the best of me

this day could be enjoyable
this day may hold surprises
but i will never know
if i don’t
open up my eye-ses
whatever comes at me today
i’ll try to greet it nicely
what if it’s an earthquake?
well i’m not sure, precisely
what if it’s an unpaid bill?
what if it’s a flood?
what if it’s some ghoulish guy
who wants to suck my blood?
what if it’s a plague of frogs?
i haven’t got a clue
but i’ll just bring
the best of me
and she’ll know what to do
.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by wild one, courtesy pixabay.com
posted on delay while recovering from surgery yesterday
.

out of order

today i am in surgery
tomorrow i should
hope to be
a new, bionic, me
.
i set this verse up on delay
so i won’t have to miss a day
cuz i’m a daily
poster, chronically
.
it’s nothing major, just a hip
but i’m so happy
i may trip (!)
cuz i will be titanium
.
can’t wait to dance
can’t wait to stomp
i’ma hafta miss
the daily prompt
and that’s the one thing
messin’ with my cranium
.

so here’s to you,
my wordpress peeps
i’ll see you in
my morphine sleep
.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning

*props to my girl sia for the song titanium

calm yourself

trying not to panic

panic makes things worse

control the things

i can control
focus on the verse

the world is
closing in on me

the challenges
immense
i will rise
as i have risen

but damn…
this is intense

distract myself
with comedy

mute the
inner screaming

sip some tea
with no caffeine
keep
deep

breathing

keep
deep
breathing

.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by creozavr courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – panic
.

everything he had he gave

.
Benjamin was generous

a man above all men for us

the guy that you could go to

when your ship has run aground
.

a kind word rested on his lips

for anyone down on their chips

and sage advice was handed out
like cool rain falling down
.

everything he had he gave

money, shelter, food, first-aid…

he passed away in poverty

the richest man around

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by joggie courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – generous

let’s horse around

one day i’ll get around
to being more profound
today is not that day
today i want to say
let’s all go out and play
shirk our work
put down our pens
and all be kids again
let’s chase the ice cream man
play duck duck goose
play kick the can
play fruit tag and red rover
before the summer’s over
play jump rope, hopscotch,
do handstands,
dignity be damned
.

.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by alexas fotos, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – jump

breeze sways

breeze
sways
breeze
plays
music
unseen
calm cool
blue green
breeze
stays
hair
blows
style goes
who cares
calm cool
blue green
vacation
.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2011 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by dimitris vetsikas, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – stylish

sometime in july

sitting inside
this shell
of a car
that will not stir,
will not start,
waiting for dad
to rescue me…
it’s been hours,
where could he be?
.
but the silence of
the snow is sweet
a sound that’s
missing
on the street
in here i hear it
swirl and fall
and i’m amazed
at the sound of it all
.
and if he never
gets here,
if i freeze & die
they’ll find me with
a placid smile,
sometime in July.
◊

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1982 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by efraimstochter, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – silence

perhaps today we should not hike

the clouds are holding court
hanging low as if for sport
perhaps some cloud celebrity’s
on trial for some indecency
embezzling some cirrus guy
the clouds are crowded in the sky
packed tight from end to end
.
.

they’re saying things that i don’t like
perhaps today we should not hike
they’re rumbling emphatically
their cheeks have greyed dramatically
perhaps they’ll cancel classes
until this cloud thing passes
and  skies are blue again
.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by unsplash, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – hike

starting to look pretty slender

the passionate fruit

seduced the banana

he thought himself
a smoothie
banana girl,
swept up in his world
was becoming
a little bit woozy
they noticed too late
other things on the plate
and soon after were
dumped in the blender
when they read the word “rival”
their chance for survival
was starting to
look pretty slender
so it comes to the end
for our orchard of friends…
which is better for us
than for them
–Ω–

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
created for the Daily prompt – passionate
.

no lighter

it’s 4/20
in the park
no lighter,
not a spark
rubbing
sticks
together
not so hot
in windy
weather
can’t get
the sparks
to catch
where’s
the cops
when you
need
a match?
; }

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by skeeze, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – together

web slinger

the fragile threads
that built
this web

have just been
pulled apart
the fly escapes
the spider makes
a relocated start

.

so it was
with you and i
you the spider

i the fly
escaped your prison
flew away…

rebuild, ensnare
some other prey

.
≈≈≈

.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by sethink, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – fragile

nephew to the king

the smarmy slug

slogged his foes
with cruel insults
and verbal blows
which would be hard
to miscontrue…
good thing he only
had a few…
half of whom
did not do words —
the other half were birds
—¦—

 his insults paled

to uncle snail’s,
the king of slimy zingers
the slug was not
as erudite and surely no
punslinger
his conversations
fast dissolved

cuz he was less evolved
—Ω—

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning

picture by pixel2013, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – slog

.

wi-fi hot spot

i just got a text
and frankly i’m perplexed
i don’t have a cell phone
so how could they
have found me?
i just got a text
including autocorrect
if i’m right about
who sent it,
it astounds me
i just got a text
and really, now,
what’s next?
i can’t unplug:
technology surrounds me.
◊

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
created for the Daily prompt – perplexed

the news is pretty twisted

there’s al madrigal

interviewing radicals

tryin’ to wring humor from

extremists unrestricted
lewis black gets ever madder

is it funnier or sadder?
he’s a pretty angry fellow
but when journalism’s yellow

we need comedy to tell the news

when hatred’s used to sell the news

the news is pretty twisted

where’s the walter cronkites

and the journalistic ethics

i wish the people watching fox

were watching it like skeptics

i wish they all
could see it

in the way these “newsmen” act
these people aren’t giving you the facts

regurgitating talking points
the same sound bites each minute
telling you don’t use your mind
just take it how we spin it
if we watched cable news all day
we’d all be talking dumb
so thanks again jon stewart and
the daily show alum

Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
created for the Daily prompt – radical
images courtesy bing.com/images
gif courtesy giphy.com
‡

he’s a little eros

poor little cupid
sittin’ on a cloud
doesn’t have
a girlfriend
isn’t he allowed?
♥

i’m a lonely angel
he’s a little eros
we could be an item
we could be
each other’s heroes
♥

dear when you flew by me

whistling romantically
you seemed so
debonair and sharp
your hair a windy mess
you almost all undressed

zing! went the strings of my harp! *

♥

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
created for the Daily prompt – zing

* shout out to my girl judy, doing the james f. hanley original verse here

5 on 1

the day they killed the old oak tree

we wouldn’t soon forget

they hacked at her
for hours

they all were
drenched in sweat

she didn’t
go down easily,

she put up
quite the fight,

but they won out,
‘cuz 5 on 1,

which didn’t feel so right
we thought we heard her weeping with every teasing breeze
a kind of solidarity among the other trees
it took one final insult, she came down with a whump,
and to this day we’re haunted by the stump

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by oisin connolly, courtesy unsplash.com
created for the Daily prompt – stump

autonomous automaton’s vacation- a sequel

view the original, autonomous automatons forbidden

the robot, now autonomous,

from his favorite seat in the back of the bus,

recounted all the great things he’d accomplished…

he’d fought the fight and won the war

for robot rights, but wait, there’s more:

he got a job at the Apple store…

another robot might have been more pompous

…

he checked his phone for new sound bites

and looked up travel package sites

his benefits included one week paid

he’d saved a lot of money up

he wanted some place sunny but
some parts of him did better in the shade
…

he google-mapped exotic spots
not too rainy, not too hot
someplace he could travel to by boat
he liked indoor facilities
and it would need utilities,
so… something far away but not remote
and it would need wall outlets, by and large,

‘cuz after all the point was to recharge
…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
original robot by brent worden deviantart.com, courtesy bing.com/images
alligator boxers & background by me & clip art
created for the Daily prompt – recharge

skinny sally has a secret

skinny sally
has a secret,

how she stays
so little

when the meal
is sandwiches
she only eats
the middle

she sets aside the bread
and eats whatever
was between it
accumulating
quite a stack
of unused bread,
i’ve seen it
she licks
both pieces
clean and then
just throws
what’s left away
extremely entertaining
when it’s peanut b&j
>∴<

