SUNSET (Day #12 a transformative poem)

What once was clear blue

Has exploded with color

Pink, purple, orange,

Adorning the twighlight sky

Blending, fading into night.

Caren E. Salas

BEFORE... (Day 22 - Nature)

Before the bombs and before the machines

Before the pollution poisoned the air

The sky was blue and the grass was green

The children played without a care

Before the pollution poisoned the air

Before every day was a fight to survive

The children played without a care

We never appreciated just being alive

Before every day was a fight to survive

There were no zombies wandering around

We never appreciated just being alive

When life was more than just holding your ground

There were no zombies wandering around

Before the bombs and before the machines

When life was more than just holding your ground

The sky was blue and the grass was green

Caren E. Salas

THE UNTENDED GARDEN (Day 5 - Vegetable)

An overgrowth of weeds
Like a crowd of out of control sports fans
Nearly obstructed the bright green leaves
And plump Brandywine tomatoes
Red as Santa's Christmas Eve suit
And indeed a gift: succulent flesh
Close to bursting through the delicate epidermis
Oddly out of place in the abandoned plot
No one there to protest it's removal
Or to protect the slender green beans
From indiscriminate picking
And although the corn stalks towered high
Above the troublesome flora
Which seemed determined to overtake it,
The cobs promised sweet kernals.
A tempting cornucopia of sustenance
Were it not for the enormous worms
Oozing out of the radioactive soil.


Caren E. Salas



photo:  realneo.us

Thankful #27

I'm thankful for Octopi

And cool dreams of flying

Coffee and chocolate

And comfortable shoes

Relaxing by firelight

And schmoozing with friends

My silly dog whiskey

Wagging his tail.

Daffodils and swimming pools

And beautiful places

My family and memories 

And hope in my heart. 

Caren E. Salas

prompt #27 What are you thankful for? Write an appreciative poem. Hmmm..I made a list.

Alone #23

Alone and asleep
Trusting I'll be looked after
By angels and dreams.

Caren E. Salas







Prompt #23:   "Alone"

The Shoe - Day 14

When the man with the size 10 shoe stepped on

Their trail, the ants were suddenly

Thrust into DEFCON ONE; red hot alert;

A panic of gigantic proportions.

Who do we follow? Who do we follow?

The wake of destruction: catastrophic!

Dead comrades covered 30 square inches

Of ground ahead of them. The casualties

Must be collected! The march must resume!

The work must continue! No time to mourn,

Or wait for the other shoe...to drop.

Caren E. Salas

Prompt today was "follow" 

Photo from:  http://fireant.tamu.edu/

Turtle Trouble - Day 10

When the boy down the street

Suggested our pond needed

A few small frogs, we thought, "Great!

A wonderful addition

To our turtle habitat!"

So he ran to get the frogs.

In a flash, he brought some back;

The cutest amphibians 

You can imagine, hopping

About, happy go lucky...

The trouble was, the turtles

Only thought of them...as lunch.

Caren E. Salas

Today's prompt was:  "______ Trouble". This is a sad. but true story. I honestly had no idea the turtles would actually eat the frogs. I literally gasped in horror when I saw it happen. I love my turtles, but...that was just not right. 

The Place to Be - Day 9

Southern California is the place to be

The sun shines all the time

No winter storms with snow or sleet

The weather is sublime.

It never rains to ruin your day

Hardly a cloud passes by

The problem is, when there is no rain

The place gets awfully dry.

The lakes diminish, the rivers narrow

And in case you were in doubt

They say water will be rationed soon

And we're in a full fledged drought

We don't get hurricanes, tornadoes or snow

And honestly earthquakes are few

But if we don't get a lot of rain soon

I'm not sure what we will do!

Caren E. Salas

Day 9's prompt was to write a poem based on something in the current news, Not wanting to get political, I figured I'd stick to something we in California have on our minds lately: The Drought.

The Mist - Day 3

The Mist

After the rain fell

A soft mist hugged the mountain

Like a mother's touch

A quilt over its shoulders

Comfort on a cold damp night.

Caren E. Salas

Day 3 of NOVPAD: Robert Lee Brewer's prompt for this one was a "blanket" poem. I loved how open this one was. It could mean a literal blanket, a blanket statement or even a blanket of mist...

Good Night Moon

 
  

The moon is trying to blow me a kiss

But the midnight fog jealously blind-folds

The earth, still he peeks through and winks at me

And I smile at the secret we're sharing.

Good night moon; good night lover. Fill the night

With golden slumbers, and peaceful dreams.

The ocean tides ebb and flow in response

To you, like deep breathing in a restful sleep.

Good night moon; good night lover. Let me go.

I hate to leave you, but we'll meet again.

 

Caren E. Salas

Just Somewhere

No place in particular

Just somewhere to rest awhile

To be with friends, talk and swim

Meet new people, enjoy life

Nothing that you have to do

But to try and make it last.

Caren E. Salas

photo by William Salas

You Can Take it With You

The summer sun has disappeared behind

The mountains, but has forgotten something

Important. It packed up its color, light,

Photosynthesizing powers, except

One thing (granted, it seems to possess quite

An over-abundance these days). It left

Without taking a large measure of heat.

We need some, of course, but seriously?

Sun! Feel free to take a few more degrees

Along with you when you go tomorrow.

 

 

Caren E. Salas



Photo: William Salas

Unaware

 

 

Little bee

Buzzing as he flies

From flower

To flower

Is totally unaware,

I'm sharing his world.

 

Caren E. Salas

For Me

The ocean seems tired somehow;

Waves lapping softly on the sand

Half hearted and lethargic,

As though it hadn't the will

Or the energy to try harder.

Stepping out, the water surrounds me

Embracing me like an old friend,

Assuring me that, at least for now,

The tides will wait, patiently...for me.

Caren E. Salas 

Heat

A soft ocean breeze blows across my face

A moment of comfort, mid-afternoon;

A brief reprieve from the hot sticky air

That has lasted past summer into fall.

Birds flying in formations high above

Sand and heat, high above the crashing waves

And footprints made by late season tourists

Sun-burned, sweaty, but in no rush to leave.

I watch the birds, envious of their flight

And the feeling of cool wind on their wings.

Caren E. Salas

Artwork

Sunset colors paint the sky

With hues that glow, and light up

The millions of waves dancing

On a darkening ocean.

Sunflower gold, to poppy

Orange, fuchsia, and purples...

God's brushstrokes command the clouds

So far beyond any dream

In my imagination;

More than any words I write

Or artwork once created.

It is a glimpse of heaven.

Caren E. Salas

photo: William Salas

The Murder

Twilight's quiet interrupted, pierced by

Screams and cries of countless distant creatures

Gathering together out of sight, yet

With undulating waves of sound announce

Their ominous presence in the valley

The rustling of leaves and wings in restless

Wait, the cacophony growing as each

Moment passes, in anticipation

Until suddenly the sky turns to black

The feathered flight of a murder...of crows

Caren E. Salas

Photo by William Salas

(taken moments after the one from the previous post)