Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Military Burial



Photo by L. Kolp: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX


Trees line the graveyard entrance 
like soldiers at attention,
rustling leaves 
their intense expression 
grim reality. 
I bet none of these souls 
rot in hell, 
but instead are gifted 
with eternal peace. 
One, two, three shots 
ring through the air 
and the wind
carries you home.


**



Poetic Inspiration:
3WW~ gifted, intense, rot

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Seeking Power

Photo by L. Kolp


In barren pool of gray 
she casts aside all

worry but a shield 
against conception 

that with enchantment
from above

spells intense results.

**

Poetic Inspiration~
3WW: barren, intense, worry

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Cloud Coverage


"Clouds" by L. Kolp

The sky above abuzz
with deceased relatives
gathering to show respect

while he laments
the release of his father.

Emitting words explosive, 
storm clouds rain down
tears as if lost years

don't matter.
He stands beneath a canopy

of limbs, beneath expression
adequate for his mother, yet
inside a parasite festers

like violent thunder 
hovering.
 
 

**

Poetic Inspiration~
3WW: adequate, explosive, parasite

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Hold Life



lined in autumn colors
a winding path that leads to you
door after door adorned
with wreaths of red, yellow and orange
pumpkins and cornucopias the frames

of mind, I'm a bit unsettled here
walking on waxen floors
so shiny I'm following shadows
to your room where I'll find you
holding onto life

 **

Poetic Inspiration:

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

The Sea Waltz

a waltz across the sea, it seems
the sailboat rocks methodically

oNe, TwO, tHrEe, OnE, tWo, ThReE

she lies topless catching rays,
his pole is cast throughout the day

oNe, TwO, tHrEe, OnE, tWo, ThReE

at night after their catch is won
a floating bed, it seems finespun

oNe, TwO, tHrEe, OnE, tWo, ThReE

**

Prompt Inspiration:
Poetry Jam~ The Sea
PU Mid-Week~ Melody

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Sophomoric


entanglement
in the parking lot,
heartless honks
and cars backed up
in jagged lines
like zipper spines--
walk with a book
on your head--
need not lead to death,
but saggy pants just might

~~~

Poetic Inspiration~
Poetry Jam: Back to School
3WW: entanglement, death, heartless

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Afternoon Snack

his eyes were like almonds
drawing me into a secret place inside
where only I existed
and nothing else mattered
except us

those eyes that shined
when looking into mine
satisfied an insatiable appetite
from the very first taste
after which nothing else mattered 


~~~

Poetic Inspiration:
Poetry Jam~ Almonds
PU Mid-Week Motif~ Happiness


** EXCITING NEWS **
You can read it here if so inclined.



Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Deja Vu

Going through Mom's closets


Much like the well-known wardrobe 
in the old spare room, this closet sits 
waiting for visitors... and I am Lucy
stepping into another place and time;
not Narnia, but Kelly High, stepping
back to my youth, back to party days
with formal dances and bright futures.
Each gown worn still hangs there as if 
nothing ever happened, nothing at all.

~

Prompt Inspiration: Poetry Jam~ Trash or Treasure?

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Unquenchable



A blue jay bathed in the dogs' water today
as I watched through the kitchen window.
You once said you prefer blue over red
birds; how I yearn to hear your words again.


Prompt Inspiration: Poetry Jam~ Thirst


***


Exciting News!! 
I'm reading from Upon the Blue Couch at Poetry Hickory July 8. 
If you're in the area, please stop by... I'd love to meet you!
July 2014

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Life


Photo by L. Kolp



Plank by rickety plank
Hope treads ahead,
a tightrope walker

feet steady
keenly aware 
one slight misstep
 
might break her, 
yet with faith enough 
to try.


**

Prompt Inspiration: Poetry Jam~ Bridges









Sunday, June 1, 2014

Heart, Capsulized

Courtesy of Mag 222
















you can change
how fast you age
with bleached white teeth

pump up lips,
tattoo them
hot pink 

how your
skin appears
with fake tans

not to mention
hair dyed to hide
unwanted gray

but there's nothing,
not a pill, that will
ever change your
thoughtless heart

**

Also shared at Creative Boomings'

Monday, May 26, 2014

Virtual Blog Tour


I was asked by my friend and fellow creative, Kathryn Dyche  Dechairo, to participate in a virtual blog tour. Its goal is to introduce talented bloggers and have them share insight into their writing and creative process. You can visit her tour post at The Edge of Silence - See more at: http://confessionsofalaundrygoddess.blogspot.com/#sthash.fZmpB1Dk.dpuf
I was asked by my friend and fellow creative, Kathryn Dyche  Dechairo, to participate in a virtual blog tour. Its goal is to introduce talented bloggers and have them share insight into their writing and creative process. You can visit her tour post at The Edge of Silence - See more at: http://confessionsofalaundrygoddess.blogspot.com/#sthash.fZmpB1Dk.dpuf
 I was asked by my friend and fellow creative, Susie Clevenger, to participate in a virtual blog tour. Its goal is to introduce talented bloggers as they share insight into their creative process and current projects. You can visit her tour post at Confessions of a Laundry Goddess. 

Susie Clevenger
BIO:
Susie Clevenger is a Poet, Author, Blogger and Photographer.  Her debut book of poetry 'Dirt Road Dreams' is available on Amazon and Susie is currently working on her second poetry collection, Insomnia's Ink. 








***

1. What am I working on? 
My first complete collection of poetry, Upon the Blue Couch (Winter Goose Publishing) was just released in April, so I'm working on spreading the word and trying to promote it. Here is the title poem from my book.



Upon the Blue Couch
by Laurie Kolp (Winter Goose Publishing)



Maybe I didn’t write a thing today.

Maybe I sat on this twenty-year-old

muted blue couch and did nothing

but think about the wear and tear

from move after move we’ve been through,

with washed over mars, the scars

of cigarettes and vomit,

having been passed out upon and puked upon,

a shoulder when I needed one

to cry my eyes out upon.

Maybe I remembered all the lovers

who have lied

sprawled upon its pillows

with hungry lips I’ve kissed,

hands upon thighs, breasts upon chest,

all to feel something better than

what was missing in my heart.

Maybe I dreamed about my husband

and all the times we’ve rued upon

blue obsequious fabric,

worrying about the economy we’ve fallen upon--

with curse words or whispers

sometimes at opposite ends,

sometimes hand in hand,

but always with a love

never to be crashed upon.

Maybe I recalled my babies

sleeping upon their daddy

sleeping upon the cushions

as they sought solace in colicky times

and I was too tired to stay awake,

my nipples having been sucked upon

and sipped upon one too many times,

their cracks a small sacrifice

for a lifetime of nourishment.

Maybe I didn’t write a thing today,

but this twenty-year-old blue couch did.



My blue couch

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? 
This is a question I'd like for my readers to answer (feel free to in comments)! Of course everyone's work is different and unique, but I think mine is unpredictable... hopefully keeping readers guessing what's next.

Haiga by Laurie Kolp
 3. Why do I write/create what I do? 
It's a basic need, really. This muse inside of me (sometimes naughty, sometimes nice) demands to be set free. When I entered college, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Becoming a writer seemed so unreachable. I did know that I was on this beautiful earth for a reason; but what it was, I had no clue. I tried nursing, business and then decided on education since the women in my family were teachers. I enjoyed teaching, but never felt completely fulfilled. I returned to writing after birthing three kids in four years. I knew at once that was my purpose.



4. How does my writing/creating process work?
I work really well in the morning; but with three kids, I take what I can get. Sometimes my muse nudges me, sometimes she downright pushes me to write something that popped into my head. Other times, I can't get her to do a thing. It's during those times that I try to spark my creativity through other avenues, such as photography and art. The picture below won an award from NWCU. The art sparked the poem.


 I also go back to older poems and work on editing them. I'll start with a rhyming poem and then change it to a different form/style. Another thing that helps get me going is found poetry. I participated in The Found Poetry Review's Pulitzer Remix in April 2013. I had to create 30 found poems from John Updike's Rabbit at Rest. Here is one of those poems.



***


Below are the three poets I selected for this virtual tour. Next week, they will guide you through the same questions. Please check them out!

