Ruined Fallout

Look around your cacao
gravity, at all your disguised
praise. They’re worth
more than you think.

But if you have triggers and uranium pits
from El Nino, your bleached coral is protected
for much less than you’d expect.

One big tomorrow, our haunted
heart is a unique, personalized cancer
that helps me uncover all the sacrificed
darkness your entitled to. No
wonder souls switched their smoke and ash
to guns, saved with our veteran suicide
on outstanding greed- the most native fire.

Sources:

Advertising letter from State Farm Insurance

Perez, Craig Santos. "Halloween in the Anthropocene, 2015." PoetryFoundation.org. Web. 2 Apr, 2016. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/252166


****
Day two of poetry challenge. The prompt was different and little challenging, but I think I came up with something interesting. The first part was to find some kind of junk mail, or government document and then take out the nouns. Then replace the nouns with words from another text. You can read the full prompt here. For this poem I used an advertising letter from State Farm Insurance and chose words from the poem Halloween in the Anthropocene, 2015.  If you have a chance read the original poem, the link is provided, it is an amazing poem.

Statesmen and Prophecies

mezzanine whispers
prohibit peace of mind, broke
sunnyside over
standpipes- silent mouth holes-
inferior delusions win elections.


Source:
New York (N.Y.). Board of Standards and Appeals. Bulletin of the Board of Standards And Appeals of the City of New York. New York, N.Y.: the Board, (44-45).  1917. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. <http://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433066307426?urlappend=%3Bseq=50>


****
First poem for 2016 National Poetry Month.  Here is the poetry prompt generator that I used. It was created by Patrick Williams. My personal prompt was to find 5 words from the provided two pages and make a five line poem with the found words starting each line. Then I was to title it "Statesmen and Prophecies."

Yeah for National Poetry Month

It's National Poetry Month and I know you are all excited about it. I know I am. The folks over Found Poetry Review have created another interesting challenge for this year. This one is a  little bit different from other ones. There will be thirty different prompts, a new prompt every day created by various people. You don't need to sign up just like them on Facebook or Twitter and keep up to date when a new prompt is posted. I am going to try and do all thirty just because I really should write more poetry. I am going to work on the first one here shortly.

Since the nature of the challenge is different, I will be posting poems here first. So if you love my poems, please do come by and check it out. And this should be interesting since that would actually mean I should be posting everyday. Okay mostly everyday because I have some plans this month and I won't be home, so I will be catching up on the off days.

Till next time...

Pennies of a Nation



I.
GIVE ME
your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
(the disenfranchised, the lost, the scared)
yearning- (desperately seeking, needing)
to breathe
free in the forgotten foggy
barren New York Harbor
she screams, now whispers
Blackness strangles her voice as her torch ignites
and she melts

into Pennies
millions of green pennies
float on polluted waters
struggle to stay afloat
And slowly

they drift beneath the current
drown unnoticed


II.
Once
when I could walk
the streets in peace, wave
to my neighbors
I was a doctor.
They took him, one night
but I wandered the streets
hoping
not to find his body
black houses behind weathered
wood paneled windows
hiding neighbors
gun shots rattle the silent streets
where children once
were children.
Hell is only gun shots that resound in the darkness,
hell is not knowing where he is
hell is knowing who they are
and when he came back to me,
we ran, and we ran
our home was nothing
more than just shelter
from bullets.

Michigan is supposed to be heaven
and I just want to breathe
free with the sun on my face

III.
They are the future, their big
brown eyes full
of wonder and questions
full of thoughts and ideas of happiness
and one day
a Tuesday,
I said good-bye and they left
for school-
And a bomb went off.
The enemy, former friends
or sons of long gone friends blew
up the school of innocent
boys. Plumes of hellish
smoke clawed out
the pale blue sky and covered the sun.

Maybe it was a miracle
they came home to me.
we ran, and we ran
our home was nothing
more than just a shelter
from smoky shrapnel.

Florida is supposed to be heaven
and I just want to breathe
free with the sun on my face

IV.
LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Oh TJ what did you mean?
Who did you mean?

When I penned these
words, I only
meant those
like me, men-
fighting for freedom from the crown
But, I watched this nation
and all nations unfold before my dead eyes
I was wrong. These rights
are meant for everyone
I wish I could tell them all
I wish I could change the world
I wish I could take America
by the hand and show them all I have seen

Some of us
still believe those words
Some of us clamor around
the rotunda in the Archives
just to get a glimpse
of the one parchment
that makes us American.

The ink flakes away and soon
it will be dust, where we will be then?
What will we remember?

