Start posting!

On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> Start posting!

The Visit

We all gathered there, early sixties,
in between graduating and military,
bringing along some makeshift poles
looking for the illusive perch.

Little frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail,
danced in high grass
and the never-ending gurgle of water,
carried dragon flies on fallen leaves
past an old stump that served as a seat.

The hot July days brought innocent chat,
wondering where the future days would lead us
but quickly forgotten as stones were skimmed
till that sun started to dip into suppertime.

We returned day after summer day,
till one by one we journeyed beyond youth,
some never returning to our favorite pond.

Visiting again, many years later,
little has changed, the stump still clings
to the bank and I half smiled, remembering
back to those days of innocent youth.

I skimmed a stone and walked away.

Edward Rochester Esq.
 

On Friday, July 1, 2022 at 6:35:31 AM UTC-4, Edward Rochester Esq. wrote:
> On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Start posting!
>
>
> The Visit
>
>
> We all gathered there, early sixties,
> in between graduating and military,
> bringing along some makeshift poles
> looking for the illusive perch.
>
> Little frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail,
> danced in high grass
> and the never-ending gurgle of water,
> carried dragon flies on fallen leaves
> past an old stump that served as a seat.
>
> The hot July days brought innocent chat,
> wondering where the future days would lead us
> but quickly forgotten as stones were skimmed
> till that sun started to dip into suppertime.
>
> We returned day after summer day,
> till one by one we journeyed beyond youth,
> some never returning to our favorite pond.
>
> Visiting again, many years later,
> little has changed, the stump still clings
> to the bank and I half smiled, remembering
> back to those days of innocent youth.
>
> I skimmed a stone and walked away.
>
> Edward Rochester Esq.
^^^^^^^

On Friday, July 1, 2022 at 6:35:31 AM UTC-4, Edward Rochester Esq. wrote:
> On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Start posting!
>
>
> The Visit
>
>
> We all gathered there, early sixties,
> in between graduating and military,
> bringing along some makeshift poles
> looking for the illusive perch.
>
> Little frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail,
> danced in high grass
> and the never-ending gurgle of water,
> carried dragon flies on fallen leaves
> past an old stump that served as a seat.
>
> The hot July days brought innocent chat,
> wondering where the future days would lead us
> but quickly forgotten as stones were skimmed
> till that sun started to dip into suppertime.
>
> We returned day after summer day,
> till one by one we journeyed beyond youth,
> some never returning to our favorite pond.
>
> Visiting again, many years later,
> little has changed, the stump still clings
> to the bank and I half smiled, remembering
> back to those days of innocent youth.
>
> I skimmed a stone and walked away.
>
> Edward Rochester Esq.

Till Death Do Us Part

Ignore me
if I unzip and piss on all
you cherish
for I can be ornery
at times
though loving
when the day runs right--
a perfect bacon strip
to a new blossom's poke
out of tended dirt.
 
Beware the title of
"Up Yours"
those clouds have gathered
and my poke in God's eye
can disturb those
with bloody knees
in search of grace.
 
I'll tempt your prone
midnight sheer
as I ravish flesh and blood,
fornicating
with the exclamation point
of carnal greed.
 
Foolish at times
wanting to bring the flash
of smile to your day
but your bacon was burned
and the roof leaks
yesterday's storm.
 
We've said I do's
in sickness and in health
and it's not all
kisses and roses
as blank we start,
knowing the journey
will not bring the yawn
after the yawn of new day.
 
If asked I'd marry you again,
just watch, the bacon, I plead,
for it's there in the pan
where the day will be bright
or stormy.

Edward Rochester Esq.
 
