ritual

tofu pad thai
fried butterflies
pineapple rice

crab rangoons
chicken teriyaki
veggie lo mein
eggrolls

dinner Christmas Eve
leftovers through New Year's ...
well ...
Christmas Day anyway

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

dojo shadorma

intertwined
their fingers describe
extensive
designs on
erogenous islands of
unbridled delights

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

you

never doubt
you are an oasis
in which wet with tears
I genuflect
thankful for small miracles
miracles nonetheless

©2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

more

limbs extended open wide
a standing invitation
structural stability
upon which others'
infinite diversity
can grow
together
adding up to more

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by an M Macharia g+ photo promptt

patience

conversation begs for time
always in short supply
Caesar's demands wax out hand
leave little to get by
and so the ones who matter most
short shrifted say goodbye
don't go

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by a g+ post by Lucie Paris

short shrift

a long career
of constant strain
no herculean exertions
even
well thought out
with timely execution to a T
just as it should be

as twilight comes
the only sound
a rhythmic crunch of snow
as one departs alone
Festschrift empty

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

overhead

Poe and Hitchcock
they knew
the perfidy of the stickybeak
whether singular or en masse
supplanting blithe confidence with paranoia
and even when they're gone
one looks skyward with suspicion

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

face your fears

there is a monster 'neath my bed
and jagged teeth fill up his head
his arms are short but they have claws
they're best for scratching 'neath his jaw

when I was young he filled my mind
nocturnal terror all the time
'til when I reached the second grade
I found diplomacy was made
to build up trust and allay fear

a tête a tête one Friday night
my monster promised not to bite
except the cookies that we shared
and which I fed him laissez-faire

and so, fast friends without a hex
me and my asomatous rex

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

golden

campanology can be quite lucrative
thought the bell-ringer with the kettle to give
as I passed him a five
on my journey inside
and said "stop when I'm near if you want to live"

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

truth

reality has a complexion
that's far from an airbrushed perfection
if it's truth you would find
better salt what's in Time
with what's bruited in tabloid connections

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

voyeur

methinks yon poet strokes his glass
the beer within sets head a-spin
and dreams his hands upon a lass
abiding from afar

or is she just the stuff of smoke
next verse's gleam in conscious stream
Pygmalion might share this joke
perhaps another round

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Picasso's The Glass of Beer


predilection

inexorably drawn
nuances of form
pale
to heart and soul and mind
oh but how they work together

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Easton's Beach November

morning chill of fall
breeze subsides and sun provides
brief summer echo
wavelets lapping on the sand
warmth of sun on face and hands

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

resonance

moving near you
with you
or just seeing you

there's a bonus
to the smile and wave
the giggle
and the purposed stride

that turns the heat up
even more

we won't even mention dancing

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

dwindle

every goddess that I see
carves out a little piece of me
though who she is may not be clear
my heart imagines that she's dear
and would should caper hit the mark
offer up some bit of spark

to such a gray and tattered fool

sometimes If favored with a smile
some hope emerges for a while
only to turn to bittersweet
when my attentions force retreat
and in those eyes clouded with fear
reflections of this fool appear

my truth baldly revealed

mostly I continue on
a little more of me then gone
to dreams and wishes unfulfilled
while in it's place darkness instilled

but then a twinkle in my eye
completed with a smile that's wry
considering my complement
the company found where he went
and what they're all up to

clearly I must ... find portal through
perhaps the goddesses I view ...

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Colorado altitude

breathtaking view
bones of earth broken askew
heaved up and piled bounding the plain
telltale of some seismic mole
headed on a southward stroll

ascending elevations
among fantastic crenelations
breathless
craning neck to capture peaks
in home of elk and big horn sheep

given all this natural splendor
difficult not to surrender
enmity 'twixt all the tribes
in favor of global decree
to save earth for posterity

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

imbalance

symbiosis only works when there is give and take
and magnitudes of both alike
for if the thirst of one grows great
the name that's right is parasite
to fit the one who's slaked

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Heart Arts' The needs not by by red tape

pursuit

itching for a flight
unencumbered to the light
Icarus survived you know
blind and burned with phantom limbs
screaming in the night

