(Poem 166 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
I found a bag of iced
Christmas pretzels
with sprinkles in the
back of the pantry.
Seeing as it is June,
they are a bit past
their prime freshness.
Craving a sweet but
unwilling to make a
treat from scratch,
I decided to give one
a taste, just a tiny
tentative baby nibble.
Huh…not bad…fresh
like a time capsule
of Christmas past.
@Home Studio – 166th poem of the year
Runner ups for the Christmas Pretzels photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 165 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
My cats have a piano.
They let me play it
once in a while when
I get the notion, but
mostly they sleep and
purr, and stretch on the
multiple flat surfaces
purely built for perching.
@Home Studio – 165th poem of the year
Runner ups for the Cat Piano photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 162 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
My little black cowgirl
went to horse camp last
week and discovered that
there is a lot of work involved
in caring for a girl’s best friend.
She doesn’t think she
wants to run a ranch any
time soon, or train for the
rodeo, or even get a horse
of her own because…labor.
Her favorite take aways
were the cute jeans, the two-
toned brown and pink cowgirl boots,
the slow riding part of the adventure, and
petting horses while others mucked the stalls.
@Home Studio – 162nd poem of the year
Runner ups for the Horse Girl photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 160 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
At the center of the universe
is a sunflower that radiates
beautiful, perpetual energy—
spirals and sparks, rays and
bolts, streams and streaks—
emanating every which way
from the black inflorescence.
Each petal bursts forth with
eternal seeds of galactic life,
bound for destinations pre-
determined by destiny’s map.
@Home Studio – 160th poem of the year
Runner ups for the Power Source photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 159 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
No one got the memo to
Beauty that brushing is a
necessity for maintaining
her silky, fluffy, calico coat.
She thinks my attacks with
the evil brush and comb are
horrific assaults on both her
privacy and hope of survival.
If it were up to her, Beauty’s
jewelry would consist of
burs and spear grass, with
mats of hair and caked mud.
She would rather nap and
complain about her only three
quarters full food bowl than
comply with any grooming.
@Home Studio – 159th poem of the year
Runner ups for the Beauty Pain photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 158 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
Every opossum should have a hammock
for the purpose of reclining and lounging.
They spend the night mastering feats dynamic,
then cleaning little hands after scrounging.
Their weary bodies need 18 hours of sleep,
so it’s amazing we ever catch them awake.
A suspended soft perch ensures nary a peep,
as they dream of eating cake and a steak.
Yes, every opossum deserves a hanging bed
where they can climb to a safe, warm retreat.
There they can nestle and rest a tired head
to nap in peace and dream of sweet meat.
@Home Studio – 158th poem of the year
Runner ups for the Opossum Hammock photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 155 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
What goes up
might come down,
depending on the
amount of fun
being had by the
bouncers involved,
the relative weight
of giggles to the
equal and opposite
force of carefree-ness
being exerted,
tempered only by
the exuberant joy
of breathless
collapse.
@Home Studio – 155th poem of the year
Runner ups for the Trampoline photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 154 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
The darkening sky
has balled up her fists,
begun to glower,
and let her rage roil.
The sudden assault
when she unleashes
a torrent is surprising
for its violent beauty.
@Home Studio – 154th poem of the year
Runner ups for the Sudden Storm photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 153 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
Let’s go ahead and
start the meeting
since we’re 3 minutes
past and we want to
respect your time.
We need to be flexible,
be prepared to pivot,
and accept that
this is a new norm.
We are going to be
rolling out the new task,
so we have to
shift directions
because, as always, the
requester determines the focus,
and in order to
meet the expectations,
you’ll need to respect the
importance of the workflow.
Due to internal deadlines
that will continue to
vary by task,
I may have to give you a non-answer.
I will never say no to more resources,
but I have to say that
I can’t speak to the assumption.
In terms of use cases…
reach out to P.O.’s,
and utilize your team.
I am going to have to
create a document to guide the process
because we all know
there are specific guidelines,
and we must be aware of
time on task to meet deadlines.
I appreciate your input;
that is useful data.
@Home Studio – 153rd poem of the year
(Poem 151 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
My opossum Joey Koey
is a secret ninja at night.
He goes on special missions
guided only by moonlight.
When we’re all asleep,
safe resting in our beds,
he’s off saving the world;
we’re scratching our heads.
How does he get out of
his kennel all on his own?
How does he get the jobs?
Does he talk on my phone?
Who out there needs saving
by an adorable marsupial?
His ministrations are sincere;
he’s persistent and dutiful.
I’m sure he has his reasons
for sneaking around and all,
for using his claws and tail
to make sure he doesn’t fall.
I have to trust he knows what
he’s doing and will be alright,
while I sleep safe and sound in
my bed and he’s out all night.
@Home Studio – 151st poem of the year
Runner ups for the Ninja Opossum photos to accompany my poem:
rebekahjmarshall 