Life On A B-I7

Poetry Challenge Day 156 (Wed Mar 9)

Fire is a catalyst
it provides warmth to survive
and it sustains love.
What is love without fire?
I know something of that.

Having lived without fire,
I don’t want to live without it
ever again.

Poetry Challenge Day 155 (Tue Mar 8)

There are two types of poetry.
Imaginative
and reality based.
The highest form of poetry
is that which engages
the imagination.
I am firmly embedded
in the reality based genre.

I have written one imaginative poem to-date. It wasn’t easy, and to tell you the truth (the title of the poem is “Water and Frog”) I stole the idea for the subject from a poem written by Joy Harjo. Not only was it hard to write, but in order to complete the poem, I had to sit by a stream for some time, seeking inspiration. It finally came, reluctantly I might add, after pleading with inspiration to hit me with the biggest hammer it had. Was the poem a success? Only partially. After all my efforts it turned out to be less imaginative than I had hoped it would be.

Poetry Challenge Day 154 (Mon Mar 7)

As I’m walking into the grocery store
I see people walking out with flowers,
two or three in fact.
I notice they are all men.
I’m not used to seeing that.
It’s a strange sight, but I manage
to dismiss it somehow.
I grab my items and go through the check-out.
Walking out, passing the floral department,
it suddenly dawns on me,
it’s Valentines Day.
That explains the the whole “men” thing.
I’m so glad I told my love
this morning that I love her
because there are no flowers
in my shopping bag.

Poetry Challenge Day 153 (Sun Mar 6)

Every day should be Sunday.
I love Sunday.
I don’t feel pressure to do anything.
I spend time contemplating my next step.
Not doing feels just as good as doing.
If I do happen to accomplish something
I take the time to admire it.
that being the case,
every day should be Sunday.

Sunday is also a good day for pancakes.

Poetry Challenge Day 152 (Sat Mar 5)

Writing a poem about death is not
something I planned to do.
Thanks to a book given to me
by a certain special someone,
it’s something I’ve actually given
some thought to recently.
But fortunately for you
(at least for now)
this is not about my
philosophy on death,
this is about my near death experience.

The other day I cancelled my Dermatology appointment.
(I did it online.)
A couple of hours later
I noticed I had a voice message.
“This is Calvin from Dermatology calling back,
it looks like you have cancer
and I wanted to see if you’d
like to make an appointment.”

My first reaction was
how the hell did he come to that conclusion?
I haven’t even been seen before,
but the voice of reason skips over the obvious
and goes straight to obscure.
Curious and a bit worried
I called back.
After waiting on hold for 20 minutes
(Thank you COVID)
I got through to a person
and explained the phone message.

The person I was talking to
assured me they would not have
left a message like that,
so naturally I read it back to her.
After discussing this for a few minutes
we came to the conclusion
that the voice message must have
used the word “cancer”
in place of the word “cancelled.”
(I’ll leave it to you to go back
and reread the message, but it does fit.)

After making some idiotic comment
about advising Calvin to slow down
and enunciate his messages more clearly,
I hung up feeling much better.

Poetry Challenge Day 151 (Fri Mar 4)

The Cortisone Cream and the Colgate
sit next to each other on the bathroom counter.
I sometimes look at them and think
“that could be a problem.”
Of course I’m way to smart
to make that mistake.
So I leave them there, intentionally,
as a sort of test, IQ test as it were,
or maybe better, an “awareness” test.
I did pretty well for awhile,
until this morning.
The rash on my hand is now minty fresh
and my teeth are feeling slightly numb.

Poetry Challenge Day 150 (Thu Mar 3)

Why not write a poem that is untitled?
What would such a poem be about?
It would have to be about nothing, or would it?
Maybe just a series of questions?
Would it give any hint of an answer?
I’ll never know until I try…

Poetry Challenge Day 149 (Wed Mar 2)

I went in for a mid-morning cup.
Never been here before.
(I had just left a skate shop
where curiosity had pulled me in.)
I met Isaac there (his real name)
a cool guy.
The shop was amazing, I will wander in
from time to time
now that I know it’s there.
Here in the coffee shop,
It’s pretty plain inside, but warm and friendly.
“16 oz. Americano, with room please.”
Experience at small bespoke coffee places
has taught me that you’re better off
specifying cup size rather than using
the Starbucks nomenclature…
The Barista pulls my Americano
into a glass tumbler with a cardboard cozy.
Amazing! I’ve never seen that before!
I am naturally skeptical
but I sit down to give it a go.
It’s a damn fine cup of coffee,
probably the best I’ve had in some time.
(I work on my todo list, a very bad habit.)
When I’m finished
(with the coffee, not the todo list)
I’m feeling proud of myself
for coming into this place.
(Two scores in a row!)
I take my cup up to the Barista
and tell him it was very good.
He smiles broadly and says
“I’m glad you liked it.”
That’s a good morning.

Poetry Challenge Day 148 (Tue Mar 1)

I know there is one person
that reads my poems.
I never expected even one.

Frankly, I’m doing this for myself.
For many reasons.
To keep my old brain engaged.
To make myself a better person
(seriously)
and to give myself a goal.
Perhaps the best reason…
just to see if a year-long challenge
can even be sustained.

To that one reader
I would just like to say,
“Thank you.”

