Tag: poetry
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Sobriquet
Duck and cover.
So much passive aggression, incoming,
steeped in your morning hello.
Curves in your body language malign and sear like barbed wire
beneath a surface of cool still water.Gently, I’m under fire, taking flack from side-eye artillery.
No bayonets or grenades in sight;
simply a coffee cup clutched in a manicured hand.
I shiver in your shade.
Chin to the ground, pressed under the heavy fog of war,
an illusion of retreat, of victory, but
I’m pinned down.
You Tokyo Rose.
Smooth talker, whispering sweet nothings in my ear.
You, with the smile of an enemy, sounding so very much like a friend.by D. Ryan Lafferty
DartanionPress.com
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Summer Storm
The loudest voices in the room shall pass like rolling thunder
which punctuates the hot summer storm.A brief booming terror, a startling moment of sheer surprise,
and then the quiet exhale of lasting peace; an enduring calm.Daylight breaks in silence, with whispers of the dawn,
each shadow cowers, vanishing from sight,
trembling in fear of the new day’s light.By D. Ryan Lafferty
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Dream Makers
When we go to bed, they are just arriving, hot coffee in their hands, stretching and yawning as the machinery in the warehouse switches on.
Deep in the heart of the cerebellum, they rush into action,
for they are pros, each waving scanners and tapping single handedly on keypads, racing from stack to stack.They are honey bees,
fervently dancing from aisle to aisle as they touch and go.
Some robotic counterparts assist, for they can access the hard to reach corners for the little things: names of hamsters and of goldfish long departed, the faces of great uncles on his father’s side, nothing too heavy.Rented vans filled with half-sleeping monsters are just arriving.
They scratch away the tiredness with their chipped claws
and groan at the prospect of another long night’s work.
Some check their teeth in the mirror while others tighten up the laces on their tennis shoes, getting ready for the chase.The fears and nightmares are the best sellers
followed only by dreams for a better world.
I don’t mean wishes for peace and prosperity, of course, but rather for a kitchen and bath that belong on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.
The kind we see on TV, covered in all the amenities of the good life.Dreams from our younger days lie in the farthest corner, gathering dust,
rarely ever observed in the hustle.
Free overnight shipping keeps things hopping around here.It’s rumored that full automation is on the horizon and that,
one day soon, drones will do it all. Too many accidents are slipping through the cracks these days and dreams that were never intended for some are delivered by mistake. Most people notice the error and return them right away,
but one group is beginning to cause concern.It seems that when the artists happen to receive the wrong merchandise;
they’re never willing to send it back.
No matter how many times we call.by D. Ryan Lafferty
Note. Originally published in the People Papers column, Literary Crumbs, February, 2024.
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Divine Geometry
How is it that the bend of her tail fit so perfectly in the crook of my arm?
Her nose, chin, and whiskers tucked into the palm of my hand.
That long shaggy ear draped over the side of her sweet, aging, puppy dog face.
Her soft coat like an heirloom throw, pearled and even;
handwoven patterns aligned in a timeless harmony.
We rested so soundly, as if it were meant to be.by D. Ryan Lafferty
Bordentown, content, dogs, local poet, lyrics, new poetry, NJ, pet poems, pets, poem, poems, poetry, puppy poetry, unrhymed poetry
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In Plain Sight
I’ve come to admire the quiet audacity of the Easter egg.
So confidently silent and obnoxiously bright,
barely hidden in plain sight, with the same bold certainty
so strong within the very young
before life has cracked and tarnished their shellsThey wait, poised before the basket-wielding,
screaming throng of toddlers, as if to say,“Hey you, over there with your embarrassment of riches!
You, who own so much, yet see so little.
I’ll hide right here in the midst of all your things;
among the tulips, the lilac, the daffodils,
and I just dare you to find me.”Such beautiful, uppity, audacious eggs, indeed.
by D. Ryan Lafferty DartanionPress.com
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Pepper and Salt
Pepper and salt wait patiently on a round kitchen table.
A torn towel rests folded neatly beneath well-worn utensils.They glint in the yawn of an autumn afternoon.
Daylight fades in orange and brown,
a neon blur of leaves peeks through the window pane.A moment’s pause before the TV chatters on with the endless news of the day.
I lift my oatmeal while loving ghosts recline beside me
by D. Ryan Lafferty
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The Climax
As involved as I am,
I watch,
she waits,
toes curl,
it’s all very exciting.by D. Ryan Lafferty
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Let Me Sleep
I don’t have to go to work today,
no schedule to keep.
I’ve silenced my alarm clocks
(a little later, I might eat).My eyelids are so heavy still,
worn out from counting sheep.I’ll get to it all sometime soon,
but for now
just let me sleep.by D. Ryan Lafferty
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Impeccable Taste
Cartier Red,
Tiffany Blue,
Dior seemed expensive,
before I met you.by D. Ryan Lafferty
Literary Crumbs: Poems & Short Stories to Savor by D. Ryan Lafferty 