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

This Country Girl--Zorga

1.       Zorga

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

This Country Girl

1              This country girl ain’t afraid of throwing hay all dressed up.

                Animals still gotta get fed no matter what I wear.

                Going to work in a nice shirt or beautiful sweater

                There is sure to be a stray piece of hay on me somewhere.

5              But I really don’t give a care ‘coz it’s all part of the life.

                If you look down on me for that, it’s no skin off my back.

    This country girl ain’t afraid of throwing hay all dressed up.

                Stalls hav’ta get mucked out too, no matter the style of shoe.   

                Pumps, flats, sandals—it really don’t make me no never mind,

10            Or so the old clichéd saying goes in my family.

                Shoes can always be cleaned and polished up after all.

                Animals shouldn’t have to stand in their own excrement.

    This country girl ain’t afraid of throwing hay all dressed up.

                Bales gotta get moved from place to place, so, sorry manicure.

15            Dirt under my nails from who knows what is a common thing.

                A schmear of horse snot across my shoulder is nothin’ new.

                It just shows you I’ve got lots of work left for me to do

                After I give the horses some loves and bunches of scritches.

    This country girl ain’t afraid of throwing hay all dressed up.

20            And I’ll put oil in my truck dressed up just like this too.

                Thanks for the offer of your help, but I’m almost done now.

                I know how to read the dipstick just fine, just a quart low.

                Yes, I have to sit in the engine compartment to reach.

                But ya now, seeing your look, that’s part of the fun for me.

25            This country girl ain’t afraid of throwing hay all dressed up.

                I’ll strut around with dust on my shoes and hay in my hair.

                Not because I just don’t care, but because it’s how I live.

                I’ll do what city girls won’t, ‘cause I’m not afraid of dirt.

                I don’t have to wait for a man to help me finish chores.

30            Yes, I’d like the help, but this country girl can get ‘er done.

Zitch

      Zitch

Stanzas	3
Lines	8/stanza = 24 lines
Syllable/Words	12 syllables
Rhymes	2/stanza
Repeat

Unrhymed version

Birthday Suprises

1              Got to school to learn it was a delayed start day.

    “Go figure,” I thought, as it had snowed ‘slush’ overnight.

                As I walked into the staff meeting my friends yelled,

                “Happy Birthday, Miss Cook!” and boy did I turn red!

5              At least the whole staff didn’t break out into song,

                I would have sunk into the floor if they had.

                It was a nice feeling, none the less, to know they cared.

                Funny how it’s the small stuff that becomes important.

                My friends, after that, decided spur-of-the-moment

10            That we needed to go out to a nice dinner.

                I heard them up and down the hall, to all the staff

                To come and eat out somewhere with all of us.

                I’m not sure where we’re going at this point in time

                But I do know a good time will be had by all.

15            Just sitting and laughing with good friends is good for me.

                Funny how it’s the small stuff that becomes important.

               

                The students in my third hour then surprised me.

                First by remembering that it was my birthday,

                Then by spontaneously breaking into song.

20            It was cute, it was funny, it was WAY off key.

                They tried to talk me into a free day from work,

                I laughed, and told them their present was to do their work.

                They groaned and laughed, but got to work anyway.

                Funny how it’s the small stuff that becomes important.