Tod and the Hungry Tree…a story poem

most people don’t realize that trees
aren’t always what they seem to be
most trees are friendly
helpful
and kind
but others
are just plain
hungry
so when Tod got too close
the tree simply grabbed him
and no matter how hard he tried
he could not escape
the police looked for him
his parents
and their friends
searched high and low
but he was never found
nowadays
every time someone
walks past the tree
they quicken their pace
and think
to themselves
that tree
is definitely
more than it
seems to be

 

Photo:  Ayam Zaker
Unsplash

When the light is just right…a story poem

sometimes
it’s hard for people to leave
their energy stays
attached to memories
habits and
places that felt good
now and then
if you’re not looking for them
you can see
a ghost or two
but the light
has to be just right
and it’s best
not to speak to them directly
they aren’t really part of this reality
not any more
just keep walking
and don’t look back

 

Photo:  Tiēu Linh
Unsplash

Mary had a little dog (said like Mary had a little lamb)…story poem.

Mary
had a little dog
whose coat
was almost black
and everywhere
that Mary went
the dog
had Mary’s back
he followed her
to work and school
which was against
the rules
the dog saw
very clearly
that the rules
were made by fools
everybody loved him
they thought him
quite polite
but they had never seen him
ready for a fight
so Mary held her little dog
she held him very tight
knowing as she did so
that things would be alright

 

 

Photo:  Alexey Demldov
Unsplash

 

 

She wasn’t like other women…a story poem, of sorts.

people often said
that She wasn’t like
other women
and of course
they were right
except for the genetic part
other than that She might not
have been like other women
I mean no two women are the same
so saying that She wasn’t like other women
was just a simple truth
that could be said about any woman
anyway
She loved information
and picked it up
wherever she could
shoving it into the file cabinets
in her mind
until eventually
EVERYTHING
became information
so relationships
were impossible
even her dog
wasn’t happy
since She was always
asking him questions
and while he answered her questions
She never understood
a word he barked
which was frustrating
for both of them
on so many levels
but still
She fed him well
took him for walks
let him sleep on the bed
and petted him each and every day
so he never ran away
he just hoped for more
She told him that most of the time
her head was filled with so many stories
and interesting facts
that the real world
seemed dull in comparison
She said that if one could live in stories
why would anyone want to live in the real world
where everything was messy
and just plain insane
her dog listened politely
and tried to stay awake
his stories were far less complicated
all he really wanted was good food
a ball
and a soft place to sleep
but he tried
to the best of his ability
to be there for her
because someone once told him
that that’s what friends do for each other
so She spoke of wonders
of beauty
of things that existed elsewhere
while he put his head on her lap
and thought of his ball
that had rolled under the chair
where he couldn’t reach it
because really
he sighed
we do all live in our own
tiny worlds
and we can only see
as far as our eyes
will allow

 

 

 

Picture:  Pixabay

The Game…Story poem

the GAME was everything
it was life itself
it was all that mattered
he was a RUNNER
someone whose only purpose
was to be faster than those
who ran against him
his colors were
blue and white
his suit
fit like a second skin
people bet on him
to win
he ran on the walls
through the neon
his body more machine
than anything else
trained to play
without thinking
the Game
was all that mattered
the Game
was all that mattered
the Game
was
all
that
mattered

 

Photo:  Makul Kumar
Unsplash

Trolly 10…a very short story poem.

Trolly number 10
only showed up
on foggy nights
and only
when there were enough
passengers
to make the trip
worthwhile
not everyone could see
the Trolly
it wasn’t there
for everyone
it’s just that
sometimes
the Ferryman
grew tired of being on
the River Styx
and when that happened
ho came ashore
and drove
Trolly number 10

 

Photo:  Georgi Kalaydzhiey
Unsplash

Romeo and Juliet…a short story poem

Romeo
stood looking up
at the empty balcony
he called for Juliet
over and over again
but she did not appeared
he stayed until dark
then left
to tend whatever animals
or grapevines
he was expected to tend

later that night
Juliet snuck onto the balcony
and called Romeo
sweet Romeo
over and over again
until dawn began nibbling its way
through the darkness
finally
broken hearted
she went inside
to sleep
before she had to tend
to her duties
whatever those duties
might have been
dishes maybe
who knows

anyway

the moral of this story?

TIMING
is everything

 

 

 

Photo:  Gaia Prando
Unsplash

A Place…a story poem…

I think somewhere
there’s a PLACE
where gender roles
are reversed
a Place where
women are strong
and in charge
a Place where
men are never fully
dressed
where they are
seen as objects
and are worth
LESS
a Place
where males
have no rights
a Place
where violence
against men
is the norm
and completely
acceptable
a Place
where there are
Male Shelters
for those men
who are beaten
and broken
a Place
where men have no voice
and their bodies
are for sale
or simply taken
a Place
where men’s choices
are severely limited
and they live
in constant fear
I think there is
a Place like that
somewhere
it’s a Place
many women
call Heaven

 

Photos:  Bjorin Pierre
Unsplash

Margo and Scott…a story poem

Margo
and her best friend
Scott
looked out of the round window
and saw the moon
and the stars
they saw the big dipper
and other
constellations
Margo turned to Scott
and asked if he thought that
someone looking at the earth
from very far away
saw them in a constellation as well
and if so
what would it be called
Scott thought hard
and then barked
WAR
Margo wiped a tear
from her eye
and nodded
that’s what I thought too
she said sadly
but if they just saw
you and me
they would call it
LOVE

 

Photo:  Pixabay

Time City…a story poem

Time City
housed ten million people
each implanted
with a silver Time chip
at birth
people lived
and died
by the clock
each chip
was randomly coded
with a time limit
how long you lived
was determined
by how much time
your chip held
when you reached your limit
the chip shut down
and so did you

 

Photo:  Pixabay