What Joy

Light seeping through eyelids.
Faint sounds, aromas, spring
bids. Get up and enjoy.

Morning prayer
with vanilla scented coffee.

Scattering blue and violet
capaciousness unfurls me.

Green butterflies flapping
wings. Whirring summer chorus
on grass-scented breeze.

Scented purple spikes, best friend
of the bee, aromatherapy for me.

Fuzzy bodies, tiny wings,
turning pollen into tasty things,
buzzy workers stay away,
my hair needs none of you today.

Dirt beneath my fingernails,
fragrant perfumes tickling
my nose. Ripe fruit from
the vine is an artist’s dream

Rustling palm fronds, the scrape of
leaves, languid air, yearning.
Tiny in stature, up high in the palm tree,
adding to my joy with his amazing song.

Lifting Spirits. Bobbing head.
Moving feet. Air guitar.
A remnant of painter’s tape —
chalky, gummy — stripped
from the refinished hardwood.

Choice cut marinated
in balsamic vinegar, soy sauce,
Dijon mustard, and coffee.

Tiny red spuds boiled and mixed
with ricotta cheese, butter
and pepper. Make my mouth water.

Nuked, multi-colored dots,
brown lava in my mouth.

Flour, sugar, cocoa, butter, heat,
pure joy in the pan, good enough to eat.

Soft fur, tiny padded feet
click, click, click on cool ceramic tiles.
The sound of his snoring
beside me, his soft brown fur,
and caramel colored eyes.

Your voice gives me breath,
your image is like water.
My child, asleep, her breath
against my neck.

The rush of oxytocin when
your arms squeeze me tight
is pure delight.

Original prompt: Write a poem about something that brings you joy.

Kris Lovekin, Gudelia Vaden, Natalie Champion, Frances T. Borella, Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Nan Friedley, Thomas Vaden, Sherre Vernon,Debby Johnson, Joseph Milazzo, Dar Stone, Janine Pourroy Gamblin, Julie Fredericksen, Cati Porter, Veronica Ortega, John DiFusco, Ginger Galloway, Cindi Neisinger, Robin Longfield, Burcu Misirli Chatham, Barbara Berg

May Day Mayday!

Mayday! Mayday! The freezer isn’t working,
the printer doesn’t print and the toilet
paper disappeared! HELP!!!!!

Dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot
Who has the key to my front door?
The scientist? The politician? The TV talking head?
Some kid brought my fast food and left it on the porch.
I hope the cook wrapped the vaccine in bacon.

Mayday, mayday! I have all this
dog food, but no dog. Help,
here come the crows! Will they eat it?

Mayday, mayday! I can’t
find my coffee cup so
the windows won’t open. Help!

Help I need somebody! The Beatles screamed
I screamed back decades later
All you need is love.

Mayday, mayday! My mental heath
is a mess. Friends? Wine? Yes!

Princess Tabitha sound asleep in her crate
She looks so innocent but don’t be fooled
She’s a tiger in disguise. Mayday!

Mayday! Mayday! The purple
leprechauns replaced my brain
with tater tots to negotiate with
the alien Elvis impersonators
for the return of their missing left socks.

Not a nibble of chocolate in sight.
“Dire consequences,” gurgled the washer
as it devoured all the socks.

Wear Mork & Mindy face masks
and My Favorite Martian gloves.

Binge-watching the TV,
Read all my books
Pulled all the weeds
Cleaned crannies and nooks
Planted the garden
Washed the dog, even clipped it
Still can’t go shopping
Still haven’t whipped it
Waxed all the floors
Cleaned out the closet
“Tidy” doesn’t fit me
It’s the virus that caused it
Mayday, Save me, Mayday.

Mayday! Mayday! Feeling
too comfy inside, forgetting
how it was to live outside!

Mayday, come and help me! The carpet
under my feet is not grassy enough,
the wood floors not like dirt, my tendrils
are reaching for oranges and flowers,
my roots still waiting for water from the clouds.

