A Blue Bird Found My Heart

A blue bird found my heart
Deflated by your leaving,
Caught by its string in a tree.
It hadn’t flown very far.
He used it to make a colorful nest;
And I, this poem.

150

Birch trees extend their bare tan limbs
To catch the last rays of warmth thrown by the winter sun.

[In case you hadn’t guessed, this poem is titled “150” because it is the 150th poem posted to this blog. I’m open to other titles for it though; Drop me a comment and make a suggestion.]

I Cain’t Go (Nicole’s Song)

I see blue sky over there but I cain’t go
A little breeze want to ruffle my hair but I cain’t go
I’ve got forty-‘leven dishes and umpty-nine bins
I get ‘em clean and send ‘em out
They come right back again
So creek don’t you whisper my name cuz I cain’t go.

Chorus:
I cain’t go
I cain’t go
Not for bowling pins nor worms nor pizza- I cain’t go
When you’ve got a job to do
You keep going and you push on through
So don’t send the stretch limo for me cuz I cain’t go

A new tire’s on the big oak tree but I cain’t go
Rascal Flatts wants to tour with me but I cain’t go
Ain’t no magic gonna get me to that ball
These pans are dirty, gotta wash them all
Tell Prince Charming not to wait for me cuz I cain’t go

The Power Of Dark Fruit

Your appetite for the exotic is well known:
Not for you the farmstand apple
Or peaches from a neighbor’s tree,
The walk in a sunlit meadow
Or a rime riche.
You have tasted dark fruit.
Growing in the occult regions of the forest,
It surprised you with the sweetness of its second-taste.
Now you will brave stinging nettles,
Carve amphimacer paths,
Drop to your belly like a snake to slink beneath brambles
If only you can have it again.

For James

Twenty-four days of rain-
It’s not such a long time.
I’m sleeping in a tent again
Hoping to catch the spirit.
Lying under the canopy, the whispering of the trees
And the tuning of your old guitar takes me away

And I cried when he sang “Lady”
Cuz I could tell we’d never be together again just like that.
When he sang the song for Annie he fairly broke my heart;
I wished somebody’d love me enough to write a song for me.
Now he’s gone.

Funny how the rain or an old guitar can take you back in time
Suddenly I’m nineteen
Holding Jimmy’s hand beneath the stars.
We’d sneak into the meeting tent and
Lying there we’d kiss and talk for hours
But first we’d ask Baby Jesus to keep us from going too far.

And I cried when he sang “Lady”
Cuz I could tell we’d never be together again just like that.
When he sang the song for Annie he fairly broke my heart;
I wished somebody’d love me enough to write a song for me.
Now he’s gone.

You never forget the first man in your life who plays guitar
Not eager to share
But proud when he gets flagged down for a song.
You can sit through “Showers Of Blessings” and “Sandals”
Cuz you know your turn will come again.
Night will fall and he’ll be singing “Dearest Esmeralda” just for you.

And I cried when he sang “Lady”
Cuz I could tell we’d never be together again just like that.
When he sang the song for Annie he fairly broke my heart;
I wished somebody’d love me enough to write a song for me.
Now he’s gone.

Twenty-four days of rain-
It’s not such a long time.