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by clker-free-vector-images, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – sandwich

my anomaly

 

she skipped right past

the princess phase

and went straight on
to queen

less like a figure-headed type
more like a figurine

uncanny, just how elegant
this girl has always been
her eyes intense
her common sense
her skin like
porcelain
her class just doesn’t
dissipate
somehow she never lets it
such perfection is my girl…

i don’t know where
she gets it

                       °°°♥°°°

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
Daily prompt – elegant
if you liked this one you might like this, which further explains,
or for that matter, any of these from the “my two” category

heads turn on her arrival

 

the opportunist mink’ll
set her laser sights to stun
set her onyx eyes to twinkle
hunting season has begun
⇓
she is to morals machiavelli
her ruthlessness unrivaled
she is to beauty botticelli
heads turn on her arrival
⇓
she’s in control, she holds the reins
the men surround her, rapt
but hunting is a two-way lane
and one day she’ll be trapped
⇔

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by naturfotoblog.net, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – twinkle

a teasing rain

a teasing rain is looming
a lingering loitering drop
dangles dramatically
in mid-air
then ever-so slowly
plops
it lands on
jimmy’s baldness
it ricochets
in pieces
but hours will pass
before at last
the storm cloud
team releases
all the other raindrops
all the other plops
jimmy needs a deluge
to quench his thirsty crops
ℑ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by marcus spiske, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – plop

naomi thinks she’s ready

naomi held her first affair
and all her closest
friends were there
to celebrate her savoir-faire
but hey, o.k., no pressure
culinary school had been

her last hurrah,
now five years in
to her first-year semester
»

we won’t discuss the details

we’ll take you to the end

naomi would have done this

if she’d been a better friend

the guests were getting hungry
after all the fails

they pinned their hopes on
eating something sweet,
with no entrails…

«
the cake was a mistake
no, scratch that, a disaster
among the inner workings
there may have been some plaster
there surely were some cat hairs
and what looked like once-ate greens
the friends made their excuses
then went straight to Krispy Kreme

«»

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture  courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – cake

simply weak from hunger

eclipse

eclair
eclat

there, there

economists will wonder

if i’m too excited here

or simply weak from hunger

ecumenical
ecuador
those ecstatic orthodox
don’t know about the ecru
eczema flakes inside my socks
eccentric
upper echelons
today may celebrate:
ectoplasm, icky stuff,
is served up on a plate
ecclesiastic
echinoids
will have an ectoblast
excluding old
eclectic me…
it won’t be telecast…
enthusiastic bats
may use excess
echolocation
with e’s and c’s
embracing i
expect a long vacation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture from cegoh, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – eclipse

closer to the ground

i start each morning armed
and ready for a fight —
my bag with water bottle, left,
a hard book on my right.

to walk the sidewalks of NY
you have to have a plan,
a strategy to never get
knocked over by the man.

you keep far right
and yet and still
they’ll walk right into you
unless you have artillery
that’s sure to leave a bruise.

i hold my path, i plow ahead,
come on at me, i dare them.
if they choose rude
it is my goal
to lastingly impair them.

so if you want to come at me
don’t cry when you get downed
‘cuz i’m built like a bulldog
and i’m closer to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2015 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture from streetenglish, courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – sidewalk

repeating in a loop

a melody is haunting me
it follows where i go
it’s amplified
when i’m inside
with lyrics i don’t know

so ba da dee

da doobie doo
it came from some commercial
da skeet marie

do doobie dee
insipid and inertial

la bee li bo
i didn’t know
it was so resolute
with scoopy doo
and tigger too
repeating in a loop
we found a cure

for clinging tunes
it takes concerted effort
we drown them out
with something else

intrinsically no better
it helps to know the lyrics

and the melody by heart
two princes by the spin doctors
is where we always start

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by the films42, courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – melody

snake in the grass

°°

he charms you with

his promises

prosperity,

protection

you feel a subtle quiver

as he heads
in your direction

his wealth

you think

means strength

and sense,

his power

means intellect

you’re so enthralled

you’re missing all

the clues

of disconnect
he sports his little flag pin
so he must be patriotic
you cannot see
his rule would be
a step above despotic

you’re caught up in

the moment
for the moment

he’s the rage

you shiver
as he slithers

to the stage
hissssss
°°ς°°

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
photo by kapa65, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily Prompt – shiver

in need of some repair

fiona felt
so fierce today
that’s what
her outfit
seemed to say
but then the rain came out
to play
havoc
with her hair
those hours in the
beauty shop
that caused her
bank account
to drop
were wasted
at the old
bus stop,
she now needs some repair

 Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture from en.wikipedia.org,  courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – fierce

another unarmed teenager

hope was working e.r.
gabe was working vice
they differed in opinion
on the scope of civil rights
he had lost a partner

she had lost a son
her youngest was a victim
of a blue hand with a gun

∩

gabe arrived with a bullet wound
a case of friendly fire
she treated him expertly,
with compassion he admired
while he was in recovery
she’d visit with her patient
they talked about humanity
in coffee conversations

∩
yesterday another youth

was brought down by the blue
another unarmed teenager

with not enough to do
today they’re marching
for their rights,
the stakes keep getting higher

of course she’s at the rally

and that’s him, right there beside her
∩

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by the conversation.com, and poster by at2w, both courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – vice

the squirrel who lived in our shed

this is the story of duncan hines,
the squirrel who lived
in our shed
this may explain to you
why i love squirrels,
those experts at
planning ahead…
oh, never mind,
i’m not of the mind
to wax nostalgic about
a critter who ate
all the cake mix
and went on to
clean us out
of all the provisions
we stored in the shed
when we ran out of
room in the house
because now we’ve got
a meddlesome mouse
or four
making me think
that I’m not more
but a whole lot
less determined
to extol the virtues of vermin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2009 kStan(ly) Lanning
photo by rthnwagner, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – expert

resisting physics blissfully

if we were light as feathers
could we float on top of clouds?
it’s what i’ve always wanted,
i’ll say it, i ain’t proud…
logically it couldn’t be
a person half as big as me
would fall right through,
i know the science…
but if a feather in defiance
could cheat the laws of gravity
resisting physics blissfully
could sit up there despite the weather
that would be one lucky feather

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
photo by jrperes, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – cheat

better look it up

a small mistake
can quickly make
a mess of a great story
some words were made to
throw us off
the path to fame and glory…
ignoble ignition invites repetition –
like gm’s recall it’s not noble at all;
ineffable, what can’t be f’d,
i can’t express with reason;
noisome isn’t noisy it just
stinks like fruit off-season;
seminal’s a fluid word
if you get my drift;
restive doesn’t get much sleep,
it works a double shift;
perverse is not perverted
but is used that way too frequently;
nugatory has no nuts,
some comfort for your allergies;
bemused is not amusing
but misused it’s too confusing;
and kinky kinds of dirty minds
don’t go for formication…
fallacious words you may have heard
invite regurgitation
but they’re rarely used by playas…
i guess we’ll call these kinds of words
non-omatopoeias
∞

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2014 kStan(ly) Lanning
photo by stocksnap, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – mistake

five fingers

five fingers got him in this mess
a foolish game

no more no less
his buddies scattered
with the breeze
when the cop yelled freeze
°
the witness swore she’d
tell the truth

the truth and nothing but
she had her own agenda
inner demons to rebut
and so she modified the facts
exonerating evan
who changed his ways
and may one day
still make it into heaven

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – witness

his heart was on his sleeve

some might say that bobby was

being all too obvious
you could agree with them because
his heart was on his sleeve
»
miss lucinda’s hobby was
snobby is as snobby does
pretentious thing
she prob’ly was
and we’re all quite relieved…
when we get on our wobbly buzz

we’re more out there than bobby was
she wouldn’t last a minute on thanksgiving.

