11:45 AM

parents gather at the corner
as first graders flood from the bus
like cats
on fire

Incubating Beneath this Earthen Breast

An acorn is like an egg
that gives birth to a tree
instead of a chicken.

Napowrimo: Mid-Month Assessment

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

Alright! I've made it to April 15th! That means 15 days down, 15 to go. I have to confess that I've been dog tired of poetry for the past few days, and I think it shows, but I have the satisfaction of having stuck with the challenge so far, and have published something every day. I think slogging through my taxes over the past few days probably contributed to my mid-month slump, so I'm looking forward to catching a second wind now that the IRS joy is behind me.

So here's to pressing on. Buckle up, and prepare yourself for more bad poetry!

What Does a Dozen Do?

A dozen does fine as a number of eggs
or of cupcakes, or doughnuts.

Roses often come in dozens.
Tribes and disciples too.

Some dozens are dirty,
and others are cheap
(selling for as little as a dime).

Bakers can't seem to count them properly.

There are a dozen months in a year
and two dozen hours in a day.

A dozen drummers drumming
makes for a happy song,
but a dozen dozens can be gross.

A dozen does very well
in the duodecimal system.

With all these wondrous things a dozen does,
I wonder what a dozen doesn't?

Rendered

My tax
is paid in full,
and Caesar now is glad
to render back to me a coin
or two.

Escapees

The tears
unavoidably
find a way out.
Like crickets
in a pet store.

What Size?

Small.
I mean, Tall.

These words
are not interchangeable
under any circumstances.

Except at Starbucks.

The Final Word

The final word was finished:
accomplished and achieved.
Sorted out and brought about,
and now at last complete.

Compassed and concluded,
decided, dispatched, done.
Through with and fulfilled.
Over. Overcome.

All had been performed,
ended and resolved.
Satisfied and settled,
and paid out for us all.

And so the work was finished,
and so the word was said,
but life was just beginning,
for Life cannot stay dead.

Dinnertime Overture

Lisa asks kindly for carrots and peas.
Levi wants veggies, but doesn’t say please.
Logan wants chocolate and candy instead.
Cambren is throwing his peas at my head.

“Here you go Lisa, there’s toast on the way.
Levi, remember your manners,” I say.
“Logan, you can’t have dessert before food.
Cambren, stop doing that – throwing is rude.”

Lisa is chewing and smiling at me.
Levi is working on phrasing his plea.
Logan decides he wants ice cream tonight.
Cambren resumes helping carrots take flight.

National Ignition Facility

Limitless, safe, carbon-free energy!
Tiny, pea-sized fuel capsule. Micrograms:
deuterium and tritium atoms.
Newton's Third Law. Inertial confinement.
Giant lasers, experimental shots.
Explode! Break the megajoule barrier!
Trigger rapid, intense heating! Plasma
temperatures melt any known substance!
Thermonuclear fusion reactions:
the power of a miniature sun.


(I synthesized this poem from the news article "Friendly 'Death Star' Laser to Recreate Sun's Power". It uses only words and phrases found in the original article and fuses them into a metric grid format consisting of 10 lines of 10 syllables each.)