 

On Friday, July 1, 2022 at 6:03:40 PM UTC-4, Edward Rochester Esq. wrote:
> On Friday, July 1, 2022 at 6:35:31 AM UTC-4, Edward Rochester Esq. wrote:
> > On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > Start posting!
> >
> >
> > The Visit
> >
> >
> > We all gathered there, early sixties,
> > in between graduating and military,
> > bringing along some makeshift poles
> > looking for the illusive perch.
> >
> > Little frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail,
> > danced in high grass
> > and the never-ending gurgle of water,
> > carried dragon flies on fallen leaves
> > past an old stump that served as a seat.
> >
> > The hot July days brought innocent chat,
> > wondering where the future days would lead us
> > but quickly forgotten as stones were skimmed
> > till that sun started to dip into suppertime.
> >
> > We returned day after summer day,
> > till one by one we journeyed beyond youth,
> > some never returning to our favorite pond.
> >
> > Visiting again, many years later,
> > little has changed, the stump still clings
> > to the bank and I half smiled, remembering
> > back to those days of innocent youth.
> >
> > I skimmed a stone and walked away.
> >
> > Edward Rochester Esq.

Graffiti Lives

We're all artists, in life,
navigating a new canvas every day.

The sorrow and joy rendered
and tucked away, archived
into a body of work,
to be proud of, embarrassed by,
forgotten.

And with each new morning,
we navigate through the challenges,
cry at the misdeeds of others
rejoice the beauty of the beauty
meeting a new day.

You can use your muddy browns,
yellows, blues and reds,
smear you face and hands
fling your colors into the night sky
knowing a new canvas greets a new day.

Use your palate well,
brush tenderly, brush rough
but brush and you'll look back
at your gallery of days
remembering the joy of it all,
after all.
 

On Friday, 1 July 2022 at 06:35:31 UTC-4, blackpo...@aol.com wrote:
> On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Start posting!
>
>
> The Visit
>
>
> We all gathered there, early sixties,
> in between graduating and military,
> bringing along some makeshift poles
> looking for the illusive perch.
>
> Little frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail,
> danced in high grass
> and the never-ending gurgle of water,
> carried dragon flies on fallen leaves
> past an old stump that served as a seat.
>
> The hot July days brought innocent chat,
> wondering where the future days would lead us
> but quickly forgotten as stones were skimmed
> till that sun started to dip into suppertime.
>
> We returned day after summer day,
> till one by one we journeyed beyond youth,
> some never returning to our favorite pond.
>
> Visiting again, many years later,
> little has changed, the stump still clings
> to the bank and I half smiled, remembering
> back to those days of innocent youth.
>
> I skimmed a stone and walked away.
>
> Edward Rochester Esq.

On Friday, 1 July 2022 at 18:03:40 UTC-4, blackpo...@aol.com wrote:
> On Friday, July 1, 2022 at 6:35:31 AM UTC-4, Edward Rochester Esq. wrote:
> > On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > Start posting!
> >
> >
> > The Visit
> >
> >
> > We all gathered there, early sixties,
> > in between graduating and military,
> > bringing along some makeshift poles
> > looking for the illusive perch.
> >
> > Little frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail,
> > danced in high grass
> > and the never-ending gurgle of water,
> > carried dragon flies on fallen leaves
> > past an old stump that served as a seat.
> >
> > The hot July days brought innocent chat,
> > wondering where the future days would lead us
> > but quickly forgotten as stones were skimmed
> > till that sun started to dip into suppertime.
> >
> > We returned day after summer day,
> > till one by one we journeyed beyond youth,
> > some never returning to our favorite pond.
> >
> > Visiting again, many years later,
> > little has changed, the stump still clings
> > to the bank and I half smiled, remembering
> > back to those days of innocent youth.
> >
> > I skimmed a stone and walked away.
> >
> > Edward Rochester Esq.
> ^^^^^^^

LETTER OF SUFFERANCE
(A Resignation)
----
This Life we're living
wasn't worth the life I was giving
for those that seem to ignore
the lives I risked mine for.
A War to cure each and every ill
couldn't end the conflict of wills
fueling our commonplace everyday war.
So exactly what was this fighting for?

