It's Crazy Out There!

—Oil Painting by Norman J. Olsen, Maplewood, MN 
 

BE STILL
—Sue McMahon, Cameron Park, CA


The Corona Virus reign of terror has begun


Our grocery store clerks and truck drivers are heroes,


Working feverishly each day, yet unsung


As the virus silently spreads 


About our towns and country


A run on toilet paper has turned


Into hysteria, and a frenzy of feelings 


Can be seen emoting in the store aisles


I can see fear in people’s eyes


The fear of what is to become


Of our food chain supply


Though this pandemic is running rampant 


I see extraordinary love and care
Spreading also


This ugly virus will soon pass 


Everyone please do your part


Shop purposefully but don’t fill your cart


Take what you need for now


For soon we will be able to buy the whole cow


Just not yet, not today, pace yourself


Till everything is filled up again on the shelf


Have hope my friends, and be blessed 


And be thankful for all the food you have compiled


We will weather this to the end


And will be better for helping our neighbors and kin


Thank you Lord for your stillness and strength


May others see and know your 

Grace
Friends, take heed and be still ~

 Canal Blooms

—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Sue Crisp

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.

 —Art by Norman J. Olsen

ALLERGY SEASON

—Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA

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!
 

 —Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan

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?

 —Art by Norman J. Olsen

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.

 —Sketch by Norman J. Olsen

CARTOON VAMPIRES IN THE HALLWAY 

OF THE OLD ENDICOTT BUILDING
—Norman J. Olsen
 
Vampires hang upside 
down


in dark corners of the hallway, 


cartoons with 


bad breath. The hallway 


stretches in yellow perspective


from the deli to abandoned


store fronts


with mirror windows.

We know that ghouls masturbate


each other behind the windows



and birth defects and insanity


kiss and fuck.

Old civil servants sit at


cracked Formica tables


and eat


taco salad. Their faces are


reflected in mirror windows


and in


undead


cartoon eyes.

___________________

REFLECTIONS ON THE FLOOR IN THE HALLWAY 

OF THE ENDICOTT BUILDING
—Norman J. Olsen

The fake stone floor reflects


dancing spider-leg shadows        


and pools of blue and green television light.

An elevator full of skeletons grins
           

           through doors as smooth as
            

           the shadow of my hand.

The monsters of the id do flips


in the shadows while color wheels
            

           slowly spin.
I am eating a taco salad.

An old man with a shaved head is putting the


make on
            

          a vampire girl, 


black in a swirl of reflected 


television light.

 —Oil Painting by Norman J. Olsen

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

 —Oil Painting by Norman J. Olsen

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 ~

Why not? It really IS crazy out there!

—Public Domain Photo

 


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