day 30

yippee! april is over and i am done with the 'poem a day poetry challenge' ...
and ... last but not least ...

day 30

For today's prompt, I want you to write a farewell poem. After all, we are saying farewell to another wonderful National Poetry Month. Say farewell to this month; say farewell to a vacation spot; say farewell to a bad relationship; say farewell to work; say farewell to school; say farewell to saying farewell even.

no end

if we begin,
somehow, sometime, somewhere,
we must end.
my friend, my lover, my teacher,
one last time,
hold me, touch me and remember.
love has no end,
speak no sad farewell.
locked in time,
love's memory lives on.

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 29

For today's prompt, I want you to title your poems "Never (blank)" with you filling in the blank with a word or phrase. Then, write a poem based off your title.

never forget to enjoy

there are times when i feel
that my life is a bind
with my joints growing creaky
and my eyes going blind

my brain, once like lightning
now more like a bus
starting and stopping
with noise and much fuss

teeth, once white and strong
are now kind of crumbling
when young people speak
it sounds like they're mumbling

i rush into a room
then stop and just stare
i question and wonder
why the devil i'm there

"och woman" i think
the good times are over
time to stop searching
for that four leafed clover

and then, the sun peeps
through a gap in the cloud
my children say something
which makes me feel proud

i walk on the beach
i hear the sea crashing
bare foot on the sand
the world's feeling smashing

the breeze carries sound
of kids and their laughter
a frisbee flies past
with a dog chasing after

a drink of cool water
like nectar from heaven
a friend's popping in
at a quarter past seven

i think we'll eat chinese
and drink too much wine
we'll gossip and laugh
damn! my life is so fine

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 28

For today's prompt, I want you to write a sestina.

a sestina???
who the hell knew!

within town limits

tell me why you keep ducks
surely your choices are limited
unless you intend to breed a champion
that might offer some light
or perhaps you are in competition with your sister
some challenges are difficult to refuse

i guess they don't create much refuse
they don't attack from above, no one needs to duck
noise wise you might be in trouble sister
for someone whose resources are limited
not so easy to make light
when the time comes they need a champion

still, it would be champion
i doubt you would wish to refuse
without question, up at first light
lots of head room, no need to duck
surge ahead, no longer limited
by the unreliability of your sister

the two of you, sister versus sister
both determined to be champion
the competition unlimited
if i were asked to judge, i would refuse
a competition for ducks,
held on an oval field in sun light!

are they heavy or are they light?
you might inquire of your sister
after all when it came to ducks
she was the team champion
when she wanted to bat, who could refuse
even though we understood her chances were limited

physically we all have limits
emotionally, some are dark, others light
at any point we are free to refuse
we are not alone, we have sisters
fellow travelers eager to be our champion
never forget, it all started with a duck

do you need to duck or refuse to be limited
were you born to be champion, a shining light
will you lead the sisterhood or refuse

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 27

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem of longing. You or someone (or something) else should be pining for someone or something. Maybe a cat is longing to get outside the house. Maybe a teenager is longing to get away from his or her small town. And, of course, there's always the longing poem of love.

the dark

when i am alone
my heart longs
in the dark
as memory stalks
empty corridors
where love
once danced

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 26

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem involving miscommunication. It can be miscommunication between two people or misinterpretation of some sort. I will leave it up to you guys to deal with it however you want.


impasse

i seem to have a problem
going on within my brain
i need to write a poem
and it's causing me much pain

the subject of the poem
today is meant to be
miscommunication
and what it means to me

a grand misunderstanding
of meaning, speech or words
but nothing comes to mind at all
this prompt is for the birds

i understand the concept
but that's to no avail
unless i write some words quite soon
i fear that i may fail

so please, remove my writer's block
i feel i'm at a junction
this miscommunication gig
is causing brain malfunction

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

to simply be

i used to walk for exercise, oh indeed, a dedicated stride through the village, past the church and the school, along the foreland and along the seaside path which runs behind the garden centre.
if the weather was good, i walked and congratulated myself on my lowering blood pressure, my soon to be vanquished cholesterol and my self discipline... if the weather was iffish ... well, i stayed at home, watched the telly and ate another bar of chocolate!

