Back to Routine, More or Less

Well, I made myself a promise last month that I would start blogging at least weekly once the Poem-a-Day Challenge was over.  Thanks to everyone who followed my daily posts, even if you only read some of them.  It was a fun and productive month - I really enjoyed doing the double prompts and I think I got at least a few pretty good poems out of it.  And I submitted five of my best to Robert Brewer, the Poetic Asides blogmeister, for his annual contest.  He picks his top 50 from all the entries (one of mine was #2 last year) and the winner is declared Poet Laureate of Poetic Asides, a one-year honorary title with all the perks that come with it.  (Actually, just a feature and bragging rights, but I certainly wouldn't mind winning.) Now I have to get off my lazy duff and start submitting to journals again - the only submission I have out there is to Lucid Rhythms, and I'm getting a little pessimistic about that one because I submitted over three months ago.

No real big news this time around - it's hard to believe summer is already almost upon us, and we have to help our teenager make plans for the summer: a job? summer camp? volunteer work?  Staying home all day to surf the net, snack and watch TV is not an option.  My summer starts with that workshop conference in Cape Cod with Marge Piercy, followed the very next day with a wedding in suburban Philly, so we will have to boogie from Mass. to Jersey pretty quickly that Saturday morning. (At least it's an evening wedding.)

I'm very happy to see my friend Kelly Ramsdell Fineman having success with her wonderful new children's picture book, At the Boardwalk. I bought a copy for myself and one for my friends' grandson and got Kelly to autograph them.  It has Kelly's charming poem about a "day in the life" of a boardwalk (imagine your favorite one as you read the book) and beautiful pastel illustrations by Monica Armino. It's available at both Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

I have a feeling it's going to be a long season for Phillies fans.  As of now they are struggling just to get to .500, and their hitting seems even more woeful than last year, especially with Howard and Utley still out with injuries.  The starting pitching has generally been solid, though Roy Halladay last week had the worst outing of his Phillies career.  Hamels is looking even better than Halladay these days, and could be on his way to a Cy Young year, if he keeps his mouth shut about deliberately plunking batters.  We shall see, but I would not be surprised if they don't win their division for the sixth straight year.

Enough of this jibber-jabber, as Mr. T says - on to some poetry.  Here's the poem that appeared in this year's issue of US 1 Worksheets Vol. 57 (and came in second in Poetic Asides PAD challenge last year).


Postcard to the Ex

There’s a bear in the back yard
and piranhas in the kitchen sink.

The kids are dressing like clowns
and the bank took back the TV.

The car lost a wheel and a door.
Someone painted our windows black.

Your favorite chair caught fire,
and last night during the storm,

a huge tree limb crashed
through the bedroom ceiling

and onto your side of our bed.
Wish you were here.