«

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by lucky2013, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – obvious

much ado times two

miniature marshmallows

make much ado of nothing

but not enough of anything

one could consider fattening

if taken in small doses
˜
conversely,
mini barn swallows
make much ado
of everything
and way too much
of noisiness
for helen’s
hoity-toityiness
which makes
her think
to hell
with symbiosis
˜
so helen got
her bb gun
sent those
swallows
on the run
for seconds there
the view out here was loco
now she’s back to sipping her hot cocoa
˜ Ω˜

~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by jairo moretti, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – miniature

for gregor

gregor, man, you blow my mind,
you make the wheels start turning.
just when i think i know it all,
you speak and start me learning.

how would i now know any zappa*

or the source of your jacket

that’s lined in alpaca

or the reason why math

isn’t bad by a half

or when is the best time

for synchronized laughs

gregor, man, to me you are

the world in human form

well-rounded although not as round,
but almost always warm
you challenge and you entertain
enlightening my brain’s terrain

(gregor, man, i lost your poem,
the first one that i penned…
i’ve tried to recreate it here
but if the first one reappears
i’ll update this again.)
…Ω…

*frank

~~~~~
© 1977 and 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
recreated for the Daily prompt – learning

 

 

ba ba ba bored

ba ba ba bored
ba ba ba cuz
got all my stuff done
got nothing left doin’
worth doin’
no one to play with
to run away with
i’d be okay with
all this spare time
if i could fill it
with more than a rhyme
with a master achievement
a minor accord
a project in progress
that i could afford
looking up learning
anything new
japanese? physics?
google peru?
here’s mike with
those figures…
sayonara
gozaimasu
…Ω…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2013 kStan(ly) Lanning
Daily prompt – learning

ebb and floe

when abigail turned fifty

they threw her a surprise
they didn’t have a lot of cash
they had to improvise

they painted rocks to decorate
they served a can of soup
they added stuff
to make enough
to feed the little group

dessert was just a hershey bar
sliced up in little pieces
bought with coins from piggy banks
of nephews and of nieces
the gift was all that mattered,
that was where the money went
they took up a collection
and each penny had been spent

they bought a
one-way ticket
to the north slope of alaska
including lunch
and changing once
in omaha nebraska
they added in a voucher
for a bobsled
to transport her

to meet up with
the ice floe that
her kids had ordered for her

~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by commons.wikimedia.org, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – fifty

as evening wandered in

two teenage lepidopterists,

bob and brother rudy

went looking for their long-lost mom
in faraway djibouti
they brought doc jellyby along,
a friend and an advisor —

rudy wasn’t fond of him,

he always seemed to stink of gin–

bob thought no one was wiser.
°

these two were not the outdoor type
but mom was an explorer
she’d be mad that they skipped school
but they missed and adored her.
while following a trail that she
had mentioned in a letter
rudy set his suitcase down
and bob removed his sweater.
°°
doc jellyby suggested they
resume the search another day
as evening wandered in
blurring bits of sunshine
and diminishing his gin,
but when the bros agreed to go
they crossed paths with a feline

in spots and beige, who reeked of rage…
the large, meat-eating kind.

°°°
rudy caught the leopard’s eye,
implored him not to jeopardize
their chances for survival…
his brother fainted dead as day
the doctor upped and ran away,
which hindered bob’s revival.
°°°°
the leopard sized the brothers up
but, being full from having supped,
he told them “go, be hasty,
i’ve no desire for you because
you’re half the men your mother was
and doubtless half as tasty”.
so off thy ran the two of them,
abandoning their property.
back home again these two half-men
now study leopard-optery.
°°°°°

~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by frauke feind, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – jeopardize

if we’re smart

you spend your life
looking for the thing
that lasts
something to help
the time to pass
it’s not your youth
it’s not your friends
it’s not your health
these inevitably end
but family
if you do it right
if you’re lucky enough
can come pretty close
until death do we part
if we’re smart

~~~~~
© 2015 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by Diego Torres, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – youth