***


Linda Hofke
 Linda Hofke, a native Pennsylvanian, lives in Germany where she writes, takes photographs and puts her lead foot to use on the Autobahn. Her work has been featured in Curio Poetry, MiCrow, Bolts of Silk, The Fib Review, The Poetic Pinup Revue and other literary journals as well as several anthologies. She blogs sporatically at Lind-guistics (http://lind-guistics.blogspot.de/) and Linda's Life on the Other Side (http://lindas-life-otos.blogspot.de/).






***


Walt Wojtanik
 Walt Wojtanik is an accomplished poet, playwright and composer who has taken 45 years to become an overnight success. His work has been presented in various anthologies and publications, or has been staged in his native Buffalo, NY. He’s currently working on his next big thing, whatever that might be. https://wojisme.wordpress.com/.





***


Imelda Santore

I am Imelda Santore. I came from the Philippines. Eleven years ago, I left family, friends, and a legal career to marry the wonderful man I met online. We are now the parents of four boys. I keep myself busy homeschooling the elder children, gardening, and doing things necessary to keep our home in a livable state. I take refuge in writing poems to sort out my thoughts and to keep my sanity. http://mywordwall.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Petting Zoo Dilemma

a mocha hue of dung-y mud
daubs straw beneath his feet
beside pig pen

so fast, I have no chance to swoop him up
before he stomps right in it, then steps back out
minus left shoe

and hubs is with the older kids
spinning rides so high, cheap thrills
that burn deep holes in pants

money set aside and saved
for this big day each year,
South Texas Fair

a helper hoses off the sludge
while I try to hide my smile,
the moral learned without my words

hopefully


**

Prompt Inspiration:
Poetry Jam~ Festivals
PU Mid-Week Motif~ Children
3WW~ burn, hue, moral

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Debauchee

Chair With the Wings of a Vulture, 1960, Salvador Dali 




wayward one
spoon-fed by candlelight,
yet unfulfilled~
I pray for you


~~


 *Inspiration~The Mag218*

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Desert Experiment


Quite adept
at self-preservation,
the scientist
stumbled upon
a prickly pear,
a little too literally
with face needled
& ass in air

discovered
its viscous sap
gels hair
and edible fruit
intoxicates.

*

Poetic Inspiration~
Poetry Jam: Deserts
PU Mid-Week Motif: Science
3WW: adept, edible, viscous 

*




Exciting News! My poetry book, Upon the Blue Couch (Winter Goose Publishing), has just been released. You can find it at Amazon here.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The Message

animate this:
warm temperatures,
opened windows

thoughts of first
holiday without Mom

last Easter's memories
a broken record--
basket from Nini to kids
candy, money & eggs
with seeds, not chocolate
planted-- pumpkin & squash
watered for weeks
then forgotten,
by summer
overgrown weeds 

impassioned, a bee
flies in and stings
left cheek,
my reaction
an arm-waving scream

pervert 
parked next to me
laughs

~

Prompt Inspiration--
Poetry Jam: Bees, Birds and Bunnies
PU Midweek Motif- Holidays & Holy Days
3WW: animate, impassioned, pervert

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

one, two, three strikes you're out


 it's horrible, this home
plate I'm on, with eyes
like tasers aimed
at my swing
strike one

okay, I'm sweating now
my slip/slide palms
a slick film,
it seems as if
a hundred pounds
of listless arms
weigh me down
strike two

ouch!
strike three

how can they call
me moody? I mean
wouldn't you
do the same thing, too?
It's not my fault
I saw a bug
hop across
my shoe


Poetic Inspiration~
Poetry Jam: Baseball & Barriers
PU's Motif: Distractions
3WW: horrible, listless, moody

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

It's About Time


to order the tombstone--
make that a double, says Dad

to mark atop your grave statistics
as if a census

to make this final step,
and then we're done with all we need to do

to admit you're really gone
when we should have had more time

*

Prompt Inspiration~ Poetry Jam: It's About Time

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Unless I Let It Go*

the wind and sky
storm inside, fears crystallize--
fractals in my mind

  

*Found poem from "Let It Go" lyrics by Idina Menzel (theme song of Disney movie Frozen)


Prompt Inspiration~
Poetry Jam: Letting Go

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Skewed Intentions


owl in the night sky
owl, owl flying by

with hoots and twists authentic
eyes of wisdom to enlist

nighttime warfare, phobia
topsyturn utopia

create a mood afoul
freaky, screechy owl

~

Prompt Inspiration:
Poetry Jam~ The Owl
3WW~ authentic, enlist, phobia

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

True Olympians Remain Leaders


I feel for the Olympians.
From the opening ceremony
to the medal display,
their excitement
is mine.

