Now, On The Subject Of Aunts.....

For Read Write Poem Prompt on Aunts

Aunt Kristen
By Edward S. Gault


According to the family lore,
Aunt Kristen (six years my senior) announced
At the Thanksgiving table
That she didn’t like raisins.
I immediately stated that I too
Hated raisins.
Now Aunt Kristen did like raisins-
She simply wasn’t in the mood
For them at that time.
Up to that time,
I had liked raisins quite a bit.
But being the impressionable young lad
I then was, her statement
And my reiteration of it
Must have taken hold in my mind
Even at the neurological level.
From that time onward
I have never enjoyed raisins.
All these years later,
As the bills come each month
And pile up the way they do-
Far outstripping my ability
To pay any of them-
I wonder why Aunt Kristen
Could not simply have announced
At the Thanksgiving table
That she was going to be a millionaire
By the age of twenty.

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo Poem #10

Pupil Asks Master,
"How can we attain True Peace?"
-grind beans, pour water!

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo Poem #9

To The Would-Be Plagiarist
by Edward S. Gault

Sir, if I could speak to you
About that paper you found.
On it, you may have noticed a poem-
With no by-line.
That was because it was a work copy-
I didn't mean for it
To get published like that-
I wanted to revise it before I sent it out.
Instead, I lost it,
-at least that copy.
So read it.
Snicker.
Then tear it up and throw it away!
That way, we both win.
Now, yes-I did say it was only a copy.
Since there is no name on it, you don't know who I am.
For all you know I could be famous,
Or the poem could be famous,
And have been taught in the schools for years-
For all you know.
And you really don't know, now do you?
So think about that before you send it or e-mail it someplace-
With your name on it!
There is a very good chance that you will be caught.
No one is immune.
Some very big names have been caught.
There are people out there
Looking out for this all the time.
It's what they do, and there good at it.
If your going to do something with it,
Make damn well certain that it looks a lot different
Than what you have, because that's crap!
And I really don't think you want to
Take the credit for that anyway, now do you?
(and by the way, wouldn't it be a lot easier
to just write your own damn poem,
than to put a lot of effort into camouflaging
the fact you stole mine?)
So, just tear it up.
Good.
Throw the pieces in that barrel over there.
Excellent!
Now, we both win.

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo #8

Sandy
By Edward S. Gault

It was my job to collect Sandy
From next door and to walk her
The several blocks to school each morning
And then to meet her at the front desk
Of Brookridge Elementary, and walk her home.
It had been arranged by our mothers
Because Sandy was just stating first grade
And didn’t have the experience,
-and I was older.
We talked about how mean our teachers were
(I did, anyway!)
About Jackie falling off the jungle gym at recess
And breaking her collar bone.
About what we made in Art-
Which in my case usually depicted any one of the creatures
That Id seen on the Creature Feature.
She talked about what a brat her brother Benny was
-how he would cuss and get her in trouble all the time!
Benny and I would hang out together quite a bit
And play Johnny Sokko.
We would always be the Gargoyles-
Sandy and this other kid usually got stuck playing the Unicorns.
This all ended when Brad, from my class,
Agreed to come over and play.
But Sandy would not fit into our plans
-and I still had to walk her home.
Brad was a fast walker.
He didn’t wait up for anybody.
It was important to keep up.
As I was trailing him,
Sandy was trailing behind me-
Yelling at the top of her diaphragm
For me to wait up for her.
And crying.
Brad never would hang out with me again.
Sandy’s family moved away
Somtime later.
I never got a second chance.
And I lost so much more besides.



Copyright 2008

Feeling A Tad Stranded?

This Haiku is for the prompt Stranded, from the poetry blog
One Single Impression.

From the Prudential,
I look down at the city
-knowing I'm alone.

Copyright 2008

See the NaPoWriMo Haiku below.

NaPoWriMo #7

My horoscope said:
"Look out, or you'll miss the boat!"
-part of being me.

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo Poem #6

At the computer
I grit teeth and pull out hair
-yet little progress.

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo #5

The rain is one thing,
But struggle through Haymarket
-just to find cashews!?

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo #4

The train is leaving
As I come up to the stop
-guess it's time to fly.

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo #3

In A Rush?
Mass Transit plays
Three Train Monty with schedules
-we sweat time fragments.

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo Poem #2

This is National Poetry Month. For the entire month of April I am going to write and publish a poem a day here at Forest River Journal in participation with National Poetry Writing Month,
an event founded by poet Maureen Thorson.

I looked in journal
Only to find a blank page
-was the day empty?

Copyright 2008

NaPoWriMo Poem #1

The Month of April is National Poetry Month. I will be participating in National Poetry Writing Month NaPoWriMo, an event in which some of us have committed to writing a poem each day for the next thirty days. As you know I've been on a red hot haiku steak for awhile now, but it's
nice to be participating in this with other poets. I will be pushing myself a little harder this month. The NaPoWriMo event was started by Mareen Thorson.

A True Museum
Poetic Readings
Framed by violin music
-Muses' Gallery.

Copyright 2008