~~Ash Wurthing

On Saturday, July 2, 2022 at 8:57:12 AM UTC-4, Ash Wurthing wrote:
> LETTER OF SUFFERANCE
> (A Resignation)
> ----
> This Life we're living
> wasn't worth the life I was giving
> for those that seem to ignore
> the lives I risked mine for.
> A War to cure each and every ill
> couldn't end the conflict of wills
> fueling our commonplace everyday war.
> So exactly what was this fighting for?
>
> ~~Ash Wurthing

Now Playing

I did a lot of thinking and watching today
not about anything in particular
but everything in particular
and it drifted from cave man riding
atop Mastodon's to funny suited men
in armored trucks firing shells
into the neighbors back yard.

All sorts of colorful flags flew
from masts to sports complex
where men in silly suits tossed oblong
balls towards the goal and through the uprights
for that extra point or three.

The complexity back when, was easy,
you killed, you ate, you grunted a date.
Now artificial Intelligence parks the car
and chickens are delivered hot and ready
with two sides and beverage.

I watched a sparrow hop in grass
until something flew from hiding
then snatched into a beak and fed
to a stretched neck of a newborn.

I watched a dog walk, then squat,
leaving lunch on a tended lawn and the owner
pull out a bag, lifted and knotted
the warm shit as all good dog owners should.

I thought of my age as storm clouds gathered,
soon enough those thunder claps will go quiet
as a bolt of lightning kills an oak tree
somewhere inside a thick forest.

I drank some cold water fast, the chill
refreshed, the simple things, I thought to myself,
are at times the best things in life

Just before the eyes closed on the day,
some news caught my attention.

Someone somewhere in a silly uniform
riding a metal monster threw a shell
into a food market, scattering blood, bones
and sweet corn into small puddles.

The eyes closed, my last thought of the day
was tomorrow it will all happen again
if I'm lucky enough to still be here watching,
this being too good a movie to miss.

Edward Rochester Esq.

On Friday, 1 July 2022 at 20:36:56 UTC-4, blackpo...@aol.com wrote:
> On Friday, July 1, 2022 at 6:35:31 AM UTC-4, Edward Rochester Esq. wrote:
> > On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > Start posting!
> >
> >
> > The Visit
> >
> >
> > We all gathered there, early sixties,
> > in between graduating and military,
> > bringing along some makeshift poles
> > looking for the illusive perch.
> >
> > Little frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail,
> > danced in high grass
> > and the never-ending gurgle of water,
> > carried dragon flies on fallen leaves
> > past an old stump that served as a seat.
> >
> > The hot July days brought innocent chat,
> > wondering where the future days would lead us
> > but quickly forgotten as stones were skimmed
> > till that sun started to dip into suppertime.
> >
> > We returned day after summer day,
> > till one by one we journeyed beyond youth,
> > some never returning to our favorite pond.
> >
> > Visiting again, many years later,
> > little has changed, the stump still clings
> > to the bank and I half smiled, remembering
> > back to those days of innocent youth.
> >
> > I skimmed a stone and walked away.
> >
> > Edward Rochester Esq.
> Till Death Do Us Part
>
> Ignore me
> if I unzip and piss on all
> you cherish
> for I can be ornery
> at times
> though loving
> when the day runs right--
> a perfect bacon strip
> to a new blossom's poke
> out of tended dirt.
>
> Beware the title of
> "Up Yours"
> those clouds have gathered
> and my poke in God's eye
> can disturb those
> with bloody knees
> in search of grace.
>
> I'll tempt your prone
> midnight sheer
> as I ravish flesh and blood,
> fornicating
> with the exclamation point
> of carnal greed.
>
> Foolish at times
> wanting to bring the flash
> of smile to your day
> but your bacon was burned
> and the roof leaks
> yesterday's storm.
>
> We've said I do's
> in sickness and in health
> and it's not all
> kisses and roses
> as blank we start,
> knowing the journey
> will not bring the yawn
> after the yawn of new day.
>
> If asked I'd marry you again,
> just watch, the bacon, I plead,
> for it's there in the pan
> where the day will be bright
> or stormy.
>
> Edward Rochester Esq.

