Poetry

And the skies cleared…

by Lizl Bennefeld
Coreopsis lanceolata

The sky was cloudy, and there was a mist of rain carried by gusty winds, until into the early afternoon.  Then the winds died down and the sky cleared. Throughout the afternoon, I listened to the sounds of the airplanes going past as pilots timed and rehearsed their acts for the air show, this weekend. Too many mosquitoes, today, for me to sit outside and watch for the jets speeding past. They’ve another day for practicing, and so I might get out there tomorrow. Or wait for the shows on the weekend days. Normally we (our house) are close to the flight paths, so we have good views. (I dug out the weather-spotting binoculars, a few weeks ago.)

These photographs were taken just before the Scampers’ five o’clock dinner. I (unfortunately) frightened the resident rabbit away from the side garden (which has not managed to produce flowers, this summer).  Thadd only took notice as the rabbit’s hind feet disappearing around the corner of the neighbor’s garage. After the dogs ate, we went outside, again, and I managed three and a half miles on the exercise bike in the gazebo. Far short of yesterday’s sixteen miles; perhaps I will have opportunity after the Scampers are in their kennels for the night.

yellows and oranges
rays of the sun soon to set
backlit petals glow

next after last, days go by
their glow passes…petals drop

Copyright © 2018-07-26, by Elizabeth W. Bennefeld.

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#NaPoWriMo2018 Grasshopper poem

by Lizl Bennefeld

I decided to go back to yesterday’s poetry prompts list and write a poem to go with my favorite grasshopper photograph.

Brewer: “For today’s prompt, pick an insect (any insect), make it the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “Praying Mantis,” “Ants,” and “Grasshoppers.” I’ll even except other creepy crawlies, like spiders, slugs, and leeches (shiver). Sorry in advance if this prompt gives you the heebie-jeebies; feel free to use insect repellent in your verse.”

Suave Photo Subject (Photo © by Elizabeth W. Bennefeld. All rights reserved).

“Grasshopper”

one warm summer day
a debonair grasshopper
dines on a flower

spotting a street photographer
he grins between bites and bows

Copyright © 2018-04-14, by Elizabeth Bennefeld.

It’s one o’clock

by Lizl Bennefeld

 

It’s one o’clock! It’s
time to trade in background noise
for soft, soothing sounds.

“Midnight Rainshowers”
fall about my ears instead
of air-cleaner breeze.

Puppy snores now reign.
TV’s shut down and the clock
lacks new batteries.

And, joy, book apps
provide me with no swoosh of
page or paper cuts.

Peace has descended
on our busy home. No eyes
watch me raid the fridge.

Good night!

Lizl, enjoying one last helping of mixed, sliced melons and just a few more grapes

Copyright © 2016-02-19, by Lizl Bennefeld.
All rights reserved.

ETA: This was the last time that Samantha got up to share my midnight snack (a piece of watermelon. By 4:00 in the afternoon, she was going into septic shock. We got her to the vet’s a few hours later, where she was put to sleep. I still can’t quit crying. —Lizl, 10 a.m., 2016-02-25.

Best Friends

by Lizl Bennefeld

As I only took two (very similar) snapshots, I’m sharing this from my poetry site, since the first thing I did after taking the picture was to write a poem about it.

Quilted Poetry

Rabbit tracks over the front steps Early Morning Caller

“Best Friends”

Bunny, did you knock upon
the door at five A.M.
hoping that Samantha would
come out to play, again?

The door I did not open,
though the kitchen lights were on.
I let Samantha sleep and dream
fond dreams of you and summer’s fun.

You wake up all the neighborhood
when you two join in play.
She hounds you through the yard
and through the back fence, she will bay.

And then I grab my trusty shawl
and hunt around for shoes
and wonder what the neighbors think
of all the noise…the two of you!

“Best Friends”. Copyright © 2016-01-12,
by Lizl Bennefeld. All rights reserved.

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Halloween’s Arrival | Vision Stalker

by Lizl Bennefeld

If I counted correctly…there are MP3’s of poems by 16 members of the Science Fiction Poetry Association on the 2015 (10th Annual) Science Fiction Poetry Association’s Online Halloween Poetry Reading. A small gallery of seasonal artwork and photos by members is also included to help set the mood. The Halloween Reading page: http://www.sfpoetry.com/halloween.html.

Cat on living room armchair cushion
Frozen in Time

“Vision Stalker”
by Elizabeth Bennefeld

Eyes glance at me as I enter,
then turn away, indifferent.
Where once I found acceptance,
I see polite, but vacant faces.
My words are spoken
in a newly foreign language.

You have not changed.
It’s I who have become a stranger
through choices not approved,
prowling along uncommon paths
beyond the borders of community.

I will not walk your narrow roads
another night or day
to reattain belongingness
or buy lost camaraderie.

Going my own way, I will stalk
the visions that cry out to me
in the night from distant places.

A solitary hunter, I will seek new voices
that sing in harmony with my heart’s song.

An alien in your midst, no longer.

Copyright © 1996, by Elizabeth W. Bennefeld. Published in Reflections & Visions, a W.H.E.E.L. chapbook (Nov. 1996); in the same year, in an anthology; and later, on the Internet (Deviant Art) by permission. Audio edition published in the 2011 SFPA Online Halloween Poetry Reading.

My mood poem, “Halloween Awakening” (MP3), is included on the 2015 Halloween Reading page, and the text can be found at my QuiltedPoetry.net site under PERFORMED POETRY. (I was co-editor, this year, with Shannon Connor Winward.)

Catching up

by Lizl Bennefeld

halloween decorations, skeletons, hanging on a plank fenceWe have had our hard frost, and yet a few of the wild flax flowers have been showing up, quite unexpectedly. I’ve turned out a few arty versions that I’ll include in the next post.

My HP 4545s died on me over the course of the past couple of weeks. My replacement showed up on Friday (2nd day delivery), and I still am attempting to get everything in place. I still have to/want to upgrade my Corel Paint Shop Pro if I can manage it.

I don’t remember quite when it happened in relation to when I last posted here, but I did end up as co-editor of the Science Fiction Poetry Association’s 2015 Online Halloween Poetry Reading page (with Shannon Connor Winward, who is a gem to work with, BTW). I think that we screened our final submission to the page late yesterday from a new SFPA member. Joe Nazare’s poem, “Them Apples”, may be last on the page, but it’s not lacking in entertainment value. Actually, they’re all pretty good, again this year, art and poetry. All poetry and art are creations of and contributed to the page by SFPA members.

You may remember that I was not the page editor, last year, although I did submit three photoart pieces. Stephanie Wytovich was recruited for the editorship; I remember that we did interact during her editorship, and it was comfortable. It was nice to be back and even nicer to work in partnership with someone, this year. I had missed that over the years. Not the “Lone Ranger” sort of personality . . . and we’re all getting older. My dad’s turning 100, next year, and still doing the autumn leaf raking (see poem) on their double lot that’s shaded by tall cottonwoods, lilac bushes and a nice maple that was planted long after I left home.

Anyway, my poem and Shannon’s are about halfway down the page. Mine is “Halloween Awakening”, and if you have problems with hearing audio files, you can find a text version at QuiltedPoetry.net under the Performed Poetry heading, along with text versions of my other Halloween Page contributions since 2006; I believe that the only years I missed for poems were 2012 and 2014.

ETA: One more submission just arrived for the Halloween Poetry page. Happiness!