poetry

Cardinalis cardinalis

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A cardinal came to visit me
He brought his little wife
His bright red feathers tickled me
And brightened up my life

I’d been alone for quite some time
Was missing you today
I watched this little couple 
Flit about and dance and play

It made me smile and shed a tear
To see their tufted heads
So sweet their partnership was clear
Their song from beaks of red

Though the rain was coming down
They seemed happy as could be
And I was thrilled that they had flown
And landed in my tree


By Diane E. Dockum
©April 25, 2023

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

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

/ marblehillpress / 1 Comment 
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

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

In a Cemetery

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I walk among the stones
Imagining my body lying
Beneath the ground

I walk among the stones
Wondering where to bury your ashes
I am here to buy the ground 

Our bodies will lie under
Side by side
Urn by urn

To add another stone marker
Here in the quiet field
where who knows what went on

in ancient times
I walk and open my spirit
To feel the pull

To feel the answer
I walk and open my heart
I think of sleep

I think of eternity
I think of earthly remains
I find our spot

I sign the papers
Here we will be
Maybe remembered



By Diane E. Dockum
©September 26, 2022

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

 

Another Plane

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Another Plane

As it happens I was going to church
as if I had been doing that
every week for one hundred years

And I thought of being folded
like laundry in a drawer
and buttoned like shirts

I moved my shoulders stiffly
but could not shake the feeling
that I was stored in a container

As it happens the lid was leaking
and the preservatives had evaporated
leaving me wrinkled and unusable

I wanted then to stop being
and move on to some other plane
of existence

And I thought of hanging
from a clothesline
in a sunny Nebraska field

Hanging on by my clothespins
and snapping
in a stiff breeze.