free verse

Time Melted Away

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Photo by Monoar Rahman on Pexels.com
I passed through town
Riding in the passenger seat
Of the Dodge

And watched the trees
Pass by
And watched

The telephone wires
Rise and fall
From pole to pole

And time melted away
Leaving only images
Of the time gone by

I passed through town
Riding on the hard wooden seat
Of the carriage

And watched the trees
Pass by
And watched the horses drink

From the trough outside 
The drug store
And the lady at the dress shop

Arranging her window display
Waved as we passed,
When my Dad spoke to me

And I returned to the seat
Of the pick up truck
Wondering where I had been





By Diane E. Dockum
©April 20, 2023

The Catalogues Have Arrived

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
To paraphrase Phil 
From the movie City Slickers
If Catalogues were people I'd be China!

Something happened
When I reached 
Senior citizen status

Each day, catalogues arrive
In stacks of colorfully emblazoned 
Glossy paper, filling my mail box with temptations

There are the ones for clothing
If you are fat, with arthritis, and can’t fasten buttons 
Or for when you travel, which I never do

There is the hardware store 
Kind, with whatever works for
Whatever kind of household hack you need

There are the salves and potion
Kind, with subscription-worthy pots
Of goop that one absolutely needs

There is a little catalogue
Narrow, with a tea bag sample
That offers countless kinds of tea

Jewelry, make-up, razor blades
Vibrators, oils, candles
Wigs, and toupee catalogues

Where did I sign up for this
Deluge of paper?
Is there somewhere I don't know about

Where it's leaking catalogues
And if so, can I stick a rag
Into that hole?

Yet, some days I pick them up
And look, just in case
I might need something.



By Diane E. Dockum
©April 19, 2023

Change of Scenery

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A view from camp on Raquette River, South Colton, NY


Go for a drive
Take a walk
Plan a trip
Jump off a dock

Swim to Greenland
Climb up a tree
Sit on the roof
Bounce on someone’s knee

Lie under the table
Sit on the stairs
Sleep on a pew 
Ride a few mares

Jump off a milk can
Look up not down
Roll up a hill
Head out of town


By Diane E. Dockum
©April 16, 2023

Some Days

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Some days
     it's hard to move
     to get out of bed
     to open the curtains

Some days
     the promise of coffee
     or a shower
     is reason enough

Some days
     I don't bother to wear make-up
     or shower
     and put off getting dressed

Some days
     are too much trouble
     are too quiet and lonely
     but the idea of going out is unthinkable

Some days
     I look at old photographs
     to convince myself
     you were really here, with me. 

Some days
     I hope I will see you again
     I hope we recognize each other
     Some day



by Diane E. Dockum
©April 15, 2023

Photo by Diane E. Dockum

Two Fat Robins

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Photo by Brian Forsyth on Pexels.com
Two fat Robins
Walked my yard
One sunny afternoon

Scouting for a worm or two
The hunt was done
Two by two

Four little eyes 
Rimmed in white
Stared into the dirt

Too faint for humans
Noises rose and
Cocking heads from side to side

The worm was got
By pointy beak
Before it could escape

And tiny bird feet
Felt the vibes
Beneath 



by Diane E. Dockum
©April 13, 2023

Back Into It

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This picture makes me think that I want to get back into Yoga.
Stretching 
And feeling my body
Reach its limits
And holding

Holding a pose
As the candle burns
And the music plays
And the incense burns

I want to get back into it
It's been so long
My body cries out
I am out of balance

I need to get balance
I stand on one foot
I slowly tip to the left
I'm out of alignment

So I put my hands on the floor
There once was a time 
I was supple and bendy
The warmth in my muscles

The visions in my mind
Stretching is good
For people my age
So they say

Gets the blood moving
Gets the brain going
And I want to get back
Into my groove


By Diane E. Dockum
©April 8, 2023

Thunder and Icing

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Thunder and Icing
Persephone’s birth pangs
Her water has broken
Jagged lightning of pain

Darkness in daytime
Rumbling thunder
April sky pouring
A wintery rain

Every branch coated
In crystal and dripping
Freezing and melting
At the same time

Weather is fickle
Sunny then dreary
The birth of a season
Welcome Springtime!



©April 5, 2023
By Diane E. Dockum

Unmoored

/ marblehillpress / 1 Comment 
I am alive
So they say
Yet it is up for debate 

It is true 
That I feel like 
A hollow log

Floating unmoored 
Down a river 
Spinning 

Turning 
Bumping against waves
And other debris 

Flotsam and jetsam
In the gin weeds
and pucker brush

Perhaps one day
I will drift ashore 
On the other side 


copyright by Diane E. Dockum
March 15, 2023

Tell Me A Story

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Tell Me A Story

 

Scan the landscape of my life from above

As an invisible observer

Without judgment

Circle above as a cloud of white

Without shadow

Seasons pass on the road of time

But now I feel neither

Cold, nor warm

I only peer at my existence

Through gauzy curtains

Into rooms no longer mine and

Only during my quiet observation can I see

The truth of what is and of what was

A bow drawn across strings

Will make a perfect sound that resonates

With my heart

Tell me the story of how I came away

And how I found my path

Play a soft steady hum of sound

Pull a painted scarf across

The rim of an empty vase

There, under the passing pattern

I see a deep receptacle waiting to be filled

 

 

© April 2, 2018

Diane E. Dockum

 

Shopping For Sheets

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The weather was nice
The snow bank under the tree
Up the road was still there
But somehow resembled a pile of dirt
I wore my sandals even though
It was still cool
We drove north when normally
We would have driven south
I had a coupon

But not for sheets
I had a coupon
For face cream
So we found the sheets
On a high shelf and they were on sale
Thirty per cent off
Not much variety in colors
I went with bland off white
To be on the safe side

There was a dismal brown color
And a lacy one that he didn’t like
I looked at pillows, but
Wasn’t brave enough to buy one
Without first test-driving it.
After that we went to get tacos,
And stopped at the drug store,
And yes,
I did get the face cream.

©Diane E. Dockum, 2015
April 21, 2015