Take 5ive Themed Issue : Things That Make You Smile
Take 5ive Theme : Things That Make You Smile
Marilyn Humbert
the cyclamen
from my mother’s
hospice room
still a mass of pink blooms
after 6 months in my care
kookaburras
at the break of day
breakfast clatter
punctuated by
moments of silence
morning visitors
three kookaburras
on my balcony
watch, unmoving
then our laughter
Jackie Chou
waking me
from my sweet slumber
a knock on the door
he brings me breakfast
redeeming himself
my mother frowned
she could not stand
American humor
what’s so funny about
a pie in the face, she asked
YouTube video
on making Takoyaki
two fluffy cats
in the background
steal the show
Karla Linn Merrifield
Bloom
How like an orchid
is this fragile snow-white kiss--
will it arrive bruised
and brown and sadly wilted?
Know: It was so beautiful.
Tuyet Van Do
family picnic
at the local park
laughing
children
playing on the swing
morning commute
skittles in his hands
a young boy
walks around
offering to passengers
Tonia Kalouria
“Oh! A great poem idea!”
“Ahhhh… This First Draft’s lookin’ good.”
“Eureka! That tweak did it! Finally ready to SUBMIT.”
“Yay, my poem’s been ACCEPTED!”
“Wow, your 'Baby' poem really had us misty-eyed!”
Kathabela Wilson
chess mentor
five years old
after a few moves
he says grandma
you have to think ahead
the card he saved
from his mom's visit
before he knew me
reads "what a beautiful place
now find someone to share it "
running in the hall
with my toddler grandson
I teach him how
to pick up a leaf with his toes
years later he’s still doing it
Kathy Fran Kupka
my dad
wore Christmas socks
red on his right foot
green on the other
and one of each in his top pocket
at a busy intersection
a long row of geese
march across the road
like school children
on Graduation day
dance party
every week on zoom
twirling
in an empty room
with a screenful of partners
Anthony Lusardi
last day of college
there was a downpour
like my guardian angel
was crying in joy
as i made the last walkout
my mother’s porch bells
ringing
in seasonal winds
under the sun
and under the moon
Chen-ou Liu
years after wildfires
destroyed its ramparts
a town terraced
back to life on the hillside
with birdsong and tourists
the sounds
of lake water lapping
and birds chirping ...
an afternoon breeze blows
on my face and my dog's
Anne Curran
two of us
sitting on the hillside
breath - taking view
neither wanting
to break the silence
another
loving conversation
in fleeting visits
between cities -
old friends
a pink blouse
looks smart beneath
a paisley shirt -
if only I could look
that perfect
Rupa Anand
so much birdsong
in the hills up north
to retreat
from the world briefly
is a road well travelled
a flutter
of spring butterflies
in my garden
the geraniums welcome
this early tourist
nursery rhymes . . .
an eight-month-old follows
grand father’s fingers
incy wincy spider
up the water spout
Diane Funston
at the day spa
manicure and pedicure
relaxing bath
lavender and oatmeal bubbles
dogs come home with pink ribbons
sunny day ahead
no rain or heavy wind
springtime
weeds waiting for me
better than shoveling snow
husband hikes forests
I nest at home
we come together later
share our stories
make poetry
Bonnie J Scherer
bathing in sunlight
wings outstretched
the dragonfly
reminds me
less flapping, more napping
the purr
of your snore
as you lie
in bed …
catnap
cluck cluck clucking
a family of grouse
emerges
from the pines
strut strut strutting
C.X.Turner
paler than purple
sweet-scented lilac
I hold you close
in dusky pink skies
soft clutches of childhood
one midsummer's eve
the wind whispers
muted words
carrying me home
into your arms
I fold a soft dawn
into creases
pocketing the light
touching at times
of real darkness
Douglas J. Lanzo
Fuji’s mountain mist
bends over bonsai sculptures
hued glistening green
gifting morning dew
before vanishing with dawn
rocktrumpet
a splash of wild red
heralds dawn with dew
as we pause by misted tree
refreshing long-billed sunbirds
Jon Hare
pine trees passing
tall along the highway
blue sky behind
the beauty of simple things
after being away
the scent of lilacs
on a warm spring afternoon
filling the air …
to bath in your perfume
to bask in your gaze
enjoying a cigar
on the ship’s aft-deck
after weeks at sea
a serious conversation
about the first meal ashore
Rosa Maria Di Salvatore
my wife
with her beauty mask . . .
what a fear
but she looks in the mirror
and sees herself beautiful
Genevieve S. Aguinaldo
I watch the white sheets
tumble dry in the machine
while my daughter plays
in her world of unicorns
warm coffee cup in my hands
bubbles in the park
floating spheres of rainbows
fills my heart with peace
my ears dance in the laughter
of kids shouting peek-a-boo
I wait for your smile
under falling cotton seeds
the winds carrying
the nervous beats of my heart
later our lips will meet
Sarah Das Gupta
white carpet
oily footprints
car repaired
husband left standing
wife drives to mother's
Ram Chandran.
no worries
of scorching summer,
the cherry tree
already grown over
my battered roof
before chemo
'chop wood, carry water'
after chemo
'chop wood, carry water'...
and the life goes on
Peter Larsen
a lull
in our heavy March rain
wild mustard
takes over the fields
a million dabs of yellow
our son
in robe and mortarboard
cum laude
grinning back at the world
and turning a page
“ooh, shells!”
my nieces’ first visit
to the seashore
now there are razor clams
in Albuquerque
Steve Wilkinson
an elderly couple
walk hand in hand
through the town -
the rain falls
but neither one cares
early morning
drinking coffee-
a flash of red
and a woodpecker
lands on the feeder
spring dawn
deft manoeuvres
above the field -
quartering the ground
a ghost white barn owl
Marilyn Humbert
the cyclamen
from my mother’s
hospice room
still a mass of pink blooms
after 6 months in my care
kookaburras
at the break of day
breakfast clatter
punctuated by
moments of silence
morning visitors
three kookaburras
on my balcony
watch, unmoving
then our laughter
Jackie Chou
waking me
from my sweet slumber
a knock on the door
he brings me breakfast
redeeming himself
my mother frowned
she could not stand
American humor
what’s so funny about
a pie in the face, she asked
YouTube video
on making Takoyaki
two fluffy cats
in the background
steal the show
Karla Linn Merrifield
Bloom
How like an orchid
is this fragile snow-white kiss--
will it arrive bruised
and brown and sadly wilted?
