Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

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Steve Plonk
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Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » October 3rd, 2013, 2:01 pm

VISITING THE ANIMAL HOSPITAL
By Steve Plonk

Old cats, old friends,
Lean in their crates like bookends,
Eighteen & thirteen are their ages,
Together they’ve booked many life’s pages…

Veterinarian aides arrive in the room,
Taking their vitals presently,
Each cat is aging differently…
Each one looking apprehensively
As the animal doctor arrives to check,
Each cat alternately is on deck.

As the sun rises into the sky,
From morning to noon,
Blood tests come back from
The laboratory room,
Each dear cat makes a plaintive cry…

Old cats, old friends,
Lean in their crates,
Once again, like bookends,
Getting test results & a reprieve,
As their caretaker thanks
Doctor & staff & prepares to leave…

Sun shines like a large soup spoon,
As morning becomes an
Autumn afternoon…
Cats begin purring as they’re
Leaving the hospital room.

**Inspired by the lyrics of “Bookends”,
By Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » October 30th, 2013, 10:59 am

HALLOWEEN AGAIN
By Steve Plonk

Halloween Halloween...
What a beautiful costumed scene.
People knock at the door,
Asking "Trick or Treat?"
A treat is what's in store.

Chewy sweets, & those sweets
Which melt in your mouth,
Gum & hard candy to chew.
Most candy wrapped like new.
A mummer's holiday,
An Autumn party time,
A time for favors & new flavors,
Halloween Halloween...

Candy corn & raisinettes bean,
Little ghosts & goblins at the portal,
Giggles, laughs, guffaws & chocolate chortle...
Halloween Halloween...
Halloween time again,
Welcome old acquaintances & friends...
See my new pattern,
For a jack 'o' lantern...


Also similarly published in my "Amazing Dawn Poems, Part 3" in Algonquin's Table Poetry Zone.

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » November 17th, 2013, 2:41 pm

LARKSPUR, THE LAST DRAGON (slight return)

By Steve Plonk

I am Larkspur, the last true dragon…
Before I die & rot, I let fly my horror—
In my dark dank cave of mire,
I breathe upon humankind
One last scorching fire…

I presently frighten only little children
So they are afraid to sleep at night…
Speaking of loneliness, & what I fear…
Besides, my worst fright is my disgrace—
The fact is, to be kind, is that I
Am the last full-blooded one of my cursed race…

Once, as legend says, we were many
Now we are the loneliest number…
I sing you a song of the Dirge of the Dragon…
Who, pitifully, is poor & piebald & almost done…
The she-dragon has gotten ill & died…
It is up to me to hatch the eggs
I am worried that none will hatch…

***

LARKSPUR, THE LAST DRAGON (Finale)

By Steve Plonk

I, Larkspur, the last true dragon
Sit here on my eggs hoping
That they will hatch
Especially, hoping that one will be
A she dragon…
Lately, all I’ve had to eat was
Pillbugs & cow dung—
No human beings are in sight this day…

No, it just ain’t my day
Sneg is frowning on me
The snow is blowing out of his crystal mouth—
My cave is warm from my smoky breath…
I’ve heated the rocks from my breath so long,
That I have a sore throat/
***
My dead comrade would laugh sardonically at
Me & my sore throat/
What a pathetic end I’ve come to…
What a scorned being I’ve become
Well, here I sit in the dull red gloomy light of
My phosphorescent cave sitting on my eggs…
Wait, is there something stirring in the eggs?!
Something is indeed stirring in the eggs!

Also see: "Poems from my folders 5" & "Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 3"

“LARKSPUR’S DRAGON FAMILY, Part 3”

By Steve Plonk

Since hibiscus is in bloom, in June,
I’m cajoled…
New tales shall be told,
Come young, come old—
Hear my tales of
Counter spells & gladness—

Herein is the tale of
Resurgence of dragons,
Larkspur & Family—
Larkspur found other eggs
Beneath the big egg he was
Sitting on…Three male &
Three female dragons hatched
Out of the eggs…

Fortunately, Larkspur had
Found some cattle
To feed on & bring
Back to his brood in spring…
Real angus food…
Hibiscus was in full bloom,
By the time the dragons
Reached puberty from
Their childhood of winter...

