deal troubleshoot brutal

Coyote Poker

The hand well-played is not always obvious
from the hand dealt.
It’s a constant troubleshoot
not a constant win.
The stakes are everything—
laid out, played out, piercing.
The deal is random
the cards are often marked
invisibly
making some hands brutal
in subtle hidden ways
even to, or especially to, those
who see and know everything.
Omniscient ones.

Reincarnate only within
the limits of face and suit.
Even then it’s luck or fate
or the turn of the trickster.

feedback, think, pumped

Critique

Words peel away the fascia of creation
like a scalpel removing flesh-eating bacteria
to get to the bone which is clean and pure–
the marrow carrying the load of intent.

Fluttering in the belly
the novice and the master,
their souls under glass pumped
and crushed by the words of others.

But sometimes it is all form and technique
the intensity of a life neglected
by the narcisism of culture
and the smithing of self.

The seeing is a mirror, a feedback loop
of percpetion–I think therefore I am.
The own knowing is what is known
and seen and said, not done.

The critic is a cat, unconcerned
with the effects of the game on the prey.
The words are believed because we cannot trust
that what we see is true, limited
as we are by our own reflections.

extract organic widowed

The bird that mocks is widowed–
some organic extract weakened her system,
or perhaps all her eggs were laid out
like a pauper counting pennies
without hope even for a side of fries,
or maybe she just couldn’t stomach
last year’s cuckolding mate courting
blindly with other’s songs.

Darwin doubted
a standard of truth
by noting the differences.
In my yard all I hear is
beautiful music.

(first draft)

Choice

The poetry request was a cinquain with the prompts risk, wiggy and round.
I used the A, B, C, C, B scheme.

Both this and the previous post will be a book for the challenge.

CHOICE

He walked along the sand
Or, rather, zigged and zagged, plunging
In his wiggy way into the waters and out
As if weighing what the risk was about
Round and back his indecision continuing.

Thanks

A thank you note was requested for writing with the prompts wave, lean and quirky.

Dear Renee-

I hope you saw me wave from the car as I rolled down the driveway into the red- maple-lit street.
The visit was stimulating and energizing as always. Being together brings out all the quirky, crazy ideas that have needed an outlet. Nothing lean or minimalist for us-full out color, texture and relief to bring things to life.
Many, many thanks for hosting the latest of our Art Fests. They seem to be getting better and better as does the food.
Looking forward to the next one out my way.

Love, Lois