Know: It was so beautiful.
Tuyet Van Do
family picnic
at the local park
laughing
children
playing on the swing
morning commute
skittles in his hands
a young boy
walks around
offering to passengers
Tonia Kalouria
“Oh! A great poem idea!”
“Ahhhh… This First Draft’s lookin’ good.”
“Eureka! That tweak did it! Finally ready to SUBMIT.”
“Yay, my poem’s been ACCEPTED!”
“Wow, your 'Baby' poem really had us misty-eyed!”
Kathabela Wilson
chess mentor
five years old
after a few moves
he says grandma
you have to think ahead
the card he saved
from his mom's visit
before he knew me
reads "what a beautiful place
now find someone to share it "
running in the hall
with my toddler grandson
I teach him how
to pick up a leaf with his toes
years later he’s still doing it
Kathy Fran Kupka
my dad
wore Christmas socks
red on his right foot
green on the other
and one of each in his top pocket
at a busy intersection
a long row of geese
march across the road
like school children
on Graduation day
dance party
every week on zoom
twirling
in an empty room
with a screenful of partners
Anthony Lusardi
last day of college
there was a downpour
like my guardian angel
was crying in joy
as i made the last walkout
my mother’s porch bells
ringing
in seasonal winds
under the sun
and under the moon
Chen-ou Liu
years after wildfires
destroyed its ramparts
a town terraced
back to life on the hillside
with birdsong and tourists
the sounds
of lake water lapping
and birds chirping ...
an afternoon breeze blows
on my face and my dog's
Anne Curran
two of us
sitting on the hillside
breath - taking view
neither wanting
to break the silence
another
loving conversation
in fleeting visits
between cities -
old friends
a pink blouse
looks smart beneath
a paisley shirt -
if only I could look
that perfect
Rupa Anand
so much birdsong
in the hills up north
to retreat
from the world briefly
is a road well travelled
a flutter
of spring butterflies
in my garden
the geraniums welcome
this early tourist
nursery rhymes . . .
an eight-month-old follows
grand father’s fingers
incy wincy spider
up the water spout
Diane Funston
at the day spa
manicure and pedicure
relaxing bath
lavender and oatmeal bubbles
dogs come home with pink ribbons
sunny day ahead
no rain or heavy wind
springtime
weeds waiting for me
better than shoveling snow
husband hikes forests
I nest at home
we come together later
share our stories
make poetry
Bonnie J Scherer
bathing in sunlight
wings outstretched
the dragonfly
reminds me
less flapping, more napping
the purr
of your snore
as you lie
in bed …
catnap
cluck cluck clucking
a family of grouse
emerges
from the pines
strut strut strutting
C.X.Turner
paler than purple
sweet-scented lilac
I hold you close
in dusky pink skies
soft clutches of childhood
one midsummer's eve
the wind whispers
muted words
carrying me home
into your arms
I fold a soft dawn
into creases
pocketing the light
touching at times
of real darkness
Douglas J. Lanzo
Fuji’s mountain mist
bends over bonsai sculptures
hued glistening green
gifting morning dew
before vanishing with dawn
rocktrumpet
a splash of wild red
heralds dawn with dew
as we pause by misted tree
refreshing long-billed sunbirds
Jon Hare
pine trees passing
tall along the highway
blue sky behind
the beauty of simple things
after being away
the scent of lilacs
on a warm spring afternoon
filling the air …
to bath in your perfume
to bask in your gaze
enjoying a cigar
on the ship’s aft-deck
after weeks at sea
a serious conversation
about the first meal ashore
Rosa Maria Di Salvatore
my wife
with her beauty mask . . .
what a fear
but she looks in the mirror
and sees herself beautiful
Genevieve S. Aguinaldo
I watch the white sheets
tumble dry in the machine
while my daughter plays
in her world of unicorns
warm coffee cup in my hands
bubbles in the park
floating spheres of rainbows
fills my heart with peace
my ears dance in the laughter
of kids shouting peek-a-boo
I wait for your smile
under falling cotton seeds
the winds carrying
the nervous beats of my heart
later our lips will meet
Sarah Das Gupta
white carpet
oily footprints
car repaired
husband left standing
wife drives to mother's
Ram Chandran.
no worries
of scorching summer,
the cherry tree
already grown over
my battered roof
before chemo
'chop wood, carry water'
after chemo
'chop wood, carry water'...
and the life goes on
Peter Larsen
a lull
in our heavy March rain
wild mustard
takes over the fields
a million dabs of yellow
our son
in robe and mortarboard
cum laude
grinning back at the world
and turning a page
“ooh, shells!”
my nieces’ first visit
to the seashore
now there are razor clams
in Albuquerque
Steve Wilkinson
an elderly couple
walk hand in hand
through the town -
the rain falls
but neither one cares
early morning
drinking coffee-
a flash of red
and a woodpecker
lands on the feeder
spring dawn
deft manoeuvres
above the field -
quartering the ground
a ghost white barn owl
