angel of the night

she makes her rounds

to the sounds

of many murmurations

people pained in misery
the beeping nurse’s station
she checks my vitals graciously
always with a smile
a pleasant chat
and loving pat
that helps me through my trial
i don’t know how she does it
how she maintains her cheer
i don’t know where
she gets her strength
but i thank God she’s here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy picgifs.com
created for the Daily prompt – murmuration
as a special thank you to emily, jillian, alex, shareek and all the other nurse angels who helped me through the nights

missing pieces

these days
i’m a
picasso

an abstract
pulled apart

i’d rather be
a hopper or
some solid
form of art

these days i’m
missing pieces

a hip a job a lung

to look at me
klandinsky, klee

might pass
across
your tongue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
Daily prompt – abstract

sometimes we can

he used to be a hero
the atlas of his crew
when everybody moved away
the burden of it grew
life got overwhelming

he climbed inside his shell

to passing by observers he

pretended all was well

but nothing got accomplished

nothing was resolved

and in this way
his problems all devolved

his house fell down around him

plank by weary plank

he lost his job and lost his car

he stared at nothing, blank

a new girl bought
the house next door

she came to bring him pie

and seeing him in need of aid

she helped him simplify

between the two a friendship grew

that lasted to the end

sometimes we can, alone we can

sometimes we need a friend

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©  2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by antranias, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – overwhelming

lonesome languor

the word today
is simple
and yet
it makes
me queasy
i’ve handled many
harder words
i thought
this would
be easy
i wish i had more time
to make a silly rhyme
to put a happy
thought to page
to be a wistful sage
like back when things were rosy
like back when life was cozy
yesterday
now all
my thoughts
are deep
cerulean
a simple
rhyme
would be
herculean
it’s hard to
even care
today
and what else
could i share
today
but wizened disrepair
today
nothing is grabbing me
shaking me out
of my insular
lonesome
languor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2015 & 2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by the spectacular and zany siddie bowtie
created for the Daily prompt – simple

some of us are chickens

i’m not gonna
think  about

impending devastation

the way the
planet’s headed
only leads

to aggravation

i’m not gonna
focus on

eventual demise

when i think about
these things

i’m paralyzed

not everyone’s
a fighter

not every soul
is spunky

some of us
are chickens

some of us
are monkeys

some of us
are younger

some have served
our terms

someone’s got to
check in on the worms

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture courtesy bing.com/images
created for the Daily prompt – devastation

opposing views

letticia had an illness

she wanted it to end

she didn’t know its nature

she confided in a friend

the friend said see your doctor
her doc said urgi-care

and urgi-care said e.r. , girl,

go take yourself right there

parades of doctors saw her
ordered up some tests

decided that admitting her

would probably be best
they put her in a corner room
with south and east exposure
they put her in a dressing gown
with missing back enclosures

the thing kept falling off of her

the room did not have blinds
and those of you who know me now
know how this tale unwinds

for though she waited patiently

for what might be bad news

she wished she had more privacy

from those opposing views

…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by unsplash, courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – privacy – and yesterday’s Daily prompt – exposure, while i live this true tale out

ballad of a body in decline

once when i was capable
i could walk all day
start out at the ferry
and gladly make my way
home to 84th street
and then play double dutch
once i was unbreakable
once when i was capable
now it hurts
too

much

pain pain go away

i’d rather have it rain today

i’d rather have a baby

elephant or maybe

octopus or porcupine

rather than this pain of mine

that can’t be found

on radar screens

or noisy MRI machines

oh
oh
oh

replace my

endo outdoor-skeleton
or please release me

let me go

…

~~~~~
© 2015 & 2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by the amazing, inimitable,  siddiebowtie – seriously, check out her site!
created for the Daily prompt – capable

not who i am

lately noticing
how things change
how we change
but think we are the same
how we say
that’s not who i am
when now it is

now we are
not who we were
with every passing moment
we are new and different
not always better
not inescapably worse

our who we are
is a present tense
forward from
who we were
precedent to
who we will be
but we cling to the origin
not willing to begin again
with who we have become

_______________
© 2015 kStan(ly) Lanning
sticking to the Daily prompt – cling

just beyond my view

i’ve never witnessed
infinite

i fidgeted

got bored

i followed other interests
the idea was ignored

i may have inadvertently

stumbled toward it

as a youth

but found it inaccessible

and just beyond my view

increasingly

though lately
i’m involved
in introspection
my thoughts have headed

back in that direction

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

© 2017 kStan(ly) Lanning
picture by pcdazero courtesy pixabay.com
created for the Daily prompt – infinite

new year’s resolution

a conundrum of sorts has arisen

a question of whether or no
a quandary that’s taunting me
to go or not to go
in here it’s warm and cozy
out there it’s cold and severe
in here it’s calm but lonely
out there, free bubbles and beer

and people i might like may be there
and some that i’m sure that i won’t
and poor transportation
so lots of frustration
so most of me’s telling me don’t
though it’s nice to be asked
to spend time with the cast

out there it is cold

did i tell you i’m old,

at least older than
when this was thrilling?

i’m weighing the pros

but there’s so few of those

so on new year’s i guess

i’ll be chilling.

 

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