Read it and, . . . -- for a dVerse Poetics and Friday Writings

[Taken on a road trip through Iowa, 2011 (posted about it, click here)] 

dVerse Poetics Poem: 

        Sign said, "Road Closed" 

The sign said that the road was closed 

But that wasn't enough for me 

Which way to go, there's no arrow 

Two alternatives, right or left 

Or is there a third, either way 

Perhaps they both end up, same place 

This was Iowa, new to me 

I took my chances and went left 

That's the way life is many times 

There is no Detour sign to say 

And there's plenty of Iowa's 

We'll read the sign and do our best 

     _ _ _ 

Friday Writings Special:

Like a Deer 

Storm has come tonight 

Skies are darkened as black ink 

Love to run in rain 

_ _ _ 

 - Photo and Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2023, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with MS JADELI   at dVerse Poetics at  

   https://dversepoets.com/2023/09/12/dverse-poetics-semiotics-reading-the-signs/

 - Click here to read other writing concerning "signs". 

 - I am also linked with Magaly for hosting Friday Writings #94 at  

   https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/   

 - Magaly has invited us to "create poetry or prose which includes the following words:  storm; ink; and love" (I made a Senryu for her).  We have a choice as using her prompt is optional.  Due to my busy schedule I have opted to post instead a previously written work using "signs" for the prompt by MS JADELI.  

        _ _ _ 

 I used to like this song a lot:

 

 Detour — Patti Page

.. 

And this:

"Signs" (lyrics)
Recorded by: "Five Man Electrical Band" (1970)
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/lyrics2/signs.html
.. 

April -- NaPoWriMo 2023 Day 30 -- Mad Money -- and a Poem for Sunday Muse

     Wasted time and money

    Mama had warned her 

    "Spend your mad money

    very cautiously" 

    She didn't heed her  

    Now she wished she would 

    Save it for the time 

    Time you really need 

    Mad because your date 

    Didn't play fairly

    You imagine when 

    Times I've warned come true 

    Naughty naughty he 

    Sorry this came true 

    Walk home now you must 

        _ _ _ 

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2023, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with Carrie for the Photo from her selections for the Sunday  Muse #257 at 

    https://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/2023/04/sunday-muse-257.html

 - I am also linked with NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month, Day 30, 

    https://www.napowrimo.net/day-thirty-9/ 

 - Our suggested prompt is  follows"(. . . optional) prompt.  It wasn't compatible with any of Carrie's pictures so I opted out."  

 - It's a ditty with five syllable lines, I call it a half Sonnet

.. 

Cards -- Lost or misplaced?

          Cards; and a friend 

The little old man had fumbling problems 

Now again tonight at the register 

He couldn't seem to get his credit card 

Opened every pocket in his billfold 

It seemed to him a millennium passed 

Actually only a couple minutes 

and then I popped in with help on my mind 

I said to him, "Sir, hope it isn't lost" 

He let me check and sure enough not there 

"Would you please let me pay with mine, please, please"

Said this as I passed the card to the clerk 

He rung it up, "that's called paying ahead" 

"Thank you, thank you Sir" said the little man 

"I've had that done for me, comes in handy,"

Sometimes you gotta accept little helps 

And that little man, that was me one day

 _ _ _ 

 - Photo and Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2022, All Rights Reserved

 - This week Magaly is inviting us to write poetry or prose inspired by something heartening and unselfish a stranger did for us or for someone else.  Friday Writings #28, 

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/2022/05/friday-writings-28-heartening-and.html 

..

Forever - a pre-NaPoWriMo ditty

Forever Comes 

Forever comes once 

 in a lifetime 

She'll haunt us until 

 the day we die 

Makes us fret and brood 

 sometimes we cry 

Wipe our eyes stand tall 

 leave her alone 

Worry instead of 

 the after life 

Make peace with the Lord 

 what folk can do 

TV, I, preachers

 will show us how 

"Inspired by" Emily Dickinson's 

 _ _ _ 

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2022, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linking with NaPoWriMo 2022 pre-day for National April Poetry Writing month's early bird  warmup. 

https://www.napowrimo.net/one-day-to-go-and-an-early-bird-prompt-3/

.

Sunday Muse - How Old?

A morning her kind 

Thin, old and weary 

She still has a life 

Sets her alarm with snooze 

Goes to sleep at midnight 

Awake at four has to pee 

Four-thirty gets out of bed 

Husband is snoring in her head 

Poor fellow fifteen years been gone  

Hot chocolate with marshmallows  

Brownie with chocolate chips, sits 

Puts up her feet, she sips 

Unbraids her hair bun, slow  

Tired last night, so now 

Crooked fingers' work 

It's hell getting old 

 _ _ _ 

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2021, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with The Sunday Muse #177 for the prompt photo,   http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-sunday-muse-177.html?m=1 

.

Seasons

Surreal Artwork 

by Ronald Ong

Seems we go 

Seems we go from Spring's lush beauty blessings 

passing Summer's steamy unpleasantness

with one blink of eye into Fall's messes 

and flashing on to Winter's cold bleakness 

Seems Old Age has shown its infirmities 

before it's time before we are ready 

Ugliness too from stiff whitening hair to 

red splotches cover faces and bodies 

We use canes crutches walkers and wheel chairs 

Yesterday we ran races rode our bikes 

Visited places we'd only heard their names 

Drove our cars like racers through thick traffic 

Oh yes, belly buttons stick out not in   

Our love life has changed but can it remain

How long the Winter will be we don't know

 _ _ _ 

Like the old song, before 

your time, enjoy life now 

"Those were the days my friend 

We thought they'd never end" 

 _ _ _ 

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2021, All Rights Reserved 

 - Song, "Those were the days"  credited to Gene Raskin, (Wikipedia, Those Were the Days (song) - Wikipedia )  

 - I am linked with Carrie Van Horn with the Sunday Muse #151, , http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/2021/03/sunday-muse-151.html?m=1 

.

A Sunday Muse poem -- Woman

"Natural Woman" Digital Collage Art "

Covid Creations" by Susie Clevenger

Natural Woman

When does a Natural 

Woman hang it all up 

When does she don high 

heels and lipstick 

Rouge on her cheeks and 

eye lashes colored silver, 

or black 

But deep down what are 

her feelings Did she really

hang it on a tree 'cause 

she was the Natural 

Woman still 

You'll know her character 

if you knew her when she 

was a girl, a little girl.  Or 

sometimes a teen.  

And then it comes out 

when she is serious, 

sometimes when she 

plays.  Our Natural 

Woman is a girl at heart, 

the one she had from the 

start, no matter how she 

looks or what she 

pretends to be.

Natural Woman is the 

woman slash girl that 

you'll love. 

Old duds hung on a tree 

New Woman will not be 

Time comes she will be re- 

leased, sprung from gilded cage 

_ _ _ _

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2021, All Rights Reserved 

 - I am linked with Carrie Van Horn at the Sunday Muse  #146, http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/2021/02/sunday-muse-146.html?m=1 

 - Carrie presented the Digital Collage Art pictured above created by Susie Clevenger for a prompt to inspire our writing.  Her picture is titled, "Natural Woman."

A Poem ~~ Peace and Right Planting

Straight as an arrow 
proud farmer did plant 
GPS controled
his rows did not bend 

Life equally straight 
he went by the Book  
Rules he would not bend
fair with clan and foes 

While storm clouds hovered 
his animals slept 
Protectorate he 
wolves and warriors bayed  

Troubles all around 
Right wins big rewards 

Sticker from
The Sierra Club 
[ok to grab]
 _ _ _ _  

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2020, All Rights Reserved
 - Photo from Fireblossom linked below
 - I'm linked with Fireblossom at Sunday Muse # 121, http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/2020/08/sunday-muse-121.html?m=1
 - This is a Flash Poem with 55 words, 14 lines, and 70 syllables at five per line

an "Us" poem for Thursday

You and me;

 toolin' down

We go toolin' down the street,

you and me

Got this little German Bug,

yours and mine

Keepin' up with the most,

our sixty-three

Carrying lunch in a bag,

and some wine

We stop at a roadside park,
break the bread

And slice the cheese, please pass

the baloney

Pickles, olives, chips, our blanket

is spread

We're all laid out, pour those drops

of honey
 

Take a nap in the sun, we've

eaten well

Turn some music on, do we want

to kiss

Passed about an hour, hop back

in our wheels

Bug, you and me toolin', wave,

you can't miss

_ _ _ _

Photos* and Poem Copyright, © Jimmiehov 2018, All Rights Reserved

I'm linked with Marian at the "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, You and Me" at  http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2018/03/you-and-me.html?m=1 

*Notes:
 - Marian has been, this month (!) to an Alice Cooper concert in Boston with her family.  Of course the kids loved it, but so do we adults.  He did sing "You and Me" there, she has a YouTube Video on her post that I linked to above.  My poem is sort of true of a few pages of a chapter in my life, but not entirely.
 - *This 1963 Beatle is a PrntScr copied from "West Coast Classic Restoration" shop tale of restoration of this car.  Link, http://www.classicvws.com/gulfblu.htm 
 - In another life (#5), my car was a 1962 VW Beatle (Bug) that looked just like this restored one except mine was original.  I bought it from the original owner, a coworker, in 1968, it had about 60,000 miles showing.  This car and I had wonderful times as I drove it all during my three years of single life that began later in that year.  I was also a college student again then, I had dropped out for several years. (To see cars that I have owned so far-- look at end of the post, click here .)

Zig Zags ~~ a Poem for Life, Yours and Muhammad Ali's

[click on picture for larger view--it's pretty]

The fence above is a Zig Zag fence (my name for it). This type of fence is free standing and the posts do not have to be dug in for it to stand up even under the very strong winter winds.  These fences are common along the roads around Telluride, Colorado, where this picture was taken.

Zig Zags 

..

When life throws you a curve you go 'round it  

Straight is the fastest unless you're traveling 

Zig zags are stronger, they will make you strong 

Slow at the outside corners, hang on tight 

Meet yourself on insides, calm and reflect 

You'll get there safe, stronger but not so fast 

[large picture] [super size]
"Calming", A Highway Sign Found on the Roads of Ireland©Jimmiehov 2007 (link to the 2007 post)

Poem copyright 2016, Jimmiehov -- Top photo copyright 2012, Jimmiehov (link) 

I'm linking with Terry at The Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Tuesday Platform (link) where she, dedicated our postings in memory of strong man, Mohammad Ali (1942-2016)

Four (big) Words -- a 'poem' for "Get Listed for May, 2015"

Blood, house (home),

face, and suburb

Blood on the moon

While you're at home

Fear on your face

Suburb fallout

Blood on his knife

You're home alone

Death on his face

Suburb castle

Blood on the floor

His, in your house

Shot in his face

Suburb is safe

 

Above:  Various houses I've visited.  The one on the lower left is Hemmingway's backyard study in Key West, Florida.  Next on the right is a monastery high up in the hills of Greece. I've been in both of these. 
[You can enlarge any picture by clicking on it.  Most get larger still if you click again.]

- - -

 

Photos and Poem copyright © 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

 

I am linked with grapeling  at the Real Toads, Get Listed for May: Pablo Neruda

 

 - Grapling's instructions were to "please write a new poem for this prompt using at least 3 of the list words (or reasonable variants), post it to your own site, and link to that specific poem (not just your blog)." 

 - His resource for this prompt was "the list from the (translated) poems of Pablo Neruda, specifically, from the bilingual edition Pablo Neruda - Selected Poems (Houghton Mifflin, 1970)."

 - I used this one:  "from "I'm Explaining a Few Things", page 151 (PoemHunter.com again): suburb, face, house, blood."  I took the liberty to use the word Home instead of House where I felt it to be more appropriate for my poem.

 

Two o'clock ~ Haiku Bones

[large picture] [extra large]

Afternoon

It's two o'clock and
all is well — dog's in her bed
it's time for our nap

- - - - - - -

It's two o'clock on
long hot summer afternoon
time for nature's nap

- - - - - - -

Photo and Poems Copyright
© 2010 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved

Thanks to Bruce Miller at Kite Horse Haiku
for the prompt word, two o'clock.

Find more haiku at Haiku Bones

Acrostic: Paris

[large picture] [super sized]

My Paris

Party all the night
Art museums all day
Rive Droite* for shopping
Île-de-France** for her
She's Paris Hilton

Copyright © 2009 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved

Top (day) Eiffel Tower : [large picture] [super sized]
Bottom (night) Eiffel Tower:[large picture] [super sized]

Notes:*Rive Droite's (The Right Bank) most famous street is undeniably the Champs-Élysées, but there are others of prominence, such as Rue de la Paix, Rue de Rivoli and Avenue Montaigne. (Wikipedia)
**Île-de-France is one of the twenty-six administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area. Its name literally means "Island of France", maybe from ancient Frankish Liddle Franke, "little France". (Wikipedia)

Written for Acrostics Only October, 2009, prompt 11, Paris

Acrostic: Not Easily Broken

Not Easily Broken

Noose is ready
Over his head
This my stallion

Ever was wild
And so noble
Steed to be
I want him
Love him only
You will know

Bare back I
Ride for now
Our fine bucking
Killer bronco—not
Easily tamed guy
New stablemate mine

Copyright © 2009 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved

Written for Acrostics Only October, 2009, prompt 5, Not Easily Broken Moments