Lightning

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Lightning

fluorescent zig-zags
crackles on the radio
my heart skips a beat

fluorescent blue-white
against black-cushion ring box
heaven’s diamond fling

zig-zags prelude bass
rumbles decay to stutters
stillness patters rain

crackles interfere
chamber music percussion
bringing storm inside

on the stately notes
flute, cello and violin
static charges crash

the rain sings snappy
wild snare drum solo tattoo
gurgle gutter song

radio goes dead
blinding flash, deafening crack
plunges into black

my hands grope candles
matches, lighter, a flashlight
circles of warmth here

heart of storm weakens
lightning flashes, thunder waits
not so keen to pounce

skips making response
to lightning’s flick on curtains
dark wins back the night

a break in the rain
only the dripping downspouts
even sighing winds

beat a safe retreat
far-off rumbles in the black
distant lightning sheet

© 2012 by Violet Nesdoly

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I call this an extended haiku but perhaps it isn’t one by an official definition (which I couldn’t find). Anyway, what’s happening here is that each word in the original haiku becomes the beginning word in successive haiku. It’s a fun challenge.

This poem is submitted to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by Paper Tigers.

Changing of the Wardrobe

Goodbye my sturdy jeans that cling
like sweat in summer heat.
Auf Wiedersehen my turtlenecks
snow drifts of fuzzy sweaters
So long my wooly winding scarves
uniform of leather gloves
and fleece-lined walking boots
Farewell my pantyhose
I’m leaving for a tan
Au revoir you lush buffet
of purple velour and red boucle
black velvet and wine corduroy

Time to wear salads
of lettuce green and berry pink
crinkle cloth and gauzy linen
swaying and swishing silky skirts
break out the halters and bikinis
bring on those cutoffs and capris
backless sandals and flirty tees!

© 2011 by Violet Nesdoly

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Where I live it’s finally the time of year to mothball the sweaters and haul out the fun clothes. We’ve had an unusually cold June this year, but maybe now that it’s officially summer by the calendar, the weather will cooperate. (However, I won’t be hiding the cozy stuff too well, because chances are I’ll still need it more often than I’d like in the weeks ahead.)

The kelp-dressed mermaid was a stranger I sighted on the White Rock (B.C.) pier. Isn’t she cute! Now there’s one way to wear salad.

This post is submitted to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by Amy at The Poem Farm.

(This is a re-post; this poem was first published here in May 2011.)

Retired

This week’s 15 words or less poem prompt is this lighthouse photo. It appears on “15 Words or Less Thursday: Lighthouse” at Laura Purdie Salas. Read the comments to see a slew of creative responses.

Metronome

Metronome

Glowing cherry-wood pyramid
silver wind-up key on the side
latched front cover
which came off exposing
thin pendulum with its movable weight
a Christmas gift from my parents
which said “We approve of your musical dreams”
They became brighter as its steady tick-tock
smoothed scales, arpeggios and broken chords
set just the right
Largo, Adagio, Andante tempo

I liked playing with it
Moving the weight to the bottom
made-it-go-very-fast
all the way to the top
v—e—r—y—s—l—o—w
taking it off
causedracingpalpitations
You could kill quite a few practice minutes
playing with a metronome

One day it no longer tocked
It was about the time I forsook
my piano dreams
But it was still beautiful
and its mute red presence on the piano
made me sad
I wondered if my parents
felt disappointment too

© 2012 by Violet Nesdoly

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It’s interesting how some objects carry a lot of weight. The metronome in the poem has been out of my life for years. A few weeks ago I saw one just like it on a friend’s piano and again I felt a pang.

This poem is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by A Year of Reading

The Tarts (and what really happened)

The Tarts (and what really happened)

According to the nursery rhyme

The Queen of Hearts,
She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day;
The Knave of Hearts,
He stole the tarts,
And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts
And vowed He’d steal no more.

What really happened

The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts
All on a hungry day.
She ate the tarts
and blamed the Knave
For taking them away.

The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts
And beat the Knave full sore
Then he took some cash
from the royal stash
sent Knave to get some more.

Next day the Queen
made tarts again,
this time the Knave was wise.
Surprised that Dame
to the kitchen came
in a King of Hearts disguise.

“Dear Queen of Hearts
my favorite tarts
I think it’s my lucky day!”
Then the Knave of Hearts
bagged up those tarts
and sneaked them throughout the day.

© 2012 by Violet Nesdoly

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I wrote this poem during the November 2010 poem-a-day challenge. That month I used prompts from Robert Brewer at the Poetic Asides blog. The challenge was: “Write a ‘what really happened’ poem. Use a real event (or an event from a popular movie) and spin it in another direction.”

I present this poem to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by the foodie diva herself, Jama Rattigan at Jama’s Alphabet Soup.