Yes of course it hurts when buds burst.
by Mona

Comment:
I tried to explain my garden to my cardiologist.
I wanted to walk him through the affinity of species
on hand-placed stones. I cried about caterpillars.
The seasons meant more to me than a mortality clock.
Entire existences pulsed out and back. I guided life,
mostly watching and weeding, occasional touches.
I wanted him to know what my heart was doing.

Conflict!
by dtremain

Comment:
A heron eats, a salmon dies, there is no conflict here.
A nation goes to war, its people puff with pride,
then try some rituals of grief, then tire of killing,
the same as the other side. No conflict, only truth,
only the violence of pianos being played, perfectly tuned.

"Funny Shop"
A Poem of Great Worth
by Lydia

Comment:
Leaves made of silver filament
glimmering down from a pewter tree,
John Lennon's eyeglasses,
purchased but never worn,
banana bicycles, painted grapes,
the Rolodex of Zsa Zsa Gabor
with names angrily scratched out,
blades of toy helicopters,
tiny gods with broken legs,
suicide notebooks, gilded ziti,
and one item so precious
you'll never find it
among the dust and noise, even though
you came in with it.

And in the Summer Haze
by vawendy

Comment:
two fishermen sail out,
decks full of hope,
empty of envy,
among a million fish
who dream of sky and trees,
lacking only the hook of it.

Ghosts Love the Smell of Lemons
by skewsme

Comment:
Nobody knows why. Is it the rind?
Do they remember the yellow?
Does the sourness purse them back
towards life?

Of course, every ghost is a story,
unique, though not told,
but all are over, and maybe crave
a palate cleanser.

The Hillbilly's Lament
by flaherma

Comment:
I love you deeper than coal, and darker.
I carve us into trees.
I ribbon around you like a mountain road.
I'm in your eyes like headlights at night.
You flash them at me,
lean into your horn,
and disappear.

Sea Fish Here (Abandoned Pier)
by Les_Feck

Comment:
Rhythm of pillars, darker the more time
spent in the water, dolphin, tuna,
and halibut wavering and seasoning,
kaleidoscope of nets, permanent hesitation
like a cough that won't come, meanwhile
no one speaking, that feeling of sinking.

Little Girl With Your Dirty Knees Scuffed.......
by njsabs

Comment:
Everything I need to know I learned from a motivational poster in a conference room.
I was being laid off at the time.
I don't remember what the accountant looked like
but I remember the expression of that little girl,
not sure if she'd done something wrong or vice versa,
and I remember her little black cowboy boots.

Little girl with your dirty knees scuffed,
smiling when life gets tough.
When I feel like I can't get a pass
I know you'll be here to kick me in the...

Sand Prints
by illini75

Comment:
On the boardwalk she can see the fates
of a million grains of sand.
Further on, the ocean waits
for the rest to make their plans.

5o'crates
by bvy

Comment:
Question 4 Plato: how much milk you need?