His Chair

      Zozo

Stanzas	3
Lines	6 lines, 7 lines, 8 lines = 21 lines
Syllable/Words	15 syllables/line
Rhymes
Repeat

His Chair

1              I used to feel no compunction about sitting in his chair

                After he’d made his way upstairs, going to bed for the night.

                Now the dark blue La-Z-boy recliner sits where its’ always sat,

                In the corner of the living room, partially blocking a door,

5              But the family doesn’t sit in it, unless company comes.

                No one has said, “Don’t sit in Grampy’s chair,” it’s just understood.

                That’s where Grampy has sat since my first memory as a kid;

                In his recliner, surveying through the big picture window.

                Random comments about what he saw would boom across the room

10            And he’d expect a comment back agreeing with what he said.

                His decrees about life from his throne were often times funny

                Especially when he was watching all the evening news shows;

                He definitely thought he could do a better job than most.

                Everyone knew to wave as they went by, whether you saw him or not,

15            Just in case, or you’d hear about it the next time he saw you.

                It was all in the good nature of ribbing between neighbors.

                If anyone needed help with anything Grampy was there.

                If advice was needed for a project, he’d give you plenty,

                Especially if it was planting a vegetable garden.

20            He’d watch from his chair in the living room as neighbors planted

                Shaking his head and planning his next bit of advice to give.

One Day I’ll Touch the Sunrise

 Zorga

Stanzas	5
Lines	6 = 30 lines
Syllable/Words	14 syllable/line
Rhymes
Repeat	Line 1

One Day I’ll Touch the Sunrise

1              On the east face of a mountain I will arise early

                Lay out my talismans from my medicine bundle

                The sage and cedar I gathered will burn in my fire

                I sit, awaiting the first rays of the morning sun

5              To touch my hair then forehead, eyes then ears, and lastly mouth

                And one day, when I have the wisdom, I will touch the sunrise.

                On the east face of a mountain I will arise early

    The sun kisses my hair like a father kisses a child’s head

                It strokes my hair as a mother cuddles an infant close

10            The sun wraps me in its’ secure gossamer embrace.

                As it brushes my forehead peace invades and conquers me

                Tranquil thoughts I want to spread over the world’s circumference.

    On the east face of a mountain I will arise early

                The sun will burn the sights of war and chaos from my eyes                        

15            Meadows of wildflowers in shade of yellow, white, blue

                With butterflies flitting to sip their nectar will remain.

                My ears fill with warmth of positive words instead of screams

                Of bigoted racial and religious intolerance.

                On the east face of a mountain I will arise early

20            And learn to speak with words of humility, and wisdom

                As the sun stretches forth its’ first rays to cover my mouth.

                This way people will learn to think before they react

                With words spoken in anger without seeing the other side

                Each new day is a chance to grow and become more than now.

25            On the east face of a mountain I will arise early

                And one day I will touch the sunrise as it has touched me

                As a cleansing for all the created by man

                His ego and industry seek only to destroy

                Very few succeed in ever building people up

30                When it’s easier to trample them under you heels.

Zuma--They Dreamed

They Dreamed

                A carriage ride back to a palace she dreamed,

                Walking down the aisle her eyes were agleam.

                Her life changed in this single moment of time

                While the carillon bells sang out their sweet chime.

                In the street, people cheered to show their esteem;

                Wishing happy days and romantic moonbeams,

                And all the things that make a happy lifetime.

                A perfect way to celebrate this springtime.

                Standing at attention before the altar

                He awaits her long arrival with torture.

                Once she’s beside him, he tells her she’s beautiful,

                In a deep sigh that is completely blissful.

                With so much focus on pageantry and glamour

                It’s sweet that he remembers to honor her

                With words of love that are soft as a petal.

                His smile says that his words are completely truthful.

                Smiles grow wider as they leave the abbey.

                When the sun breaks through they pause doorway

                As if Mother Nature blesses their union

                And shines her light down upon England’s scions.

                The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wave humbly

                As the horse-drawn carriage takes them home smartly.

                They are the world’s new hope, a shining beacon.

                On a blank page a new chapter is begun.

               

Beth Ellen Cook               

4-29-2011

  

      Zuma

Stanzas	3
Lines	8/stanza = 24 lines
Syllable/Words	11 syllables
Rhymes	2/stanza: aabbaabb  ccddccdd  eeffeeff
Repeat

Zozo

      Zozo

Stanzas	3
Lines	6 lines, 7 lines, 8 lines = 21 lines
Syllable/Words	15 syllables/line
Rhymes
Repeat

A challenge from the kids to write one in 15 minutes.  Got 2 of three stanzas done.

Free My Soul

The Civil War started today, 150 years ago.

Fort Sumter was bombarded by the Conferated South;

The bloodiest moment of our young history at that time.

More Unites States citizens died in that war than another.

North fought the South over the owning of other people’s souls.

A bloody victory was claimed, the U.S. changed forever.

Battles were a lot more personal, not like they are today.

Weapons were not accurate so you had to be close to fire.

Bayonets were common place as you came face to face with foes.

You could see the fear or anger in your enemy’s dying eyes.

Hospital condition surgeries were not even thought of.

Men died from infection more often than not after surgery.

Arms and legs hacked off without the thought of anesthetics.

Free blacks and freed blacks went South to fight for others freedoms.

Crossing the Mason-Dixon Line would surely mean their doom.

They went anyway so they could save someone’s mom, dad, or son.

No more or less courageous than any other soldier.

All the soldiers fought for what they believed was right at the time.

History has proven how wrong it is to own someone’s soul.

Civil wars are raging across the face of the earth today.

Those in Tunisia, Libya, and the Gold Coast cry “Freedom!”

Beth Ellen Cook

4-12-2011

Zojavan

Zojavan: must be about natural world, spiritual world, Green Man,

            Mother Earth, Father Sun, Native American in feeling

Stanzas	4
Lines	6/ stanza= 24 total
Syllable/Words	10 words
Rhymes	a a b b c c each stanza
Repeat

Last Gasp

1              A harsh, frigid wind blew strong in the late morning.

                A portent that worse weather from the south would be coming.

                Gun metal gray skies touched the top of the mesa

                A moving wall that would blot out the sun’s nova.

5              Choking red dust hazily consumed the blue spring sky first

                Bringing Hell to Earth as if it had been cursed.

                Clouds brought in muddy rain with a worse forecast pending

                In the form of ice encrusted roads from snow blowing.

                The temperature dipped radically, striking fast like an enraged hydra.

10            The ground turned a soggy brown, a bleak, ugly vista.

                The snow refused to stick, as spring was a-burst.

                But Old Man Winter hadn’t yet given it his worst.

                The chartreuse seedpods on the trees took a hard lashing

                Yet clung with determination to the branches that were bending.

15            Not ready to fall to the earth to become flora

                They stayed hard to their branches in their pupa.

                Another week or two was needed before they would burst,

    A lucky few to land on good earth and become immersed.

                Ice enshrouded windshields throughout the cold night and next morning,

20            Melting only once the heater gets hot and starts blasting.

                Another day starts, completely different from yesterday’s wind churning saga

                Clear, cloudless azure skies spread a calm and tranquil aura.

                The hard gray clouds once more shoved aside and dispersed.

                The shiny world, bright and beautiful, waiting to be traversed.

               

Beth Ellen Cook               

4-11-2011