—Sue McMahon, Cameron Park, CA
The Corona Virus reign of terror has begun
Spreading also
This ugly virus will soon pass
BLOOMS
—Sue Crisp, Shingle Springs, CA
This meadow beside
the canal is in
full springtime blooms.
Flowers of foxglove,
wildflower, in madras colors
tousle in a rag doll dance,
in the mild breeze.
Nature at its best,
to feed the eyes
and soul.
ALLERGY SEASON
There must be some
Shit in the air.
I’m sneezing
Like a sieve!
Oh, my darling!
Please forgive?
My sneezing!
I feel
I have,
Still, some
Love to give!
TOADS
—Joseph Nolan
Toads must eat
So eat, they do,
Gobbling down,
No teeth to chew,
Something slimy
Must get through,
Down to their briny tummies.
What else is a toad to do?
Toads do not have proms to dance.
Few are those
Who’d kiss a toad,
To spring a prince by chance.
It’s been ages since
Many a toad has been kissed.
Few, if any,
Toad’s a prince.
Surely, it will be ages hence
‘Fore anyone springs a prince
From a toad.
_________________
CHAMELEON AND FLY
—Joseph Nolan
An amazing chameleon
Devoured a fly
So slyly,
It did not know why
It suddenly disappeared.
That was just as I feared.
I who observe
The disappearance of flies
And other anomalies
That go unexplained,
Like the disappearance
Of pain.
Should we all be happy
Or should we all be sad
If a chameleon
Devours a fly—
In pain—
And swallows it
In the rain?
ON THE OTHER SIDE
—Joseph Nolan
I am almost on the other side, already.
The dead are always with me.
I see shadows bounding
With the grace of youth,
Thus, so reborn,
Without pain or grief;
Death has brought relief,
Bright with newness.
This is nature’s way—
That death shall bring renewal.
The souls of even lowly dogs
Will bound away,
Lightly, like on legs of deer,
The way they would have liked to
When they were old,
Still by our sides,
On this side of the veil.
Who can tell
If any of this is real,
Or just a way to feel
Or to believe?
Or only just
What I see
When I close my eyes,
When I’m waking up
Or when I’m dreaming?
It’s only what has come to me
And so I pass it on.
____________________
LEAF ON RIVER
—Joseph Nolan
A leaf
Fell onto river
Floated to the ocean
Without emotion,
Without a care.
A leaf
Without a care,
The river,
Its destiny,
Or maybe
The ocean,
In which it disappeared.
CARTOON VAMPIRES IN THE HALLWAY
—Norman J. Olsen
Vampires hang upside down
We know that ghouls masturbate
Old civil servants sit at
___________________
REFLECTIONS ON THE FLOOR IN THE HALLWAY
—Norman J. Olsen
The fake stone floor reflects
An elevator full of skeletons grins
The monsters of the id do flips
I am eating a taco salad.
An old man with a shaved head is putting the
IN THE CORNER
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
physical workouts
that push the envelope
greater strength
greater stamina
tips from the best
in the business
winning strategies
dos and don’ts
all bets are on
all bets are off
there will be no match
we have lost the fight
put the blame on those
very stupid precautions
money not well spent
toss them in the garbage
“stay home” is the new
safety requirement
we can all beat this
if we keep our distance
_________________
DISTANCING (2)
—Caschwa
Hydrogen
Atomic Number 1
is the least dense of
all the chemical elements
therefore
we may expect our
government to ask us to
imitate it to achieve
distancing goals
dioxides not invited
GO AWAY
—Caschwa
this morning a man
stepped all the way
up to our front door
clad only in his PJs
the security screen
held firm, the dead
bolts solidly in place
thankfully he just
went back to bed
with no more drama
___________________
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE XXXII
—Caschwa
when the police are attempting
the heroic arrest of a notorious
scoundrel, and failing to find one,
they still count it a good day
if they can just hang that guilty
cloak on any passerby
___________________
Today’s LittleNip(s):
HOW RUDE!
—Joseph Nolan
Little matters these days,
Except for avoiding a virus.
It is a mean little monster.
It has us wearing masks
And staying in solitude.
We cannot see
Each other smile.
How rude!
* * *
NOTE TO SELF
—Caschwa
I shot a flaming arrow
straight up into the air
drab colors nicely hidden by
the awesome glowing flare
next time, I’ll try that
outdoors
____________________
Our thanks to today’s bouquet of poets, including newcomer Sue McMahon (more from her later, and welcome, Sue!). Lots of talk about allergy season, politics and the virus—all mean monsters, indeed!
The Voices of Lincoln 16th annual Poetry Contest is accepting poems from now until July 18. Entry forms and contest rules can be downloaded at friendsofthelincolnlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/Voices-of-Lincoln.pdf/.
Poetry Archive in England is holding an open mic from April 10-20. Make a recording of your poem and get it heard! Go to poetryarchive.org/news/poetry-archive-now-poems-for-2020-launches-april-10th-2020 for details.
___________________
—Medusa, mumbling through her face mask ~
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.