Mid-November poems

 

four colors of fall

on the foot-high pin oak

field mouse scampers

~ ~ ~ ~

waiting till morning

to photograph the flowers

alas, it's raining

~ ~ ~ ~

in darkness' chill

gossiping geese fly

to safe nesting place

~ ~ ~ ~

her father's pickup

      collateral

for her student loan

~ ~ ~

A bird,

a butterfly,

a falling leaf all flit

and flutter under the orange

dogwood.

Soft glow

of the mantel

decorated for fall:

Lisa's churn, autumn leaves, pumpkins,

gourds, nuts.

scratching itself

the young squirrel nibbles

on last year's acorns

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2022, Pat Laster dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Fingers, fist, knees or noses: a Gardenia pattern poem

 

HOT SPRINGS, 

October 24, 1939

In an effort to reduce 

stealing of bird dogs, 

Police Lt. . . Kauffman began taking the noseprints of such animals at the Whittington Avenue fire station this afternoon. More than 50 owners had impressions taken of the noses of their dogs. A charge of 50 cents was made to cover actual expenses, and for this the owners got the dogs' noseprints . . . ADG.

The sheriff proposes

that printin' dogs' noses

will cut down on thievin'

and keep us from grievin[.

Let's stop all our riddlin'

and fork out a piddlin'

four bits (fifty cents)

to cover expense.

We'll keep those illegals

from stealin' our beagles!

c 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR, from VARIATIONS, Second Printing, 1995

Early September poems from then till now

 

BEGINNER BAND CONCERT

Driving

100 miles

just to hear his grandson

play the trumpet for 11

minutes.

-- September Cinquains, 2003

~ ~ ~~ ~

bookstore window

in the university town

Latin Can Be Fun

--from A Patch of Yellow, 2005

~ ~ ~ ~

MIKU (minimalist haiku)

butterfly

dropping

into salvia bed

from just before dawn, 2006

~ ~ ~ ~

teaching

her friends' grandchildren

Sunday School songs

from a lamp to work by, 2012

~ ~ ~ ~

early September

the last red leaf falls

fom the poinsettia

from a crisp brown leaf, 2015

~ ~ ~ ~

ON LABOR DAY

Ancient

stand of yucca

finally sprouts 3 bloom

stalks after I decide they are

barren.

from September Cinquains, 2018

~ ~ ~ ~

EDEN'S DRAWBACKS

Living

in Florida

a prime example of

risky behavior: 3 cyclones

this month.

from September Cinquains, 2020

~ ~ ~ ~

flood's detritus: a

purple/yellow basketball

and empty birdcage

from fishing off the dock 2021

~ ~ ~ ~

bobbing

in the newly-formed lake

a neighborhood of roofs

from train whistles at night, 2022

c 2022, Pat Laster dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

MID-AUGUST POEMS FROM PAT

 

                                         Hello again. Seems I can't manage to be regular at blogging.

Here are some poems for mid-August from several of my monthly booklets I mail to friends who've expressed an interest in them.

cool, crisp summer nights--

deer sniffing around coolers

in sight of campers 

--from "Connecting Our Houses," a year's flip calendar, '95

~ ~ ~ ~

hurricane's wake

more shells in the dune

than on the beach

-- from "It's August Already?" 2003

~ ~ ~ ~

the inland cousin

rubbing wet sand into

the jellyfish sting

--from "only sky and sand" 2005

~ ~ ~ ~

orange mushrooms 

in the mesh of grass fern

a dragonfly rests

--from "fishing in the clouds" 2010

~ ~ ~ ~

overnight

the lilac beautyberries

turn purple

--from "the lighter side of darkness" 2012

~ ~ ~ ~

mimicking me

the cat reaching out her paw

as I pass the bed

--from "along the walking trail" 2020

~ ~ ~ ~

on Mom's birthday

eating a nectarine

in her memory

--from "all of a sudden" 2021

~ ~ ~ ~

"Rain's coming"

the online forecast says

it's only raining leaves

--from "maple leaves sing" 2022

c 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

It's already late June?? Poems

 

tree trunk encroaching

on grave marker

T - A - Y - L -

~ ~ ~ ~

thunderstorm

unleashing a 2-inch rain

--he surfs the street

~ ~ ~ ~

old stuccoed buildings

the color of summer melons

         the rusty gate~ ~ ~ ~

following to see

why the cat creeps to the door

--the neighborhood tom

~ ~ ~ ~

slower and slower

up Martindale Hill

a crow in the pine

~ ~ ~ ~

picking up the pace

airplane & thunder above

the walking trail

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

POEMS FOR MID-MAY

 