Mayday! Mayday! All the chickens are gone!
All the chilies are gone! All the garlic is gone!
OK. I don’t need the toilet paper after all.

Original prompt: Write a poem about May Day, mayday mayday!

Barbara Berg, Natalie Champion, Kamelyta Noor, Kris Lovekin, James Luna, Burcu Misirli Chatham, Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Cati Porter, Dar Stone, Raine Lefaivre-Naggi, Tom Vaden, Debby Johnson, Gudelia Vaden, Cindy Bousquet Harris

Pandemic Pantoum

Tediously familiar, each déjà vu
I pile them slowly, brick by brick
Morning espresso, evening beer for two
Listening to metered time, tick, tick, tick

I pile them slowly, brick by brick
Morning coffee and oatmeal for two,
Listening to metered time, tick, tick, tick
My daughter is gifting me a colorful mask, whoo!

Morning coffee and oatmeal for two,
Daydreaming of when there’s no fear of the sick.
My daughter is gifting me a colorful mask, whoo!
Did the first two months of the Pandemic

Daydreaming of when there’s no fear of the sick.
Spring is here but little left to do.
Did the first two months of the Pandemic
Buying cheap gas, $2.19, whoo hoo!

Spring is here but little left to do.
May not see it again, so fill it up quick
Buying cheap gas, $2.19, whoo hoo
What about watching tonight a chick flick?

May not see it again, so fill it up quick.
Pudgy little fingers and a delightful coo.
What about watching tonight a chick flick?
I hear, I see, “chirp chirp,” “bark,” but no moo.

Pudgy little fingers and a delightful coo.
Princess Tabitha’s claws click click click.
I hear, I see, “chirp chirp,” “bark,” but no moo.
She said, “it’s a nice pick.”

Princess Tabitha’s claws click click click.
Morning espresso, evening beer for two.
She said, “it’s a nice pick.”
Tediously familiar, each déjà vu.

Original prompt: Write two lines of poetry, one with an -ick ending and one with an -ooh ending, to piece together into a pantoum.

by Natalie Champion, Gudelia Vaden, Nan Friedley, Juanita Mantz, Debby Johnson, Dar Stone, Barbara Berg, Burcu Misirli Chatham,

Of the Senses this Nonsense Make a Kind of Mind

The poet said “Slam”, while jammers jammed and jammed.
Sally said “stop” but the drum drummed on
Punk rock python pranced and danced
while crawling to The Cramps

Dizzy drunken dotards downed
a dozen Dunkin’ Donuts.
Dragons, tails sagging, lagging
and lollygagging behind wagons

Megalomaniacal megalodon
Dim sum bok choy kuey teow right now.
The dog jumped over the moon
while the cat ticked off the spoon

Frogs find fly fishing fabulous fun!
Hogs and dogs swimming with frogs in bogs
Think pink wink zinc blink drink then sink, link?
Lint, splints, and raspberry blintzes are good.

Vessels wrestle, then settle in nests
I hope to soon see a cornucopia of my gardens delights.
Zero the Zithersmith, perched on a precipice,
plucked with flourish as his melody floated on a zephyr.

Milo Morris jumped over Princess Tabitha and she flew out the window
She shot out like a rocket!
Huffing puffing power walker,
masked neighborhood stalker.

There’s death! To sling the wish’d coil awry,
and spurn not a pale contumely calamity.
Orotund rebounders don
haute couture before going boating.

Original prompt: Write a line of poetry with an emphasis on the sound and not the meaning.

Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Rose Y. Monge, Sharon Sekhon, Robin Longfield, Rob McMurray, Julianna M. Cruz, Douglas McCulloh, Natalie Champion, Becca Spence Dobias, Frances T. Borella, Nan Friedley, Joseph Milazzo, Debby Johnson, Steve Perry, Dar Stone, Gudelia Vaden, Kamelyta Noor, Barbara Berg, Raine Lefaivre-Naggi

At Home in the World: A Haiku Chain

The city below
Wind dancing with bleached clouds
Squirrel on the wall

A black-eyed junco singing
Come, come outside why don’t you
Please do not tempt me

Glorious bird songs
Floating in on soft breezes
Lift my heart with joy

The scent of blue blooms
Is heady and thick, like sage
I know I’m not sick

It is still gray dawn
I go walk and see no one
Just me and song birds

Snail shell mobile home
Gastropod revs the engine
Marks a slimy path

Tree, you are tangled
Branches leaning, white and gray
Lifting bough, blue lid

A tall palm trunk
Hugged tight by a grapevine
One grows, one not

The egret looks white
Long beak searching for water
In my back yard pond

A lonesome red rose
Seduces me with fragrance
Soothing my senses

Spring green grass reaches
A golden summer moment
Already knowing

Cascading pink sage
Climbing iceberg rose in bloom
Wind scattered ashes

Birds perching in peace
Children laugh very loudly
Kitchen smells so good

From my red armchair
A profusion of roses
Through water-stained glass

Original prompt: Write a haiku

Kamelyta Noor, Robin Longfield, Steve Perry, Frances T. Borella, Rose Y. Monge, Gudelia Vaden, Burcu Misirli Chatham, Barbara Berg, Nan Friedley, Dar Stone, Natalie Champion,
Debby Johnson, Kris Lovekin, Cati Porter

“Why Does Everyone Hate Me?,” an Exclusive Interview with Cyrus Coronavirus

Cyrus Coronavirus was
an ordinary, average virus
living in an ordinary, average
body, but one day he decided
he’d like to see the world.

Being a tiny fellow he clung
to the threads of wind
as they moved past, landing
every so often on an
unsuspecting human. He may be
a tiny speck but he was
quite friendly, and determined
to meet as many people as possible.

He flitted and floated, then
wafted and wandered.
He sailed in the wind, so
he could hover and linger.

Inquiring minds want to know: How did you travel so far so fast?

“I used to live in bats. I got tired
of caves. People would be
more interesting but things just didn’t
work out. People are so paranoid.”

“Bat to bat to bat. My fly-by-night life
spent in the comforting warmth
of chiroptera guano and spit.
Yet, like every virus, my soul stirs
with a yearning to jump, to take leap
of faith, to… Hey, I wonder where
that guy is going. Crown me, Baby!”

There a lot of unanswered questions. How did you wind up here?

“Yeah yeah. People are so judgmental,
they want to place all the blame on me,
I can’t help it if they don’t wash their hands.”

[Deadpan:] “I am Coronavirus.
I am a silent, creeping plague
coming to get you. Run, run
as fast as you can!”

“But first, an alibi. How to begin—
by bat in Wuhan? A misstep in a laboratory?
A cruise ship, or an air voyage? Replicate
and float in the air like dandelion seeds?
Muddied, muddled possibilities make
for silent, secret travels. Chaos and confusion,
my advance men; death, a heavy angel
behind me, and within me, its breath
fueling me on— such sustenance
for a long, long journey.
Oh, oh, the places to go!”

“I might be here and there,
everywhere, but remember,
all because of you,
my first host was a wild animal
came too close to people
because of you,
and I just jumped over
as I always do…”

I understand you have been coping with a lot of hidden biases…

[Snarkily:] “Watch out for me for I’m the unseen
Don’t get too close I am COVID 19.
Don’t wash your hands, wearing a mask just won’t do
Because I’m COVID 19 and I’m coming for you!”

“Here comes the nasty virus,
better be careful, he doesn’t discriminate,
you can be beautiful, young or old.
He’s like the big bad wolf!
Hurry, run as fast as you can!”

“Young ladies laying on the beach beware
You certainly get the men to stare
Virus-like a ghost
Looking for a host
That’s something you do not want to share.”

