SHORT POEMS FROM THE FILES

 

                                                                 Hurricane season

1997 - Melancholia --./..how fleeting is fame ,/ how fickle is friendship. . .--from Thomas Sowell

2010 - Four bluebirds, / a sparrow / balancing / in winter's wind /on the thin / beautyberry / twigs, eating / frozen fruits. 

2013 - Lit-up raindrops / fall from the streetlight / like the downside / of sky-ed fireworks.

 [Written while a resident at The Writers Colony @ Dairy Hollow, Eureka Spings, AR]

2013 - Rain has no sound / except as it falls / on something--a dry leaf, / a trash can, the deck flooring.

2022 - "Oh, no," I said / when reading he died--/ Sidney Poitier --/ and when she died--/ Betty White. / I wonder who'll say / "Oh, no," when I die. 

2022 - THE FLAT SHEET: In the washer, / it kept to itself. / In the dryer, / it gathered its companions / in a warm embrace. 

                                                                      hot, dry weather

c 2026, PL  dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Poems from May 15 -2003 found in "May Day May Day"

on the trail again
just to smell the privet
and honeysuckle

behind hollyhocks

the hard-edged, less-poppy tune

of early Beatles

dirt

moving out of state

for a golf course

bumper sticker: "Peace . . . 

live in it or rest in it."

driver's black eye

corn chips and iced tea

by the patio door

--rain splattering in

with each thunderclap

struggling deeper

into the covers

better than FM --

humming cicadas by day

tree frogs at night

purring baby bird

clamped to the boy-savior's hand

calico villian

c 2026 PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

FINALLY it's spring!

 

 

Finally it’s spring

 

 

 

                On the sidewalk to the mail box one recent mid-morning, I looked down into the teeny tiny blue faces of what I call Johnny-Jump-Ups, or bluets. They are a sure sign that spring is here. One year, before the new subdivision folks moved all the dirt, a bank of blue grew across Couchwood Street.

                Returning, I stopped, looked around and noticed that blobs of white dotted the edge of the yard that fronts the street. White irises! All up and down the perimeter—under the sassafras, in the yucca bed, near the redbud, and even down the concrete-block wall that delineates the old driveway.

Also, near my feet was a clump of white daffodils I’d moved from the lower yard several years back. Their fragrance was strong––second only to the aroma of hyacinths. I plucked a couple to add to the bouquet on the table with japonica, spirea and Japanese kerria.

And then the hopefully-final freeze came. Irises, limp, had fallen to the ground. Two smallish azaleas died, and the camellia blooms turned brown. Alas.

But two long-lived, red tulips still held their pretty heads aloft. The kerria didn’t appear to be diminished. An old small-flowered pink azalea next to the house on the east bloomed!

My spring table bouquet holds some of of the plants mentioned. Thank goodness for spring. But”  my son says, “I haven’t seen any blackberry blooms. There’s blackberry winter yet.” Out back, I showed him a lone blackberry bloom. “What do you know!” Let’s hope last Sunday’s freeze served as our blackberry winter. About time for the inside plants to go outside.

Happy spring to one and all!

IS IT MARCH ALREADY?????

 EAGER
Humming

"June is bustin'

out all over;' while I

rake leaves, scissor brown from iris,

clip hedge.

~ ~ ~ ~

NATURE'S BEAUTIES

Yellow

swallowtails sip

from the japonica's

red blossoms. What a sight for

old eyes!

~ ~ ~ ~

TWO SEASONS

Fragrance

of the hybrid

daffodils fill the room

making it seem like spring. Outside,

snow falls.

~ ~ ~ ~

BOTH BEAUTIFUL

Redbud's

overhanging

branch of purple (or plum)

conflicts with japonica's red-

ish pink.

~ ~ ~ ~

CHANGES

Thunder-

storm predicted

for tonight. I gather

the last of the fading yellow

blossoms.

~ ~ ~ ~

MORE TIME TO WORK IN THE YARD

Cloudy,

calm, colorul

this last day of Central 

Standard Time. Others bemoan; I

rejoice.

~ ~ ~ ~

ON MY PHONE

First day

of D. S. T.

abed till eleven-

thirty a.m. after watching

time change.

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2026 PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

EARLY DECEMBER poems

 

TANKA

early December

a pale pink japonica sprig

forced into bloom

    how did I know the snow

    would soon freeze the bushes? ('12)

~ ~ ~ ~

TRIPOD

Couldn't wait!

Pulling down Christmas mugs

on November 30th. Why wait

any longer? Fall's stuff

up 2 months. ('25)

~ ~ ~ ~

CINQUAIN

Neither

day--December

first or second, Friday

and Saturday--did my mail get

picked up. ('23)

~ ~ ~ ~

Outside,

small, brown-berried

branches tremble as in

sympathy with the orchestra's

cellos. ('03)

~ ~ ~

Catching

up on Advent

readings from Sunday last.

How did it get to be Thursday

so soon? ('18)

~ ~ ~ ~

All dressed

up and ready

to leave for church. Preacher

calls: "No power! 40 degrees!

Stay home!" ('19)

~ ~ ~ ~

 

c 2025, Pat Laster dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Gee! Mid-November! How time flies: poems

 SENRYU

car keys & cell phone

always in my pants pockets

--the basket of food

~ ~ ~ ~

SENRYU

my writing table

piled as  high as the dishes

in the kitchen sink

~ ~ ~ ~

HAIKU

east, west, north & south

birds bathing

in November sun

~ ~ ~ ~

CINQUAIN

We prayed

for rain. And soon,

our prayers were answered, and

answered . . .and answered. We daren't take

prayers back.

~ ~ ~ ~

FOUND SENRYU

IRONY!

state's drug director busted 

for D. W. I 

(editorial, 11. 25. '02)

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2025, Pat Laster dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

October already? Here're some poems

 

Looking

up just in time

to watch a lone red leaf

drifting, adding to the autumn

carpet.   ['12]

Mother

birds--like mothers

of all kinds and stripes--like

clean water to drink, and also

to bathe.['22]

From an

open door, I

see pink azaleas.

From a window, the white torch of

yucca. ['21]

Puzzles

and Perspective

on the porch swing, despite

the sometimes gusty and cooling

breezes. ['22]

Even

the older cats

want inside. Are they spooked

by the artificial pumpkins

nearby? ['12]

Blue jay

and mockingbird

sipping from the rain-filled

birdbath on this cool October

morning. ['19]

c 2025, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

NEW POEMS SINCE LAST WE MET

 

POEMS WRITTEN SINCE LAST WE MET

June 22:           

HOW CAN THAT BE?

Three bombed

facilities

considered by Admin

a de-escalation? How can

that be?

 

COFFEE BREAK

Leaving

the office with

one mug, returning with a

a different one. Why? Why not? We

take turns.

 

HEAT ADVISORY

Second

day of summer,

a massive heat wave engulfs

the Midwest & Central Plains. Temps?

90s.

 

July 3

 

SENIOR MOMENT

Leaving

the printer on

overnight after print-

Ing a PRA monthly “Fall”

poem.

 

July 4

 

WORKING OUTSIDE

Fatigue

gives me much more

patience with the ever-

slow computer to bring up my

emails.

 

 

 

 

July 9

 

89^th birthday

smoothing the tissue

adorning her gifts

(senryu)

 

July 11

 

GOOD INTENTIONS

Vowing

to weed-eat this

morning before it got

too hot. Alas! When I awoke?

Too hot!

 

July 12

 

TRUTH OR SCARE?

“Heavy

Rain” the task bar

claims. But from the window,

no indication. Perhaps while

I nap.

 

c 2025, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Then, it was March; now it's JUNE!!!.

 

6.8. '23, # 174

A DAY IN SPRING --a Sonnette

While trav'ling through the yard on this June day,

I had a thought: pick only one of each

the blooming plants: a coneflower of peach,

a rose, rose campion--a nice bouquet,

with honeysuckle, yarrow's whitish hue.

