UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ALL ENTRIES ON THIS BLOG WILL BE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!

 I AM OFFICIALLY WRITING A BOOK FOR NATIONAL NOVEL WRITER'S MONTH IN NOVEMBER  2014  (#NANOWRIMO) 

 I WILL ALSO PARTICIPATE IN  THE 2014 NOVEMBER PAD CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE.

For information on these two events please log on to nanowrimo.org and writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides
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*** In order to get a comprehensive view of the prompt-to-poetry process of learning, please review the archives of the LET'S  TALK POETRY blog in chronological order. 

                                                SEE YOU REAL SOON!


***Most images on blog are courtesy of stockvault.net

PROMPT 30 - THE EFFORT

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

SPEAKING OF ASPECTS

first of all

i don't even know

why they would

bring up the

subject of astrology

and even speak on it

as if they had

some sort of experience

in the strength and

weaknesses of planets

of houses and aspects of

the lunar and solar cycles

in a birth chart

because believe it

or not gentlemen

i have studied

the  fine art of

deciphering

what these things

represent in your life

so this topic of

discussion could 

very well entice

me and i could

go on and on

PROMPT 29 - THE EFFORT

===================================

WHAT IT IS

the value of

poetry to me is 

far more than 

the eyes can see 

far more

than diamonds and gold

it's true worth                                                                

can not be bankrolled

the value of poetry 

in case you haven't 

heard

is defined by the power

in the created word

PROMPT 28 - THE EFFORT

============================================

FED UP

as if it were not enough

that i was forced

to spend all week long

away from home with

my cousin rob hanging

with his bad-ass friends

on ellery street dennis 
and raymond where

we played ringolivio 1-2-3 in          

the alleyways behind

rob's rundown building

where dennis tripped me 

down while running

on purpose and i cut                                                                       

my finger on a broken

wine bottle then we                                       

broke window panes

in the school yard on                                                           

bushwick ave for awhile

and dennis menacing me

threw a rock

on purpose that hit my

forehead leaving a

quarter-sized knot there

and when we all

went to the store for

my aunt round noon and

stole chocolate candy

from the bodega on

troutman street and dennis

mushed my hershey bar

with almonds before he

knocked it to the ground

on purpose so i took a

deep breath after all 
it was summer vacation
and finally 

my favorite time of day 

came afternoon and rob

said you gotta get him

back but not now it

was quiet time at the 
public library

reading karate books

and boys life magazines 

i was elated until six when

we had to leave where on

the way back my thoughts

were of joining the boy

scouts taking the oath

to do my best

to do my duty

to G-d and

somewhere between

respect and at all times

dennis smashes me in

the middle of my back

near the base of

my spine which dropped

me to my knees and

i couldn't take any more

and they had to pull me

off him but only after

his eyeballs were red

and swollen and i was

so mad with pent up anger

i was going to

kill him

on purpose

PROMPT 27 - THE EFFORT

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
COME TO THINK OF IT


at first thought:

i mean really
what difference does
it make today what
went on yesterday
with my ancestors living
out their lives
i mean really
what can i learn from
following a paper trail
from the 1940 census in                              
marlboro county south carolina
that could affect me now
i thought                                                            

but
when i saw that
faded old piece of
wrinkled paper with names
in black and white that
showed my great granddaddy's
handwriting showing he
was quite literate
a minister a businessman
a property owner in
his day and time
with the types of
obstacles he had to face
and overcome
it made me confident that
given the not so terrible
conditions under which
i live unlike my forefathers
i can do whatever i
put my mind to do

so on second thought:

genealogy took on a
different meaning and
purpose in my life now
a source of
inspiration

PROMPT 26 - THE EFFORT

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
PLUGGED-IN


i feel a connection
to other people
when i look around
and see
they all have exactly
the same concerns as me

too much month
at the                                    
end of my money
sugar in my herb tea
instead of clover honey

food prices sky high
and here's the real keeper
cat food instead of tuna
is not really cheaper

and when it's all over
no matter what you worth
we all end up going
right back to mother earth

PROMPT 25 - THE EFFORT

===============================================
YESTERYEAR


that old farmhouse
you see
on route 2 box 586
where we all grew up
hard to believe
papa
built it himself
from the ground
but he chopped down
pine trees from the nearby
woods one cold winter season
before any of us was even
born
his huge hands covered
with frost from the storm of
'08
laid out the foundation
for our lives slab by slab by
slab and mama helped
though in a family way      
fixing his food
nursing his tired bones
hanging wash clothes out back
to dry watching
it all happen
from the kitchen window of
a raggedy one-room shack where
she peeped lovingly from behind
her patchwork lace curtain at
the man who would one day
become our grandfather

PROMPT 24 - THE EFFORT

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...BITTER TWISTED LIES
(from "Still I Rise," by Maya Angelou)


so ready to go yet
choosing to stay
addicted to
your comely way
but more than that
your style your grace
your real sweet kiss
your baby face
behind the lights
your soft brown eyes
your late night love

your late night cries
they all are bitter
twisted lies
a hundred times
i let you go
yet only to return
my broken heart
so black and blue
yet still
it did not learn
each night this
true love slowly dies
inside your bitter
twisted lies
but now i must
be on my way
the night so long
before it's day
yet time itself
now justifies
to live for bitter
twisted lies

PROMPT 23 - THE EFFORT

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

THERE "HE" GO


Uncle JL had the gift or
however you look at it
being the one in
the family who could
see restless spirits or spooks
or haints as
they were called
in the southern backwoods
coming down the road
from the cotton field
one early fall evening
side by side with Papa
who did not
have the gift
right there Papa
he pointed
where boy i don't see
nothin
he runnin
in the house now
raising a ruckus
inside the girl's room
underneath the bed sheets
let my leg go Evelyn
one sister shouts                          
i don't have your
leg Adele
then who do
i don't know
in comes
Papa with his shotgun
taking aim
where he at boy pointing
there he go Papa
slippin out the
window
but you can't
shoot no...BLAM!!!