   

Haiku                                           Eric's hanging baskets, Hot Springs

pink and white petals                      

under the young tulip tree

steady rainfall

~ ~ ~ ~

                            look very closely:

                            in red-topped photinia

                            the cardinal's nest

                            ~ ~ ~ ~

                                                            on the trail again

                                                            just to smell the privet

                                                            and honeysuckle

                                                            ~ ~ ~ ~

behind hollyhocks

the hard-edged, less poppy tune

of early Beatles

~ ~ ~ ~

gift from his dentist

child plants the gladiolus

under the moss

~ ~ ~ ~

                                           fight wild onions

                                           by eating them . . . unless

                                          they've been sprayed

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~

                                                              "What's on your list, Mom? . . ."

                                                                "Peace, love and understanding."

                                                                ". . . from the dollar store."

                                                                ~ ~ ~ ~

the prom knight

and his lady

dressed in chain mail

~ ~ ~ ~

Billy the kid, a while back. He's now 32.

c 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

March observations: poems

 photo - Carolyn Hoggard

EAGER

Humming

"June is bustin'

out all over" while I

rake leaves, scissor brown from iris,

clip hedge.

~ ~ ~[3.4.'22]

PERHAPS IN APRIL?

March 4--

too windy for

tender begonias. I 

return them inside till the wind

abates.

~ ~ ~ 

TWO PICTURES

Yellow

and pink blossoms

beyond the bird feeder.

Inside, a bouquet: yellow, pink;

March wind.

~ ~ ~ ~

HAIKU

walking the old trail

to hear the sounds of spring

--the maples budding

~ ~ ~ (2000; publ. 37 Cents, e-zine, 2007)

HAIKU

still on the young oak

brown leaves rattle in the wind

nearby, jonquils

c, 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Early-February poems

 

 Snow and ice hit us last week

2.3.'22 

Only

birds moving this

morning. A solid sleet

sheet that looks more like snow holds their

feet up.

~ ~ ~ ~

2.3.'22 

Oh, good!

A pair of doves

discovered the birdseed

thrown out on top of the sleet. More

birds come.

~ ~ ~ ~

2.3. '22

Biscuits!

I should make some.

Then I find a pre-mixed

box. Today, with sleet and snow, I

bake them.

~ ~  ~

2.4.'22

Juvies

have a playhouse

under the abelia:

up and down, in and out, white ice

aground.

~ ~ ~ ~

2.6. '22

"Squirrel food,"

the crossword clue 

says. "Nuts." Yet here I sit

breakfasting on syruped-biscuits

and nuts!

~ ~ ~ ~

2.6. '22

S l o w l y

but surely, ice

and snow disappear as

the sun warms the atmosphere. (Not

sorry.)

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Poems from Quilled Quintains anthology, Merry Bombadils, MSPS branch poets

 TANKA

89-year-old house

getting its first fire

extinguisher

   now, what will extinguish

   rodents in the basement?

~ ~ ~ ~

TANKA

huge poinsettia--

granddaughter's Christmas gift

before Thanksgiving

   no matter that her dad bought

   and delivered it to me

~ ~ ~ ~

A NEW DAY

(Tripod)

Perfectly

clear blue sky except for

a silverfish-sized, rumbling airplane

early in summer's

cool morning.

~ ~ ~ ~

FIRST, I SMELLED IT

(Tripod)

Now, I hear

the rain on the far porch

that's uncovered. And the roadway sings

as vehicles zing by.

Yes, it's rain!

~ ~ ~ ~

 OR EAT FROM THE RIND

(Cinquain)

Using

a grapefruit spoon

on a small discount fruit,

but easier to cut in small

pieces.

~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA