Nectarine

A ripe nectarine
demands your full attention.
The first bite might be taken
one-handed, eyes on the newspaper,
thinking about the day ahead,
but then juice starts dripping
and both hands are required
and before you know it,
all senses are focused
on one moment of sweetness.


~ Tamary Shoemaker

Calendar

Turn the page:
new picture, new month
of blank squares
to fill in
with what we bind ourselves to
and then call our life.


~ Tamary Shoemaker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(I wanted to do an end-of-month poem for the last day of the April challenge. This is another shadorma.)

Notice

Found: Ancient Roman ship, adrift in the bay.
Captain fell overboard in transit to our century.
Good condition, complete with oars and galley slaves,
well-trained and tractable, although hygiene is lacking
and a translator is needed (see help wanted section).
The whole lot will go to the highest bidder.
Many potential business uses:
could be converted to a theme restaurant
or worked up as a weekend getaway package.
Don't miss out on this unique opportunity!
Call for details and financing options.


~ Tamary Shoemaker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This is a response to a prompt at NaPoWriMo to write a poem based on a headline from today's paper. I chose "Ancient Roman Ship Found.")

Message

My given name
is Monty, please
take care of me,
I was just a little
pup when my boy
sailed off to sea.


~ M. Shoemaker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This is a response to the message in a bottle prompt at Poetic Asides. M. drew a sketch of a dog with the message bottle tied onto its collar.)

Message in a Bottle

Please do not bother to rescue me,
for the first time in my life I feel free!
So please do not come and get me.
You would do best to forget me.
I am doing fine, for one,
plus it's really lots of fun!
Wilderness survival is great out here.
At night I've never seen the stars so clear!
And so many new things to hear.
So please don't come anywhere near.
I feel great. I'm doing fine,
out on sandy beaches in sunshine
and under the cool jungle trees
or standing in ocean up to my knees,
and sometimes going to the beach at night,
waiting to see the dawn's first light,
learning things I'd never have known,
and self-supportive. Just see how I've grown!
Please do not bother to rescue me,
for the first time in my life I feel free!
So please do not come and get me.
You would do best to forget me.


~ ACS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This is a response to the message in a bottle prompt at Poetic Asides.)

Riddle

White blanket
hangs heavy, quilted
(or wispy,
threadbare, scant)
smoothed out wide across the sky
to cover earth's bed.


~ Tamary Shoemaker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This is a shadorma - syllable pattern 3/5/3/3/7/5 - and a response to a prompt at NaPoWriMo to write a riddle poem.)

all went well till I fell

all went well till I fell
into old times, my old lies
taunting not to try, and I
knew why not, still I fell


~ Tamary Shoemaker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(I was playing with the sounds of the words, and eventually came up with this, although it still needs work.)