PROMPT 22 - THE EFFORT

...........................................................................
SKY'S THE LIMIT


on an overcast
afternoon the sky
a blue wispy smoke
the sun
high among the
clouds overhead
looking up
into the firmament
from my backside
on the lawn
i spy
the profile of
Shakespeare
his beard drifting
off to the east
followed by his head
now a stack of
fluffy pancake shapes
since they are dark
mud cakes
connected
by a tubular cord
umbilical in nature
pulling a huge dim-eyed
smiley face
so it seems
behind several smaller
versions floating beneath
and they all
dissipate
ever so slowly
merging into other
shapes

PROMPT 18 - THE EFFORT

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

1 IS THE LONE NUMBER

i am the

lone wolf 

running with the pack

sometimes

running away

refusing to conform

doing whatever it takes to

keep them safe

not always playing

nice being wild

unpredictable always

on the prowl always

looking for new

prey

PROMPT 17 - THE EFFORT

..........................................................................................
IF I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME...
.................................................................................

i would return to
those days of yesteryear
those times of innocence
when my only worries
were what will                    

i play today or
what mama made for
dinner or
what papa was
gonna bring me back
from town with
that quarter i made
shelling string beans

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT 16

===========================================
FREEDOM SOUNDS LIKE


in all things
in all ways
we need freedom
let freedom ring
from restraining
our growth
especially of mind stuff
that slave mentally
syndrome
holding us back
let it ring
from resentment
of days past
of servitude
of yassuh and yasmam
and yes
lest we forget
our minds are still
enslaved still
locked into a semi-conscious
state of lock-down
as we people who
are darker than blue
are locked up
each day and night
of our existence
for being and looking                        
for thinking and acting
like who we are
freedom's children
but don't you hear
that liberty bell
clapping in your ear
it's time to
let freedom ring
so we can
too

                                                     

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT 15

==========================================
FRUITLESS


unable to conceive
much too barren
to receive
fertilization                  

of the soil beneath
which craves
sun rays
to melt
for love
to be felt inside
these are
must needs for
life seeds
to grow

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #14

#############################################
GROUNDED FOR LIFE



sad to be a bird
that is unable
to take flight for
with a broken wing
although you were
born to fly racing
the wind floating
effortlessly on air
this malady                                  
impedes your growth

stunts your progress
to the next level
of life as you
ponder  in
despair and discontent
knowing full well
you should be soaring
with the clouds above
not mired to
the ground below

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #13

#######################################################
LIVING IT OUT

the love of all things
writing has me holding
fast since a child
needing to put words
on paper
string and thread them
 like beads in meaningful
patterns
put words together like
puzzle pieces
perfectly fitted
making them create
something new
something to foster
this dream this
notion that i can
and do now
make poetry
like no one else  has

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #12

###############################################################
on a sunny day
the earth opens up
her loving arms to embrace
the wonderfulness of all
creation

on a sunny day
young men and women
laugh and bask in
the rays of their dreams

on a sunny day
dark old voices
laugh behind their backs
at time wasted
dreaming idle dreams

on a sunny day
things are simple
now there is no
time to spare

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #11

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FISHING WITH PAPA


Papa shoveled a pile of
Dark rich soil from the
Cabbage patch at my feet
With hordes of wriggly earth-worms
Sticking up out of their
Homes where we plucked them
Squirming into an empty
Crisco can and
Headed out Papa leading the way
Into predawn darkness
Past an abandoned farmhouse
On our way to the creek
Deep in the woods
Quiet as pantry mice we
Slipped legless creepy crawlers
Onto our hooks and tossed
Our lines into the still waters
Dark like the night where my
Line came back empty
Papa's line yielded a crop of
Flapping
Slinky
Slippery
Frightening fish which I quickly
Carried back home past the
Abandoned farmhouse
Papa and the rising sun
Following far behind

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #10

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

no shelter



street corner sign
posted says
no standing bus stop
no standing
where should i sit
i said
on the curb
in the rain
like a fool
stupid rule
i say
not you
my friend says
motor vehicles
i know that i said
not really knowing
no longer standing
at the bus stop

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #9

Okay, so I'm a day early this week.


Crooked Horn


Check out horn man on the corner
Blowin'
Music flowin'
In the wind
Crooked horn moanin' and groanin'
And
Risin' to a level
Where it's never been
People out shoppin'
Stop and listen
Horn man riffin'
Scattin' and scalin'
Crooked horn wailin'
Horn man playin'
Some jazzy be-bop refrain
Reminiscent of Bird
Prez
Coleman Hawkins
John Coltrane
A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme
Listen to the crooked horn
Scream
Notes risin' and drivin'
Crissin' and crossin'
And
Hornman endorsin'
His lyrical flow with
A melody
Warm and tender
Check out
Horn man on the corner
Blowin'
In sweet surrender