V.
United?
We are divided
the right the left the black
the white blaming this blaming that
and the only solutions
are tried and true in high school chem labs

And They Laugh At Us
behind their black masks and black flag
sitting on outdated
Russian and US weapons

And we will destroy
ourselves. Remember Rome
ghostly cheers of a once mighty
nation are silent, the coliseum
continues to crumble in the rain.

Compassion?
(For the meek and mild
and nuns in habits with their crosses,
prayers and food for the needy)

Hatred?
Is Free!
And simple, and easy, and instinctual.

What will our legacy be?

VI.
Pennies wash ashore
on some beach
in Jersey
a young girl plucks one
takes her scarf, wipes the penny clean
then picks up another and another and another
wrapping them in her plaid scarf
warm, safe, free from sand and mud.

Compassion becomes life
liberty comes home
and happiness is to breathe free.


***
If you enjoyed this poem, please share with your friends. It was a poem I wrote for poetry class and I feel that instead of sending it away for publishing, everyone should read it for free because I believe it is important.

Blink Once, Blink Twice, Yup February Happened

I am anxiously waiting for the weather this week. Sunshine and 60's starting possibly Monday or Tuesday and lasting for a good while. Why? Really the question should be why not? Sunshine and 60's that is the kind of weather where you can sit outside and just drink sunshine. And thanks to El Nino, this winter has been very kind to us, well at least where I live it. I am pretty sure we had maybe 8 inches of snow this entire winter, maybe a little more. It has been cold but not bitter cold. It was gray though, very gray, so many gray days because weather happening other places. I love all seasons, but there is something special about spring, I think I wake up more, more motivated to work on things. And nothing new  here.... I have been slacking on everything.

Time has a way of escaping me, it's like I wake up and the date on the calendar moved four days and sometimes, I don't even recognize time anymore. Ever feel like that? I don't have a normal schedule like normal people. Sure I get up during the week to send my daughter off to school. Sometimes I take a nap, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I work on school on Sunday and Monday and other weeks later. It is truly amazing how I can still accomplish what needs to be done a weekly basis. I swear there are times when I look at the clock and two hours went by  and I have no idea what happened in those two hours. But isn't time really just a constraint created by humans because the whole world runs on some kind of schedule? It would be nice when the time comes I can just bumble around through this universe, not really caring about time.

This year is election year, as if you needed a reminder.  Considering election news is everywhere. Unfortunately, I don't get to vote until April 26, 2016. Honestly, I am sick of hearing about it, seeing various news articles about it. Why can't the primaries be held in a like a month long period? Or how about a day like election day? This whole primary process is way to drawn out. All the candidates say the same thing over and over. They made their points, why do we constantly have to hear the same policy ideas. Unless of course you are watching the Republican debate, which is like a glorified Jerry Springer episode. Actually how great of a show would that be? Maybe the Republican debate should moderated by Jerry. No rules. And when they get out of line, Steve can come in break it up. Oh I know! I have a better idea, let's bring back the WWE cage match. We stick all the current Republican candidates in a no holds barred, no rules match and see who the winner is. Now, that is what I can entertainment. Of course if there would be a cage match, Donald Trump would win hands down. Joking aside, this an election year that is already making history, how it will play out, is anyone's guess.

What about writing? Ah yes, writing. Slacking but not too bad, I am one story behind for my weekly story challenge. Mostly because I am lazy and I just don't do it. I really need an edit day where I go through what I have written and make the appropriate edits. I have new stories that I want to send away and I have stories that will be included in my upcoming short story book Sanctioned Shadows so I am making progress, I am writing more than I did last year. I am just trying not to be so hard on myself and when I get bored, I look at my goals and start working on something. Slow but steady.  How do you guys feel about a short story series in ebook form about a woman who is also the demon Krampus and every story is a different adventure?

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, a sampling of things in my head.

Till next time...

Moonraker Fall

Muddy pajamas, wrinkled
Olives like half moons
Orange lipstick kisses on
Napkins. It’s okay if you reach
Right on over to Saturn
And pluck the rings because
Karma nibbles on your toes
End of Days! End of Times!
Remember it’s just bullshit anyway.

Frost cracks the moon
Antecedent mountains become
Lava locked and it’s your
Lucky lust that keeps you safe.


****
Stay warm everyone! It's been awhile since I posted a poem. I just wrote this one today. Enjoy and please let me know what you think. It is an acrostic poem using the words "moonraker fall" which by the way has nothing to do with James Bond. Till next time...

Jumbo Shrimp

He scooped the food out of the small plastic container and gently sprinkled it in the aquarium. Then another scoop in another aquarium. Kim came downstairs in her bra and panties. She circled his waist and kissed his neck.

