We are all born into a room filled with many doors
The decisions we make decide which door will open and which will close
Until the end, when we find ourselves standing alone in the dark
With only one door left
Category: Free Verse
Coon Hunting
In the Dark I stand motionless
Staring across the moonlit landscape
We are together but I am alone
My thoughts consume me
The silence and isolation comforts me
My heart quickens as the music starts
A solitary howl piercing the night air
A crisp baritone shattering the stillness
Then silence and again the night possesses me
My ears strain against the quiet
Anticipating another chord
Suddenly the symphony begins
Ecstasy fills my body as the music reaches me
Echoing from far across the countryside
At first the arrangement is slow and melancholy
Soon the tempo increases
Their opus lifts me up and
I soar over dew covered fields
Through tree tops that sway in the breeze
My imagination joins them in their chase
The harmony of their voices fills my mind
Then I am shocked back to reality
With the sound of my father’s battle cry
“Whoop…Hunt ‘em up boys.”
His companions reply in a union of voices
My blood flushes my face
Long drawn out howls begin to crescendo
Again my father assails the night
With a shout to his comrades
“Whoop…Tree ‘em boys.”
Willed by my father’s voice the hounds respond
A chorus of choppy barks pierces the blackness
My heart quickens its beat
My pace increases
Anticipation takes control of my steps
Guided by the sound of the dogs
Holding their pray at bay
We slip through dense underbrush
Over tree covered hills
We cross frozen streams
Through meadows of frosted brown
Our search lights penetrate the fog
Hidden in the shadow of a tree branch
Eyes twinkle like stars in the sky
A single shot rings out
A thud…
Snarls…
Rustling leaves and breaking twigs
The final gasps for life
It is done
We lead the dogs away
My heart pounding in my chest
Wakenda Creek
My dear friend
Among your magnificent oaks
Your ghostly willows
Your towering maples
I honed my youthful imagination
I fought countless WWII battles
Hunted for elephants in the depths of Africa
With Frodo and Sam we searched
Through hollow logs for Elves and Orcs
As Captain Blackbeard
I pirated your waters for golden booty
I fished and hunted
Along your muddy banks
As I grew older
You exposed me to different fantasies
Secluded amid a cottonwood grove
Surrounded by fields of tall corn
And sweet smelling alfalfa
A wide-open night sky
With countless stars and a full summer moon
Gave me my first glimpse of heaven
I thank you for the many memories
A Vote for Nixon
The politicians danced around town
Telling all the people what they wanted to hear
Their promises came wrapped in the fine clothes of prosperity
Our town would ‘reap great rewards
Absolutely no one will be left out’ they shouted
They filled the air with hopes and dreams
All the men heard the news at town hall meetings
And gatherings around their watering holes
They carried it home to their wives
Those were happy days
Anticipating all the good things to come
The politicians came and went…
Their promises came and went…
Their prosperity never came at all.
Recluse
He locked his doors to keep people away
He locked his heart to keep from knowing the pain of love
He locked his mind to forget that he once had a choice
Because all choice has long ago abandoned him
Now he is a prisoner to his seclusion
Jerry Brotherton 