when i fell into your eyes

since you landed on the scene
a constant state of stimulation
a high smile that won’t leave
high speed imagination
yet fear lurks
sometime,
someday
you will have to
move on
you will have to
have a life
(please don’t)
you have been
an inspiration
a fixation
my daydream
my hesitation
i can’t imagine solitude
since you landed in my life
non-stop provocation
as in the spine tingle that goes
from toes up and around
and around and around
when i fell into your eyes
and you enveloped me
and you don’t have a clue
i’m stuck inside of you
……..Ω……..

~~~~~
© 2012 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by Greg Rakozy, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – eyes

sleepover

when the moon was little
she’d peek through our
window at night

and we’d let her sleep over

if her momma said alright

she wore her cute pajamas

with tiny yellow flowers

she’d giggle with woo and a.k.
and keep them up all hours

now that the moon is
a grown-up
she rarely comes inside
and hardly ever sleeps over

she’s far too dignified

the woo and a.k. have
grown some too
no longer the great pretenders

but we still smile every once in a while
when the sight of her makes us remember
…..Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by schueler-design , courtesy pixabay.com
created for the daily prompt – moon

the ghost in the window

inside her darkened mansion

the music has moved on
the floorboards groan now
when she roams
the empty grand salon
they used to entertain in here

the infamous elite

now she gently brushes

a dusty tapestry

she rings a bell for service
no servant will appear
she forgets
she let them go
when things went south last year
she used to be a VIP,

returned a quick riposte,

she lost her child to tragedy

but she became the ghost

      ……….Ω……….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by jelly ng , courtesy pixabay.com
created for the daily prompt – ghost

on easter

on easter it was quite a thrill
to meet you out on old horse hill
you with your yellow ribbons and bows
you with nail polish on your fingers & toes
you with unnatural curls in your hair
you who your mother dolled up with great care.
and then to compare our baskets of food
which often left me in a very bad mood.
me with my jellies and chocolate bars
you with your bunnies and big candy stars
large eggs and small eggs and thick chocolate fudge–
— you never knew that i carried a grudge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©1975 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by engel62 , courtesy pixabay.com
daily prompt – carry

invitation

me & dawn
are getting
married
yellow daisies
will be carried
and for the aisle
we’ll use her walk
and draw an altar
out of chalk.
ceremonies
start at one
and after
we’ll have
lots of fun
at the party
in her back yard
for which you need
a membership card
…..♥…..

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©1975 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by lovetotakephotos , courtesy pixabay.com
daily prompt – carry

in confused exhilaration

the caterpillar hustled

in confused exhilaration

momma said to

pack the bags

we’re going
on vacation

her voice was
floating on a breeze

from high
above his head
he packed his
socks and underwear
and even made his bed
so proud of his
accomplishments
he heard his momma say
my boy keep this behavior up
you’ll be a king one day

         …….Ω…….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by alain wong , courtesy unsplash.com
made for the daily prompt – confused
if you liked this one, check out flora & fauna & whatnot

those “c” words

complicated consonants

are causing me discomfort…

like candid conversations
in another constellation,
syncopated commentators,
their conscience disencumbered…
i don’t know what’s wrong with me,
the “c”s have me outnumbered.

confiscated contraband
in careless conflagration;
a compendium of comestibles
commanding calibration;
certainly compulsive,
complexities conflated,
why can’t i cease  the “c” words?
i don’t know,
it’s complicated.

Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by clker-free-vector-images , courtesy pixabay.com
made for the daily prompt – complicated
if you liked this one, check out those “p” words

too much of a reach

…

she has to change the light bulb
but it’s too much of a reach
she got a stool to stand on but

she’s still too far beneath
it’s way up there and she’s down here

her arm won’t stretch no further

it might look quite amusing

to a passing by observer

she got the ladder out but she
falls short an inch or four

she hates to have to say she’s not

the right man for this chore
the challenge here is daunting
cuz the ceiling fan is taunting and
she’s close enough up there to see

the paint has started peeling

the lesson learned too late in life:

people of a limited height
shouldn’t buy homes with high ceilings
…Ω…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by blackbirdvisual1 , courtesy pixabay.com
made for the daily prompt – reach

seeing snakes

i’ve reached 1 in slither.io,

which i learned
from moho and yuyu.

you play a snake

on his lunch break…

it captivates like voodoo,
now lunch has turned to dinner.

it’s so addictive i virtually

forget to feed the real me,

so at least i’m getting thinner

but it also makes me jittery

cuz i’m seeing snakes now,
constantly, in my periphery
…Ω…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
slither.io – be warned, it’s habit-forming
made for the daily prompt – reach

his what?

can’t control my thinking
or board another train
his eyes
his smile
his hands
his hands
his hands
can’t  turn it off/
down/out
music
scents
sounds
suggest
obsession
bad bad me
his hair
his eyes
his smile
his hands
his hands
his hands
taboo
awakening
the constant state
bad me
bad bad me
his words
his hair
his eyes
his smile
his hands
his hands
his hands

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2012 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by joao silas, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – obsessed

surface tension

surface tension
fills the class
with apprehension
it’s not the concept
that concerns…

after all,
they came to learn…
something’s going
on with teacher

looks like
he may
have a
seizure
he’s in some
physical distress

and this in physics class
no less…
you could cut
this surface tension
with a sword
cuz they’re worried how
the essays will be scored

Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning

the Daily prompt – surface – made me do it
photos by geralt, courtesy pixabay.com

perhaps means maybe

when wooper was

a little girl

almost still

a baby

she would ask

i’d say perhaps

she’d coo “perhaps?

perhaps means maybe!”

her giddy joy
was apropos:

she knew that “maybe”
didn’t mean “no”.

now wooper is
a little grown
really quite
a lady
if you happen
to say “perhaps”
you’ll see us grin
from deep within
“perhaps?
perhaps means maybe!”

                Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by sibahk, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – maybe

negative space

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2015 kStan(ly) Lanning
Daily prompt – joke

mistaken identity

laugh
when i laugh
cry
when i cry
if you’re really you
then who
am i?
you’re using
my jokes
you’re telling
them wrong
if you’re being you,
then where have i gone?
your friends
are my friends
you do
what i do
if you’re me
and i’m me
then who’s being you?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 1976 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by schmid-reportagen, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – joke

all visible fiscal success

luxury is not for her, she tends to be a mess
and rips or stains or drops or
maims all visible fiscal success
she’s been to a place or two with
fine accouterments and views
appreciated, but couldn’t wait
to go home and
lose her shoes

this is a girl who
can’t be polished
you can dress her up
send her to college
clean her house
while she’s not in it
but it only takes
a new york minute
for a hair to stray
a strap to snap
a cabernet to spill in her lap
a wrinkle* to crease an elegant
silk an hour to sour her powdered
milk or a boot heel to fill up with rocks**
she may lack class
but she’s no ass her
disposable income’s
in stocks and
bonds and
real estate
and she’d
rather hang out
with her mates

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by unsplash, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – luxury
but also befitting the Daily prompt – elegant – while i work on a new one

* wrinkled

** heels

the paper was monochromatic

paint me a picture

said ma to her kids

there was paper and brushes
and paint jars with lids
then she left for a second
to answer the door

when she returned

there was paint on the floor

and the ceiling and walls

and that’s not nearly all:

though the paper was monochromatic
the children themselves were fairly prismatic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2015 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by Adrian Peterson, courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – paint

royalty

i am the king of the kangaroos
she is the queen of the nile
we met at the hotel of cockatoos
what caught my eye first was her smile
°

we both decided we’d settle down
and all of our friends would live near
she’d wear her snakes, i’d wear my crown
she’d stand while i’d sit in my chair
°

we’d paint the river in greens and blues
and invite the koalas to dine
then we’d raise some egyptian kangaroos
but we’d let them run free at age nine
°

i am the king of the kangaroos
she is the queen of the nile
we live by the river of greens and blues
what impresses me most is her style
°

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1975 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – paint

thumbs up

she makes it a puzzle

for those who don’t know her

she drops little clues off

like crumbs

one might think her graceful

her tongue is so tasteful

in truth she is really all thumbs
°

now i wouldn’t lie
you see this little guy
he stands where she
once had a pointer

he’s sweet, but a bitch

cuz he’s itchin’ to hitch

and it kills that he’s
just a one-jointer
°°

she makes it a challenge
for those who don’t know her
she hides little hints in
her words

while one might imagine

a high-fashion mansion

in truth this thumb thing’s getting worse.
°°°

now i kid you not
it was this very spot
where ring finger
once had some space
he was stubborn but lost
when her fingers were crossed
now “bubba” grows there in his place
and this other thumb, too,
stands where pinky once grew
and look who moved in at old middle’s
it was three stories high
and they leased to a guy
who wrote sonnets and verses and riddles

 °°°°

this may sound outrageous
but it could be contagious
so be warned, you should
not let her near you
new thumbs may grow
from old head to once toes
you can laugh cuz
at least she won’t hear you
°°°°°

…now the whole of her story’s told,
that’s how it all sums up…

except she hopes that when she’s old,