As you know, dragons breed
Like rabbits, so, take heed, there were
More families forming as we speak,
From the six siblings, flying fur,
Soon there were thirty-six dragons,
Turning big & brave in the large cave…

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » November 26th, 2013, 1:32 pm

SWEET GHOSTS OF ARLINGTON

by Steve Plonk

When I was a young scout, I planted flags at Arlington, in 1960,
Soon thereafter, we scouts walked a fifty-mile hike near there
Then back to where Wolf Trap Farm (sic) theater is today...
I planted flags near the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers...
Later on in my life I walked that hallowed soil, guards opened the gate
Again in late April 1971, as a young college student,
During the "Festival of Life",
V.V.A.W. Anti-war protest &
Earth Day protests, we veterans walked to Arlington...
We planted flags near both Kennedys' graves
I remember the feelings I got as I saw
Strange orbs near the graves at dusk...
Sweet ghosts of Arlington still haunt me in dreams...
Maybe my friends saw orbs, too--
Like reflections of the sun on the camera lense.
I took my glasses off and still saw them both times--
It was near my "confirmation day" when I saw orbs the first time--
I didn't tell either the preacher or the bishop--
Yes, again I saw the orbs huge balloon-sized circles of light--
In the spring of 1971 the ghosts of Arlington still haunt me...
I didn't tell my comrades then, but I tell you now...
May God have mercy on the
Sweet Ghosts of Arlington.
May they finally find peace.


Published in Litkicks.com’s “Action Poetry” on Aug. 2, 2007.
Reprinted here for new readers. Reprint Rights retained by author.

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » December 17th, 2013, 4:30 pm

A WHISTLING IN THE WINDS
By Steve Plonk

A whistling in the winds
Reminds me of the meowing
Of my feline friends,
No longer with us,
Parted now with the ages…

First there was “Binks”,
A snowshoe domestic black cat,
Then there was "Luke",
A black Tennessee tuxedo
Siamese mix,
I still hear them…

Now the”Duchess of Plum”
Most recently…
Whistling in the winds,
Sounds the calls of my
Kitty cat friends,
As my memory bends,
With them sitting here
Beside me purring…
Parted now with the ages…

Sweet memories
Keep occurring
Such wonderful
Memories yet,
Of my sweet pets…
Messages in the breezes…

Then around the
Time of "Binks",
There was “Tiger”
Who ran away,
Never to be seen again…
We still look for you,
My furred friend…
With grief in many stages…


--Dec. 17, 2013

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » December 24th, 2013, 4:39 pm

"Just Around the Corner"


by Steve Plonk

Just around the corner
If memory has served,
Comes happiness and sorrow,
All the pennies I have earned.
Just around the corner,
Where the old oak tree grows,
Waits my old true love,
While I bring her a rose.
Just around the corner,
I'm only just eighteen,
Take me from this concrete jungle,
These city streets are mean.
Just around the corner,
I just turned twenty-one
I took no counsel, you see,
Learned the hard way,
Of how not ought to be.
Just around the corner
Of any city street,
There are restaurants I worked
Which served good gravy,
To keep one's feet so fleet.
Just around the corner
When I was twenty-three
As an answer to a prayer,
I saw a twenty dollar bill,
Just lying there.
Just around the corner
When all the skies were blue,
I wished to meet my own true lover,
I was glad when I found you.
* * *

Part 2--
Just around the corner
After the rain had come
We picnicked in the park
Under dappled shade
Beneath the trees,
Listening to the chirping of birds,
Watching waving flowers,
Hearing buzzing of bumble bees,
As we took our ease--
Just around the corner
We went down to the public beach
By the sea,
Heard gentle waves lapping on the shore,
Against a gentle breeze,
After the rain had come--
At New Smyrna Beach
Just around the corner,
After the rain had come,
We were basking in the sun.

As published on May 6, 2006, on Litkicks.com’s Action Poetry, in slightly differing form.
Reprinted in “Blasting Caps from the Vault, Part 5”, Dec. 24, 2013.

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » March 14th, 2014, 1:38 pm

“JB Scat Poem”
By Steve Plonk

Bustin Jeiber
Eats xanax like candy,
Keeps cannabis handy,
Thinks “Lonestar Beer”
Is just dandy,
Shows his butt,
Dances with his strut…
The hammers
On the tentacles
Of Time will
Pound his head smooth…

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » March 14th, 2014, 11:40 pm

“We Are All Broken”


By Steve Plonk

We are all broken
In some way,
“There is no strength,
Just differing degrees
Of weakness…”
I heard that somewhere
Long ago…
G-d is where our
Strength comes from.
S/he saves it for us
For when we need it…
***
All of us have done
Something which
Should not see the light of day…
We are all guilty of something:
A twisted phrase,
A callous remark,
We are cracked, pinched,
Wasted & worn,
Tired, torn, & windblown--
We see things through
Smoked glass, &
Are lucky, at times,
To get the big picture…
G-d weighs our lives
On a scale,
But G-d is not a talent scout,
S/He loves us all the same…
***
We are all beings in a creation
Which for the most part is good…
Evil lurks like the devil to fool us
Into false pride, feelings of iron,
But we are only human,
We must trust the Creator to
Send us a sign,
To show us a way out
Of the predicament of disease,
War, aging, & death…
Life well lived has
Quite a measure of providence,
There, for the grace of G-d we go…
May we all find that inner peace.

Author's Note: Also see this poem in Action Poetry @ Litkicks.com,
submitted March 20, 2014.

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » July 16th, 2014, 5:39 pm

OBSERVATIONS WHILE IN FLIGHT, CONTINUED
By Steve Plonk

I love my Dad
I love my Mom
I love my wife
My daughter, blond-headed one.
Never forget
That fifty years from now
We’ll love you all yet.
The spirit is willing
The flesh melts away.
***
My trousers have holes
I sewed them up
My shirts have holes
I sewed them up
My shoes have holes
I patched them up
My soul has holes
I prayed them up.
***
When two or three
Are gathered in God’s name
The Spirit abides
The flesh is made plain
The hair on the neck
Stands on end
You die and are born
Again in a NEW spirit
Life flows like new wine.

Published in LitKicks.com,
Reprised here in a slightly differing form.

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » August 11th, 2014, 10:26 pm

ON ELDER COWEE MOUNTAIN: A Lyrical Dream

By Steve Plonk

On Elder Cowee Mountain…
Way past clouds & rain & distant thunder
Beyond super bright moon ,
Peeping through nightclouds...
Our pets have gone home…
Our pets have no more pain,
Disease, or sorrow,
They are bathed in glimmers of rainbow light…
In the world of tomorrow…
***
In a sunny nook of heaven,
Elder Cowee Mountain stands,
It is the place
Where animals go
When God has heavenly plans…
Our animals now through with
Their life on the land below…
Rainbow air & river swirls
Around Cowee Mountain,
A place of perfect peace,
As pretty as can be,
A little hill in heaven is a
Place animals may finally be free…
***
On Elder Cowee Mountain,
Caretakers have angel wings
As they fly about giving hands,
Vegetables grow like gardens,
There are meatstick trees called:
“Meatfans”.
Breadfruit trees abound in groves,
Angelic beekeepers, in droves,
Provide honeybees with honeycomb trees…
All bees are friendly because they have no enemies…
There is no disease, nor need for vaccines,
Angelic caretakers watch over the pastoral scene—
Lions are so friendly, they lie down with the lambs,
Breadfruit trees are noted on Cowee Mountain,
There are no enemies,
All get an equal share at “waterhole lake”,
Bounty comes in equal shares at the Vitamin B-12 springs,
A benevolent winged Lion King watches over, while he sings…
***
On Elder Cowee Mountain,
All animals are friends,
They’re polite & share alike,
Take turns …
Weather is wonderful on the Mountain,
At the lake on the riverbend,
The heavenly hill is covered with pets:
Like, dogs & cats, rabbits & guinea pigs,
Horses, mules, burros all roam happily…
On Elder Cowee Mountain,
Way past snowclouds,rain, & distant thunder
Beyond super bright moon ,
Peeping through nightclouds,
Our pets have gone home…
Our pets have no more pain,
Disease, or sorrow,
They are bathed in glimmers of rainbow light…
In a sunny nook of heaven,
Elder Cowee Mountain stands…
A part of God’s plans…
A tapestry on God's loom,
For heaven has plenty of room.

May-June 2014, Also see "Firefly Poems, Part 1" in Poets in the Attic's "The Attic"

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » August 17th, 2014, 12:07 pm

END OF THE LINE: AN ELEGY FOR ROBIN WILLIAMS, Actor.

By Steve Plonk

He took a trip to the end of the line
He told the world that he was not fine
He broke his neck & he cracked his spine
He took a trip to the end of the line

His life was hell in that morbid room
Where he was discovered one afternoon
There should be an inquest to light up the gloom
End of the line....End of the line...
The world found out that he was not fine.

Robin lived a generous life, it's true
He was there for friends feeling blue,
What happened in his mind, that last night?
What happened to cause an unwind
So that he couldn't see the next light?

They say he appeared to die by his hand,
But I didn't see that part of the plan,
He boarded the ship at the end of the line
He took that last trip at the end of the line.

Oh Robin, I know your folks miss you so,
Why is it you took this time to let go?
They said too much, they didn't say enough,
What killed you, must make us tough...

