Blueberry

I Have Your Back. Acrylic on watercolor paper. #lexleonardartist

Blueberry

  1. Take a handful of blueberries, toss them one by one, her attention, the prize awarded.
  2. They shatter, those berry blue words, like bullet splatter behind her back.
  3. Let their juices flow between the cellophane wall separating you from her with her cherry berry dyed hair.
  4. Draw your berry blue bloodied finger along the line of demarcation, a line for which you shall never pass.
  5. Let her know even though she will not turn to hear, twist to look, let her know you have her back, will you always have her back if she returns.
  6. You will have her back at the slightest drop of a single berry blue rolling its escape from the clamshell carton on the kitchen counter, remind her it was a mistake.
  7. Your hands stained, guilty for there is no excuse, no words to make amends in the blue puddle of berries gone.
  8. Your berry blue words streak sad, speak your words, this be your poem, your truth without remorse, your bloody berry blue words without regret, your poem to her, and to every blueberry lost.

………

Author’s Note..

I am drawn to surrealism and find this writing exploration unsettling. This image I painted has always bothered me and I didn’t know where it fit. I think it fits here with today’s prompt. A good practice piece again to push boundaries, experiment.

From NaPoWriMo:

‘Finally, here’s our optional prompt! Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem . . . in the form of a poetry prompt. If that sounds silly, well, maybe it is! But it’s not without precedent. The poet Mathias Svalina has been writing surrealist prompt-poems for quite a while, posting them to Instagram. You can find examples here, and here, and here.”

Ledge

Ledge. Lex Leonard. Acrylic on Watercolor paper.19’X24″

Sleep the ledge where line meets touch
don’t roll 
one side or other 
lest balance lost

Doctor, hold hands 
fill with marigold petals 
color of forest fire sunset

Caramel sky, saucers fly
do you belong
if, so, welcome

Smooth skin spirals
stem of possibility 
little mouse where are you

Walking the door
opening roar 
blackholes
silence sitting 

Corpse seed cleared 
E=empty bowl
gurgling pool 

Syndrome of afterlife
nothing certain
no need

You ride voices

Do the math

Look beyond

Beautiful hands

.

.

.

Author’s Note.

Another visit to the Denver Botanic Gardens for our writing group to write.

During our community time before putting down our thoughts, I gathered words from our conversation. These became our prompts and opening line:

Sleep. Doctor. Caramel. Smooth. Walking Corpse Syndrome.

You do look beautiful.

The Butcher

The princess slumped in a purple puff
her finest dress now wrinkled

She pouted then grinned
and told those who’d listen

“The swan will be arriving soon!”
She wished for the rabbit

the grey-brown one with fur
to greet everyone in the watery deep

mourning room but he couldn’t that day
could not move by himself

so it fell to the butcher
who was honored to play with

the princess her alligator prize
for it no longer mattered

neither swan nor brown-grey
could stay when the place was arranged

after gloves had been donned
clapping muffled the cries

the now crumpled princess
on a service of silver

was set right before their eyes
.
.
.

Author’s Note:

Some days are just like this.

Some days greet you with a snicker you would rather not pursue the reason for its presence. When that happens I know I should just get right back into bed.

Today Tweetspeak Poetry came to my rescue and gave me a reason to continue on. Even though I have laundry to do. Even though I must still write approximately 2500 words of my NaNoWriMo novel to keep ahead of this busy week. Even though it is a beautiful Sunday in Colorado and my dog, Bremen, wants a walk.  The nasty grin greeted me this morning. I was able to shake it off until noontime. Thank goodness for Tweetspeak. Their poetry theme this month is surrealism.

I have been collecting their surrealistic images all month on Pinterest at Everyday Poems, but have not had time to write.Today was the day and the princess’s story was told.

Now back to the laundry. And NaNoWriMo. And possibly, the Broncos, but maybe not.

.

.

.

These are photos that I used as prompts for the poem. Click on each and it will lead you to one of the Tweetspeak or Everyday Poem sites where I discovered them.