I feel for the Olympians.
Each half-pipe flip or bobsled run
sits me on the couch's edge,
my adrenaline pumps
in overtime.

I feel for the Olympians.
My spirits glide over the ice
with skaters single and paired,
then slide to the floor
when they fall.

I feel for the Olympians.
They're all winners to me
and the world, role models
for kids. Leaders, achievers
having a ball.

I just wish they'd
keep their clothes on
when they're done.

*

Poetic Inspiration~
Poetry Jam: Olympian
PU Mid-Week Motif: Leaders/Leadership

Sunday, February 16, 2014

On a Dare

Universal Studios Lot, Instagram by sessepien, The Mag207























Robert once lived
in an apartment
one story below
his bicycle shop,
walked up and
down steep stairs
three times a day.
As the story goes,
he died on a dare
while riding his bike
up the slope, backward
flipped through the air
and landed head first
in a garbage truck,
his derriere a moon
ripping him buff.




Wednesday, February 12, 2014

What do you see...


unkempt beds
filled with weeds
cruel and obtrusive,
ghastly eyesores
in need of upkeep

or

flowerbeds over-
flowing with dandelions
as hearts to pick
and make a wish
for Valentine's Day?


**

Poetry Jam~ Dandelion
PU Midweek Motif~ Heart
3WW~ cruel, ghastly, unkempt

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Backwards Time

Mother's Day 2013


Through my years of rogue-like wandering
a circuitous path, the ins and outs and ups and downs
at times defiant as a two-year-old,
you remained passive with undying love.

And now you're dying.

I wonder if you know    I know
you stood beside me, a whisper in my heart?
That as a mother you excelled?

I'd like to accelerate backwards time, go back 
and send daily praises to your side, thank you
for mothering me, for instilling family values--

blood a thread of life forever tied to piano keys,
your tender melody woven in my mind.

Today I'll sing your lively tune.

~

Today's Inspiration:
Poetry Jam~ Tribute
3WW~ accelerate, passive, rogue
PU Mid-Week Motif~ Love (in 14 lines)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Siesta Beneath the Clouds


A honeybee flits among a grove of trees
carelessly and free         from oak to elm
the trail it leaves behind a steady stream
of white. Close by, a bear sits on stump,
its arms wide open as if to hug the next
one willing. You grab my hand, stroke
my skin and tell me that you love me as
I roll over in the grass and kiss your lips.

~

Prompt Inspiration:
Poetry Jam~ Look to the Clouds

Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Wife

Musician in the Rain by Robert Doisneau
courtesy of The Mag 203
 
Some called him wacky, and rightfully so,
a wife he created from his cello
 
which wasn't that bad, as he played very well
and counted aloud to his dear Annabelle.
 
At times he displayed this musical twist,
a mannerly man in the gray mist
 
but still some thought his mind seemed delayed
when off-key he hummed while looking away.
 

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Withdrawal


Refrigerate 
your anxious need
to sugarcoat the situation;
 I'm devoted to helping you
through this phase of life.
I sleep on ice
while you sweat,
watch your weakened body
melt away as scrawny legs
freeze up, refuse to move
without assistance.
I'm here.
 
*
 
Prompt Inspiration:
3WW~ anxious, devoted, scrawny

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

A New Attitude & An Announcement



quell the hellish fire within,
burning ire laced with sin
 
scrutinize the lies
you tell yourself,
like
that
you're
nothing
 
don't isolate
or scathe your need
for others
 
instead, be faithful--
burn evil thoughts,
turn toward the light

let it wave
tranquility
throughout your body
 
 
*
 
Prompt Inspiration:
3WW~ faithful, isolate, scrutinize

 
 
*

Good News Announcement:

The cover of my first poetry collection, Upon the Blue Couch, has just been revealed. For more information, please visit my author page at Winter Goose Publishing.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year

Bridge into the new year
filled with opportunity,
a chance to clean the slate.

Wonderment~ what’s in store
on the other side. Hang tight
to railing during storms.

*