Laughing Dove Poems

Where will you walk today?

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:47:41 +0300

Today I will walk
to the market
through a woods
ripe with birdsong
and redbud blossoms.
It is so hard to believe
in carrots and onions,
when candles bloom
in horse chestnut trees
and raspberries
crowd the path.

NaPoWriMo #28
© Tamra Hays 2009

Cadence

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:46:52 +0300

bird on the high branch
sings into deepening gloom
just before the rain

NaPoWriMo #27

© Tamra Hays 2009

The Hakawati

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:03:19 +0300

What was dipped into the steaming bowl
that caused Fatima’s carpet to rise,

what stirred her imps to masquerade as parrots
and prophets, whatever

measured wisdom and bravery for
the slave king, what brought

the story of Osama to the storyteller’s lips,
that is dipped into me now. Laughter

and language fill my spoon, and I,
sipping my soup,

gain one more day.

NaPoWriMo #26

© Tamra Hays 2009

How to Survive Cubicle Live

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:02:23 +0300

(adapted from Paper Folding Wallet Instructions with a nod to Leonard Cohen)

Fold inward
along line A and line B
so that your wayward edges
meet at line C.

Fold inward along line C.
Fold inward along line D.

Now unfold everything,
and cut along the dashed lines,
including the hole,
- that’s how the light gets in -
in the center.

Fold tabs 2, 4, 6, and 8 inward.

Fold inward
along line A and line B
so that your wayward edges
meet again at line C.

Fold inward along line C.
Fold inward along line D.

Fold and tuck.
Tuck and fold.
Hang curiosities,
tea and oranges,
from the tabs.

Repeat the process
on the other side.
Hallelujah!

NaPoWriMo #25

© Tamra Hays 2009

Middle Ear

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:48:38 +0300

Small bones
never rest,
busy as they are
with the buzz
of my life.

There is always
something to report:
the wrens’ courtship,
the hedgehog’s progress,
the muezzin’s call.

And beneath
this latest news
is the blood,
is the breath,
is the space
in between.

NaPoWriMo #24

© Tamra Hays 2009