The Golden Years

I always heard these are the Golden Years

Though just when they start I’m not sure

Nobody mentioned they bring on new fears  

Like irksome inflictions for which there’s no cure 

I shouldn’t complain because I’m quite well 

Though I’ve worried about death since age seven 

My mother once told me I’m destined for Hell

Even worse, there’s no space left in Heaven

What’s best about my Golden Years up to now 

Monday mornings, I don’t go to work 

Having no job seemed a most dismal fate

But then it became life’s best perk 

I’m happy my Golden Years all fit in one sonnet

The credit must go to the bees in my bonnet

A Halloween Sonnet

All Hallows’ Eve, so much mystery 

Black cats and witches and objects of dread

Some six thousand years of satanic history 

The Celts, pagan festivals, the Day of the Dead 

Each kid at our school had a homemade costume 

So funny, the boys wearing big sisters’ clothes 

Ghosts and devils took over the playground

And silly small clowns with red paint on their nose 

 The streets were a threatening place in the night

No adults, we children went out on our own 

Just when we thought that we’d conquered our fright

We’d hear down the block a deep death rattle moan 

Few things after twelve match Halloween night 

Disguises, the darkness, the candy, the fright 

Earthworms in Songs: A Blitz Poem

[Note:  A blitz poem consists in 50 short lines, typically written in a hurry.  Lines 1 and 2 start with the same word, lines 3 and 4 start with the last word of line 2, and so on.  Lines 49 and 50 are the last words of lines 48 and 47.  The title is the first word of line 3 and the first word of line 47, joined by a preposition or a conjunction.]

Eating garlic

Eating earthworms

Earthworms attached to fish hooks

Earthworms torn in two

Two lost daughters

Too close to home

Home of the sad sacks

Home is calling 

Calling all expatriates

Calling you ooh ooh ooh

Ooh I am so hungry

Ooh I’ve lost my mind

Mind your fitful manners

Mind your business, Crabby

Crabby people irritate

Crabby is as crabby does

Does your hair fall out

Does your breath smell bad 

Bad pols get elected

Bad children go to Hell 

Hell is lacking ice cream

Hell is made from dog poops

Poops in my front yard 

Poops the dog did not pick up 

Up the down escalator

Upward fly the bluebirds 

Bluebirds nest in peach trees

Bluebirds croon at twilight

Twilight spreads its tendrils

Twilight is the death of day

Day dreams of bygone times

Days turn into night

Night of endless desires

Night belongs to ogres 

Ogres in your attic

Ogres with pointy teeth

Teeth require flossing

Teeth get stained dark yellow   

Yellow pigmentation

Yellow like my heart

Hart, Schaffner, and Marx 

Heart for dark adventure

Adventure in Antartica

Adventure for muscular birds

Birds with damaged wings

Birds sing winsome songs

Songs of the Marzipan 

Songs of pain and sorrow

Sorrow

Marzipan