
hug while delivering bad news
hide the facial distortions
field nests quiver
then hush
 
Question #5: Where was your face before you washed it this morning?


Come on folks, feel free to send me questions :)
 
Lips salted with overnight spittle,
and up
and at 'em.

A pillowcase crease blush quite faint-
my cheek too firm for a hard read

The legacy of those round Polish genes
and a year of steroid swell, even?

Then into my hands, my head, it weighs.
Elbows on knees to pee.

Scanning the tile, a whiff of my blood
Another month, already.
 
Question 4:

When was the first* time you saw your mother** cry?


*or last, most recent, etc
** or father, spouse, sister, friend, etc

Oh God. When my uncle was murdered. The called it a suicide but we know better. Hell, he could barely sign his name and he shot himself in the chest with a 357 magnum twice? No sign of forced entry. Either one cousin or the other. Or both.
 
Question #5: Where was your face before you washed it this morning?

QUOTE]

Two of me
I see but you see one
Alpha Omega
I whisper Walk with me,
Drop last night here,
and there, and always by the letter post.

An emerald dragon visits us while we snooze
Every morning we empty our heads of prey
and taste the fewmets.
I'll brush my teeth
and get you a biscuit.
 
Question 4:

When was the first* time you saw your mother** cry?


*or last, most recent, etc
** or father, spouse, sister, friend, etc

All those tears
would fill buckets. The screaming,
the wailing, the I'll-tell-Daddying,
the hands that reach under the bed,
that reach for coat hangers,
the gravitational pull
and the inevitable rejection.

I used to count
the carpet's cabbage roses, sit still
and silent as a child can.
I could get to three hundred,
and you'd still be sobbing
and threatening, tell me
Daddy doesn't like
bad girls.
 
wow, I thought this challenge would bring out some good poems, but dang, you guys are frackin awesome
 
Hard to watch,
a mother
become a child, comforted
by an older brother.
Difficult to see,
a mother
who has lost her mom.
 
The day cracks
like an egg
squalling in a hot skillet.
I'd like to turn over, easy
as it would be,
Bright yellow light
shines the day
makes me squint,
sigh and struggle
to the bathroom.
Eyes fried,
wash the imagined crust
from my face.
 
wow, I thought this challenge would bring out some good poems, but dang, you guys are frackin awesome

Your questions are very inspirational. I've been trying to think of some to pm you but all I came up with so far is "something about Halloween." I suck. I know. :eek:

The day cracks
like an egg
squalling in a hot skillet.
I'd like to turn over, easy
as it would be,
Bright yellow light
shines the day
makes me squint,
sigh and struggle
to the bathroom.
Eyes fried,
wash the imagined crust
from my face.

Eggscellent! :D

(Now that I've seen what your boy can do, I'm staying on your sunny side. Ok, I'll stop um cracking jokes.)
 
Question 4:

When was the first (and only) time you saw your step-father cry?

I took the call,
"your mothers been in
an accident." - and I knew.

I kept asking but I knew.
The police told him at work,
when he thanked
the oh-so-young constable
who broke the news
he said "It's a pleasure sir."
then, realising, blushed.

We drove through the night
and he wept without pause.
He kept his feelings
bottled and when the bottle
broke he wept.
 
Question #5: Where was your face before you washed it this morning?


Come on folks, feel free to send me questions :)

Buried undercover
but leading by a nose
in the first offensive,
parachuting pillow soft
into unknown territory.
 
Question 4:

When was the first* time you saw your spouse** cry?


*or last, most recent, etc
** or father, spouse, sister, friend, etc
We didn't seem to have much crying when I was growning up. Don't think it was being tough or that everything was wonderful - perhaps rationality was supposed to rule. Here's a little poem

Goodby Papa Willie

Married under a year, parents back in Europe.
You got the call - your father's heart had stopped.
You cried as you told me.
I sat down beside you and held you close,
no sex following those hugs.
 
Question #5: Where was your face before you washed it this morning?

Laying tattered and torn
bedraggled and bruised
vomit stench from the gutter
wafts up with the sun
leaf floating by
gently pitching to port
currents of urine
drift it downstream
spittle ropes stretch
from my nose to the curb
bloodied and soiled
I make my way home
 
sent via pm by Madame Champ herself....Thanks!



Question #6 Explain the circumstances surrounding the last time you genuinely laughed at yourself.
 
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sent via pm by Madame Champ herself....Thanks!



Explain the circumstances surrounding the last time you genuinely laughed at yourself.

i am a joke
the punchline extraordinaire
a pincushion without a point,
push deep
see if you can reach bottom
and find me
 
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