Poetry Challenge Day 147 (Mon Feb 28)

I’ve come to the water
to look for Frog.
(For no particular reason.)
I don’t see him.
I assume he is afraid
to show his face to me.
I don’t blame him.
My kind are the reason
Water and Frog are so shy.
But there’s more here to see.
I’ve never seen rocks like these.
They look like they are made of steel.
They are beautiful.
Even though Water and Frog
are hiding from me,
they can’t hide these rocks.
The words the water speaks
as it courses around these rocks
is a mystery to me.
Frog would know what water is saying
if I could find him,
I would ask him to translate for me.

I completely stole the inspiration for this poem from Joy Harjo, or rather, the inspiration for this poem came from one by Joy Harjo that I tried desperately not to plagiarize…

Poetry Challenge Day 146 (Sun Feb 27)

I went cat skiing.
Tux wasn’t with me,
so it wasn’t really cat skiing.
It was a blast,
even though Tux wasn’t there.

I was planning to go cat skiing, but my friend wasn’t feeling up to it so we cancelled, however we did go two years ago, so this still applies. (Tux is my cat…)

Poetry Challenge Day 145 (Sat Feb 26)

You have no idea
how much I love you.
Can I use the word love?
(I did, so I suppose I can.)
I can’t explain it.
Your passion makes me feel
like a greater participant in life.
When I’m with you
everything is bigger, bolder,
more significant.
This is not a feeling that
any other friend has given me.
I have met the love of my life
and I would not want to live
without her (I’m lucky and I know it).
But to have met the love of my life
and to also have met you,
to have the privilege
to call you my friend,
has been a joyful experience
that I could never have expected,
nor will I ever be able to replace.

Poetry Challenge Day 144 (Fri Feb 25)

I can’t find the words
to tell you how much I love you.
Even though we are from
different mothers
(as the phrase goes)
you are unquestionably my brother.
Everything
(OK, almost everything)
positive in my life has been
the result of your influence.
It is safe to say
I would be a very different person
had we never met.
I will never let you go,
you will always be a part of me.
If it is possible to meet
beyond this life
you are the first man
I will be looking for.

Poetry Challenge Day 143 (Thu Feb 24)

Everyone carries a heartache,
what do we do with it?
Do we remember it,
whenever it calls to us,
or do we tell it,
“you are history”
when it presents itself.
The choice is our’s,
the choice determines our future.

Poetry Challenge Day 142 (Wed Feb 23)

I’m sitting in a restaurant
writing in my journal.
I don’t care if people
see me writing,
I’m learning to let my
inhibitions go.
I asked the server
if she would have the
chef step out from the kitchen.
A shy fellow emerged a couple
minutes later.
I told him my meal was wonderful.
He seemed embarrassed
but grateful.
I like to think my praise
helped to make his day.

Poetry Challenge Day 141 (Tue Feb 22)

I think my poetry
may best be described
as a stream of consciousness.
What better way to
discover who we are?
The good news is,
I am discovering.

Journal Entry (Mon Feb 21, 2022)

I recently went for a ride in Smith Rock State Park. SRSP is truly a remarkable place. World renowned for climbing, which I don’t do, but also not bad as a mountain biking destination. There are a lot of hikers, so it means often yielding to people on foot, but still well worth the visit just for the scenery.

Poetry Challenge Day 140 (Mon Feb 21)

My server just apologized
for taking so long
with my order.
I told her,
“no problem,
I’ve written four poems
while I’ve been waiting.”

Poetry Challenge Day 139 (Sun Feb 20)

If you didn’t hate poetry
before you stumbled onto
this site,
I wouldn’t blame you
if you did now.

Poetry Challenge Day 138 (Sat Feb 19)

I love writing.
It’s not about the words
(mostly)
it’s about the feeling
of pen on paper.
Of course I have a special pen.
Shhhhh, I’m not revealing
what it is.
In the age of supply chain shortages
(thank you COVID)
I don’t care to tell you that.
Anyway…
It doesn’t really matter
what words appear,
all I really care about
is how they feel on the
paper when they
come out of the pen…

I’m well aware this is not paper… But that’s how it all starts…

Poetry Challenge Day 137 (Fri Feb 18)

Should I get a tattoo?
I think so…

Why?

Because I have an image in my mind
that perfectly suits me.

What better reason?

Poetry Challenge Day 136 (Thu Feb 17)

Do I write on the computer
or in my journal?
In my journal.
It’s much more personal,
and it just feels good.
I love the feel of pen on paper.
The exercise allows me
to step outside myself.
Although you could argue
I don’t get very far away,
it’s more perspective
then I would have otherwise.

Poetry Challenge Day 135 (Wed Feb 16)

My Calling Card

Skiing
Cycling
Mountain Biking
Kayaking
Overlanding

As of February 22nd, I have to add off-road motorcycling to the list.

Poetry Challenge Day 134 (Tue Feb 15)

People leave calling cards on my truck.
Invitations to join 4x4 clubs.
I know I shouldn’t be flattered by this.
It’s not about me,
it’s about my truck.
Nevertheless,
I feel sort of special.
Sooner or later I’m bound
to make some friends…

Poetry Challenge Day 133 (Mon Feb 14)

Ah Valentine’s Day!
Another great American Holiday!
Yes we should love,
especially those close to us,
but why not love everyone?
Why in fact,
do we not love everyone?