Friday Flash 55 — Last Call

The tuxedo t-shirt bar crew
yelled Last Call to the crowd
of hot grinding dancers
     and solitary pointstars.

Their club DJ sequed to his final song,
urging them all to find a spark,
a spark to ward off the lonely dark.

With his final notes pairing magic
pulsing in the air DJ sighed:
     “There, there.”

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My post written in exactly 55 words for Friday Flash 55. This is the last week that G-Man will serve as our Host here. It has been a great ride, G!
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Friday Flash 55 — MH370

Image: Albuquerque by Bryan Collins

She will not look down -

    will never give up - will

trace invisible contrails

making circles in the skies

over many lands, teasing

blue waters that wave

back, then swell and fold

over stories forever untold -

    while she grows old

looking up (never drown)

as dark arcs deepen

under her arid eyes,

    and time flies.

~~~

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 5. Next week will be the final week that G-Man will be our Host here. Thanks so much for your many encouraging words, Galen. I will miss you!

  

.G-Man, who has been our host 

Friday Flash 55 — Roots

Rite of Remembrance by Madeline von Foerster

When there are roots

something seemingly dead is still

alive at the heart of the world

where silence lives.

Roots go deep,

holding fast to the memory

of days growing in the sun.

Then darkness displays

a crown of stars blessing the 

primal essence that could not die. 

And night birds sing to the moon.

~~~

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.
Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

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Friday Flash 55 — Marking a page

Image: Book Sculpture by Thomas Wightman, Musetouch at facebook

Someone forgot his or her meds —
A manicure is long overdue.
Scoring a book into deep shreds
Save the title, leave a sad clue.

This might be called a bad hand day—
Or perhaps that describes what was dealt.
Truth is love no longer holds sway
O'er the brittle exhaustion now felt.

Turn the page.

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

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Friday Flash 55 — The beaches

I must have them for they
had me at foggy swoosh —
at hoods-up walks with doggy
at making seabreeze stories —
at one hand pulled by another’s
up to lips for a tender kiss
at sunset, later drifting to a
warm pocket where the day's
sweet find lay hidden in granular
grace. It is the beaches.

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

♥

Valentine's Day is also celebrated as Oregon Statehood Day, and it is Oregon's 155th birthday today. This poem (that contains a few words from a favorite Avett Brother's song) is to honor my state's spectacular coast, my special connection with it, and my love for those who have shared time with me there, never to be forgotten.

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Friday Flash 55 — One with Everything

 

This is me.  No one — made of Stardust.
 I am one with swirling planets,
    conifer cones dusted with snow,
        delicate ice crusting upon my vacant footsteps —
one with the underweight babe, the bloated beast,
the aged woman praying over beads one final time.

I am the beads, the breath, the bursting, and beyond.
All one.

-*-

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.
Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

(Image via Facebook, source not attributed)

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Friday Flash 55 — So(chi) there

He found her in an ad, you see.
Single Russian Girls! he saw—
and the messages, oh, the
messages he sent, sweet and raw.

At first he said he'd marry her
“Sight unseen,” then mentioned he
wished she could come be his "mate,"
but his later notes changed to
“I need me a date.”

   - конец -

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.
Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s. 

(I keep getting ads like this one in the sidebar of my blog's MapLoco and they, among other things, drive me loco.)

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Friday Flash 55 — Being

Image: from 1000 drawings by sarah nieman, via Tumblr

More than just the personal blip
that at first she thought it was,
instead,
a major discomposure, a gravitational
pull, bore heavily down and
around her, compressing her essence
for self examination, then
gently
it drifted and filtered away, and,
with it, she too began to let go,
being
a being of release and liberation.

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

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Friday Flash 55 & Mag 201 — Imprinted

They were freshly-poured

long before I strode

upon their cobbles and cracks,

but look down

near the young Linden tree

around the corner from the

tailor's shop with that wall full

of multi-colored thread spools

on lacquered dowels.

Look with your heart,

and you will see my

prints preserved

on the sidewalks of New York.



Written for Friday Flash 55, G-Man, and his Mr. Knowitall community...
and also
Written for The Mag: Mag 201 that inspired with the above image prompt
(New York at Night, Vivienne Gucwa).


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Friday Flash 55 — Pet Thoughts at New Years

Enough Already! by Anji Johnston

My expression says, Ho-hum,

this year is now over. —

But my insides are all jumpy

(same thing’s true for Rover).


Loud noises make us grumpy

and scare us out of our wits.

So, be your pets' heroes

wearing cool New Year outfits:


Please close all the windows —

feed us soothing treats...Oh yum!

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

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Friday Flash 55 — little bird

Yellow summer bird
who perched on Meghan's
delicate hand, who knew
her soul was studying trust
in precious places — for singing,
for brief rest — before her test
of ultimate flight away,
away…..

Oh, little bird, return to
Meghan’s winter house.
Sing to the brokenhearted,
beckon their glance over the
drift.

There, a snow angel glistens.

