on the eve of Autumn

Photo by Plato Terentev

Courtesy of Pexels.com

today I looked out the window

and saw the gray clouds that

announce autumn’s arrival

and I cannot stop my heart 

from grieving the loss of 

flowers and hummingbirds

dancing through gardens, 

the long hours of daylight 

and the warm sun on my skin

- Written for dVerse Quadille #256

xenolith

we sometimes smile 

to hide the pain

we bury our secrets 

deep into mountains

to never see the light

these feelings form 

a xenolith that one carries 

until the weight becomes 

too great as one slowly sinks 

into the deep trenches of the sea

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #255: X marks the spot

sevenling: love crime

for his love she was willing

to give up her family, her

dreams and her sanity

when his love broke her, 

she grabbed her gun, 

a shovel and her car keys

sometimes love is deadly

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #797

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. 

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

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!

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

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