"Hey baby, why’d you get you up so early?" Kim asked.

"It was feeding time. I like to do it at the same time," he said as he sprinkled food in another aquarium.

"You are the only person I met who loves these critters. Why can’t you have fish like normal people?" Kim kissed his shoulders.

"I just can’t explain it. I love sea monkeys, ever since I got them as a kid." He pointed to a small green tank on the top shelf of his sea monkey collection, "see these? I’ve had this tank since the beginning."

"Well it’s weird."

"Sure you don’t want to come along to the convention today? You can help me pick out a new tank. Plus, I was going to getting another batch of eggs."

"Yeah . . . I don’t think so. I would much rather go to work and prepare taxes then watch you and other weirdos talk about shrimp," Kim said.

"Well you would be missing out on a good time."

She kissed him again, "I think I will be okay. I better get ready to go. You coming over to my place tonight or should I come here? Maybe we can put a show for your little friends."

"Your place, I like the view," he said and spun around and met her gaze. He pinched her nipple. She laughed. Aiden picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him.

Aiden Crowley stepped out his pick up at the convention center. For February, it was unusually warm. He tossed his coat in the backseat. The parking lot was already full and dozens of toy collectors hurried into the large white building. Every year for the last few years, there were three different vendors that sold sea monkey supplies, vintage sea monkey tanks and other sea monkey knickknacks. Aiden looked forward to this day as a kid looks forward to Christmas. The vendors were always in the one corner of the convention center.

"Aiden, how the hell are you?" John, his favorite vendor, said and shook his hand.

"Good, what did you bring this year?" Aiden asked eyeing up the vintage tanks. "Is this an original tank?"

"You bet. Still in the package, too. I picked a bunch of stuff up from a collector. Well he died. And his daughter called me to take the whole lot. I didn’t have to pay for it. I was at some convention in Vegas and she was there and remembered I did Sea Monkey stuff. Can you believe it?"

"How much for it?" Aiden asked, not really caring where it came from, but he knew it had to be his.

"For my best customer, fifty," John said and sat back down in his ripped and worn camp chair.

"Yeah I’ll take. Did you get anything else from the old collector? Anything special?"

John smiled, "well you know I did. Look at this; it’s an egg container." John held up a plastic vial that looked like a pill container but short and wide "It’s gotta be right? I didn’t open it or anything. But I read about these you know, they were the original eggs. You know the kind that had to be sent away for when your other ones died."

"Why would he have those when he didn’t open this kit up?" Aiden asked.

"Don’t know, who cares?"

"I wonder if they will come to life."

"One way to find out. I’ll give you the container for twenty."

Aiden pulled out his wallet and gave him the money. He couldn’t wait to get home and get these bad boys hatched. They should come to life. But how long is too long? He never had eggs this old. He definitely hit the jackpot at the convention this year. For the first time, he skipped the other vendors and went straight home.

He cleaned the vintage tank. Though, he probably should have kept it in the package, but what better way to grow decades old eggs than in the original tank. After cleaning it, he made room for it on the middle shelf and put it the water cleaner. Several minutes later, he gently sprinkled some of the eggs in the tank and then fed them. Aiden took out his phone and snapped a picture and sent it to Kim. She sent a message back saying, "so awesome, see you tonight."

Sitting on the couch that sat against the wall facing the sea monkeys, he watched them. Not that he could really see them from where he sat but he was comforted by the thought that they saw him nearby. That he was a good caretaker. He wondered if Kim would make him get rid of them. They’ve been dating for a year now, and he loved her. She was fierce in bed and smart. Smarter than he was, at least in his opinion. He pulled out the small box out of his pocket and flipped it open, looking at the small diamond sparkle in the afternoon sunshine. Was it good enough for her? She never said anything about how much money she makes as a CPA then he does as a contractor. He had the ring for two months now, maybe tonight would be the night.

***

Aiden unlocked the door and tossed his overnight bag on the chair and rushed over to his collection. To his surprise, his new sea monkeys were already full size. That was weird they normally take several days to grow. They gathered around the front of the glass. Not only were they full grown but almost twice the size of the other sea monkeys.

"Wow, look at you guys."

Their mouths moved in unison. As if they were hungry. Aiden reached for the adult food and scooped out two scoops as opposed to the normal one scoop. He opened the lid and a jagged piece of plastic cut his finger. Little drops of blood dripped into the water. The sea monkeys went for it. If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn he got a batch of dried barracuda eggs. They looked like sea monkeys though. Just really big ones.