***

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

My poem was inspired by and is dedicated to Tom Degan's sharing about the death of a beloved little girl in his life, a family friend, on December 18, 2013.  Four days before she died, he posted at his blog and facebook wall a photo of Meghan's hand holding a wild bird, and since her death has posted a photo of the two of them together along with some of his perfect words. You can find the photos and his short, beautiful commentary at the bottom of his post titled "Nightmare Revisited," dated December 14. I hope this link works. (If not, go to tomdegan.blogspot.com)

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Form for All & Friday Flash 55 — Remembered

After "what if" happens
some will survive to tell
how their hate, their weapons
made Earth a living hell.

Few names will be remembered—
and sung a capella.

With memories of atoms
at eve’s blast all pell-mell
they’ll look into the heavens
and raise a new groundswell

of hearts never surrendered—
à la Nelson Mandela.

 ~~~

Written for Friday Flash 55, G-Man, and his Mr. Knowitall community...

      and also for

dVerse Poets Pub Form for All, where host Samuel Peralta invites us to write a poem in 55 words this week.

Please visit both links to read many more "55s" as these two writing communities join together this week. What a special idea, Sam!

[Image via tumblr, where credit to the photographer was not given.]
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Friday Flash 55 — At Thanksgiving

She was across the table

rambling on, as go her

conversations, directing some

questions to her husband—

and in between all that,

mentioned they had thought 

of planning sea scatterings

(just as my mother had 

arranged) but, instead, bought 

two cemetery plots in Portland

and was I going to have some

pumpkin pie for dessert?

My post in exactly 55 words written for, Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

Note: Image via Tumblr
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Friday Flash 55 — the interview

A strong steady fire
is what I hope for.

Too long the pre-heating
and energy is wasted.

Team of chefs
well-steeped in your craft
tossing me into the stew:
Please pierce my brain from the first
to dispel steam,
to allow even cooking.

Please discard the worn-out recipe.
Pick me to serve a higher purpose.

A decades-old poem reworked in exactly 55 words for Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

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Mag 192 in 55 — tea-hee

We’re talkin' about
a new resurrection—
Proud kinfolk tout
'merican, not Briton.

Waving our hands—
Preaching exceptionalism!
We’re firebrands
pretending to be blithesome.

Join our Tea Party reunion—
Forget the historical facts.
We’re of religious persuasion
pushing born-again pacts.

We can save this land
and steal the show.
You, friend, we understand—
Psycho to psycho.

***

Written for The Mag: Mag 192 that inspired with the above image prompt
(Resurrection Reunion 2, 1945, Sir Stanley Spencer).

In this particular prompt, the painting's title had as much to do with inspiring my words 

as the image itself. Visit the link to see many creative takes on the prompt.

Also written in 55 words for Friday Flash 55.
Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s. 

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Friday Flash 55 — Strang truth

Someone said not to take life too seriously- you'll never get out of it alive. But leave a witness to your life behind, and that almost changes. If the witness is especially potent and speaks via your art through the ages you may even beat the odds. Your scribbling is telling. It survives you. Seriously.

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.
Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

___________________

Image via Wikimedia: 

Self-portrait No. 8 by William Strang, 1889

(beginning paraphrased quote by Elbert Hubbard)

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Friday Flash 55 — Rose

Image via Tumblr: La Chapeau by Misti Boe


      Her declaration of Self stemmed from her incapacity to any longer hold her feelings like a bud about to burst. Pearls of wisdom, sure, she had those, and they were years strung yet now as easily flung against brick walls as worn with perfect discretion. It was blooming time to show up in her life.

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.

Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

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Meeting the Bar — To honor poet Dave King

Forgive me, friend, for I
have not been here lately
to read your poems: these
lovelies I enjoyed this
night upon learning that
you no more will be
making your rounds,
leaving kind words that
meant so much.
You, most thoughtful one,
only toward the end had cause
to write:
Forgive me, friends, for I



Written for dVerse Poets Pub Meeting the Bar: To Friends, where host Brian Miller sadly informs us of the passing of Dave King, one of us, and asks that we consider good friends and friendship in our posts this week. Visit the link to read many more tributes.

One of Dave King's dear and supportive comments to me was this one about my post dated May 6, 2013:

    Absolutely superb! Cleverly conceived and beautifully realised.

~~~

My post this week was also written in 55 words for Friday Flash 55, hosted by my friend G-Man.

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Friday Flash 55 — Remembering Crane

crowned crane by Jane Schnetlage


Crane your neck. See
them overhead, closing in
on a turquoise preserve pond so
clear a bird once disappeared into the
sunset sky, believing he was diving for red-
gold schools of fish beneath sparkling waters.

Each ~ as distinctive as a desert flower ~ lifts up,
up in blended creation to paint the horizon at migration.

 ~~~

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.
Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

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Friday Flash 55 — on my mother's birthday

W H Terrace by Willem Haenraets


I would take her there
to sip or sup, to celebrate
a sumptuous meal with
laughter.
Always laughter.

She would be bright and saucy,
her effervescence welcoming
strangers to join us
(my reason for a larger table).

The terracotta terrace would reflect
a happy birthday song, then
toasts in her honor and
laughter.
Always laughter.

My post in exactly 55 words written for Friday Flash 55.
Visit G-Man and his Mr. Knowitall community for more weekly 55s.

My mother was born on this day long ago. What I miss most is laughing with her.

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