On a whim I’m posting two poems...PC Desk Duty and Kitten and Acrobats. Enjoy…
Author: Dave Stancliff
Retired newspaper editor/publisher, Vietnam veteran, freelance writer, blogger. Married 51 years. A sense of humor. Defender of truth. Give my poems, essays and short stories a read. I look forward to feedback. Write on!
PC Desk Duty
punching my own time clock every day
when I turn on my PC
and decide what to say
during my self-imposed desk duty
my thoughts trickle across the screen
opinions and images flow
during this daily routine
I never really know
the end result unforeseen
the eventual goal
to write and hope it’ll be seen
Kittens and Acrobats
here’s to death-defying kitties many skills
rivaling acrobats with their physical thrills
cartwheels off of couches and tables
are one of a kitten’s acrobatic stables
acrobats who do aerial stunts on a highwire
have nothing on kittens always willing to go higher
and when it comes to cute, kittens rule
although acrobats are also supercool
The Awakening
after a century the first thing I could see
was a replica of me staring with curiosity
we looked at one another
trying to discover
the mystery
it didn’t take long
to understand what was wrong
when I blinked an eye
so did the other guy
and it became clear
I was looking up into a mirror
and there was no reason for fear
but when I stood up
I heard a hidden gear
instead of my heart
there was a moving part
instead of skin
I had something akin
that gleamed in the light
and gave me a fright
until I realized I was still alive
even if my body didn’t survive
The Tree of Life
roots from the human tree
go back before
written history
root desires
built empires
root foundations
built nations
roots of war
lasting forevermore
the human tree
rooted in reality
and what we know
continues to grow
as new branches
emerge and get strong
and people learn to get along
on the tree of life
In Memoriam
USA Memorial Day 2019
the young men were sent to die
by the old men who sat by
leaving mothers to cry
and wonder why
their child had to die
gravestones in military cemeteries
silently attest
that a country’s lost it’s best
we remember those who died
every mother’s and father’s pride
and on this sad day
we can only pray
for permanent peace… someday
Caterwauling
felines spill out into the neighborhood
when night falls because it’s time to prowl
and shock with a bloodcurdling howl
as they fight and mate
or look for prey to eliminate
cats are creatures of the night
eager to explore and eager to fight
they caterwaul like lost souls
on their nightly patrols
feline travelers on every street
ready to court or compete
but their nocturnal activities
bother some people’s sensitivities
who feel it would be just as well
if those cats went straight to hell!
A Watchful Eye
I was always aware of someone watching me in the family
and it was oddly comforting but sometimes scary
like having The Eye of Horus or The Eye of Ra on me
no matter what I did or how dangerous the activity
That watchful eye followed me over the years
and helped me deal with my fears
sometimes, I look up at the sky
after all these years have gone by
and wonder why
I still believe in a watchful eye?
Too Soon
the stirring started when he became a teen
a young buck who fell for a beauty queen
the strange sensation in his groin a mystery
a newly found interest in the female anatomy
but when the day came
to ask the girl for a date
he just couldn’t concentrate
that fateful afternoon
because a shy voice in his head whispered… Too soon.
An Exchange Between Two Flies
Fly One: Oh! Queen of the compound eyes, your beauty is a much sought after prize!
Fly Two: Aren’t you the ladies man buzzing around with that sexy wingspan?
Fly One: You are the leftover apple of my eye with your long luscious antennae!
Fly Two: Go on…your playing with me with all that fancy poetry.
Fly One: It’s true! All I can think about is being with you!
Fly Two: What a lighthearted lothario you seem to be, looking to have whoopee with me.
Fly Two: The time for talk is done, let’s have some serious fun.
Fly One: Your sweet talk has won me over, come on over…
SPLAT!
“Damn flies,” the man muttered to himself as he walked away.
The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff 