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Here is the latest installment of Poet’s Corner, presented by the Edmonds-based EPIC Poetry Group
Just in Case
In case I die tomorrow,
suddenly, like the cousin
who died yesterday,
here is what you need to know:
I am exceedingly rich.
But don’t audit my
bank accounts (checking or savings).
Look at my contact list
for the scores of friends and family
with whom I’m entwined.
~Pure Gold
Look in my photos and behold
the glorious montage of faces
and places I have loved.
~Priceless Jewels
Look over my calendar to witness
an untidy collection of grace
and connection.
~Manifold Treasure
There. Now you have my lavish
wealth portfolio.
Denise Meade
~ ~ ~ ~
disconcerting
much of what surrounds me
seems smarter, faster
more complex than I
my cell phone for starters
my desktop and laptop
smart houses, smart cars
ai emerging from the
virtual mountaintop
volcanoing ceaseless information
void of heart and soul
even my sonic toothbrush keeps
better track of time and usage
than I do of my small messy life
to our own detriment
we could well forget
the moving chorus of birds
simple avian concerts
resounding presence
beyond the bounds
of incessant data
Denise Meade
~ ~ ~ ~
Shape
Life stretched out
my soul so much
that I nearly lost
the shape of myself.
My body, though, certainly
shrinks and wrinkles
with age.
But now I’m getting
some glimpses of
the shape that a soul,
intrinsically alive,
can take.
It’s the shape
of a vulnerable child.
One of “those who
humble themselves
like this little child
will be greatest
in the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 18:4)
Denise Meade
~ ~ ~ ~
Denise Meade is a 33-year Edmonds resident, where she and her husband have raised and launched four kids, and have loved investing in and being a part of this growing community. An on-again, off-again, very amateur poet since her early teens, she was happily surprised to be warmly welcomed in to the EPIC Poetry Group. She is also an amateur photographer and occasionally puts both creative outlets together, especially as inspired by nature.
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Wonderful words of poetry which I read several times. Denise, who I worked with a long time ago, is
filled with extraordinary creativity. I knew she was a budding photographer but never knew about her
writing. Life is filled with lovely surprises!
Penny! Loved working with you and have often wondered how you are doing! Thank you so much for your lovely comments.
I loved reading these 3 gems. Really hits home with me. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Well, thank you Irene!
Good work , Denise…….I love the way you use simple down-to-earth allegories to talk about aging. Your work is maturing and you are a valuable contributor to EPI C Poets! Thanks for sharing your work with us!
Aw, Donna – really appreciate your support.
Wonderful to experience these poems here – and to know the group exists for when I move back to Edmonds (soon!) after 2 years away!
What a creative and revealing heart and talent. So much more than words…revealing soul and spirit!!
“to our own detriment /we could well forget/the moving chorus of birds/simple avian concerts/resounding presence/beyond the bounds/of incessant data” Here in spring, the turkey vultures now soar each afternoon above our home before roosting in a local tree for the night, the black-chinned hummingbirds flicker like lightning bugs around the feeders, and soon a Swainson hawk couple will take up residence nearby to fledge a new generation, sung to sleep by the lullaby of the great horned owls. Our spirits are always soar in spring, lifted by the birds that sing, and the birds that don’t. Thanks for your beautiful and moving sentiments.
Thank you, Jack! You have quite an interesting collection of fowl where you live!
Birds are great neighbors!
As are poets.
Wow. I loved all 3 of these poems Denise. I loved every single word of them. I don’t often read a poem 5 times in a couple of days but yours I did. Keep up with the writing I think all ages of people can relate to these poems. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Deborah, for your generous comments!
Denise, once again you have given each of us a peek inside your soul and who you are as a poet through countless proses and verses. I hope you will reconsider and create a novel sharing your voice with more than the people that you are familiar with. If others were to read your poems, think of how their soul would feel. This country is in a desperate need of something different and yet familiar for them to hang on to. You do that in each of your poems that you have shared over the years in the poetry group and online in the Edmonds Corner. I love your poems and thank you for your kindness towards me as a human being. Your poems are delightful to hear especially through your voice as well as when I am reading them to myself I can hear your voice taking over.