Open Mic Poetry Night

I plan to participate in Landmark Booksellers' open mic poetry night tomorrow evening.

Hot Tomato Haiku Contest

I am preparing to enter the Tomato Art Fest's Hot Tomato Haiku Contest. The deadline is July 31st. Join in on the fun!

Snot Lover

She seems to have a love affair
with snot. She sits at her desk all day
and sniffs up the mucus that makes
its way down the halls of her smeller;
all the while a full box of Kleenex
sits beside her just begging
to be used. It's not the only thing
begging her to blow her honker...
Does she consider it a crime to
send that substance into a tissue?
Does she feel she needs a permit
to shoot the slime out? She has a strange
allegiance to that ooey, gooey
glop. She seems, in fact, to like it.
Does she enjoy the constant
companionship it provides
throughout her work day?
Does it bring her comfort as it
coats her nasal membranes,
drips down her schnoz, and
reminds her that it's still there
with yet another "hello, again"?
Whatever the reason, she loves
her snot and, while I, for one,
believe in the right of every
adult to freely choose whom
to love, SNOT is where I draw the line.
Blow the trumpet, sister!

(Slow work day -- where was)

Slow work day -- where was
this quiet during last week's
beastly project blitz?

Lovebirds

I felt as if I had walked in
on them in the bedroom.
They were beak to beak
as I pulled up the driveway,
the cardinal and the robin.
Before they flew their
separate ways, they looked
directly at me, as if to say,
"Can't you see we're BUSY here?"
I looked away quickly, a little
embarrassed; a little amused;
happy for the little peckers.

Thank You

Thanks to all of you who attended Women's Work last night. Special thanks to Ashley, Connie, Dawn and Randy for their support!

Live Reading This Sunday

I will be sharing some of my poetry this Sunday at the third annual Women's Work festival. Come and enjoy an evening of original poetry and spoken word presented by lovely lady poets!

Sunday, May 10, at 6 p.m.
Z. Alexander Looby Theater
Looby Branch Library
2301 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.
Nashville, TN
$5

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Tennessee Women's Theater Project online.

Women's Work 2009

I've been invited to present my poetry at Women's Work again this year on Sunday, May 10, at 6 p.m. More details to come!

Change of Plans

One of my best friends from high school, Adam Lee Crabtree, passed away Wednesday night. I will be unable to participate in the Read-Around Tennessee event tomorrow, as I am traveling out of state to attend services.

The Courtesy Flush

It's a simple solution
to a terrible problem.
Once the baby ruth
has been delivered,
send that puppy home.
Why some folks
refuse to flush their
refuse and spare
the rest of us
their putrid fumes,
I have no clue.
I submit that public
restrooms must be
outfitted with gas
masks to counteract
the air quality offenses.
To such offenders, I
have only one plea:
Don't let your poo
stew under you.

Read-Around Tennessee

Come and join us!

Local writers (and listeners) are invited to the Williamson County Public Library on Saturday, Apr. 18, at 9:30 a.m. for Read-Around Tennessee, a celebration which will be simultaneously observed in communities across the state. Coordinated by the Tennessee Writers Alliance, this fifth annual Read-Around invites all writers, published or unpublished, to share five minutes of their fiction, nonfiction or poetry. All ages are welcome. This event is co-hosted by the library and the Williamson County Council for The Written Word. Pre-registration is not required.

Dangerous Delivery

sitting on the john
startled by the noises
in the stall next to me
praying that I don't get
splattered by the
bazooka pooper next door

In Those Last Moments

What must it have been like
to know that you were about
to be torturously beaten and
brutally crucified? I wonder
if He reviewed His time on
earth in the Garden of
Gethsemane, flipping
through the slide show of
His mind. Did He think of
His family -- His father's
smile, His mother's embrace,
His siblings' laughter --
His favorite adventures,
His favorite foods, His closest
friends? Did He rub His hands
and feet, nauseous at the
thought of the massive nails
ripping their muscles and
snapping their bones? I wonder
if, in His mind's eye -- with the eye
of the Spirit -- He saw the faces
of those He healed and
delivered, and the faces
of all those yet to be freed.
Ultimately, in those last
moments, He saw the face
of God, the will of His Father.
He said "no" to His flesh and
His emotions and "yes" to the
Kingdom of Heaven, as
He knelt one last time and
said, in essence,
"Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done."

(lost my appetite)

lost my appetite
waiting for the elevator
outside the restroom

Except for Earl

Tea is subtle and understated.
It's quiet and underrated.

Except for Earl.

Although Earl Grey doesn't
bust down your door like his
cousin Joe, he does knock
pretty hard.

He tips his hat when you
come to the door and,
before you even say so
much as "hello," he's
inside your house
sitting on your couch
chatting about the morning news.

Earl is chipper, but serious.
He is a man of the world,
sophisticated, up to date
and timeless, all at the same
time. He's a philosopher,
a morning man.
He's the kind of guy
you want on your side.

Today Will Be Okay

I've come to depend on
my morning cup of tea.
I survive interstate traffic
and my own stringent
a.m. primping routine
each morning without a
single drop of caffeine.
When I finally get to
the office, I need to know
that this day is worth all
the effort it took to get
here -- moisturizer, makeup
and mousse, cleaning up
cat vomit and dodging
suicidal drivers and
scraping bubble gum off
of my heel in the parking lot.
I need to know that
everything is going to
be alright. I rely on that
first steaming cup of
comfort with a kick.
I need its warmth and
strength to focus on
the tasks ahead.
And each day I accept
the gift of the black brew,
I know that -- come paperwork,
paper cuts or pervasive
newspaper headlines --
everything is going to be
okay -- at least for today.

(After nearly three)

After nearly three
years of silence, a hello
left his lips today.

Poetry Open Mic

This evening I will participate in Landmark Booksellers' monthly open mic poetry night.

(leaving a bag of new books)

leaving a bag of new books
in the car -- almost as hard as
leaving your newborn at the hospital

(careful to savor)

careful to savor
the first Girl Scout cookie of
the season -- then more