Poetic Recipe for Catastrophe

 

Image by Dorothe from Pixabay

after Halloween

the fright fest continues on

when money is owed;

Story of my damn life.

my stuffed animals deserve better,

maybe I do too.

a lack of money

is the root of much stress.

I'll sing the Down Payment Blues with my man Bon

and Poor Boy with the Box of Frogs gang.

My voice may never make me a dime

but I've decided

I'm gonna use it anyway.

I catch glimpses of childhood in my dreams,

I was worried every day.

The anxiety doesn't go away 

Just because you turn eighteen

or twenty-one

or sixty-four.

There's no lady at the counter

to offer me a ride on the Snowman Line

in my time of need.

I'm breaking all the rules of poetry

but I don't give a damn.

I'm gonna write this mess around

just have a little fun for once

not care what anybody thinks.

Better not walk into the blizzard

even when you're buried in debt.

Celebrate the tiny triumphs and hold on.

For such small creatures

we are very destructive.

Don't set yourself up to fail

when the New Year comes calling.

Cold winds blowing from the north

in a twist of the plot,

a halo around the moon,

impossible dream.

One made a hero today

Becomes a pariah the next--

dark disappointment.

the first thought is stones of green

when cold weather sets in

trying to refresh--

lost in indecisive mists

even the sweet rose

must face the winter.

frozen and disconcerted

a mystery left behind

thankful I'm still here

in a familiar setting.

the cold air cuts to my bones

in this big old winter house.

if I could return

rushing back to springtime days,

lead a quiet life

rise above limitations,

upon my last night

I will take flight into space.

~Ornery Owl Has Mixed It~

Image by Layers from Pixabay

notes

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2023-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-19

Write a custom poem.

This prompt came on the 19th, but because I do a poetry remix every year, I decided to save it for the end. This competition always comes with a poetry rewrite too, so this year I'm going to do the remix and then turn the remix on its head. The result will either be poetry blended to perfection or a hot mess!