You were a hero to many & fought the good fight,
Where were helping hands on that last night?
You needed to take your own advice,
Before you succeeded on giving your ice...

The ice man came & took you away,
You didn't live to see that next day,
You join some of your friends long passed away,
It's hard to find words to know what to say.

‘Rest in peace’ is the best I can do...
You're a better man than me,
I hope your soul flew...
I hope your soul is rested in a quiet place...
With no more demons giving you chase...

Also submitted, Aug. 14, 2014, to “Please Write a Poem Today” ,Action Poetry, Litkicks.
In addition, I posted this poem on my thread, Chat Spot, on page 18, on Aug. 14, 2014.
Posted here as a reprise. Thanks to my readers.

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » September 23rd, 2014, 8:18 am

SUMMER OF MY LIFE IS GONE
By Steve Plonk

This is my sixty-fifth Autumn, & summer is gone,
Time doesn't wait, it keeps moving on,
In a month or so, I'll be traveling in the air,
Then my plane will land in Frisco,
Way the rocky hills out there. 8) :)

When we're going to San Francisco,
We'll wear mellow petunias in our hair,
We'll put on our rose-colored glasses
Smile at all the Californians out there.

We'll keep our mind free of care,
See the sights, & visit one of
Our favorite family members,
It being a cool October rather
Than a hot September...
***

My summer is gone
But my soul is a burning ember,
I just entered October of my life,
Being out of September...

Those of you who remember
That fractious fellow,
Be advised that I'm turning mellow--
Don't wanna be a trash can grouch,
Don't wanna be a hot potato on my couch.

Just wanna take the time to smell the flowers,
Retire & work fewer hours...
Say a prayer for those growing older,
Who must save a nest egg, before
Winters getting colder... :)

Heading soon to the west coast,
Where the fog rolls up to meet us,
We'll hop off the jet plane,
With Nephew out to greet us...
My Daughter, my Wife, & I...
We'll give a high five & say "Hi!" :!:

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » January 31st, 2015, 6:08 pm

"CORNUCOPIA OF THE MIND"

By Steve Plonk

Lately after much search
I happened to find
The cornucopia of the mind--
I liked this mental Thanksgiving of ice cream...
A hedonistic nourishment
The mind desires ultimately
To find is contained in the
Suppression of pessimism--
***
To reach, to knock, to expect
An opening is what it is all about,
Then to rush through "the rabbit hole"
Before it all goes out of style...
To view the lost domain
To recreate to recapture bliss,
To never say deceased...
***
Just like of yore,
Written words may connect
With the psyche in such
A pleasuring way as to
Reach the bright lights,
The fountains in the center
Of the mind...
***
To trip, to fall forward into the mental abyss,
A circular frothy lake ringed by
Shores of fruit trees, docks with ships,
Airstrips with planes, & jet packs ready
For the mind to use...
***
Teenaged desires beckon just like
Fifty years ago,
We are transformed, refurbished
Into a new person,
Who has discarded cares,
In touch with an electric, laser-focused
Awareness of surroundings & culture...
***
As we emerge on shore
of the lost domain
We are immediately bombarded
By lost senses, dreams, & pleasures
We forgot through many years
Of mental frugal living--
Of unrealized potential...
***
Imagination is a cornucopia
Which celebrates living
Through our own body chemistry
Emotions just being part of the photos
Kaleidoscopically floating on
A mental screen before us...
***
I call it getting it on with Aoht,
The Wakan...
Way back in the imagination
An old mythology rears its
Multicolored head, like a
Shining neon star...
We become more than
Just the sum of our parts...
We are transfigured in our
Mental image into an orb of light.
***
Like in a dream, we forge on
Through the wormhole of the mind
To reconnect with old whimsical dreams.
Nothing is impossible,
Even the improbable
Becomes ever present.

Reprint from "Trip Trap Reprise", May 17, 2014 &
Action Poetry Archives 2004. Slightly differing form.

Steve Plonk
Posts: 2483
Joined: December 12th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Re: Blasting Caps From the Vault, Part 5

Post by Steve Plonk » December 16th, 2015, 12:59 pm

SUNSHINE, OUR FRIEND
By Steve Plonk

Sunshine, our friend
Sunshine, our friend
Light chases the storm clouds away
Sunshine, our friend.

Sunshine, our friend
Sunshine, our friend
Without your warming light
All life may come to an end
Sunshine, our friend.

Sunshine, our friend
Sunshine, our friend
You bring light to the day
You break away the night
You warm the birds in flight
Sunshine, our friend…

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