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Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays, Blu_Berthdae

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays
Blu_Berthdae
By Alice Shapiro

iBirth
the blue day
earth's playpen
heart's heyday

when do i stay
ahead of home-work
notice me
approach me, singing:

'appy berthdae to you

i'll stay
as long as heaven
fits your worldview
u an' me 4-evuh ... 

Alice Shapiro's most recent poem to appear here was White, published as part of Contributor Series 10: Silken Rags, in December 2011.


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Posted by Annmarie at 7/3/2012 11:46 PM | Add Comment

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays, Horse Show

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays
Horse Show
By KC Bosch

Minivan moms with coffee held high
driving at the speed of late.
Dumping loads of kids and gear,
crunching the gravel and kicking up dust.
Everyone a boss, but no one in charge.

Coolers of soda, tables of baked goods.
New clothing available to
outfit you and your horse.
Blankets and hats and shirts, scarves and neckties
show your fealty to the group.

Juan and Bobby mowing the fence, Kris on the big
Kubota circling the ring, an Olympic
freestyle act high on diesel.
Perfect rows that could put you in a trance
if you had time to stare.

Dee Dee had her foal this morning ... 
The whole farm stops to look.

KC Bosch's most recent poem to appear here was Conceived at night after too much drinking (June 2012).



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Posted by Annmarie at 7/2/2012 11:20 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays, Deliverance

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays
Deliverance
By Clarissa McFairy

Ride the horse of poetry
bare back;
do not whip it into submission
or try and break it in

This is a savage steed,
a cosmic midwife
who doesn't do C-sections,
but delivers words

in woebegone places,
without pethidine,
while cactus-mouthed coyotes
howl happy birthday

Calliope is a coyote,
but she sings solo
She lit the creative spark,
then fled on all fours

The Muse of Epic Poetry
lopes back for the birth,
but the true goddess
is the bloodied poet

Swaddled in smiles,
the poem is at the breast
from which it sprung,
and the pain subsides

Clarissa McFairy's most recent poem to appear here was La Mia Musa, published as part of Contributor Series 9: If Men Had Ears, in July 2011.

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Posted by Annmarie at 7/1/2012 11:24 PM | View Comments (3) | Add Comment

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays, I Came In With My Eyes Wide Open

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays
I Came In With My Eyes Wide Open
By Elizabeth Akin Stelling

My story is
blindly walking backwards while counting days
September    August    July     to a June bug
early one morning on the sixteenth
a few more days it would’ve meant cancer

we volunteered
were decidedly chosen and had to step over pink tricycles
dodge furry kittens on a back porch
send Sunday sock stuffed patent leather discards
laden with mud and rain
to fill with sadness out in a junk yard
where fears hold down wings
as rain beat down tattered shanties

unlocked screens slammed in response
and an old spirit was inhaling Cuba Libre sunshine
his laughter gave way    to birth as shame 
brushed scraps of truth from mother’s hair
fate was sealed    as tiny hazel eyes awakened

the smell of must and hate 
broom bristles sending dust bunny fairies dancing below the crib -
in celebration as older brother and guppies 
created flavor profiles for life
and as the boy 
was hanging heaven’s crown of thorns
on back road bottle tree sanctuary
a baby’s head lays upon the breast
it’s not wasted on veils and seasick reason

their skinny hands point toward water
where winds blow boat sails further out to sea
let’s skip sunny-sky rehearsal dinners
walk straight through chapel door reasons
white weddings aren’t for her

at times     it seems time has been spent
on long days waiting and waiting
for some purpose    out in the southern heat
so many turbulent waves could very well sink
a ship to the bottom of ocean grays

but wasting moments on tears
won’t bring back halos
it’s when dawn comes before midnight
you realize     all your stupid life    or really
just for a little while 
young girls are born to dream in summer breezes
to open their womanly eyes
where    longing patiently waits

when the lord made this girl
it wasn’t part of a bigger plan
bodies, and the ticking
ticking and ticking and ticking
the other bodies just keep ticking

but    her ticking is counter clockwise
and between you and me    it’s really just tap dancing
on a young girl’s soul.

Elizabeth Akin Stelling's most recent poem to appear here was Our Mark, a collaboration with Pasquale Varallo published in January 2012.


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Posted by Annmarie at 7/1/2012 11:17 PM | Add Comment

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays, Nineteen

Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays
Nineteen
By Jeanette Cheezum

Fireflies in the sky, rings around the moon,
welcome me home.

Early morning everyone is happy and I'm
told you'll be here to share the laughter,
champagne and cake with nineteen candles.
Talks about yesterday lead up to close
moments planned before the week's end.

Sunlight and dust particles framed
a halo around your head when you walked
through the door. A feeling of infatuation
fluttered across my heart. Words spoken as
though we were never apart; a touch, a kiss
and you leaning in ... makes our celebration 
perfect now that you are home.

Jeanette Cheezum's most recent poem to appear here was With You I Celebrate published as part of Contributor Series 10: Silken Rags, in December 2011.


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