summer snapshots

sizzling concrete under August sun

a group of girls jump rope 

an elderly woman sits by her window 

reminiscing about her youth

a mother pushes a stroller

while a boy zips by on a bike

on a stoop a man sits sipping a soda

- Written for Quadrille #353:Jumpstart your Poem

painted lady cafe

inside the Painted Lady Café

we sip coffee while a man nearby

devours a stack of pancakes

outside the sky is a Miami blue

on this August late morning

before we continue our journey

we leave a tip for the waitress

on the green marble table

to enjoy these last summer days

 

- Written for dVerse Poetics: But no, a butterfly

I used the butterfly names: painted lady, miami blue and green marble.

be careful

be careful what you wish for

it may not glitter like gold

take care of your heart

falling in love is beautiful

but it can also sting

say your words with care

for they can be hijacked

by others and molded 

into something else

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #252 - Quadrilling without a care

sevenling: traveling shoes

these shoes have ridden many

buses, trains and airplanes

they have touch the pavements of 

New York City, Las Vegas and Paris

these shoes have seen the world

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #791

at night

at night she walks the streets 

listening to the stars

a man nearby puffs on his pipe

a couple walks arm in arm

she can hear the footsteps

behind her in search of easy prey

the poor soul doesn’t know

this lady has bite

- Written in quadrille form for dVerse Poetics: My God, It's Full of Stars.  I also threw in yesterday's Quadrille #251 prompt using the word "puff' in a poem. 

jokes on me

every year you make the same promises

and every year I believe them

and after the dance has ended

you disappear like a phantom at dawn

every year is the same, yet I still fall

for every charming promise you make

I know how this ends yet still have hope

I guess the joke are really on me

- Written for WD Wednesday Poetry Prompt #789

in this letter

in this letter 

I wish I could

enclose my heart

but I can only 

write the words 

that simmer within

I hope they bring 

joy to your eyes 

and melt away

all your worries

and perhaps one day

we will meet again

- Written for Writer's Digest Poetic Aside #788

in summer

summer always promises

good times with her

sultry smile

and yet far too many times

I found myself lacking

those promised fireworks

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #787

the man, the myth

he had a way in charming the masses

had them eating out of the palm of his hands

with the wool pulled over their eyes

they were myth-taken by his dubious

promises he never intended to keep

now they’re lost to the fading light

- Written for dVerse Quadrille#250 - Mything Poems

in my younger days

in my younger days

I had my life all planned

it was naivety that led me 

to believe life is a straight line

but in time I learned life’s journey

is filled with u-turns and detours

the plan long ago lost into the wind

- Written for Writer's Digest Poetic Aside Wednesday Prompt #785

a perfect summer day

a perfect summer day –

relaxing under a hot 

summer sun, but there

is a breeze cooling us

sitting on a blanket

the band’s rhythms 

fill the air

I close my eyes 

my ears seek out 

the horns' melodies

chasing away worries

that drain me

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #249: Toot Toot!

let them

let them say what they want to say

let them believe their words hold power

let them build pretty boxes to sort us

let them try to rule the moon and stars

let them think they have the last laugh

let me speak the words inside my heart

let me follow the road less taken

let me break free from those pretty boxes

let me chase after the moon and stars

let me write the ending to my own story

-Written for dVerse Poetics: "Let Them" Write Poetry

as sleeping dogs lie

should we address the

pink elephant in the room

or just let sleeping dogs lie

I want to believe that 

everything will turn out fine

but my brain won’t let me

fall for lofty dreams

I watch our world fall

into chaos once more

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #248   This wasn't an easy prompt for me but I still gave it shot.  Let me kow what you think.

among roses, a sun rises

Photo by Raelle Cameron on Unsplash

among the roses

we take in the sun rising

the sky turns golden

we hold hands for the last time

as stars say goodbye

- Written for WD's Wednesday Poetry Prompt #781

in bloom

since you have been gone

the flowers don’t bloom

the same

the sun doesn’t feel as 

warm against my skin

the melodies of our songs

no longer sound soothing 

to my ears

at dusk I watch 

the evening sunset alone 

wishing you were here

- Written for dVerse Quadrille: Come Bloom With Me!

a love poem

I wanted this love 

to stay young forever

like a bud just breaking

out reaching their arms

up towards the sun

but time waits for no one

our love matures like

our eyes and minds

this love blossoms

like roses in full bloom

the journey takes us

to high and low country

we sometimes got lost

in the mundane roads

or waver when the 

storm clouds take over

yet I still cling to hope

that in our twilight

this love will stay

strong and beautiful

- Written for Writer's Digest 2026 April PAD Challenge: Day 28

no digging

their mornings are always the same

sitting in their familiar chairs

drinking coffee with the same

amount of cream and sugar

he scrolls through his phone 

as she skims through the mail

a no digging notice from the gas

company falls to the ground

- Combination of two prompts: dVerse Quadrille #246: Let's get digging and 2026 April PAD Challenge Day 20

where does love go?

