DMC: "Down the Drain" by Karen Eastlund

DOWN THE DRAIN

A turn of faucet
Splish splosh sploosh

A squeeze of sponge
Suds ooze and foam

A greasy pot or pan falls in
Soon a shiny one atones

An endless task, yet calming
Warm and wet and clean

Splish splosh sploosh it sings
I scrub and hum along, serene.

© 2020 Karen Eastlund. All rights reserved.

TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 29th.

DMC: "Kitchen Games" by Molly Hogan

KITCHEN GAMES

“Hey! Try to catch us if you can!”
they squeal, then run away
Broom dashes after valiantly
with sweeping, swashing sway

Broom’s mission is to seek Crumbs out
Their mission is to hide
beneath the fridge, behind the chair
and then to multiply

“Come on out, you scurvy creatures!
Get off our pristine floors!
We’ll sweep you to oblivion!”
her swishing bristles chorus

As they scurry ‘neath the counter
Crumbs tumble, bumble, jump
Broom pokes them out of corners, then
she piles them in a clump

She entreats her ally, Dustbin
to help her end the chase
together they corral the Crumbs
and put them in their place

A quick trip to waiting Trashcan
winds up the evening fun
Now at rest in closet corner
Broom smiles, her job is done

But later, Trashcan sneaks a glance
at dozing Bin and Broom
then slyly hiccups giggling Crumbs
and strews them cross the room

© 2018 Molly Hogan. All rights reserved.


Calef Brown has challenged us to write a poem that tells the story of two anthropomorphized objects. They can be an odd couple, close friends, mortal enemies, or meet each other for the first time. The poem can be about an adventure they have together, a conflict, a game they play, anything. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our October 2018 padlet by October 31st. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up presentation on Friday, November 2nd, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of Calef Brown's latest collection of ghoulish poetry from Carolrhoda Books:

A Dirty Kitchen Secret

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but today is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.  Trust me, it's true.  Would I be so cruel as to make something like that up?

Did you know, most Americans only clean their refrigerators once or twice a year?  (All together now: "Eeeeuw!")  This is according to an article in the Wall Street Journal-- a source renowned for its housecleaning expertise, or so I've heard.

The time has come, my fellow Americans.  Today's the day!  You want to make room for all of those turkey and pumpkin pie leftovers, don't you?

So in honor of the occasion, today's little ditty has transformed the aforementioned article, aptly titled "Why Won't Anyone Clean Me?", into a "found poem"-- one that takes words and phrases from an existing text and refashions them to create something new.  I've been wanting to try my hand at a found poem for some time now.  Notwithstanding the pungent odors and harmful bacteria, it was fun.


     A Dirty Kitchen Secret

     Forgotten in a corner,

     he didn’t notice

     the surface tension,

     the “ick” factor,

     bubbling up

     around the perimeter

     like spilled soda from a can.

     Good intentions

     allowed to ripen

     “out of sight, out of mind”

     until what ensued

     was chaos, all levels

     of refrigerator nastiness.

     Soda in the crisper,

     milk in the door,

     leaks from raw meat,

     dog licking the bottom shelf, 

     no clue what to do

     with the special

     cheese compartment,

     and high-tech solutions

     thwarted by consumers

     who try to salvage

     old salad dressing.

       © 2013 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Jama Rattigan, our favorite foodie with a heart of gold, is serving up today's Poetry Friday roundup with a cup of tea and an apple pumpkin walnut muffin.  Seriously. Yum.  You'll find her at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

...Mortimer???