I snip a coreopsis bloom, then reach

--a stretch--to break a branch of Wand'ring Jew.

~ ~ ~ ~

6.6. '25, # 84

HAIKU

hummingbird

taking long swigs

from the plastic bloom

~ ~ ~ ~

6.6. '25, # 85

SENRYU

sprinkling . . .

re-reading D-Day story

with gratefulness

~ ~ ~ ~

6. 6. '25, # 86

CINQUAIN

" What to call this roadside bed?"

Let's see.

Shall I call it

the Bermuda-iris

bed? Or add 'rotting bulb foliage'

to it?

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2025 by Pat Laster dba lovepat press Benton AR USA

March slipped in like a lamb: poems

 [THREE TRIPODS]

Beginning

a second night of rain

and thunderstorms, picking as many

fragrant flowers as I

can handle.        (2023)

A quartet

of butterflies flitting

from one red quince bloom to another

this early March morning.

What a sight!     (2023)

Amazing

to see an entire lake

migrate two miles due to the strong winds

on the second of March.

NO BOATING       (NYT news, 2024)

WITHOUT A MATCH

The old

space heater, moved,

realigned to gas source,

long unused pilot light relit.

Voila!            (Cinquain, 3.2.2025)

c 2025, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

16th anniversary of blogging: poems

 

Here are February poems, one from '13, but most from '23, and even one from today!

* cardinal / fluffing his feathers / for insulation ['13]

* neighbor's  board fence / topped with a white layer / of freezing precip ['23]

* holly tree / drooping deeply / -- its ice burden 

* yucca's green / barely showing / with its ice cover 

* new jigsaw puzzle / pawing through the pieces / hunting for borders ['24]

* The "Let / it Snow" napkins / at my computer, need / replacing with "Hurry up, Spring / HURRY!

c 2025, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

True Winter Weather: poems

(NOTE: Since I can't figure out how to get single spacing, for the following poems, a forward slash means a line break. (Now how did this get to be single spaced???)

 CINGUAIN SEQUENCE (1.9.'25)

A few/ very large flakes /keeping the weather folks / honest about their prediction/of snow.

Snowing/ harder, but still/ large flakes, yet birds keep on/ eating. I, too, am eating, but/ inside.

CINQUAIN (1. 10. '25

Nearly/ a foot of snow/ meant daughter couldn't get/ her car turned around in the yard./ No work!

HAIKU (1. 14. '25)

snow slowly melting / even a squirrel / under the feeder

CINQUAIN (1. 14. '25)

Hearing / a plane, I look / skyward. No plane up there / but I see a star!--a rare treat / here 'bouts. 

CINQUAIN (1.16. '25) AT AGE 88

For the / first time ever / I got to ride in the / cab of a wrecker towing my / dead Ford.

c 2025 PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Welcome, I think, to 2025

 

Here are some poems from two collections of one copy each. Lighting a Candle and Sweetness of the apple.

 --- 23 degrees/ first day of the year, I read/ Season's spring haiku (Carolyn Thomas)

--- 18 degrees/ hoping the feral cats/ find a warm place

--- the eternal hum/ of the fan used to block/ teenager's TV (Season's line)

--- picking up/ morning, afternoon papers/ at the same time

--- during the morning/ birdbath water/ turning to ice

c 2025 PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Hooray for our country! May it ever remain a democratic republic! Poems

Between/bursts of fireworks, /distant thunder rumbles. / At dusk--no matter what--night bugs/still sing. //

Our house/ surrounded by/ the loud sounds of fireworks. / I sit and read, the cat's hiding/ somewhere. //

Fireworks/ fading at ten-/ thirty. It's about time! / Surely these daddies have to go/ to work.