now, i walk no matter what the weather.
when muni stops to sniff (such a dedicated sniffer), i stop, lift my head, feel the breeze on my face and breath in the salty smell of seaweed or the rather forgettable stench of freshly manured fields, whatever the village has on offer for a particular day!

muni stops a lot and stares ... at what , who knows? the country is an exciting/scary place when you are six months old and your previous home was a kennel, somewhere on the outskirts of london.
today we stopped to stare at the lambs, alone i don't get near them, with a dog companion ... they are interested and inquisitive. i think they feel her youthful energy and are attracted to her.
later we stopped and stared at an absolutely empty field, eventually i started to notice how the short, ungrazed grass was blowing and rippling in the breeze.

i no longer walk to exercise, i walk to look, to breathe, to simply be.

day 25

For today's prompt, I want you to pick an event; make that event the title of your poem; and then write a poem. Think birthday. Think holiday. Think whatever.

eat, drink and be merry

minado japanese restaurant
long island
new york
eat as much as you like
buffet
special occasions
welcome home, happy anniversary
goodbye forever
i love you
an endless array
of japanese dishes
hot, cold, sweet, sour
soft, crispy
a celebration of over indulgence
no limits
except those imposed by appetite
food to flirt over
an abundance to argue over
did you ever imagine
that there would be
a last time

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 24

For today's prompt, I want you to write a travel-related poem. It can be human travel, the migration of swallows, the trafficking of drugs, etc. Some sort of movement from point A to point B


the journey

once beguiled by an unimagined future
i would, with very little thought
pack my bags, impatient to be gone
perhaps i should have questioned
gone from what, gone to where
why did i, so very much desire to be
somewhere else, nowhere in particular
merely a new and different place
another town or country or continent
where although the sun still rose and set
the light held a strange newness
where birds greet the unborn dawn
with a song unique to this traveler's ear
i flew from you and to you, entwining
to them and from them, unraveling
the past falling away in the distance
as i traversed the never ending road

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 23

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem of regret. Get creative with this one, but there should be some form of regret either expressed or hinted at (even if ever so slightly). You do NOT have to use the word "regret" in the poem, though it's fine if you do.

waste

the ache of error
a remorseful refrain
a little goes a long way
guilt and regret
self indulgent wasteful emotions
the past is done
bewailing our mistakes
does nothing to right them
learn from yesterday
forgive yourself
forget

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 22

For today's prompt, I want you to write a work-related poem. Work doesn't have to be the main feature of the poem, but I want you to "work" it in somehow. And remember: There are different types of work. Of course, there are the activities that gain you fortune and fame (or not), but then, there's also housework, exercise, volunteering, etc. I'm sure you'll "work" it out


all work and no play


work can be good
if you love what you do
if you do it with pride
while your monies accrue
wake up in the morning
somewhere to go
a purpose to living
a future to grow

i worked for some years
in the days of my youth
i worked to earn money
and that is the truth
i did not like doing
what other folk said
following orders
a process i dread

one day i got married
and baby made three
cooking and cleaning
more suited to me
more time to think
more time to be free
enjoying my life
with a kid on my knee

now i am older
a pension is mine
no need to work
i can play with my time
i write, i may study
travel and read
grow flowers in a planter
i don't have to weed

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 21

1. Write a haiku.

rolling thunder storm
loud enough to wake the dead
tonight the frog sings

2. Write about the haiku.

i don't like writing haiku
i find it much too hard
consisting of such short thoughts
my mental flow is marred

i think it's very clever
and if you can you should
but me, myself i'd rather
go outside and chop wood

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 20

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem of rebirth.

no pain

he disappeared inside himself
and waited for time to pass
no pain if he hides deep enough
living in the grey is unacceptable
society objects to the disconnection
they subject him to the mind menders
who prod and question and insist
they ply him with happy pills
medication to encourage rebirth

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 19

today's prompt is to write an angry poem. That is, a poem about someone or something that gets angry. Could be a person, animal, or even them there angry clouds. As usual, I'm excited to see which unexpected directions y'all take with this prompt.

