Prompt: #191 Light
(Image from the Internet)
Five Days Before Christmas, Taos, New Mexico
Cold
Early morning
Five days before Christmas
Snow on the mountains
A grey beginning
Taos a small dirty
Town in Northern New Mexico
Especially this time of year
The snow has melted
From the streets
Small patches
Huddle beneath the sage
Dust everywhere
Even on paved roads
As cars pass
Dust rises
Then falls
Settling back on the road
Waiting for the next passing car
Everything the color of dust
Something’s reddish
Some yellow
Some gold
All variations
Of grey
Most trees stand naked
Bare arms reach upward
The willow along
The riverbank
Shades of red
Crimson
Venetian
Terri Cotta
Cinnamon
Bright and dull
Descansos
Crosses of all sizes
Simple wooden crosses
Placed along roadside
Faded flowers cling
From another day’s
Freshness
Marks the spot
The end of a life
Leaving footprints
Among the dusty
Dried grasses
Hawk sits in bare treetop
Watch for movement
In the fields
Where the cholla grow
Heavy grey clouds
Block the bright sunlight
Dust settles
Five days before Christmas
Dec. 20, 2013
Note: Descansos are roadside shrines and cholla are cactus.
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We Write Poems: Prompt Found Poem
Lost in a Heartbeat
The world
Your world
Can be lost
In a heart beat
The mind confused
Running as fast as it can
From this to that
The unthinkable happens
A place too dark to go
Too dark to think about
A place of fear
The world
Your world
Lost
In a heartbeat
Hard to believe
Try to set things right
Look for answers
In all the hiding places
The world
Your world
Lost
In a heartbeat
The longest moment
Time stops
Breath stops
Thought stops
You don’t remember
The last heartbeat
In which
Your world
Was
Lost
In an instant
Your heart turns
To stone
You are lost
But you cannot
Give up
No place to go
The world
Your world
Lost
In a heartbeat
Found Poem: Small
Wonder Barbara Kingsolver
Christmas around the corner
Just out of sight
Snow covers the ground
Outside
The horse and
Sleigh await
Make the
Neighborhood rounds
Singing carols
Sip a bit
Santa’s on his way
Mom and Day
Up late
Sparkly tree
Pretty presents
For everyone
Mama killed a chicken
Stuffed it with dressing
Children tucked in bed
Just a memory
Of long ago
Or maybe
Never