when her time comes at last to go…
she hopes to go thumbs up
Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by gdj, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – stubborn

holy writer’s block, batman

the pastor paced the sacristy
practicing his sermon,

it centered on the concept of
if life was predetermined

if fate was inescapable

if faith was somehow capable

of altering a destiny
if prayers and praise
and holy days
improve life consequentially….

he hadn’t worked the ending out

it needed final touches

like words and thoughts,

he thought he ought

to give it just as much as

the beginning,

but this one wasn’t winning,
this time he’d met his match.

he scrapped the whole idea

and then began again from scratch
Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by trudi90, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – praise

oscar, oscar, oscar

i’m no longer
craving fame
some today have
killed the name
i wouldn’t want to
have to act
like i respect
or like them
or their greed
or their need
while we’re
backstage at the oscars
co-presenting,
for some reason

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
oscar statuette picture by dwilliams, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – craving

waiting for an angel

 

craving contact

craving comfort
craving human
decency

she is waiting

for an angel
to relieve
her misery
craving something
more than hunger

she’s not getting

any younger
°°°°

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture from water-4-elephants, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – craving

magnified magnificence

you picture takers

photo kings
who share with us
who give us wings

who brave the world
to play with light
i’ve become

your acolyte
i follow you
around outdoors

to black and white
or tinted shores
to painted skies,

personified
raw innocence,

to mountain peaks
or to uniquely

magnified

magnificence

from the safety
of my nest
i’m inspired

i’m impressed
you take away
my very breath

youse is
my muses

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by bessi, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – muse

electric

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2014 kStan(ly) Lanning
Daily prompt – muse

when the sun goes down

the isolation is profound

in her hole below

the ground

without light

without sound

she comes out

when the sun goes down
to have a look around

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by mrswatson123, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – profound

a day with the woo and dudu too

there’s nothing like
a day with the woo
a park
a play
a film
a zoo
any place
at all
will do
she makes me think
she makes me proud
and dudu
makes me laugh too loud
we three
in this moment
are free
a great thing for
three silly geese to be
a day with them both
at the least
is enlightening
and a future with neither
is amazingly frightening
…     Ω     …

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2009 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by 70154, courtesy pixabay.com
Discover weekly Challenge – shared journeys

 

sticky notes – the sequel

he believes

apologies

are just for wimps

and girly men

he doodles

on the sticky pad
and orders in

again

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
Daily prompt – apology
here’s the original sticky notes

sir john recites soliloquies

sir john recites soliloquies
from his old fave Shakespeare
he whispers them so softly
that it’s rather hard to hear
if you try to move in closer
to discover what he said
he’ll give a slow
and lasting pose
then bop you on the head

you’d think he was a solo act
the way he plays the room
he spent today
on a mamet stage
in elaborate costume

he knows the works of all the greats
he’s learned the lines by heart
he doesn’t share
the spotlight there
he acts out every part
then he closes with a homily
shows he knows
he’s an anomaly
which is only symptomatic

of a bear
who has a flair
for the dramatic

Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by sandid, courtesy pixabay.com
this verse wasn’t here before the Daily prompt – dramatic

to have you look my way

what do you admire he asked

while i admire you?

what is it you’re looking at?

what can a person do

to have your full attention

to have you look my way?

tell me how to win you back

tell me what to say.
…
there’s no one here but you & me
no other human being…
what is it you’re looking at?
what is it you’re seeing?
what’s it gonna take for you
to look me in the eye?
what is it you’re thinking
while you’re staring at the sky?

 …

she sighed she said
when we first wed
you were another guy
she sighed she said
her love was dead
she sighed she said
goodbye.
Ω

~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by unsplash, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – admire

if the royal we were me

if the royal we
is really i
could the royal i
be the loyal we?
only if i
were to marry me
but i’m not into
bigamy,
and i wouldn’t
want to
spoil me
especially
the royal we

ζ
ζ

~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by gdj, courtesy pixabay.com
#ifwewereme #emoulet

 

the wind was once my friend

the wind was once
my friend one time,
a long long time ago
it brought its friend euphoria

whenever things were slow
we’d play outside
i’d seek, they’d hide

we’d fly my kite

and then at night

i’d leave the window open
they’d both whirl in

and give a spin
and share a world unspoken
but now i’ve grown

no time to play
excuse me for the platitude
i find important papers blown
the wind has got an attitude
while i am out auditioning

it makes my hair a mess

and it loves to tease and bother me
when i have on a dress

~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1977 & 2016, kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by snapwiresnaps, courtesy unsplash.com
Daily prompt – wind

spring cleaning

the
wind

cools
calms
cleans
clears
thoughts
for
future
use

~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2002 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by benny jackson, courtesy unsplash.com
Daily prompt – wind

someone’s got a pin

i wish there was

a remote for existence

so people could pause for a bit

or maybe rewind,
like an auto-remind… … …
a pretty cool thought, i’ll admit
../.

or stop for a while

and turn back on later

wouldn’t that be a smile,

could you dream something greater?
../.

but life is unstoppable

triumphs and troubles

we may have our dreams

but too often it seems
we take 1 on the chin

from some guy with a pin

who sets about popping our bubbles
../.

and besides now it’s clear

that my clever idear

has a giant impossible hole in it

cuz if i should hit pause

while i played santa claus

who could i trust with controllin’ it?
../.

so forget what i said

i was in the wrong head

the concept was really implausible

because now i can see

that if i should pause me

i’d never be un-santa-clausable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by marrie, courtesy pixabay.com
this verse wasn’t here before the Daily prompt – unstoppable

the proverbial balls

he was unstoppable

now he has stopped
the proverbial balls

he was juggling
dropped

exhaustion
dissolved

his joie de vivre

all he wants to do
is leave

he needs a break
he needs a rest

someone somewhere said it best*
so we’re loading the luggage

in the back of the van

and driving as far
and as fast as
we can

…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by forrest cavale, courtesy pixabay.com
this verse wasn’t here before the Daily prompt – unstoppable

*What is without periods of rest will not endure.
– Ovid
*How do geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we humans know when it is time to move on? As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within if only we would listen to it, that tells us certainly when to go forth into the unknown. – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

*If you are brave enough to say goodbye life will reward you with a new hello.
– Paulo Coelho

 

the bull was in the china shop

osiris and isis
were facing down a crisis
the bull was in the china shop
causing fragile art to drop
’til arthur turned the table
now neither one is able
to face too much at all
but the wall
rearranging furniture
has rescued him
and rescued her
from sudden death, ironically
it used to be their specialty

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture from commons.wikimedia.org, courtesy bing.com\images
this verse wasn’t here before the Daily prompt – crisis
but now it’s telling me it wants to join the party at the Daily prompt – fragile

the memory is going

words that tumbled fruitfully

that capped a thought conclusively

and were all his exclusively

are hiding out elusively

no longer overflowing
““
when he was young

these same words clung

to the top of his brain
to the tip of his tongue

now there’s no way of knowing

if they’re in there at all

stuck in back by the wall

underneath the mothballs

he tells us what he can recall

but the memory is going

““
what’s left for us is to celebrate

not to agitate or to aggravate

to assist him and appreciate

to listen and commiserate
and not to mourn his slowing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by skitterphoto, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – elusive
if you like this one, you might like some of these

it came here seeking sanctuary

“`

behold, my friends, the weed,
it satisfies its needs.
persistence is its own reward:
the more you pull,
the more its spores
get spread to every crack.
the more you spray
it finds new ways
to keep on coming back.
the slightest bit of dirt will do,
it needs no sunshine, rain or food
it feeds on the disdain from you.

uninvited to my yard,
it came here seeking sanctuary.
it saw i was a novice guard

and moved in the whole familary,
and now that i’m an avant gardener
it wants to be my silent partner.
what evil genius is a weed:
it has a will,
it will succeed.

“`

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by distelpics, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – sanctuary
if you like this one, you might like some of these

minutes away from battery park

tick tock
tech removed the clock
but time marches stalwartly
forwardly.
there’s no time like the present…
now that idea is pleasant,
cuz presently I’m bored to tears.
this meeting has been going on for years
and it only just got started.
sitting with carol
in the back,
in the dark,
minutes away from battery park,
seconds away from fresh air & sun,
are we having fun?
no, not now, not none.

~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2015 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by altour, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – clock
if you liked this one you might also like one of these

i’ll dip my toes

this weather must be punishment

for all the days i’ve wasted, spent

inside when it was breezy,

overworking for a living, look,

i see Your point,
i should have took it easy.

i get it now Sir, i’ll enjoy,