the final freedom

my rage reassures me, i am right
you are wrong, blind, intransigent
i am indubitably superior
my ego dances with delight
blood rushes to my brain
my pulse pounds
anger is a red emotion
as powerful as lust
to feel it rising, taking over
to allow myself the loss of control
is the final freedom
we wear our thin veneer of civilization
so proud and sure, one might imagine
an impenetrable coat of shining armour
beneath, an instant, a breath away
lies the animal instinct, the rage, the fear

All materials Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 18

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem with an interaction of some sort. The interaction does NOT have to be between people, though it can. For instance, you could write about the interaction between a bee and a flower; or an owl and a field mouse. Or just write about a traffic cop getting into an argument with a speeder. Just as long as there is some sort of interaction going on.

pub talk

sitting in the pub
perched on a stool
waiting for my cheeseburger
wondering if i should
have a beer
local farmers i suppose
four of them
"can't let a woman have a working dog"
"you are so right!"
"absolutely ruins the dog"
"women just don't understand"
"aye, no way should a woman
be allowed near a working dog"
"too much mollycoddling"
a tight knit group
drinks in hand, men with working dogs
obviously a superior species

All materials Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 17

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem with the following title: "All I want is (blank)," where you fill in the blank with a word or phrase of your choosing. Some example titles, then, could be: "All I want is to eat fried chicken"; "All I want is world peace"; "All I want is for everyone to tell me I'm beautiful"; or "All I want is a handful of quarters."


all i want is one more day with you


just an ordinary day, nothing special
one more day to be held in your arms
to laugh and hold hands
one more day to hear your voice
to talk and talk
one more day to sit in the shade
and together, find the meaning of life
one more day to thank you

all i want is one more day
in which to take the time
to do and say all the small things
so often neglected in the rush
of the day to day

all i want is one more day with you

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 16

mamma mia! was it my idea to take up a challenge to write a poem a day for the WHOLE month of april?? yoiks! i must be crazy, i mean, i know i am ... crazy, what i mean is crazier than usual. i have reached my boredom threshold, the thought of writing another poem to order ... ughhh.

poetry should flow from the mind, the heart, the soul,the very fibre of one's being.it should flow, not be pumped out, day after day.
at times i have such a need to write, to empty my head of the words which assail me. those times, i will write poem after poem until i am satiated.
sometimes i will not write for weeks or months!

no matter - a challenge is a challenge - so be it! a poem a day until april's end.




For today's prompt, I want you to pick a color, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem that is inspired by that color.

pink

remember summer
the almost endless days
hot sun skin, prickly pink
slow and lazy with the heat
sipping a glass of white grenache
sweetly pink and cold as ice
the crimson sun falls
into the darkness
the sky hums pink
the dying light's bequest


Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 15

For today's prompt, I want you to take the title of a poem you especially like (by another poet) and change it. Then, with this new altered title, I want you to write a poem.

the rent man

"i know you are home!" said the rent man
as he peered through the dirty glass
he raised his hand and knocked again
with the dolphin made of brass
his new white van stood smart and proud
in the rubbish strewn back street
the engine purring soft and smooth
while the litter blew beneath
"i know you are there" he repeated
his voice was growing loud
in a neighbours house, a curtain twitched
soon enough there would be a crowd
behind the door with the dolphin
nary a creature stirred
everyone knew when the rent man came
even the cage bred bird
"three months rent you owe me
my patience has run out"
he turned away, then whipped around
and gave the door a clout
"tell them i came" said the rent man
as he peered at the house next door
"tell them i kept my promise
but next time i'll bring the law"
he strode away to his new, white van
he revved the engine hard
"i'm telling you i have had enough
you had best be on your guard"
the empty streets rejoiced
as the rent man drove away
soon there were children playing
the end of another day

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

original title
The Listeners by Walter de la Mare

day 14

First prompt: Write a love poem.

a child of chance

i looked up and you were there
small and neat and unusual
my pulse quickened with delight
my heart, once lost and cold
trembled with the hope of healing
a step closer and you were in my arms
time slowed and a universe was born
our own creation, a safe harbour
for two, for me, for you, for tomorrow
was our love a child of chance
or destiny at last fulfilled

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann






Second prompt: Write an anti-love poem.