where love goes

when its kiss

grows ice cold

does it sink

like ghost ships

lost at sea

or sleeps in

hearts until

it awakens

- A tricube poem written for dVerse Poetics: Where does love go? and WD's 2026 April PAD Challenge Day 14,

dreamscape

pebbles skip across

serene waters

an orange crush sky

lures me into dreams

I never want to end

but nothing ever lasts

in a blink of an eye

the sky turns slate gray

the tides now recede

revealing bones that

symbolize a past life

- This poem is a combintaion of two prompts:  dVerse Quadrille #245: Writing Down the Bones and 2026 April PAD Challenge Day 6: water poem

false spring

she fell in love with his smile

he was enamored with her eyes

they both held on to hope that

love this time will stick around

but slowly things fell apart

he stopped coming around

she fell into bitterness

their hope withering like 

a blooming rose covered in snow

perhaps they fell in love too soon

maybe they should have waited

for their connection to fully bloom

before taking the deep plunge

- Written for dVerse Poetics: False Spring

in silence

in the silence of a rising sun

I lie in my bed letting

my mind slowly wander

in the quietness of the 

morning sun  I take a breath

thankful for another day

my mind prepares for 

all that awaits me 

when I leave home

- Written for dVerse Quadrille:Shhhhhh.. Quiet, Please!

spanish madre

tall sugar canes were your first memory

home was in the valley of the mountains

eating sweet mangos under a hot sun

rivers nearby where the ladies laundered

every images imprinted as the plan

soared across the Atlantic ocean to

a new home in cold Pennsylvania

middle name and an “h” added by nuns

and English placed on your tongue

recollections of Espanol slowly fade

you have become Americanized

- Written for dVerse Meeting the Bar: Tell Me Your Name

let's forget

let’s forget

the chaos

of the world

and drift into

daydreams

instead

let’s remember

spring mornings

spent together

slowing down

the clock

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #778

spring clues

do I hear the birds

singing in the trees?

do I see flowers

rising from the dirt?

do I feel the warm

sun upon my face?

does the sun lingers

a little bit longer?

my eyes search for

clues that spring

has finally arrived

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #243: Bird is the Word

orbiting

we float around

each other and all

the unspoken words

we orbit around

this life trying

to survive it all

our blues song

linger in our hearts

minds drifting to dreams

at the end of the line

will our love endure

or simply fade to black

hunger

what is this hunger that lies within

what can I take to satisfy this desire

would food or drink fill this void or 

only mask shadows that lurk in corners

if I whisper my fears, will the emptiness 

cease, freeing me from these chains

- Written for dVerse Quadrille#242 - Hunger Makes the Best of Poetry

love eternal

things that told her he loved her –

he greets her with coffee each morning

he brings her flowers without reason

he holds her hand on the bad days

dances with her on the good days

things that told him he loved her –

she makes his favorite dessert on holidays

she watches sports she doesn’t understand

she cheers him on when he seizes the prize

lends a shoulder when he needs to cry

when the sunrise she smiles

knowing his heart will always be hers

when the sunsets he smiles

knowing she will be his rock for eternal

- Written for dVerse Poetics: The Evolution of Love

in search of spring

my heart yearns for the view

of blooming flowers

under the blue sky

my skin yearns for the touch

of a warm spring sun

instead, frozen snow greets

me at the front door

frigid air brushes against my face

a reminder, winter still lingers

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #241: Swearing by all Flowers

enchanting eyes

enchanting eyes

caught mine

they shimmered like moonlight in winter

I fell in love too quickly

hearts split

love faded

not memories

- Written for dVerse Poetics: The Smile in a Simile.  The poem is written in trinet poetry form that I'm experimenting with.  Find out more about this form here at Writer's Digest

mind trip

my mind wants to take a trip 

away from all the chaos - 

frigid winters, cutthroat politics,

the new volatility of American news

I just want my face to 

bask in the warm sunshine

let the body relax without

worrying about what comes next

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #240-: Fill, Zip, Trip

eat cake

rumor has it that Marie Antointette

told peasants to eat cake,

spurring a revolution

if someone told me to eat cake

I would happily oblige

but at my age I know such

sweet indulges would go

straight to my hips and thighs

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #770 which asks for a food poem.  This is second poetry prompt response for today. 

sevenling: snow

as a child snow meant

no school, making a snowman

and hot chocolate drinks

as an adult snow means

slow drivers, shoveling sidewalks

and interrupted schedules

but fresh snow’s beauty never fades

- Written for dVerse Poetics: New Year Snow.  First of two posts today from different prompts. 

wine and roses

there was a time

your smile would

light up my room

the beauty of your 

eyes pulled me 

into a dream

these were the days

when love seemed

so simple

but in truth,

we learned that true 

love is not always 

wine and roses

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #239: Smile

happy now?

are you really happy now

that you got everything

your heart desired

will you be content 

with life, or will you 

just find something 

else, or someone else

to complaint about

instead of enjoying

the fruits, you will 

singing the blues 

like Connie Francis 

asking who’s sorry now?

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #768