Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
 
help stop coronavirus - public service senryu

real danger that lurks
moments of forgetfulness—
wash your hands often

real danger that lurks
moments of forgetfulness—
cough into elbow

real danger that lurks
moments of forgetfulness—
stop touching your face

real danger that lurks
moments of forgetfulness—
stay six feet apart

real danger that lurks
moments of forgetfulness—
feel sick then stay home


© 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.

The 5 precautions are part of a public service announcement Google is running.  May we all keep ever vigilant in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3/18/2020 - Poetry form: senryu - © 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
These are the hands that will guide you to greatness,
These are the hands that will stay through the years,
These are the hands that will celebrate good times,
And these are the hands that will wipe away tears.

These are the hands that will love you forever;
When you are weak they will help you feel strong,
And, right now, since these hands are entwined together
These hands are precisely where they belong
Recently I was asked to write and perform a hand-binding wedding ceremony for two of the loveliest people I know while I was dressed as a dragon. It's definitely one of the best things I've ever done, and I doubt I'll ever do anything like it again! This is the poem I wrote for the special moment.
A world within a world without
Temptations sought, forth destruction brought
the truth the tongue forgot
to kiss the lips forgot
to caress the hands forgot
Truly a prisoner I became
When to write to me your fingers forgot

Within these walls
To love you my heart forgot not
 Mar 2020 Thulani Khumalo
Mari
My heart feels like
it's about to shut down
from all the truths
that only I know

People view me
as kind
selfless
heartfelt
with empathy

Yet once they witness
my darker side
this inner demon
that is always
a few steps behind me

Once they see
the ashes and smeared blood
tainted within my mind and heart

I am once again alone
alone to pick up the pieces 
of a love that never was

— The End —