i’ll head outside with my tolstoy

i’ll smell a rose,
i’ll dip my toes

and take some outdoor classes

the second that this killer heatwave passes

><

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by a-r-e-s , courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – punishment
if you liked this one you might like this one too

so the mighty hunter waits

fire fills his eyes
as they grow to twice their size
and lo, the mighty hunter hides
and determines
and decides
which approach would be the best
to remove this foreign pest
to protect his family
and to keep his backyard free
from bums or strays or other kinds
of predators with different minds

so the mighty hunter waits
figures out, anticipates
a fight that may
end up in death—
he straightens up
he draws a breath,
then moves forward
slowly, steady
very sure, very ready
with stealth and splendor
towards the beast
who hasn’t seen him
in the least
and the hunter calls out loud
very strong, very proud
asks that the intruder leave…
…intruder looks up, so naive,
utters the most simple “mew”
as if to tell him “i love you”
the hunter backs up quite ashamed
because a kitten has him tamed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1975 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by estockiausdel, courtesy pixabay.com

Daily Prompt – slowly

if you liked this one you might like one of these

buzz buzz

oh to be

a carefree bee

if carefree bees exist

enwrapped in fuzz

buzz buzz

buzz buzz

no time to reminisce

to be a bee

or not to be

would never be
a thought

because a bee

would be busy

just being what
bees ought

to live with
no regrets would be

an easy thing
for any bee

especially a young bee

although this bee

may be dizzy

i mean this bee
that stung me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by skeeze, courtesy pixabay.com

Daily Prompt – carefree

if you liked this one you might like one of these

the word is unpredictable, part 2

the word is unpredictable, part 1

there is no word today!
the girl is going mad!

bring the word page back oh please

or things may turn out bad

the day will take a downhill slope

she’ll have no will

she’ll have no hope
she’ll have no reason to survive

the word was keeping her alive
it was her air
it was her food
it helped with her
creative mood

oh wait, what’s this

i have a verse to post

it doesn’t need a word prompt

it needs polishing at most

and a picture as its consort

it needs a title too

and so until they fix the page

this little verse will do.
phew!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by chezbeate, courtesy pixabay.com

Daily Prompt – none!

Daily Prompt – they fixed it!

remcy moved to minnesota

remcy’s gone
and i didn’t get my hug
and i’m worried when
he gets there
they’ll think he’s
some young thug

and they’ll never get to
know him
cuz to know him is
to love him
now he’s gone
everyday
everybody’s
thinking of him

he’s a skater
not a hater
please don’t hurt him
he’s unique
you won’t know him
’til you meet him,
if you meet him,
let him speak
he has depth
shake his hand
he’s an interesting man.

please protect him
for the rest of us
he is one
of the best of us.
and we’ll want him back
unharmed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by remcy himself
this verse was written before minnesota happened
but after everything else
Daily prompt – depth

 

do not feed the animals

in my yard
opossums feast
on anything
that pleases them
blooming bulbs
abandoned toys
most anything
appeases them
so if you venture
out one night
bring a sandwich
and a light
the light will keep them
back a bit
they have a little
fear of it
and while you’re watching
what they do

the sandwich is for you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by irisflower, courtesy pixabay.com
this verse wasn’t here before the Daily prompt – feast
but it was hungry for the Daily prompt – sandwich
if you liked it you might like some of these

motherly advice on mixed marriages

i have no appetite, she said

so what’s with all the food

.
i thought you might be tempted

it might get you in the mood

.
but no she said this is a feast

you haven’t heard me in the least

i have no urge to eat

.
you misinterpret

my design
or fail to see
this plan of mine

i will do the eating

if that don’t turn you on

then you can give my

tush a beating
.

you’re sick she said

sick in the head

.
but you’re sick too
he answered
.
that’s what you’ll get
if you should let

your epicure
marry your dancer

.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by cocoparisienne, courtesy pixabay.com
this verse wasn’t here before the Daily prompt – feast
if you liked this one you might like more love&food&nonsense

i was hired to care

the frail man was declining fast,
i was hired to care
and try to find out if he had
some family somewhere.
he didn’t speak in english;
whatever i would ask,
he’d answer in some foreign tongue,
intensify my task.
“ne signifie rien”, he’d say,
the few times he would speak to me
or “δε σημαίνει τίποτα”
which only sounded greek to me.

I asked about relations
who might come in for a visit
while searching for some photographs
whose subjects might elicit
some response that i could use
to find his long-lost kin.
the frail man only watched me
with a small off-putting grin.
there had been speculation
of a sister in Nevada
“das bedeutet nichts”
he’d say, and “no significa nada”

the old man passed away today
can’t figure why i’m crying.
i’ve been at this far too long,
seen so many dying.
i’d just got back from starbucks
where I got us both a venti,
I asked again if he had friends
“non significa niente”.
i thought i was immune to death,
experience was numbing,
but when he died, with his last breath
he whispered “this means nothing”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by life-of-pix , courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – frail
this verse exists thanks to the lingual assistance
of the woo, jill and
lucarna (who also moved this verse to the top of my to-do-list;
see his amazing Spanish translation of this verse)
if you liked this you might like more wordplay
or more reality

now that wooper drives

now that wooper drives
it’s nice to be a passenger
take a break like greyhound said
and leave the driving to her
breathe in the air,
take in the views,
appreciate what we’re passing,
read the funny road signs,
see other people laughing
ooooh at pretty houses,
fancy pools and patios,
make faces at the kids in cars
so they know we’re simpatico

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by caleb whiting , courtesy unsplash.com
this verse is here thanks to the Daily prompt – drive,
and also thanks to another lovely day with the wooper at the wheel

the word is unpredictable

i never know

from day to day

what word
will prompt
a girl to say

a new thing

in a newer way

but i enjoy
the challenge

it may seem odd

to some of you

but some of you

may feel it too:

it helps maintain
my balance

well actually
and all along
we’ve known
the word
i doubt we’re wrong
the feeling’s inexplicable
one can’t be sure
but one could guess
if one were under
some duress
the word is
unpredictable

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture from commons.wikimedia.org, courtesy bing.com/images
this verse is here thanks to the Daily prompt – unpredictable

time to find a new abode

unpredictable

inhabitable

time to find a new abode

one that doesn’t

fall to pieces

and can pass

the building code
one weekend
the plumbing goes
the next week comes
the walls get mold
when we fix those
the lights go out
the floorboards snap
and seedlings sprout
talk about predicaments
this place, in spades, has got ’em
with trees up on the rooftop
and the rooftop on the bottom

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by tlemens, courtesy pixabay.com
this verse owes its very being to the Daily prompt – unpredictable

his tension rose in spirals

he dreamed he
had a nightmare,

woke up when it was done

to find that he

was still asleep,

the nightmare just begun.
…

this went on
and off all night,
awake, asleep, in cycles.
afraid he’d not
get through alright,
his tension rose in spirals
…

he tossed and turned,
displaced his wife,
the comforters and pillows
cuz something whispered
in his sleep

that they were armadillos.
…at sunrise, somehow
he’d survived,
while grinding coffee beans,
a simple plan
came to this man,
no more nighttime caffeine

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by lisa murray, courtesy bing.com/images
created for that crazy Daily prompt – nightmare

at least we can say that we did

once upon a once
we thought we knew
— we didn’t
we learned as we grew
but we still didn’t
know what we needed to
need what we wanted
we lived what our limited
sights could see
we couldn’t have known
what we didn’t know
now we’re in it
now we see
mama wasn’t making things up
foolish we
it hurts, it scares, it looms, nightmares
i guess we were doing
the best thing for the time
we were just living, no technical crime
we were just laughing & playing & working
& learning & meeting & dancing & sporting & jesting
we were just kids
now that we’re not
at least we can say that we did
that’s the royal we,
trying to age gracefully

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2014 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by jan erik waider, courtesy unsplash.com
Daily prompt – nightmare
Daily prompt – learning

a st0rm 0f w0rds

when i write
a storm of words

amasses in my head

it’s hard to filter through them

it’s hard to find the thread

they bounce about like heavy hail
they soak like drenching rain

and passers by may wonder why

i haven’t got a brain

i do, oh,
i do though

its just behind
these clouds
and i can’t focus
ooh, pretty crocus…
did i say that out loud?

i laser in on weathering
and weather strips for later

i guess things would be worse
if i lived nearer the equator

(more storms i mean and
hurricanes and who knows
what else then)
i’m putting on my slicker
and i’m going in again
all i need is one full verse
that satisfies the urge

i’m nearly there i’m losing hair

i’m almost on the verge
that’s when i hear
a horrid howl
the wind takes 0ut

a fav0rite v0wel

and in my fright and
dark 0f night

i stub my little t0e

but i can’t say an0ther thing

that has the letter “0 “

0h wait, 0h h0, I’ll use zer0
zer0, zer0, y0u’re my her0
but really, st0rm,
have y0u n0 c0nscience?
i c0uld have made it
with less c0ns0nants

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
created for the Daily prompt – storm
picture of a storm of birds (because one can’t catch a storm
   of words) by Alessandro Pellacini Benassi, courtesy unsplash.com

the journey in to work each day

the journey in to work each day

was fraught with angst and peril

you see so many nasty folks

you wish their dads were sterile

I’m leaning on a cane lately
and walking with a brace
3 separate strangers
knocked me down
the “rats” in that “rat” race

as i toppled one just laughed

one cursed at me one growled
that commute was killing me

so I threw in the towel

!!!!!!!