“I’m a tiny tim virus, but I attack like a bandit,
robbing and killing my host. Be very afraid
of me. I will get you if you let your
mask down. “Danger Will Danger!”

I detect some sarcasm here. How would you prefer to be remembered?

“Think of me as that hunky, popular guy
in high school. I made you feel too weak
to resist, hot all over and took your breath
away. Just this time, I didn’t give it back.”

[Deep sigh:] “I am COVID-19! I’m tiny but mighty!
I’m your uninvited squatter.
My super power is to haunt you
day and night. But can you give me
a break? Didn’t I bring you together
with your family, friends and community?
Cherish those moments! When I say
adieu, remember my lessons. Don’t
take anyone or anything for granted!“

I understand that you can’t speak for all, but what would your brethren say?

“We’d love to take a bow or three,
but for the fact we’re too small to see.”

Any final thoughts?

“Please have sympathy, I implore,
it’s always such a chore
to move from host to host
when the last one could give no more.”

“Why is everyone so mad at me?
I’m just doing my job.”

“Drat! Lysol.”

Original prompt: Write from the perspective of the novel coronavirus

Thomas Vaden, Robin Longfield, Rose Y. Monge, Burcu Misirli Chatham, Nan Friedley, Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Debby Johnson, James Luna, Frances T. Borella, Gudelia Vaden, Dar Stone Natalie Champion, Cati Porter, Barbara Berg, Douglas McCulloh, Rick Champion, Raine Lefaivre-Naggi, Becca Spence Dobias

Generations

It’s not like this hasn’t
happened before
The “Spanish” flu pandemic
during the first World War

Pandemic, Spanish flu,
coronavirus. it’s designed
to sicken and potentially
destroy us

A mask can transform, disguise,
conceal, and amuse, It also
offers hope, strength,
and protection for a nation’s rebirth

People wearing gloves and masks
afraid of silent, creeping plague
A mask for protection,
a task for correction

We need to post No Spitting
signs like in 1918 Spanish flu
or pass out spittoons.
You spit, I kick

1919 panic touted
ingesting Turpo, akin
to today’s Lysol vitriol
Pass me the Vapo Rub!

The mother of all pandemics,
along with her naughty children
Hankies in hand,
treatments without a cure

Look at online museum for inspiration: https://museum.aarc.org/galleries/influenza-pandemic/

Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Gudelia Vaden, Kamelyta Noor, Natalie Champion, Debby Johnson, Thomas Vaden, Frances J. Vasquez, Dar Stone

Another Day in Paradise Quarantine

Saturday morning need to go to the grocery store
(Good food)
Then come home to mop my kitchen floor.
(Puts me in a good mood.)

An Italian cannoli is found only in my dreams
(Waiting, hoping, wishing for some answers,)
With cherries, chocolate and sweet ricotta cream.
(Yet not getting from any sources.)

I need me some chicken taco
(Sometimes I scream without a sound)
So I can dance A-go-go with a bongo!
(Picasso would be oh so proud)

Turning on her favorite alternative radio station,
(I know that I am running late.)
She wonders what will happen to the state of the nation
(I am blaming it on the State.)

Oh to dance and prance—
(Sunny Saturday, still we stay inside,)
Got any Lysol by chance?
(except maybe for a walk, or a ride)

Sunny day in the lovely city
(I sit alone outside, except for my dog)
Sitting in the living room with my lovely kitty
(A book, warm sun, goodbye quarantine fog)

Taking this day for creative endeavors
(My first painting class starts promptly at two)
Soaking up sunshine and the perfect weather
(Says ‘black canvas’ called for, hope white will do.)

Original prompt: Two lines of ten syllables that rhyme, and maybe involve food.

by Debby Johnson, John DiFusco, Frances T. Borella, Natalie Champion, Barbara Berg, Burcu Misirli Chatham, Cati Porter, Gudelia Vaden, Rick Champion, Frances J. Vasquez, Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Janine Pourroy Gamblin, Dar Stone, Kamelyta Noor

Schrodinger’s Banana

Yellow banana from Southern lands
how did you end up in my hands?