He dumped the food in, but they ignored it. Aiden shook his head, "well I better go get a bigger tank. I can’t believe how big you guys are. Guess what, Kim is moving in. She said the sea monkey collection is weird, but she promised I can keep it because she said it was adorable. I just hope she doesn’t change her mind after the wedding." Aiden smiled. "I would hate to choose between her or you guys."

He took out his phone and took a selfie of him and his new sea monkeys. Then took another of just the sea monkeys.

***

She started moving her stuff in after work. He was at a job. She came in with a box and misjudged the sea monkey shelf. A small blue tank crashed to the floor.

"Oh shit," The tank was cracked and lay in pieces in the floor. Her heart sunk, would he be jacked at her? It was just an accident. She had to go buy another one before he got home. But would he notice? Maybe he would find it touching that she tried to make it right. Kim cleaned up the sea monkey water and disposed of the broken tank. She looked at the large aquarium in the center.

How long has it been, a week? These new sea monkeys were nothing like the ones she just tossed. They were huge and almost looked like shrimp you would eat at some fancy dinner. They watched her. Was that even possible? She moved to the right and their eyes moved with her. Kim shivered. She wondered if she could convince him to get rid of these sea monkeys. They were creepy. They weren’t like the others. She noticed the faint blue glue. He mentioned to her last week that they were phosphorescent now. He also posted the pics on Facebook. She was glad he didn’t do it all the time, just recently to find out more information about these sea monkeys.

The new old sea monkeys were a lot different from the others. He already had a bunch of calls into different marine biologists and sent scads of pictures. Kim kind of hoped they would offer him a large sum of money for the live sea monkeys and the ones still in the container. Then they could plan a large wedding and nice honeymoon. They didn’t make plans for the wedding. She was in too much debt but didn’t want to tell him. He seemed fine with the small stuff. Kim smiled at the thought his special sea monkeys. It was cute but weird. He loved his sea monkeys.

When Aiden came home, she told him about the broken sea monkey tank. He took it well and said he broke quite a few in his time. She promised to buy him a new one. Aiden said she didn’t have to. But she knew she did.

At lunch on Friday, she came back with a new tank. It was blue but it came with colored lights. She already cleaned it the night before and purified the water. She placed the replacement tank next to the large tank. Pulling out the leaflet, she read the next direction and that was to add the sea monkey eggs. Tearing the packet open, she sprinkled the eggs into the water. The mammoth sea monkeys in the large aquarium started to slam against the side of the glass. She almost dropped the packet to the floor.

"I don’t think it is feeding time," Kim said and went back to putting food in the new tank.

The sea monkeys slammed the glass harder. They stopped and looked at her. She felt their creepy eyes following her movements. Their mouths moved in unison. As if they were trying to talk to her. As if they were trying to say they were hungry.

"Fine, what food does he feed you?" She reached for the food container and opened the top lid for the aquarium and started to sprinkle in the food.

One sea monkey latched onto her. Little teeth sank into her hand. She screamed and tried to shake it off. The others followed and attacked her hand, then pulling her top of her body into the water. Struggling against the creatures who suckled on her face like demented leeches and ripped her flesh, Kim tried to get out of the water, but she couldn’t. The stupid jumbo shrimp were too powerful. The water turned red. Her heart ached. She opened her mouth and nothing.

***

He saw her car when it pulled. And that was odd. He expected her to be naked on the couch waiting for him. Aiden went to unlock the door and her cell ringing. Something wasn’t right. He shoved open the door. Kim’s body lay on the floor. Her flesh from her one hand was gone as well as the flesh on her head and neck. The large aquarium was thick with red water and the large sea monkeys seemed to smile at him as he rushed over to the lifeless body.

He screamed and scrambled for the phone and called 9-1-1.

Aiden returned the following day. The yellow tape was still across the front door but he was assured that he could go back. His entire collection of sea monkeys was gone and taken for evidence. He sat on the couch and stared at the knickknacks and ads for his beloved sea monkeys and twirled Kim’s ring in his fingers. He didn’t know what to feel. It took him hours to even prove that he did not kill her. He was arrested for murder and then let go because some government people in suits came to his rescue. Ten minutes after their arrival, he was set free and all charges dropped. The dudes in the suits didn’t even talk to him but had to go see the large sea monkeys.

Aiden went over to sea monkey area and unlocked the drawer and pulled out his container of old sea monkey eggs. He could call the men in suits, the cops would know how to get a hold of them. He could just flush them down the toilet, no that wouldn’t be a good choice. He could just keep them. Aiden sat back down on the sofa, opened the container and plopped Kim’s ring in there and closed the container. He tucked the container in his jeans and closed his eyes.