POEM #6- BYGONES

April is National Poetry Month. For the past four years, I have joined my friend Mary Lee, at POETREPOSITORY and YEAR OF READING in writing a poem every day for a month. This year, Mary Lee's theme is BYGONES. She has selected thirty vintage photographs from a collection she found at her mom's house in Burlington, Colorado, and is writing from one photograph every day. I'm not sure if I will write from Mary Lee's photographs every day, or if I will see if I can find some of my own. For the past few years, we have been joined by several other amazing poets- Kevin Hodgson and Steve Peterson. 

RETRIBUTION

Every year
Pa takes a picture
on my birthday
I always wanted a pet
and the last three years
I've picked up
our gray tiger Caesar
he's mostly a barn cat
but on my birthday
I pretend I'm all kinds of fine
and sit in the front room
holding him in my lap
usually I have to snitch
a little piece of chicken
and hide it in my pocket
to make him stay
and in the pictures
his nose is always slightly upturned
because he is searching
for that chicken

This year
we don't have Caesar
We found some gray tiger fur
stained red
out in the cornfield
and Pa said
the coyotes musta got
our gray tiger
mostly barn
but pretend pet Caesar
Not sure why
Pa thought
it would be good
to take a picture of me
with this coyote he shot
behind the chicken house
a couple of months ago.
That coyote's not nearly as fine
as poor Caesar.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016

POEM #5- BYGONES

April is National Poetry Month. For the past four years, I have joined my friend Mary Lee, at POETREPOSITORY and YEAR OF READING in writing a poem every day for a month. This year, Mary Lee's theme is BYGONES. She has selected thirty vintage photographs from a collection she found at her mom's house in Burlington, Colorado, and is writing from one photograph every day. I'm not sure if I will write from Mary Lee's photographs every day, or if I will see if I can find some of my own. For the past few years, we have been joined by several other amazing poets- Kevin Hodgson and Steve Peterson. 

"The girl with the curls is Dorothy"

And that other one,
with the dark hair, no curls,

way off on the right side, 

actually part way out of the picture

in the navy, too big, 

sleeves-rolled-up-dress
(made over from a dress
 Ma found in the church mission box)
That's me.

"Look at all this lovely cloth," Ma said

"why would someone throw that out?"

and I knew right then
that not only was I not going
to have curls like Dorothy
but my dress was going to be ugly too.

Do you see how I'm kind of scowling?

I will not stay here on the plains

where the day to day ordinariness
of life in a homemade dress with no curls

sucks the life out of you

the same way the hot prairie winds 

suck the life out of the seeds

Pa tries to grow

Someday, I'll be the girl with the curls
and the store bought dress.

Someday, I'll be like Dorothy.

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2016

POEM #4- BYGONES

April is National Poetry Month. For the past four years, I have joined my friend Mary Lee, at POETREPOSITORY and YEAR OF READING in writing a poem every day for a month. This year, Mary Lee's theme is BYGONES. She has selected thirty vintage photographs from a collection she found at her mom's house in Burlington, Colorado, and is writing from one photograph every day. I'm not sure if I will write from Mary Lee's photographs every day, or if I will see if I can find some of my own. For the past few years, we have been joined by several other amazing poets- Kevin Hodgson and Steve Peterson. 

"Camera Angles"

From here

I appear confident

self-assured,

almost cocky.

If the camera went

two inches lower

you could see

my knees knocking.

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2016

POEM #3- BYGONES

April is National Poetry Month. For the past four years, I have joined my friend Mary Lee, at POETREPOSITORY and YEAR OF READING in writing a poem every day for a month. This year, Mary Lee's theme is BYGONES. She has selected thirty vintage photographs from a collection she found at her mom's house in Burlington, Colorado, and is writing from one photograph every day. I'm not sure if I will write from Mary Lee's photographs every day, or if I will see if I can find some of my own. For the past few years, we have been joined by several other amazing poets- Kevin Hodgson and Steve Peterson. Don't miss Steve's "When the threshing crew arrived."  Here is my offering for day #3…

"Abundance?"

Last March

I strode to the barn 

flung open the bastions

then halted in decidedly 

unsoldierlike wonder

I leaned across splintered wood

breathed hay-touched air

and marveled at you 

a few hours old

grunting and suckling

at your mama's nipple

Six months later

here I am 

proud conqueror

swinging you 

upside down 

by your hocks

and announcing to the world

that soon you will 

be bacon 

on my breakfast platter

and it's not like

i'm not grateful

for one more year

of abundant provision

but somehow

I just can't forget

that sweet hay-touched

spring morning

and all that 

grunting and suckling. 

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016

There are lots of other really interesting poetry projects going on this month, and  Jama Rattigan has compiled a list  here. 

POEM #2- BYGONES

April is National Poetry Month. For the past few years, I have joined my friend Mary Lee, at POETREPOSITORY and YEAR OF READING in writing a poem every day for a month. In 2013, 2we wrote based on images from Wikimedia Commons; in 2014, we did Wonders of the World; and last year we did Po-Emotions. This year, Mary Lee's theme is BYGONES. She has selected thirty photographs from a family collection, and is writing from one photograph every day. I'm not sure if I will write from Mary Lee's photographs every day, or if I will see if I can find some of my own. For the past few years, we have been joined by several other amazing poets- Kevin Hodgson and Steve Peterson. There are lots of others doing really interesting projects, and  Jama Rattigan has compiled a list  here. Here is day #2…

Photo "Lizzy" from Mary Lee Hahn

"Pretty"

Mama preaches

that preening and primping

are purely prideful

She praises pragmatism

prohibits pretension

makes me promise 

i will pursue

practicality

and in principle

i probably will

but occasionally

permitting 

all that pride

to prance 

and parade 

feels 

pretty perfect. 

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2016

POEM #1- BYGONES

April is National Poetry Month. For the past few years, I have joined my friend Mary Lee, at POETREPOSITORY and YEAR OF READING in writing a poem every day for a month. In 2013, 2we wrote based on images from Wikimedia Commons; in 2014, we did Wonders of the World; and last year we did Po-Emotions. This year, Mary Lee's theme is BYGONES. She has selected thirty photographs from a family collection, and is writing from one photograph every day. I'm not sure if I will write from Mary Lee's photographs every day, or if I will see if I can find some of my own. For the past few years, we have been joined by several other amazing poets- Kevin Hodgson and Steve Peterson. There are lots of others doing way cool projects, and  Jama Rattigan has compiled a list  here. Soooo, here we go…

PERSPECTIVE

he is smart
muscular
sophisticated

when he says
hop on
see the world
please the master

his companion
slower
weaker
fiercely loyal

acquiesces without question

he does not understand
he will fall the farthest
hit the hardest
hurt the most

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016

SLICE #31

This morning I left Phoenix at 6:30. It's about a 14 hour drive, so I thought I would have time to slice tonight. I walked in my door at 12:35 a.m., about 18 hours after I left.

I survived:
- two construction detours (1 hour each)
- a missed exit in Albuquerque (I make the same mistake every time I go. And every time I promise myself I am not going to make it again, and then I do (30 minutes).
- snow, fog, rain, sleet, ice, more fog, more sleet.

I am really, really, really glad to be home.
And in my mind, I sliced 31 days.
Phew!