Only/ the animals/ hide from the booms & blats/ of fireworks. Feline Greye's under/ the couch. //

Untouched/ by either sound, / smell, colors, oohs-and aahs/ of fireworks' displays, the sky still / surrounds. //

c 2024, PL, dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

BEFORE MAY GETS AWAY . . . POEMS

 

HAIKU

windows blown out

but a glass lamp collection 

still on its shelf ('08)

~ ~  ~ 

cedar waxwing

feasting from a limb

of holly berries ('12)

~ ~ ~ ~

close to the wall

carrying their children

through rising waters ('99)

~ ~ ~ ~

rooster

adding to early morning

birdsong ('09)

~ ~ ~ ~

tornado takes all

except 

two of three kittens ('97)

~ ~ ~ ~

Memorial Day weekend

Sunday's paper comes

on Saturday night ('22)

c 2024, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

Mid-March poems

 saplings

standing

in violets

~ ~ ~ ~

woodpecker

at the feeder

chased off by a jay

~ ~ ~ ~

constant music:

windchimes

during March

~ ~ ~ ~

red petunias

in the daffodil bed

wintered over

~ ~ ~ ~

on the Ides of March

a day-long rain

washing away winter

~ ~ ~ ~

with the bulldozer

next door, it's hard to hear

the mockingbirds, jays 

~ ~ ~ ~

yard black with birds

leaving bird by bird

(some not yet ready)

~ ~ ~ ~

POST CHRISTMAS, 2023 - POEMS

 ecstatic grandchild

visiting from Florida

--an Arkansas snow

~ ~ ~ ~

sunny winter day

dust on the dark wood

of the rocking chair

~ ~ ~ ~

she "cut back" this year

baking only twenty

fruitcaakes

~ ~ ~ ~

power outage

wrapped in your

Christmas-gift shawl

~ ~ ~ ~

the bare gingko tree

its golden leaves allowed

to be undisturbed

~ ~ ~ ~

post-Christmas snowstorm

the sound of generators

all around

~ ~ ~ ~

lumberjack bolting

from Christmas celebration

a second ice storm

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2023 PL dba lovepat press, Benton Arkansas USA

AND THE SEASON HAS CHANGED - POEMS

 

windy fall morning--

wispy cloud layer

across a gibbous moon

~ ~ ~ ~

the church garage sale

on the mourners' bench

old pocketbooks & porkpies

~ ~ ~ ~

a lone limb of green

on the yellow-leafed

tulip poplar

~ ~ ~ ~

staring through

indescribable colors

of sassafras

~ ~ ~ ~

from a tiny house

at the edge of the pond

he's fishing from the porch

~ ~ ~ ~

BEWARE

First day

of deer season . . .

Not a good day to drive

the narrow, wooded mountainous

highway.

~ ~ ~ ~

sun in my face

but with the autumn tilt

it doesn't bother

~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2023, Pat Laster dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

SUMMER POEMS

LATE

While I

transcribe poems,

darkness falls. Only spots

of sky visible through maple,

oak leaves.

~ ~ ~ ~

EACH YEAR

Friday

before Sunday's

birthday, Florida son

sends a local florist over with a

bouquet.

~ ~ ~ ~

WHAT A VIEW

Summer

sight: low--cannas;

medium--goldenrod;

taller than shed roof, the Rose-of-

Sharon.

~ ~ ~ ~

YARD WORK

Eric

weed-eated, mowed.

I also weed-eated,

cleaned leaves and Bermuda from east-

most beds. 

~ ~ ~ ~

BIG TASK

Must go

inside and work

more on the memoir, lest

editor calls asking "where's the

next batch?"

~ ~ ~ ~

c 2023 PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

LONG TIME WITHOUT POSTING: June poems

 

HAIKU

successful short flight

from privet to windowsill

two young cardinals

~~

from the back pew

two older women chatting

during the sermon

~~

bereavement lily

its orange fallout

blessing me

~~

season's first melon

its aroma more luscious

than its taste

~~

CINQUAIN

Rhythm

and Bayous road

in southern Arkansas.

We head home from a week's trip to

the beach.

~~

Pulling

yellowed leaves from

a budding gardenia

bush, I discover this gorgeous

blossom.

~~

TANKA

daughter-in-law's

gifts from earlier

Mother's Days

   come out of the closet

   each Sunday of spring

~~

c 2023, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA