Barkley Dinner Art
—Poetry and Photos by Carol Louise Moon, Placerville, CA
CHECKERS
I love to play checkers with my dog
Barkley. He being mostly black, I lay
out black chips on his side of the
board. He sits upright and studious,
forelegs straight, back erect, ears
perked and tail still. His eyes shift.
His head is now cocked. It’s his turn.
It’s still his turn. Because Barkley is
black and tan, I have decided to paint
the red chips tan to match.
I love to play checkers with my dog
Barkley. He being mostly black, I lay
out black chips on his side of the
board. He sits upright and studious,
forelegs straight, back erect, ears
perked and tail still. His eyes shift.
His head is now cocked. It’s his turn.
It’s still his turn. Because Barkley is
black and tan, I have decided to paint
the red chips tan to match.
Teal Rose
MONK’S DEVOTION
(Double Cinquain)
Monk in
Taiwan
wears his yellow
robe, simple garb.
At neckline, crimson beads
he fingers with his thumb.
The crisscross bodice of his robe
crosses a heart of devotion.
Peaceful—
the man.
(Double Cinquain)
Monk in
Taiwan
wears his yellow
robe, simple garb.
At neckline, crimson beads
he fingers with his thumb.
The crisscross bodice of his robe
crosses a heart of devotion.
Peaceful—
the man.
PARADIGM BY A STREAM
(A Paradigm)
Are dreams from water?
A man counts four river rocks.
Where is a young wife?
Four cats sleeping in a barn,
newly washed rags for bedding.
His hands are burl wood;
whittling tools are by his side.
His hair is graying;
old coveralls of denim.
She sings him her heart
as wind blows through cabin cracks.
Where do her thoughts go
that he should search through thistle?
Her apron is snug,
her black hair wrapped in a bun.
The woman is hard to please.
Walnut wood is shaped,
honed—gut strings attached.
The gift of music?
A right-handed instrument
might be played using both hands.
Who needs weeds, or love—
star thistle, or a young wife?
The man strives with both.
(prev. pub. in Poppy Road Review, 2019)
Note: The Paradigm is a sampling of the
following six Japanese forms: Mondo,
Katauta, Choka, Waka, Tanka, Haiku.
(A Paradigm)
Are dreams from water?
A man counts four river rocks.
Where is a young wife?
Four cats sleeping in a barn,
newly washed rags for bedding.
His hands are burl wood;
whittling tools are by his side.
His hair is graying;
old coveralls of denim.
She sings him her heart
as wind blows through cabin cracks.
Where do her thoughts go
that he should search through thistle?
Her apron is snug,
her black hair wrapped in a bun.
The woman is hard to please.
Walnut wood is shaped,
honed—gut strings attached.
The gift of music?
A right-handed instrument
might be played using both hands.
Who needs weeds, or love—
star thistle, or a young wife?
The man strives with both.
(prev. pub. in Poppy Road Review, 2019)
Note: The Paradigm is a sampling of the
following six Japanese forms: Mondo,
Katauta, Choka, Waka, Tanka, Haiku.
Neo Tulip
THE OXPECKER BIRD, A RHINO’S BEST FRIEND
Near-sighted rhino doesn’t see
poachers approaching, but he
has ticks (bugs) for his advantage.
Oxpecker rides on his ribcage
eating tick lunch for his labor.
He feasts and serves as Rhino Guard
alerting the rhino of danger.
COUNTRY PARK CABOOSE
This red narrow-gauge caboose,
with its name nearly weathered off,
has been retired to a short section
of track here in this forever green
community park.
Children come to climb the steps
and look outside the window.
It’s fun to turn the old brake wheel
and climb the ladder still. They wonder
at what seems those audible sounds
of a brakeman’s cry: Hold tight, Joe.
At dusk the children wave good-bye
to a little bird who sits on top—
keeper of time-worn memories.
This red narrow-gauge caboose,
with its name nearly weathered off,
has been retired to a short section
of track here in this forever green
community park.
Children come to climb the steps
and look outside the window.
It’s fun to turn the old brake wheel
and climb the ladder still. They wonder
at what seems those audible sounds
of a brakeman’s cry: Hold tight, Joe.
At dusk the children wave good-bye
to a little bird who sits on top—
keeper of time-worn memories.
Today’s LittleNip:
I SOW A BETTER TOMORROW
—Carol Louise Moon
I cast away anxiety
and also foolish pride
along with fear and enmity—
these I cast aside.
I pick out seeds of better thought
and plant them in my mind
to grow and thrive and flower—
leaving doubt behind.
_______________________
—Medusa, with thanks to Carol Louise Moon (and Barkley) for today’s tidy collection of poetry and photos! Watch for another poem by Carol Louise tomorrow in Form Fiddlers' Friday!!
I SOW A BETTER TOMORROW
—Carol Louise Moon
I cast away anxiety
and also foolish pride
along with fear and enmity—
these I cast aside.
I pick out seeds of better thought
and plant them in my mind
to grow and thrive and flower—
leaving doubt behind.
_______________________
—Medusa, with thanks to Carol Louise Moon (and Barkley) for today’s tidy collection of poetry and photos! Watch for another poem by Carol Louise tomorrow in Form Fiddlers' Friday!!
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
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that which was previously-published.
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