phanaerozoic

Poetry Month American Cinquains (A five-line poetic form in which lines 1 through 4 have 2, 4, 6, and 8 syllables, respectively, and line 5 has 2 syllables).

April 1 (inspired by a drive through the Flint Hills after prairie spring burns):

The green
already there,
woven among black ash
remnants, fiery tweed of renewed
prairie.

April 2 (inspired by a Kim Stafford reading at Watermark Books, a William Stafford Centennial event):

Passion
for poetry.
Might it be genetics?
Talent passed from father to son?
Perhaps.

April 3 (inspired by this also being Jazz Appreciation Month):

Triplets,
swing notes, two-four,
Dorian, Phrygian,
sevenths, ninths, elevenths, thirteenths.
It’s Jazz.

April 4 (inspired by the first thunderstorm of the spring):

Rumble
Out at the edge
Of hearing. The clearing
Of a storm’s throat, a stage whisper:
“Action!”

April 5:

Cursive.
Writing paper.
Pen. Letters. Elegance.
Illuminated manuscripts.
By Hand.

April 6:

A list
poem is always
fun but then there must be
some scheme or logic, rationale,
something…

April 7:
Cattails.
Corruscations.
Contretemps. Cavalcades.
Conditioning. Crepuscular.
C-words.

 April 8:

I’m a
container for
all that blood, corpuscles –
white and red – and plasma. The stuff
of life.

April 9:

old dogs
lying beneath
our feet breathing softly
what more could we need in old age
than this

April 10:

blossoms
perch in clusters
on pear trees like close friends
bees flit, flirt, hum as petals start
to fall

April 11:

Tax day
is a comin’
another check I’ll write
not enough deductions for a
refund

April 12:

Where the
heck are April’s
showers? Here comes young May,
looking to plant flowers. Too dry?
Bummer!

April 13:

A – P –
R – I – L – T –
H – I – R – T – E – E –
N – T – H – April Thirteenth –
Spelled!

April 14:

Tulips
catch snow, don’t scowl,
stand sturdy and strong, tall,
but think of Amsterdam in spring,
and yearn.

April 15:

promise
of blood red moon
old earth’s shadow once more
makes the moon’s visage dimly blush,
chagrined

April 16:

Texting
with an iPhone
takes patience, eyesight, small
fingers, I have learned – then again,
have I?

April 17:

On this
day in the past
Thornton Wilder was born.
Gairrison Keillor told us this
today.

April 18:

Friday.
On Calvary
Crucifixion and death.
God’s Friday, Pious Friday, Good
Friday.

April 19:

Doctors
have specialties
like gynecology,
cardiology. I prefer
GP’s.

April 20:

Easter
Mornings the sun
rises, brimming over
with forgiveness, atonement for
our sins.

April 21:

Flower.
Bloom intensely.
Color with abandon
Every day of every spring.
Flower!