love is like

love is like the chicken pox
it appears suddenly
progresses rapidly
it itches and hurts
you end up covered in scabs
which you have a need to scratch
beware, should you do so
you will be scarred for life
as with all things natural
eventually it passes

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

the passion

day 13

prompt - hobby or hobbies


the passion

what is a hobby
something we do
or make, or perform
or create
in order to while away
the time
in order to keep busy
and have no need to think
unless of course
the doing, the making
the performing
creating
holds us so enthralled
that without question
we must follow our bliss
in which case
it would not be a hobby
but a passion

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 12

prompt - "So we decided to (blank)" and fill in the blank."


so we decided to keep talking

communication is important
at the very least
an attempt should be made
it is difficult to speak
when you are scared shitless
and slightly inebriated

the light of the moon
softened the unfamiliar
eoghan cleared his throat
pursed his lips
and pronounced loudly
to all and sundry

in that undeniably poncy accent
he oft times affects
when he is looking for trouble
"my friend here intended no offence
he merely stated his preference ...
for a pint of guinness"

the fire crackled and sparked
a slight breeze
billowed the wood smoke in our direction
silence fell
the strangers turned their attention
on my friend eoghan

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day eleven

day 11

prompt - write a poem about an object (or objects)

the knife

damn, that swiss pocket knife was an excellent buy
of cause it was one heck of a long time ago
but, twelve rand for a swiss pocket knife...
all red and shiny with a white cross
quite a weight in the hand, it had everything
and, in your hands, it could do anything
i bought it at king's sports shop, pietermaritzburg
a birthday gift for my still fairly new husband
man you loved that knife, it never left your pocket
anything required cutting, screwing or general prodding
out came your knife, you could fix anything
that knife fitted you hand as if it was part of you
now your knife lives in the drawer next to my bed
i don't carry it with me, i am afraid i will lose it
when i hunger for the touch, the comfort of you
i scrabble through my ever untidy drawer and find it
that red knife with the white cross,
the multiple blades, the cork screw, the toothpick
i hold it tightly, my thumb rubs it's scarred casing
your knife, my knife, the knife

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 10

prompt - friday

friday strikes


friday is the snake of the week
it greets silently
nothing special, another work day
as the day wears on
friday coils around your ankles
with honeyed promise
much later the friday snake
slyly, trips you
you sit up bemused and wondering
friday strikes

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 9

prompt - memory

the scream

memory
the greatest gift
the most terrible...
memories of boundless joy
and unbearable pain
beyond our control
biding time
memory waits!

i remember my first born
my colicky baby
we had waited...
six long years for her
visions of pink and white
sweet baby smell
new born innocence
hah!

i remember the reality
the dirty nappy shock
no sleep ...
most of all i remember
pacing up and down
jiggling my first born
rocking her, singing soft
singing loud!

i remember colic
will i ever forget
a screaming infant...
obviously in pain
nothing to do but comfort
and wait it out
i walked, i waited
i muttered!

i remember that baby face
red with pain and rage
i peer down...
time's ever moving corridor
i watch her grow, mature
i see her tragedies
and her triumphs
my daughter

remembering is never having to forget ...

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 8

prompt - routine or routines

a somewhat routine procedure


i wake up and ponder
the new breaking day
and if it's worth rising
or if i should stay
tucked up in my covers
as quiet as a mouse
avoiding the cleaning
required for the house
but no i must waken
and leap from my bed
make coffee, go downstairs
start smoking instead


old habits die hard
i've heard people say
some habits die fast
as i found out today
a sweet little puppy
is just what i need
so i went out and found one
i did, oh indeed!
this morning i woke up
and leaped out of bed
the pup needs to wee
and the pup should be fed

so ... i did have a routine
which now is no more
if i wait and make coffee
there's a pee on the floor
first thought when i wake is
get up and get out
you can't lie and ponder
when a dog is about
get dressed, get your boots on
it's time for her walk
the sun's almost risen
dog owners don't balk

i guess from now on
my routine will be
leap straight out of bed
take the dog out to wee
then feed her and walk her
take time out to play
then... relax with a coffee
and ponder our day
old habits die hard
but when i see her face
i'm left with no routine
not even a trace


Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day seven

Prompt #1: I want you to write a clean poem. Take this however you wish. Clean language, clean subject matter, or cleaning the dishes. Of course, some twisted few will automatically link "cleaning" with hired hitmen. That's okay, as long as your poem is somehow linked to clean.



whiter than white

some people
are cleaner than others
you know
they rub and they scrub
they stitch and sew
their houses are shrines
to the stern god of clean
if there are gaps
well they scrub in between
the washing flaps whiter than white
on the line
so neatly pegged out
these folks take the time
to do what they must
in the very best way
and never leave things
for a still to come day
the furniture shines
the bedding is fresh
the children all glow
from their over washed flesh
if they drink from a cup
it is soon washed and dried
put back in the cupboard
where cups should abide
the windows are cleaned
once a week if not more
the sun's pouring in
making beams on the floor


how i wish my house looked
as perfect as theirs
you would never find dust
not even upstairs
but somehow i find
i have so much to do
like sleeping and smoking
and going to the zoo ...

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day six

prompt - write a poem about something missing. It can be about an actual physical object or something you just can't put your finger on (like "love" or "the spirit of Christmas" or something).


a matter of distance

once, there were two
i found them on a dusty shelf
elegant, waiting for me
who else would want them?
two brass herons, for a pound

i took them home
they stood on the corner
of the walnut bookcase
shiny, yellow brass
against the dark wood

now there is one
tall, polished, brass heron
alone on the shelf
of the dark wood bookcase
in the shadowy hall

the other, the missing...
at home in another place
with a different time
how many years did they share
side by side

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day five

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem about a landmark. It can be a famous landmark (like Mount Rushmore or the Sphinx) or a little more subdued (like the town water tower or an interesting sign).



The good ship "Varyag"

if you ever come to scotland
and you drive the ayrshire coast
when you reach a place called lendalfoot
you'll hear the people boast

we have a mighty monument
down there besides the waves
it's big and bronze and russian
to mark a great ship's grave

she rests beneath the firth of clyde
not a long way from the shore
her history is told in tales
and sung in songs of yore

fifteen ships surrounded her
demanding her surrender
her crew they fought with bravery
in order to defend her

they fought until they could no more
still they refused to yield
they scuttled the ship "varyag"
and so her fate was sealed

the japanese recovered her
in nineteen hundred five
they sailed her as the "soya"
her legend was alive

eventually they sent her back
eleven years along
the russian's were to celebrate
in prayer and dance and song

in nineteen hundred seventeen
the ship set sail once more
this time to undergo repairs
upon a british shore

the october revolution
caused the russians to forget
the brave ship "varyag"
had still not sailed home yet

they sold her to the germans
sailed her up the firth of clyde
when she reached our lendalfoot
she hit some rocks and died

so if you drive by lendalfoot
make sure you stop and see
the famous russian monument
which means so much to me!

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann


the story of the "Varyag" and a photo of the monument may be found ...

"http://www.russiatoday.ru/Top_News/2007-09-09/Scotland_perpetuates_memory_of_Russian_warship.html

day four

prompt - For today’s prompt, I want you to pick an animal; make that animal the title of your poem; then, write a poem.


the english bullterrier


I am Munnin of Ragnarok
what's that you say ...
funny sounding name, huh, peasant!
google it.
my ancestry is excellent
my mama is Bilboen Lucifer's Daughter
oh yes indeed ...
impressed now are you?
Terjo Lord of the Ring is my papa
your eyes widened there!

we are big boned and beautiful
my mouth is show perfect
why are my ears bandaged?
obviously you are one of the ignorant
occasionally, my perfectly formed
pointy bullie ears, well ...
they flop, flopping is not good
hence the ear gear!
it is a passing phase
soon my ears will point wickedly at the sky

who might you be human?
tell me your ancestry
pure mongrel you say...
and not young either
your hair is quite silver
and to be honest
your teeth have seen better days
your legs still look pretty sturdy
perhaps if i decide to take you
i will still be able to walk you for a while.