On Saturday, 2 July 2022 at 08:57:12 UTC-4, Ash Wurthing wrote:
> LETTER OF SUFFERANCE
> (A Resignation)
> ----
> This Life we're living
> wasn't worth the life I was giving
> for those that seem to ignore
> the lives I risked mine for.
> A War to cure each and every ill
> couldn't end the conflict of wills
> fueling our commonplace everyday war.
> So exactly what was this fighting for?
>
> ~~Ash Wurthing

On Saturday, 2 July 2022 at 20:46:12 UTC-4, blackpo...@aol.com wrote:
> On Saturday, July 2, 2022 at 8:57:12 AM UTC-4, Ash Wurthing wrote:
> > LETTER OF SUFFERANCE
> > (A Resignation)
> > ----
> > This Life we're living
> > wasn't worth the life I was giving
> > for those that seem to ignore
> > the lives I risked mine for.
> > A War to cure each and every ill
> > couldn't end the conflict of wills
> > fueling our commonplace everyday war.
> > So exactly what was this fighting for?
> >
> > ~~Ash Wurthing
> Now Playing
>
> I did a lot of thinking and watching today
> not about anything in particular
> but everything in particular
> and it drifted from cave man riding
> atop Mastodon's to funny suited men
> in armored trucks firing shells
> into the neighbors back yard.
>
> All sorts of colorful flags flew
> from masts to sports complex
> where men in silly suits tossed oblong
> balls towards the goal and through the uprights
> for that extra point or three.
>
> The complexity back when, was easy,
> you killed, you ate, you grunted a date.
> Now artificial Intelligence parks the car
> and chickens are delivered hot and ready
> with two sides and beverage.
>
> I watched a sparrow hop in grass
> until something flew from hiding
> then snatched into a beak and fed
> to a stretched neck of a newborn.
>
> I watched a dog walk, then squat,
> leaving lunch on a tended lawn and the owner
> pull out a bag, lifted and knotted
> the warm shit as all good dog owners should.
>
> I thought of my age as storm clouds gathered,
> soon enough those thunder claps will go quiet
> as a bolt of lightning kills an oak tree
> somewhere inside a thick forest.
>
> I drank some cold water fast, the chill
> refreshed, the simple things, I thought to myself,
> are at times the best things in life
>
> Just before the eyes closed on the day,
> some news caught my attention.
>
> Someone somewhere in a silly uniform
> riding a metal monster threw a shell
> into a food market, scattering blood, bones
> and sweet corn into small puddles.
>
> The eyes closed, my last thought of the day
> was tomorrow it will all happen again
> if I'm lucky enough to still be here watching,
> this being too good a movie to miss.
>
> Edward Rochester Esq.

On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> Start posting!

Wild gyrations

We are galvanized into action
Undertake wild gyrations
Parkour our persons
Posture like incompetent photographers
Do the Fosbury Flip
and Spiral out of control

On Sunday, 3 July 2022 at 09:37:49 UTC-4, xip14...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Start posting!
> Wild gyrations
>
> We are galvanized into action
> Undertake wild gyrations
> Parkour our persons
> Posture like incompetent photographers
> Do the Fosbury Flip
> and Spiral out of control

4th of July
by NancyGene

Boom, went their headboard on the shared wall.
Boom, boom, and more rat-a-tat booms.
The neighbors were celebrating as I sprawled,
sleepless, while my own apartment bedroom

shook with their Fourth of July celebrations
of independence with undersheet fireworks,
but I just wanted to sleep without detonations
of spinning rockets from those fornicating jerks,

as they took turns in the air, exploding,
falling back to earth with oohs and eees,
then a short pause for booster reloading.
Can’t take a Labor Day, I’ll break my lease.

ALL FOR THE MONEY

When we're finally collared
and they ask why we did it
we'll holler it was for dollars
Not very hard for us to admit
that we may not be scholars
but about money, we certainly get
no matter what's our collars

~~AshWurthing

On Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 8:55:07 AM UTC-4, Ash Wurthing wrote:
> ALL FOR THE MONEY
>
> When we're finally collared
> and they ask why we did it
> we'll holler it was for dollars
> Not very hard for us to admit
> that we may not be scholars
> but about money, we certainly get
> no matter what's our collars
>
> ~~AshWurthing

Dylan’s Last Dance

Should I swat the flies
that gather around my tired song,
dredge up the old smooth croon
gargling out their once soft beckon
with a chainsaw vocal chord
rendition--they will not mind
those blue haired folks,
2000 Holiday Inn check in’s,
the sheets brittle from past lovers,
me alone on the third pack
of rolled and filtered peace.

Do I look to quicken the end?
Bow into collapse in front of those
thinking I shall rise again, no
it’s just me, noble in my cause,
the prize resting next to
that filthy telephone that will ring,
soon enough--is it Anchorage next,
Peru, perhaps, I’ll ask whoever comes
to grab my belongings that no longer
belong to this restless traveler,
perhaps a perfect head covering
will do today, a cowboy hat
or helmeted knight in shining armor,
sword and shield ready to do battle
with the weary Fender.

The front row can count my cavities,
the rest will pretend to understand why
I’m all tangled up in blue.

by Edward Rochester Esq.

On Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 9:22:36 PM UTC-4, Edward Rochester Esq. wrote:
> On Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 8:55:07 AM UTC-4, Ash Wurthing wrote:
> > ALL FOR THE MONEY
> >
> > When we're finally collared
> > and they ask why we did it
> > we'll holler it was for dollars
> > Not very hard for us to admit
> > that we may not be scholars
> > but about money, we certainly get
> > no matter what's our collars
> >
> > ~~AshWurthing
> Dylan’s Last Dance
>
>
> Should I swat the flies
> that gather around my tired song,
> dredge up the old smooth croon
> gargling out their once soft beckon
> with a chainsaw vocal chord
> rendition--they will not mind
> those blue haired folks,
> 2000 Holiday Inn check in’s,
> the sheets brittle from past lovers,
> me alone on the third pack
> of rolled and filtered peace.
>
> Do I look to quicken the end?
> Bow into collapse in front of those
> thinking I shall rise again, no
> it’s just me, noble in my cause,
> the prize resting next to
> that filthy telephone that will ring,
> soon enough--is it Anchorage next,
> Peru, perhaps, I’ll ask whoever comes
> to grab my belongings that no longer
> belong to this restless traveler,
> perhaps a perfect head covering
> will do today, a cowboy hat
> or helmeted knight in shining armor,
> sword and shield ready to do battle
> with the weary Fender.
>
> The front row can count my cavities,
> the rest will pretend to understand why
> I’m all tangled up in blue.
>
> by Edward Rochester Esq.

Shelter

Oblivious to the storm,
we made love
in a seaside cave
as our hips churned
with the sea
and our mouths
sealed out
the wind.

Edward Rochester Esq.

THE SCREAM

Sometimes I want to close my eyes and scream
And watch the world come screeching to a halt,
As heaven's fabric splits along its seam,
Gibraltar tumbles and mankind is caught
Like mayflies in a garden spider's web.

I want to scream until my throat burns raw
And tears rush down in tides without an ebb;
Tear at the sun till red of tooth and claw.

I settle back and watch the darkness fall
In silent folds about my throbbing head,
And when I've no more memories to recall
I'll take my place beside the slumb'ring dead
And lose myself within such solitude
That even dreams are fearful to intrude.