now it’s the express bus to the City

it’s a different view from here

even the bus stop is pretty

it’s fun to watch
those down below

who cannot see me as I go
but i see them through
blackened glass
and sometimes snicker
as we pass
some angry driver
with excess pain
as we zip by in
the express lane

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
pictures by b_me, courtesy pixabay.com

and by mister farmer, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – journey

lily’s lawn wedding

the guests arrived

at half-past five
and we were half-past ready
we hadn’t laid the linens out
and no one could find teddy
the tents were half-mast standing up
and half-fast falling down
and something spilled
and left it’s mark
on lily’s wedding gown
so how to keep them entertained
and where was the food and what if it rained
amy sang a little tune and andy did a dance
that wasn’t bad, surprisingly,
considering the circumstance
then momma served her famous punch
–we hoped that all the guests had lunch–
and they drank up and in a flash

the wedding was a smash

…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by unsplash, courtesy unsplash.com
created for the Daily prompt – guest

asleep in the cellar

i brought something
home today
well, it followed me most of the way
but it’s so small
and underfed
and it can sleep with me in bed
it won’t bother
her too much
it doesn’t talk, i think it’s dutch
momma hasn’t
seen it yet
i mean to show her but i forget
i’m really truly
going to tell her
that we have a guest asleep in the cellar.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 1978 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by kerttu, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – guest

when it came to hanging hour

she told him she’d
stop by at 3

she needed him

for hanging
at 2:00 his knees
were banging

at 2:15 his palms
were wet

at half-past he was
bathed in sweat

when she got back
she gave a call

and found him
curled up in a ball

when it came
to hanging hour

in his cowardice
he cowered
i guess he didn’t
understand

the kind of hanging
she had planned

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by Dmitry Arslanov,  courtesy unsplash.com
created for the Daily prompt – cowardice

howard the coward

this morning little howard is
exhibiting his cowardice

he’s skitterish

and squeamish
he’s turning kinda greenish
but mostly streaked with yellow
he’s a frightened little fellow
i have to laugh at what has caused
this little guy to soil his paws
he isn’t going mad, oh no,

he’s just seen his shadow grow

he’s no puppy,
he’s a chicken

…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by Elena Donà, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – cowardice

when a simple thank you isn’t enough

jay said no, mitch said no, but Sethie drove me home
neil complained, and that explains why i wrote Seth a poem:

i live out in oshkosh, Seth lives in tibet.
between the two, i’d say that oshkosh
is the harder place to get
but every night when time got on
& the rest of the people in the cast were gone,
Sethie stayed til i was through –
which was a sweet thing for him to do

over the deserts and plains we’d ride,
over the roads to the other side,
on highways, freeways, turnpikes & fields,
stopping at stop signs, yielding at yields,
racing with jaguars and racing with time,
flirting with danger and flirting with crime,
playing with fire and playing with death…
…thank God we made it, and thank God for Seth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 1977 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by engvall, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – desert
if you liked this one you might like one of these

how real is your love

how real is your love

she asked

would you walk across a desert

with the hot sun beating down
would you take up economics
would you dress up like a clown
if all or any of this
meant we
could be
a team
together?

how real is your love
he replied
would you not ask silly questions
with my cool heart turning mean
would you take up cleaning & cooking
would you dress up like a queen
if all and I mean all of this
meant we
could be
a team
forever?

no she said
i will not  be your slave
no he said
i will not be your knave
so they broke up
amicably

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by hans, courtesy pixabay.com
created just for the Daily prompt – desert
if you liked this one you might like one of these

we posters post for posterity

we posters are a unique crew
wide and varied are our views
respectful, mostly, to each other
you’re my new sisters and brothers

we post for
the challenge

the challenges too
it’s pretty exciting
to get
to know you
sharing our goals
our art
and opinions
baring our souls
and our writing
ambitions
we’re a whole
world united
in our right to
excitement

engagement,
involvement
just venting, just words

we need likes, we need comments,
we have that in common,
and we need to be read or

 we need to be heard
and, at least it’s true for me,
we posters post for posterity
a desire to have our names live on
after our fortunes are gone

wee posters are some other guys
too small to see with the naked eye
they post from tiny laptops
to an alter-internet
but for now that’s all i’ll say..
…that’s another post for another day…
so today that’s all you’ll get.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by lucigood, courtesy pixabay.com
Discover Weekly Challenge– For Posterity

 

he built his house with no windows

a neighbor of mine for the last 15 years
was a mystery to us all
he was friendly enough
his appearance was rough
and ruddy in old overalls

he built his house with no windows
at least there were none we could see
it was good for our minds
to imagine what kinds
of reasons for that there could be

i liked to envision a glass wall
that ran from the roof to the ground

that covered the back
where he’d sit, sip and snack

and revel in privacy’s sounds

my son imagined he kidnapped

a whole bunch of kids he kept hidden

and for years he would keep

to our side of the street

’til a neighbor assured us he didn’t

my daughter imagined a built-in pool
that the man would just swim in all day
no other rooms, ‘cuz the house, she presumed

was just used as his own get-away

he died in his house
with no windows

perhaps an
aversion to glass
the only way
anyone noticed
was the smell
when a neighbor
walked past
the police said it
might have been
heatstroke
or it might
have been cardiac
but they kindly shared
what they learned in there
there were also no windows in back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by geralt, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – glass

advice for the first-time home buyer

people who live in grass houses

shouldn’t build a fireplace

unless they know what they’re doing

but anyway, in any case,

…

people who live in castles-in-air

shouldn’t expect company

unless their guests are like-minded

or tend to think similarly

…

people who live in open houses

shouldn’t live by themselves

people who live in glass houses
shouldn’t drill holes to hang shelves

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by republica, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – glass
if you liked this one you might also like one of these

Will Work for Work

a challenge
a project
a goal to get to the finish line
something of interest
to sink my false teeth in
to captivate or entertain
or at least occupy my time
anything beats
nothing to do
i’d rather write a riddle
learn to play the fiddle
put pancakes on the griddle
than make my two thumbs twiddle
doing nothing
of consequence
nothing
but consciousness
insolence beats somnolence
can confidence beat
incontinence?
this is what i ask myself
when i don’t have a task
just keyboard &
virtual paper
and time
oh time
too much
to kill
to get
to time
to go
back home
to sleep
to rise
to come
back in
to
morra
such
sorra
oh
so
sad
but
give me something to do
just anything
something to hold onto
just anything
you’ll see me be
a crazed determined driven focused fanatic faction
for action,
so passionate, obsessed, i’ll say it,
possessed,
so downright intent it’ll scare ya
go on, give it to me
i dare ya

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2013 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by banksadam, courtesy unsplash.com
Daily prompt – false
Daily prompt – obsessed
if you liked this one you might also like one of these

the I of the storm

it’s a strange mix
in low tide
of thoughts swimming
alone inside
this darkness
in my mind
is not kind
gray clouds
building mass
blocking windows
holding class
teaching the rest
of the guys
in there
that life
is not fair
hey hey
I don’t concur
life is fine
don’t follow her
she’s on a path
to self-destruct
she’ll get you all hit
by a truck
no luck is had
but luck is made
you have to get past
2nd grade
you have to know the abc’s
before you can start
schooling me
i’ll give you a riddle
don’t be upset:
what is the middle
of the biggest storm yet?
the I of the storm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2015 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by radek grzybowski, courtesy unsplash.com
Daily prompt – darkness

darkness at the hands of the blue

we’ve been around

this block before

we shouldn’t be surprised

but still somehow it shocks us

when another black man dies

at the hands of the blue

”””

if there was no video

then nobody
would ever know
so keep on taking pictures,
keep your cameras rolling
it makes me worry
how many more
that no one’s
heard from any more
these days we’ve got to
do our own patrolling

”””

and everybody knows
they’ll walk
that’s how it always goes
they’ll walk
and live happily ever after
far away from the lives they’ve shattered
lives that don’t matter
to the hands of the blue

”””

this shit will never stop

if they never give a cop a penalty

courtesy, respect,

that’s what they’ll never get from me
until they give it
and until they do their time…

murder is a crime, if you’re civilian,
but boy put on the blue and you can kill some too
and hide that part of you that is reptilian

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by bykst, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – darkness

having nothing to do with pink

pink is ugly
if you don’t wear it right
i haven’t slept for days & days
i only sleep at night
kids are really stubborn
when they put up a fight
but mosquitoes tend to come around
if you don’t turn out the light.

no, i don’t like bugs much
i doubt i ever did
so if you have a box of bugs,
please keep on the lid.

i am not illiterate
though i can’t read or write
it’s not the darkness scaring me
it’s just that there’s no light
i wouldn’t send a dog out
on such a gruesome night
but spiders are quite dangerous,
at least the ones who bite.

you know i really hate bugs,
i doubt i’ll ever stop,
so if you have a jar of bugs
please keep on the top.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 1973 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by imageparty, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – darkness