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day three

prompt - "the problem with ..... "




"the problem with christmas"

there's a problem with christmas?
well yeah, what can i say ...

christmas is expensive
buying, buying, buying
all those gifts that nobody really wants
in the beginning
i am in control
then as the big day draws closer
panic takes over
forget the budget, flash the credit card


and exhausting...
indeed!
shopping is bad enough
christmas shopping is way outside of awful
small sticky handed creatures rampaging
yep! i said rampaging and
i meant it
small feet stamping, their sweet voices ...

christmas day dawns
the day after christmas eve
time to wake up and work
why do they call it "the holidays"
it takes an alarm clock to wake me up
that early!
a really big turkey takes a while
to grow all crispy and gold and succulent

thinking vegetarian
wonder how long one of those nutty roasts
needs to cook for
probably not that long, hmmm...
not a chance, thinking
mutiny, insurrection, would follow
no way my carnivorous kin
would fall for that one

the family arrive
the adult children argue about acorns, architects
anything actually!
the youngsters leap around in an excess
of energy
knocking things over and continually
asking for something to drink
what's with kids and "i'm sooo thirsty" anyway?

finally, we sit...
months of planning, hours of execution
the table groans
christmas crackers crack and wine spills
adults read their mottos with glee
while the kids fight over the cracker gifts
we drink, we eat, too much
we remember the year the table cloth caught fire

the problem with christmas ...
there is a problem with christmas?
must have slipped my mind
i'm warm and full of good food
my family are chatting and dozing around the fire
i can smell the good coffee, almost ready...
there must have been a problem
i'm sure i'll remember before next christmas ...

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

day 2 - poem a day challenge

prompt word - outsider




the distance


was he born an outsider
or did it grow within
the distance, the difference
which separates him

he lives in his own world
looks out through the bars
his perceptions quite altered
through autism's scars

he practiced a smile
though he did not know why
he is learning control
as the years pass on by

he wants to hold tight
but he must turn away
avoiding eye contact
a price he can't pay

he used to strike others
with rage bubbling out
releasing his fear
with a fist and a shout

now he waits and he watches
he follows the crowd
he still is confused
but he's doing us proud

when he meets people now
they really don't know
the struggle he has
just to go with the flow

so son, turn your back
i will hold from behind
in the way you can bare
in the way which is kind

"hold me tight nan" he says
"it makes me feel better"
and "oh by the way
do you like my new sweater"

"rub my shoulders"... so tight,
with the burden of living
in a world which is strange
and fraught with misgiving

an outsider, for ever
is that who you'll be
trapped in a mind
which will not set you free

Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann

the april poem a day challenge

thanks to margo moon of the starr ann chronicles for alerting me to this competition!
organized by robert lee brewer of writer's digest - poetic asides, those of us of a somewhat poetic bent, are challenged to write a poem (inspired by a prompt) a day for the month of april...
yoiks!

thought i would share my effort for the 1st april 2009 on the unfolding enigma blog ...


two perfect crystal glasses

driving through the bushveld
on our way from somewhere
going nowhere in particular
the road, long, black
shimmering with mirages
there it stood, a farm stall
more of a lean to really
built of cracking planks, grey with age
and a rusty corrugated iron roof
the sign was large and clear
"ice cold homemade ginger beer"
the car tyres abandoned the smoothness
deserting the tarmac for the bump and slide
of the stony, dusty roadside
as he hit the brakes
the sound of sliding gravel
the motor died
the country silence engulfed us
i open the car door and swing my legs out
my new white sneakers land with a plop
on the thick dust and gravel
i glance down at my shoes
now coated with a fine red film
the angry heat sears my throat
the air is as dry as a dowager's skin
we lope over to the semi shade
where the rusty iron roof juts out a little
behind the makeshift counter is a smiling face
and a tin bath, full of ice, somewhat melted
swimming in the almost frozen water
old two litre cola and lemonade bottles
long emptied of their original contents
filled now with that nectar of the gods
"ice cold homemade ginger beer"
happily, we bartered money for liquid sustenance
the work worn hands which accompanied the smiling face
lifted a full bottle from the bath
it rested on the stained and dusty counter
melted ice and the dew of evaporation
sliding down the bottle
gathering in a wet ring
where wood and plastic meet
the smiling face turned and from beneath the counter
produced, two perfect crystal glasses

All materials Copyright © 2009 by Eryll Oellermann