-- Michael Pendragon

*****

On Thursday, July 7, 2022 at 12:02:53 PM UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> THE SCREAM
>
> Sometimes I want to close my eyes and scream
> And watch the world come screeching to a halt,
> As heaven's fabric splits along its seam,
> Gibraltar tumbles and mankind is caught
> Like mayflies in a garden spider's web.
>
> I want to scream until my throat burns raw
> And tears rush down in tides without an ebb;
> Tear at the sun till red of tooth and claw.
>
> I settle back and watch the darkness fall
> In silent folds about my throbbing head,
> And when I've no more memories to recall
> I'll take my place beside the slumb'ring dead
> And lose myself within such solitude
> That even dreams are fearful to intrude.
>
> -- Michael Pendragon
>
> *****

Just had to add, Michael.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream

Seems your work says it all about the art.

On Thursday, 7 July 2022 at 12:02:53 UTC-4, michaelmalef...@gmail.com wrote:
> THE SCREAM
>
> Sometimes I want to close my eyes and scream
> And watch the world come screeching to a halt,
> As heaven's fabric splits along its seam,
> Gibraltar tumbles and mankind is caught
> Like mayflies in a garden spider's web.
>
> I want to scream until my throat burns raw
> And tears rush down in tides without an ebb;
> Tear at the sun till red of tooth and claw.
>
> I settle back and watch the darkness fall
> In silent folds about my throbbing head,
> And when I've no more memories to recall
> I'll take my place beside the slumb'ring dead
> And lose myself within such solitude
> That even dreams are fearful to intrude.
>
> -- Michael Pendragon
>
> *****

Revolution, Evolution, Love Cento
(inspired by Tricky, "Revolution, Evolution, Love" (*first verse))

Now that I understand this right*
the solemn oaths take to heart
fleeting time slips away with the light
an avowed purpose before I must depart
A revolution to incite, my chosen fight
an evolution of humane rites to impart
my resolution to write, to make right this plight
the binding ties unwinding, souls drift apart

~~Ash Wurthing

On Friday, July 8, 2022 at 7:11:18 AM UTC-4, Ash Wurthing wrote:
> Revolution, Evolution, Love Cento
> (inspired by Tricky, "Revolution, Evolution, Love" (*first verse))
>
> Now that I understand this right*
> the solemn oaths take to heart
> fleeting time slips away with the light
> an avowed purpose before I must depart
> A revolution to incite, my chosen fight
> an evolution of humane rites to impart
> my resolution to write, to make right this plight
> the binding ties unwinding, souls drift apart
>
> ~~Ash Wurthing

------------

Sailing Ships

They were there
back in Whitestone, Queens,
white sheets against
blue skies
and from street level
it appeared as if
sailing ships began their journey
from the open windows
of tenement ports.

In time, July sidewalks transformed
into a chalked hopscotch--
those new graffiti squares were safe
until that spray from hydrants
erased summer games and heat
as the ships above returned
to port, clean and fresh
after their billowing voyage.

July was a time when all seemed magical.
Between bus and cabs below, you could look up
and for a brief moment become
Chris Columbus searching new lands.

Edward Rochester Esq.

NOTHING MATTERS

Days come and days go
The sun rises and sets
And occasional jets
Cross the sky.
The winds blow, rivers run
A new life is begun
An old life slips away with a sigh.
The trees sway to and fro
But the robins won't know
That I'm gone.

-- Michael Pendragon

*****

Judge Mental
by NancyGene

Everybody is crazy—
I’m one of billions.
I rarely end it quietly,
by myself and neatly.

“He was such a sweet boy.”

I have to take people with me,
brazenly, not in my room
downing pills, hanging myself
or splattering my clever brain.

“We didn’t see any sign of problems.”

I will find that happy parade,
the school, the mall, the office,
and all who don’t know me
will be dying to meet me.

“We thought target practice would be fun for him.”

Sometimes I do have to surrender,
after shooting enough people,
and I feel good about it and the lights.
Usually, I kill myself after the show ends,

“He kept the door to his room locked.”

when the police come and I don’t want to
hear the adult music that plays after I finish
what I had to do, show everyone, publicly.
My name and picture are the story.

“We are so very sorry. We didn’t know.”