In the Style of Billy Collins they Said

It's not really my thing I thought, to write poetry in some other poet's style...but Billy Collins...I love Billy Collins. This really might be fun I thought. And I even have pictures of the lake I'll be writing about. At least I think I do.
Well, even though I know I do have pictures of the lake, and recent ones at that - do you think I can lay my digits on them? Of course not...and I have much to do before I wing my way east early next week so will settle for this secretive looking cabin I snapped a shot of in the river valley here. I think it suit this poem also. At least it works for me and I guess at the core, that's really all that matters.

Nightmare

Before the moon is fully set each night at Belmont Lake
I stick silicone disks in my ears, then crawl off to bed and sleep
And, like a hibernating bear, I become deeply unconscious

My cottage country slumber is dreamless, and so deadening, I believe
Mario Puzo’s infamous horse head could be laid bloody on the pillow
Right next to me and still I would remain lost to Morpheus

I don’t know that you could make me an offer I couldn’t
Refuse, such is my love affair with somnolence while here
In this place, but I am hard-pressed to explain this odd devotion

Perhaps I come here to seek a much-needed ‘go to ground’ asylum
A sanctuary as private as any accorded the clandestine Cosa Nostra once
One so secluded that an animal might hie to it seeking restoration

Musing over my Cheerios my final morning at the lake, I wonder
If I’ve remembered to pack everything, especially those earplugs
And my DVD’s; I still think Godfather Two was the best of the bunch

S.E.Ingraham
Feb.12.2010

                     

POETRY - SOME DAYS IT'S ALL ABOUT THE POETRY

Spent today walking miles in the river valley near the old Dawson Bridge with the UU women...lovely day. Then yummy lunch at  Pagolac.

But today is the deadline for submissions for the Stroll of Poets Anthology 2010 - of which I am the Managing Editor. Naturally there are tons of last minute poems coming in, and Nic Mather of the Writer's Guild just let me know that we have over 55 entries for cover art submissions...and we thought we weren't going to get many...

Never mind all of that - today feels like a poetic day to me. A day to put up a poetic photo and a poem...

ON A DAY UNREMARKABLE

On a day unremarkable save for the
Clotted cream colour of the sky
We stand, pretending sweet serenity
And watch as your mother unveils it
Your pretty pink granite headstone
Picture you with your bottles of pills
The prescription for death you took
Every day as we stood by unaware
Not knowing the scent you gave off
Was hopelessness, we let you go...

S.E.Ingraham

More work published - yesssss!

Oh - and suddenly today has become a very good day, yes it has. I had about given up on poetsagainstwar.ca ever publishing my "Why the Colour Yellow Makes Me Cry"and was even thinking of pulling it off there and publishing it elsewhere, even re-editing it,maybe taking the last two stanzas off before sending it somewhere else as Scout on MoonTown had suggested, but when I logged on today - voila - there it was. And so now, I have the distinction of being one of the few poets that actually has two poems published there in close proximity to each other as "Dearest Dark Angel"was put up in the Fall and is also archived there. Somehow this is very validating.