rebel tendencies

tell him it’s forbidden
and he’ll be the first in line
the fruits of youth, the naked truth,
the planet, all entwined

he rises to a challenge
if it’s anything prohibited
he likes to rattle cages
and he loves the illegitimate

taboo is too enticing
to a guy with
rebel tendencies
but as for
poor attendance he’s
a star not set to fade
ever since he entered
second grade

nobody can lead him
so anywhere you need him
barricade his path and tell him no
build a wall
with barbs and all
and then you’ll see how far that bird can go

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by 1websurfer, courtesy pixabay.com
created because of the Daily prompt – forbidden
but it fancies itself more of a daily prompt – youth – kind of guy

go ask your mama

passing the construction site
the cat calls flow like water
does it never dawn on them
this girl is someone’s daughter?

hey chickie chickie

kaleck kaleck kaleck

tell us what you’re looking for
give us some respect

cool and poised

she tells those boys:

hey onomatopoeia

i don’t want a playa

i don’t want some racist thug
i want a guy with layers
who shares the load
and shares the wealth
and thinks of more than

just himself
no guy who all it is is sex

does that exist?
go tell my ex

no hate-monger, no drug drama
what do i want?
go ask your mama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by icanhascheezburger.com, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – layers

autonomous automatons forbidden

the robot cried mechanically
i’ve never had autonomy
there’s always someone pushing me/
my buttons

…

what i wouldn’t give to have
a say in how i live
and buttered mashed
along the side of some nice mutton

…

sometimes i’d like to cut a rug
or fly a kite or eat a bug
but when i feel the urge
i keep it hidden…
autonomous automatons forbidden

…

even down at comic con
those guys that put the costumes on
can’t give a ‘droid a break
we’ve got feelings too, for heaven’s sake

…

i’ve put in a request to get
more options in my options set
i also ordered boxers
with some alligators on them

…

if i find i’m denied
then, children, get inside

i’ma hafta go
all terminator on them

…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by brent worden deviantart.com, courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – autonomy

and it cries to be part of the Daily prompt – forbidden
for more on our adventurous robot friend, here’s the sequel

i wouldn’t advertise it

if i had
an island
somewhere in
the sea
i wouldn’t
advertise it
or name it
after me
i wouldn’t
build an
airport
i wouldn’t
invite guests
it would be
the place
i’d go
to rest

i wouldn’t
want to
live there

new york
is always home
i’d just drop in for visits

when i need to be alone
it wouldn’t be connected
by wi-fi to the net
a swing would be
the only thing i’d get

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
coincidentally perfect photo by Georg Nietsch, courtesy unsplash.com
this post was created out of a persistent need
to answer the Daily prompt – island with something new

 

buses with celebrity

charles nelson reilly
rode my bus today
what project is he working on
that brings him out this way?
the bus was no. 103,
it has its route on hylan,
but what was cn reilly
doing out on staten island?
maybe it was just a whim
or someone else
who looks like him.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 1975 kStan(ly) Lanning
photo courtesy commons.wikimedia.org
Daily prompt – island

keep my fire company

candle,
burning
just like me,
keep my fire
company,
calm my nerves,
relieve my fears,
warm my hurt,
dry my tears,
and when
your calm
is mine
to keep,
ease me,
softly,
into sleep

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1974 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by ParagKini, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – burn

no party girl no more

i used to
go out more
dance ’til dawn
as a metaphor
burn it out
from both ends
party hard
with tight ends
now i am
beached
i’ve gone
aground
there’s just
too much
of me
to go
around

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2014 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture from commons.wikimedia.org, courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – burn

he mumbled as he ran

please sir please your

pleasure is on view

please put it away

we’ll have no pervs today

that’s all she had to say
to get him moving

of course it helped that she

released a horde of bees

and then a can of mace

was sprayed into his face

and then a pile of stones

he ran as they were thrown
his elbows and his legs hit,

but being mostly blinded

he had some trouble finding

the exit

he mumbled as he ran

can’t guess how this began

all i did was smile
i may have had my hand up

and then i guess i laughed

but that’s part of the craft

of the stand-up
they’re such deceitful folks

they weaken you with jokes
they mess with your resistance

from here on out now we

will get our comedy

from a distance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy bing.com/images
this verse did not exist before the Daily prompt – pleasure
it also feels it should be part of the  Daily prompt – joke

but wait, who’s this?

it is a treat, indeed it is a pleasure
to see you all, you may recall
we buried us some treasure
you’d best not though
cuz you don’t know
i’ve wiped your memories
and that would leave the treasure all for me

but wait, who’s this?

i hear a prolonged hiss
a serpent’s slither…

who’s coming hither?
so big he makes the whole earth shake…

what good is treasure to a snake?

an apple wasn’t good enough for you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by ChristyMiller, courtesy pixabay.com
this verse did not exist before the Daily prompt – pleasure

if the wind comes

the tree
in the field

found a buddy

a pal in the form of a cloud

secrets were shared

souls were bared
games were enjoyed
tricks were employed
a day in the life
of two once-lonely boys
who somehow had found each other

as night creeps in
the tree
whispers almost inaudibly
will you be here tomorrow
the cloud says oh yes
and we’ll make up more games
but if the wind comes
i may not look the same
you’ll know it’s me when you

say my name

my name is best friends forever

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
this story was brought about by
the Daily prompt – clouds,
and this amazing picture by Bessi, courtesy bing.com/images
and now it’s telling me it would be crazy to leave it out of the Daily Prompt – wind

one of the few

sunlight dancing on the water
a breeze in the trees as we wafted by
sergeant birds, all black till they flew
then yellow/orange breasts showing
and the sky – – oh the sky
angel clouds,  whale and rabbit,
or foot, or dead fish
depending on your angle
willows already weeping
egrets perched like vultures
fountains in the middle

once by magical, twice by musical,
third time, soaking wet
but yet – an adventure
bird’s eye view of the waterfall,
turtle on a log,
AK says it’s a trick
so people will go over
find out it’s fake
have to pay for the extra hour,
turtle jumps in the water
as we get closer
so many people in the park today
so many different kinds,
different things doing
but all the same
enjoying this incredible
long-awaited spring day
basking in sun rays
breathing in fresh scents
simple pleasures can still conquer all
i hope you’ll both remember this,
a good day with your father

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1999 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – clouds

not your average guy

the tourist

was no purist

ate the orchids

ate the florist

ate the roses & the posies

ate the ferns

but left the stems

took a while for me to realize

this was not your average guy

i got outta there real quick

left him with his selfie stick

glad he didn’t bring his friends

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c) 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by ChadoNihi, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – tourist

the tigress and Euphrates

Daddy took us to the beach
the memories so vivid,
on Saturdays and sunny days,
at every chance he did it,
a great big man all blonde and tan
and 4 young giggling daughters
those were days when New York had
much less polluted waters.
we’d play for hours, good humor breaks,
and watch him watch the ladies
but steer him clear of those two there,
the tigress and Euphrates.

we’d sandcastle & seahorse ride
he never seemed to weary
and I remember stories told
of diving in Lake Erie
a full day done and like the sun
we’d pack up our possessions
and head back home
where mom would groan
her own trademark expressions
like be a brick and tell me
did he flirt with all the ladies
and we’d deny he had an eye
on the tigress or Euphrates

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by Hans, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – water
if you liked this verse, you’ll prob’ly like this one t0o

the sound of sunrise

 

when the time
for sunrise nears
marianna never hears
the morning sounds
that can be heard
– the rushing wind,
the singing bird,
the water tapping
against the shore
the squirrel’s rustle,
the airplane’s roar
marianna listens long
for a quiet, happy song,
the sound that sun
& water make
as rays of sunshine
kiss the lake

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1978 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by Archbob, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – water

how to go all night

1 way
2 go
3 times faster
4 all your friends & enemies
5 times longer than
6 duracell batteries and
7 times stronger than
8 fat apes try
9
10-oz water bottles
11 to
12 times a day
oh yeah,
you’ll go faster alright
you’ll also go
all night

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2002 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy tookapic, courtesy pixabay.com
Daily prompt – water

walk it off

i’ve given up on doctors
whatever happens next
i’m gonna have to roll with it
i’ll have to walk it off
even if that’s tricky with a cough

the way they disregard you
the way they make you wait
the way they don’t know anything
not until too late
deprive us of our dignity
disregard our truths
we’re crippled with bureaucracy
they’ve robbed us of our youth

we should not be paying
for what we aren’t getting
and we’re not getting anything
from medicine these days
it’s $twenty here and $forty there
they’re yanking on our chains
we’re paying for their schooling
and we’re paying with our pain.

i’ve given up on saving
now that i know they get it
when you get sick
and go down quick
and that’s where we’re all headed
i’m gonna have to live it up
I’m gonna have to spend
either way
i’m busted in the end

the more you have
the more they take
the more you’re sick
the more they make
and that’s messed up
and fucked up, both,
what happened to
the hippocratic oath?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2016 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy latinitasubique.wikispaces.com, courtesy bing.com/images
Daily prompt – deprive