(Poem 37 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
I set you up, poor
Cotton Eye’d Joe;
curiosity killed my curio.
The young dog
you barely knew,
of course startled
your eyes of blue.
Away you flew
like a wounded dove
shattering branches
of porcelain trees
in your fearful flight
to safety.
@Home Studio – 37th poem of the year
(Poem 35 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
Certain hallucinations scurry like
wolf fox spider lizards on the periphery,
while others hover menacingly close.
Some wail a cacophony of muted pain
at the edge of consciousness’ spine,
competing with their counterparts’ whispers.
Knowing they are not tangible threats
does little to calm the heart in the dark,
rather their insubstantial qualities enhance
the mystery surrounding their existence.
They persist like webs of lies tangled,
ever-expanding and contracting in
sympathy with sleep, though negatively
correlated and eager to maintain a foothold.
@Home Studio – 35th poem of the year
Runner ups for the AI Creepy Hallucinations photos to accompany my poem:
(Poem 23 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)
My elephant thinks
she’s invisible, despite
the fact that I speak
to her daily and offer
to take her wherever
she may wish to go.
She prefers to lurk in
doorways, eavesdrop on
my conversations with
prospective employers and
watch Korean dramas
over my shoulder.
We’ve settled nicely
into a routine of
keeping each other at
trunk’s length and eyeing
suspiciously any behaviors
indicative of confidence.
She likes it when I nap,
over-schedule, talk on the
phone, or make pictures of
elephants in living rooms
with other elephants in
paintings and televisions.
I like it when she forgets
her vow of silence,
tells me what it’s like to
take up so much space,
to fill the room with herself,
and trumpet her name.
@Home Studio – 23rd poem of the year
There once was a girl from Cedar Park
who was terribly afraid of the dark.
She remained concerned
until she learned
whistling turned her into Joan of Arc
@Home Studio – 11th poem of the year
Runner ups for the AI Joan of Arc Rebekah photos to accompany my poem:
rebekahjmarshall 