Junior died for his country ~~ a Memorial Day tribute poem for "Play it Again"

Click on picture for larger size viewing 

A Place Like This
.
I sit here and sketch
Thinking all the while
'Twas in a pasture green
with an orchard nearby

Sketching, a place like this
Provence, Italy, in the War
His plane shot down
Body lay under his chute

Dog tags were snared by a priest
Later they would be given
to family for us to sketch

Junior died for his country
This place?  We will dedicate 
Our rendition of the pasture,
A tribute for him
 _ _ _ _

Photo and Poem copyright 2006 and 2015, 
© jimmiehov, all rights reserved

I am linked with  Kerry O'Connor at Play It Again, Toads #

Notes:
1,  Play it again had three of Kerry's choices, I used a May 30, 2014 Imaginary Garden post by Margaret , a  past challenge on Artistic Interpretations with Margaret - Sketchbook Poetry.
2.  Mrs. Jim's brother died in WWII when his P38 airplane was shot down over Italy.  A priest found him dead, under his parachute.  The priest collected the dog tags to give when telling his story after the war was over.
The Germans buried Junior's body in the orchard.  We were grateful for that.  Later his remains were removed to a cemetery in New Orleans.
3.  I had been hoping that on Memorial Day a challenge that would fit my writing a tribute to Junior would show.  This one seemed to work out.
4.  Photo taken during our stay at Bettolle, Italy, Spring of 2006.

My List ~~ a Challenge Poem, using a "Recipe for Poetry"

Got my list

Places to go, people and things to see
Let's see now, have to get it right:
 
Day 1, I fly to London
Day 2 through 5, I stay in London (see some kin, see some friends)
Day 6, I fly to Nice, France and stay at hotel
Day 7 through 9, I'll stay in Nice (beaches will be nice, see some friends)
Day 10, fly back to London, spend the night
Day 11, shuttle to Harwich, spend the night
Day 12, board a Holland America ship, head to Norway (see the Channel once more)
Day 13 through 17, at sea (see some wales and fjords)
Day 18, shuttle to London from Harwich,
 . . . . . .board United in afternoon,
 . . . . . .be home later in same afternoon.
 
Made my list,
that's eighteen days, got to keep them straight
People and things to see, places to go
Bon voyage

Photo and Poem copyright 2015, © jimmiehov, all rights reserved

 

I am linked with Fireblossom at

the Real Toads, Fireblossom Friday: Recipe For....Poetry



Her instructions, "Don't just mention a list without telling us at least some of what's on it. Details, baby. That's what's required here. Please write a NEW poem specifically for this challenge, then link up! Have fun, listies."  

a senryu set for Tuesday Platform

Saving Tears 

Have no tears for me 
Save them for your rainy day 
Sun comes to me first 

Not to be cried for 
I don't remember a thing 
Age has got my mind 

If I made you cry 
Surely you did nothing wrong 
Yes?  Then I forgive 

Twitter me today 
Tweet you back no matter.  Love
you still, save those tears 

- - -

Poem copyright 2015, © jimmiehov, all rights reserved

I'm linked with Kerry at the Real Toads, Tuesday platform 
http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-tuesday-platform_19.html
(Posted from my iPad, in the dark)

Can't Do -- a Weekend Mini Challenge poem

It's just me, Lord, Can't Do

Please give me a hand through this day
You know I ain't worth much, Can't Do
Can't do a thing, not do it right

I sing but can't carry a tune
Methodists made me leave their choir
Can't carry a tune, shower calls

I draw but nobody knows what
What I draw they call stick man art  
Can't draw a thing, nothing to paint

I like to work, can't hold a job
Get fired like a stove, cooked goose
Can't hold a job, I work too slow

I like to make love, wives won't stay
They up and leave, now I'm alone
Can't do it right, and I can't learn

I like to eat, can't cook a meal
My eggs are tough, leather-like soles
The biscuits all burn, I can't cook

Lord, I can't do it right, all's wrong
Connect the dots? Can't count or learn
This Can't Do's not worth very much
 _ _ _

Photo and Poem copyright 2015, © jimmiehov, all rights reserved

I'm linked with Outlawyer at Weekend Mini Challenge--Connect the Chimes!

Ducks and Water for 'Queen Bee'

Ducks and Water 

Lazy afternoon, sitting on the bank 
Sunning my sides, warming, thinking of you 
With you by my side Mother Time stands still 
But you out of the swim, can't settle down 
A duck out of water, keeps one leg up 

I'm letting you go for somebody else 
My sides will grow cold, still thinking of you 
Beside someone new, your time standing still 
You're back in the swim, nesting in warm arms 
A duck in the water knows what it wants 

- - -

Photos, Poem copyright 2013, 2014, 2015, © jimmiehov, all rights reserved

I'm linked with Marian at the Imaginary Garden, 
withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2015/05/queen-bee.html
Notes:
 - Marian wanted a newly written poem inspired after glimpsing the works and nature of the author, Dr. Suess, and singer, Taj Mahal.  Mahal is after my time, I was not aware of him.
 - Top photo, 2013, was taken at Regent's Park in London.  My grand-daughter, then four, and I were having a paddle boat ride in the lake at the park when we came across this bunch of ducks standing around or sleeping on a small island.  The post was on my other blog, a poem written in conjunction of a group of boat ride pictures.  Her family was living in London at the time, for nearly five years.
 - Bottom photo, 2014, was take at the large pond at the picnic area of our subdivision here in Texas.

Yellow Bananas - Sunday's Mini Challenge Poem

Yellow Bananas

To refrigerate or not

People spend their lives

trying to decide
Meantime fruit rots in its bag

Small things like this take our time
Can't make up our minds
Trying to decide
Life should go on, prudent be
Important things take astride
Speckled fruit still good to eat

- - -

Poem copyright © 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

  

 - I am linked with Heaven, a.k.a. Grace,  at the Real Toads, "Sunday's Mini-challenge: Jane Hirshfield" where we were introduced to the poet, Jane Hirshfield.

 - Grace's challenge is to "write a new poem or prose poem inspired by the title, verse or style by Jane Hirshfield. I chose Hirshfield's poem, Green-Striped Melons found in the Real Toad's posting link above.

Four (big) Words -- a 'poem' for "Get Listed for May, 2015"

Blood, house (home),

face, and suburb

Blood on the moon

While you're at home

Fear on your face

Suburb fallout

Blood on his knife

You're home alone

Death on his face

Suburb castle

Blood on the floor

His, in your house

Shot in his face

Suburb is safe

 

Above:  Various houses I've visited.  The one on the lower left is Hemmingway's backyard study in Key West, Florida.  Next on the right is a monastery high up in the hills of Greece. I've been in both of these. 
[You can enlarge any picture by clicking on it.  Most get larger still if you click again.]

- - -

 

Photos and Poem copyright © 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

 

I am linked with grapeling  at the Real Toads, Get Listed for May: Pablo Neruda

 

 - Grapling's instructions were to "please write a new poem for this prompt using at least 3 of the list words (or reasonable variants), post it to your own site, and link to that specific poem (not just your blog)." 

 - His resource for this prompt was "the list from the (translated) poems of Pablo Neruda, specifically, from the bilingual edition Pablo Neruda - Selected Poems (Houghton Mifflin, 1970)."

 - I used this one:  "from "I'm Explaining a Few Things", page 151 (PoemHunter.com again): suburb, face, house, blood."  I took the liberty to use the word Home instead of House where I felt it to be more appropriate for my poem.

 

Dog's life? -- another 55 Flash Plus attempt

Life is but to please my master

His happiness fills my needs

He rewards,
food in my plate,
pat on my head

 

There is a better side of life

Walks in the park,

flushing rabbit for the hunt,

seeing my subject little boy learning to read

 

Me, mere hound dog

Fun therapy dog first class

 

 

Photo and poem copyright © 2006 and 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

 

I'm linked with Kerry O'Connor at Real Toads, "FLASH 55 PLUS!" (means exactly 55 words)

Notes:

 - Flash 55 means to write a poem with exactly 55 words.  Including the title, I did that.

 - Plus was to add a little Zen.  Here I tried to add a touch of Zen.  I feel that dogs can have higher needs than to exist.  Maslow in his hierarchy of needs may have felt otherwise (link). 

 - Link to Zen examples:  www.viewonbuddhism.org/resources/zen_poems.html

 - Adi (profile) was my beloved beagle dog, a therapy dog.  We mainly visited with assisted living residents, many afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.  She also was qualified as a reading dog (link).  Adi died in September, 2012.

Little Mouse, did you -- 55 Flash Plus

 

Little Mouse;

did you?

 

Little Mouse, did you do

your good deed for today? 

Did you make some playful

child happy and full today?

 

Little mouse, you can make

soured milk taste so good

Keep your finger out of

the drink, just smile to her

 

Just don't you forget that

you are her favorite cup

 

- - -

 

Photo and Poem copyright © 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

I'm linked with Kerry O'Connor at Real Toads, "FLASH 55 PLUS!" (means exactly 55 words)

Notes:

Flash 55 means to write a poem with exactly 55 words.  Including the title, I did that.

Plus was to add a little Zen.  After a hard 30 days in April, writing every day, I felt   

 that skipping a day (yesterday) and hitting the 55 target was enough.  Some might add a

 touch of Zen.  Not me. 

Link to Zen examples:  www.viewonbuddhism.org/resources/zen_poems.html