Yellow banana, your life ended,
sunny disposition befriended.

Banana. You look so sweet, you hang
so nice. If I was wise, I’d eat you.

Monoculture leaves hunger hanging.
I hung ten but I ate nine!

The yellow delicious banana is so
tasty it flows in your mouth magically.

Why am I all by myself here, while
I still have days to live? Open too soon,

a cracking stem shows your youth. Wait too late,
brown spots and sweet ripeness brings mature truths.

My ripe hunger is suspended, a yellow
forgetfulness. Platano, platano

(banana), how did you get here? Ready
for me to eat. Swing low sweet banana

waiting for to feed me tonight. Safely
quarantining away from my usual

bunch. On the hook, we’re all responsible
for what happens next; we’re all bananas

here. Banana by any other name
is still banana. No matter which way

you hang it. Afraid, yet optimistic,
clinging to hope, not ready to slip from

my skin. I am undone by my own brilliance
once again—my leap of self preservation

has led to this—ever so slowly, my skin
will brown, then blacken—someone may take

notice of the flies, the sweet stickiness
of the floor below. All was revealed

to me, as I descended the conveyor
belt from the boat, so far from home. My sweet

reach touches metal, my warmth sizzles against
cool. Millimeter by millimeter

my pale skin loosens. I hold still until.
Too anxious to find out if its taste will

be like a forgotten candy from
a Halloween so long ago or so

overly ripe that it would make fruit flies
dizzy, I’ll hang Schrodinger’s banana

here. A spacey shopper abandoned me.
His sweater is in a bowl by the sink.

Original prompt: Ekphrasis after an image from Rattle.com to be entered for their ekphrastic poetry contest.

by Debby Johnson, Robin Longfield, Barbara Berg, Frances J. Vasquez, Ai Miyamoto Kelley, Nan Friedley, Rob McMurray, Natalie Champion, Cati Porter, Dar Stone, Joseph Milazzo, Gudelia Vaden, Thomas Vaden, Rick Champion, Robert Merrill, Rakhi Shelat, Cindi Neisinger, Burcu Misirli Chatham

Are We There Yet?

We question our future, when, where, how?
We question everything? An interrogation?
Questioning reality, questioning the questions?
How can we continue with the monotony of this existence?
Are our urges now without frontiers?
Much posturing and pandering; let’s discern what’s true, no?
When will we get answers to our questions?
Is this impossible and inevitable?
Is this a nightmare? Perhaps just a figment of my imagination?
Dreams are just destiny and luck? Follow your dreams?
Are dreams fluff and mist, or just beyond our fingertips?
Is this pain in my chest a lonely heart or a symptom of something else?
I can see love, but when will I feel loves connection??
Why not be happy now?
Will our tomorrows bring more sighs and sadness or joy and cheers?
I know the past, but what will this new day bring?
When will my old endings become my new beginnings?
If we question all the answers, how will we answer any question?
Does everything I write have to be profound, or is there room for irreverence?
We’re all Scots now with upward inflection?
What time is the Seniors’ Early entry Line at Trader Joe’s?
Why am I hungry all day all the time?????
Enjoying the lovely spring weather in San Francisco,
but wondering when this pandemic will end?

Original prompt: One line of poetry ending on a question?

Frances J. Vasquez, Rakhi Shelat, Natalie Champion, John DiFusco, Rose Y. Monge, Barbara Berg, Burcu Misirli Chatham, Cati Porter, Rick Champion, Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Nan Friedley, Magdalena Nunez, Debby Johnson, Kamelyta Noor, Gudelia Vaden, Tom Vaden, Dar Stone, Rob McMurray, Raine Lefaivre-Naggi, Ai Miyamoto Kelley, Cindy Bousquet Harris, Joseph Milazzo, Frances T. Borella