Today's poet

[Mountain Goatess]

That's fantastic Alf...so much to do, so many hopes and dreams...yet so little time!

The Ambition Bird

So it has come to this
insomnia at 3:15 A.M.,
the clock tolling its engine

like a frog following
a sundial yet having an electric
seizure at the quarter hour.

The business of words keeps me awake.
I am drinking cocoa,
that warm brown mama.

I would like a simple life
yet all night I am laying
poems away in a long box.

It is my immortality box,
my lay-away plan,
my coffin.

All night dark wings
flopping in my heart.
Each an ambition bird.

The bird wants to be dropped
from a high place like Tallahatchie Bridge.

He wants to light a kitchen match
and immolate himself.

He wants to fly into the hand of Michelangelo
and come out painted on a ceiling.

He wants to pierce the hornet's nest
and come out with a long godhead.

He wants to take bread and wine
and bring forth a man happily floating in the Caribbean.

He wants to be pressed out like a key
so he can unlock the Magi.

He wants to take leave among strangers
passing out bits of his heart like hors d'oeuvres.

He wants to die changing his clothes
and bolt for the sun like a diamond.

He wants, I want.
Dear God, wouldn't it be
good enough to just drink cocoa?

I must get a new bird
and a new immortality box.
There is folly enough inside this one.


Anne Sexton

[Mountain Goatess]

The Face of the Day

Rain.....
friend,
to loneliness,
to sadness,
even to joy.

one sad drop,
slowly,
trickling down,
both cheeks,
of day,
and night.

she is,
so beautiful,
perfection,
to only the artistic eye.

beauty,
captured,
in a melancholy hymn,
of the dripping rain.

rare occasion,
most beautiful rain,
colors burst,
the sun and day,
complimenting one another,
in true perfection.

rain,
not always sad,
beautiful,
joyous,
harmonium.

tears of day, or night,
whether joyous,
or melancholy,
always end.

Colleen Delaney

[Mossdog]

Folded Linen

returning
(home)
to folded linen
and the memory of
h-a-n-d-s
which folded
it
therein
lies
a gift

Hey I really really like that - great Frecks, inspired. I won't say that I've 'cottoned on' to a pleasant theme emerging here because that would be a pun too far - wouldn't it!

[Mossdog]

The Ambition Bird

So it has come to this
insomnia at 3:15 A.M.,
the clock tolling its engine

like a frog following
a sundial yet having an electric
seizure at the quarter hour.

The business of words keeps me awake.
I am drinking cocoa,
that warm brown mama.

I would like a simple life
yet all night I am laying
poems away in a long box.

It is my immortality box,
my lay-away plan,
my coffin.

All night dark wings
flopping in my heart.
Each an ambition bird.

The bird wants to be dropped
from a high place like Tallahatchie Bridge.

He wants to light a kitchen match
and immolate himself.

He wants to fly into the hand of Michelangelo
and come out painted on a ceiling.

He wants to pierce the hornet's nest
and come out with a long godhead.

He wants to take bread and wine
and bring forth a man happily floating in the Caribbean.

He wants to be pressed out like a key
so he can unlock the Magi.

He wants to take leave among strangers
passing out bits of his heart like hors d'oeuvres.

He wants to die changing his clothes
and bolt for the sun like a diamond.

He wants, I want.
Dear God, wouldn't it be
good enough to just drink cocoa?

I must get a new bird
and a new immortality box.
There is folly enough inside this one.


Anne Sexton

That's a great posting Alf and a new one for me from Anne Sexton. Particularly relate to the 'red' verses

[Mossdog]

The Face of the Day

Rain.....
friend,
to loneliness,
to sadness,
even to joy.

one sad drop,
slowly,
trickling down,
both cheeks,
of day,
and night.

she is,
so beautiful,
perfection,
to only the artistic eye.

beauty,
captured,
in a melancholy hymn,
of the dripping rain.

rare occasion,
most beautiful rain,
colors burst,
the sun and day,
complimenting one another,
in true perfection.

rain,
not always sad,
beautiful,
joyous,
harmonium.

tears of day, or night,
whether joyous,
or melancholy,
always end.

Colleen Delaney

Blimey! That's really powerful MG. There are some great postings on this site. Many thanks.

[OneOffPoet]

Dedicated to all of you that have a race this weekend :)

Start Line

United in tension and watching the clock
Some slip into mantra, some jog on the spot
Old hands (and old legs) exude enviable calm
The newbies aren't sure there's no cause for alarm

The ambitious and fast place their toes on the line
A self-grading ritual fills the rows behind
As we size up the field, settle into our place
The most nerve-racking aspect of every race

The club runners chatter, excuses abound
"I've still got that niggle, I'm just jogging round"
Such one-downmanship ceremonies add to the nerves
Deep down we know we get the race we deserve

Our fingers and thumbs either side of a watch
The gun pointing skywards, the noise level drops
Some last minute warnings that nobody hears
The mayor fires the gun and we're off with a cheer

[Derby Tup]

Brilliant OOP! We're doing the Stanbury Splash race later this morning and I'll be chuckling at the start thinking about this

[Mountain Goatess]

Love it DT.
Hope you and Stef enjoyed Hebden and have a great race today.....well ard! :thumbup:

Dedicated to all of you that have a race this weekend

Start Line

United in tension and watching the clock
Some slip into mantra, some jog on the spot
Old hands (and old legs) exude enviable calm
The newbies aren't sure there's no cause for alarm

The ambitious and fast place their toes on the line
A self-grading ritual fills the rows behind
As we size up the field, settle into our place
The most nerve-racking aspect of every race

The club runners chatter, excuses abound
"I've still got that niggle, I'm just jogging round"
Such one-downmanship ceremonies add to the nerves
Deep down we know we get the race we deserve

Our fingers and thumbs either side of a watch
The gun pointing skywards, the noise level drops
Some last minute warnings that nobody hears
The mayor fires the gun and we're off with a cheer

[Harry H Howgill]

That's great OOP. Lovely observations about the "self-grading ritual", "get the race we deserve" and "last minute warnings that nobody hears".

It really captures the feeling about being on the start line.

Dedicated to all of you that have a race this weekend

Start Line

United in tension and watching the clock
Some slip into mantra, some jog on the spot
Old hands (and old legs) exude enviable calm
The newbies aren't sure there's no cause for alarm

The ambitious and fast place their toes on the line
A self-grading ritual fills the rows behind
As we size up the field, settle into our place
The most nerve-racking aspect of every race

The club runners chatter, excuses abound
"I've still got that niggle, I'm just jogging round"
Such one-downmanship ceremonies add to the nerves
Deep down we know we get the race we deserve

Our fingers and thumbs either side of a watch
The gun pointing skywards, the noise level drops
Some last minute warnings that nobody hears
The mayor fires the gun and we're off with a cheer

[Mountain Goatess]

Oh I do apologise for my prevoius post...I had credited DT with this poem for some reason! Doh!
So well done OOP it really is great! :thumbup:

Dedicated to all of you that have a race this weekend

Start Line

United in tension and watching the clock
Some slip into mantra, some jog on the spot
Old hands (and old legs) exude enviable calm
The newbies aren't sure there's no cause for alarm

The ambitious and fast place their toes on the line
A self-grading ritual fills the rows behind
As we size up the field, settle into our place
The most nerve-racking aspect of every race

The club runners chatter, excuses abound
"I've still got that niggle, I'm just jogging round"
Such one-downmanship ceremonies add to the nerves
Deep down we know we get the race we deserve

Our fingers and thumbs either side of a watch
The gun pointing skywards, the noise level drops
Some last minute warnings that nobody hears
The mayor fires the gun and we're off with a cheer