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

the way to my heart

my love abides at Hurricane's each day
burrito breakfast you have claimed my heart
'tis lust not love some keen observers say
and in their eyes I see it from the start

eggs scrambled to perfection seasoned with
the playful bite of salsa mild not hot
add bacon's savory influence and dis-
appointment will most certainly be naught

and in your wrap coquettishly demure
your treasures steaming barely out of sight
I can't resist your scent and your allure
so hungry I could eat you in one bite

oh Hurricane's she is your finest meal
at any price her tastiness a steal

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

cycle

stress
leads to duress
and later we resign
and deign to sleep
after we weep

before
we begin
again

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Priya Patel's Fall Leaves.

elegant ascent

in evening's cool
on rocky shore
the moon is rising from the sea

the boys
they grunt and groan and heave
the bones of mother earth

inchoate goal
it seems to be
farthest out into the sound

but she
on edge of knotted mob
appears to count the stones

she sorts and weighs
with measured gaze
each of her candidates

until the one
so flat and round
so smoothly fit
into her hand

she strides
into that knotted mob
and with a practiced
underhand

silence
save the whiz and skip
as earth flies to the moon

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by the work of Katherine Johnson

thin line

I wish there never had to be
destroyers floating on the sea
vessels better than those of war
are research ships forged to explore
myst'ries of uncharted deep
finding knowledge they can reap

Cousteau and Ballard would approve

but even they by pedigree
know ideals are a purity
reality eschews
bad actors often make the stage
politicos who foment rage
and plunder from those whom they save

they beat the drums of war

so those destroyers on the sea
the stick against bad actors be
a practical necessity
demands we vote responsibly

lest we be dogs of war

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

thinly veiled

torrid dreamscape she's revealed
her supple curves aglow
beneath diaphanous veneer
of natural wand'rings it is clear
her passion carried always near
she's with me where I go
leisurely stroll about the hills
perhaps along the valley's rills
or where the surf's crescendo thrills
I hear her whispers sing
and as the day slips into night
dreamscape on wings surely takes flight
her hills alive as I alight
the rhythm gently builds
until the whispers turn to moans
and arching toward that sweet unknown
where parted lips and guiding hands
release the thunderstorm

rains and thunder soon recede
the dreamscape fades but not the need
her scent and feel the colors bleed
as dawn replaces night

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

agony

beach of rounded stones
appearances deceiving
barefoot walk to sea

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Reflection on Destruction

old school mirror
silver crazed
parting from the glass

image layers
fogged in haze
reaching through the past

crystal spaces
sharp and clear
dreams have gone to seed

edges splintered
slivers near
ripe for ink to bleed

every morning's
mirror gaze
richer several fold

underlying
any praise
reflection's getting old

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

tidal love affair

I sit upon the bones of earth where they
meet ocean's breath who gossips through the day
through countless ebb and flow the whisp'ring waves
beseech the bones of earth come and engage

to share some bit of grand terrestri'l lore
but silence only emanates from shore
indiff'rence does to silence not equate
the sea and shore exist at different rate

in time the shore responds to ocean's breath
his answer patience shows to her behest
the jagged countenance shore once displayed
is softened by the sea's caress allayed

oh would that I in bones of earth should melt
so ocean's love eternal could be felt

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

corporate acrostic

my work lends leaders clarity
unanimous acclaim
meets all my product output
by harmonious refrain
oh what a meaningful endeavor

just striking up the band
until the caco-PHONY is just slightly out of hand
marching to the drummer's beat
believing what we're told
oh goodness me we're lucky having leadership so bold

©2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

worumbo falls

when haunted houses go away
where do the nightmares go to stay
as bricks and mortar take the fall
their toxic visions come to call

they find while on their walk about
our spaces filled with fear and doubt
and with the dust that we breathe in
they form a bond with nascent sin

the whispering begins

it isn't long before their strife
becomes well marbled in our life
soon where we had love and friends
suspicion reigns supreme and lends

support to do what must be done
to save us from the other one
who's found her way within our midst
and wants to take what's ours

when haunted houses go away
where do the nightmares go to stay
we find their toxic vision's song
has been inside us all along

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Mark LaFlamme's Worumbo and the demolition of Lisbon Falls' mill of the same name.

box

the box they built in which I stay
keeps what I am and do at bay
not interfering with their say
in how the things are run

the rules they make keep me in line
reminding me from time to time
how I'm not worthy to opine
on how the things are done

sometimes I wish I were as grand
as those in line to run the land
their order class and phylum stand
above my ladder rung

the lack of fairness piques my ire
believing that they all conspire
in bondage real to keep me mired
while they have all the fun

the truth dawns with alarming pain
I recognize the sad refrain
who swallows all their crap profane
it's me I am the one

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

thirst

the well is deep
and dark
         ... and cold
the water rank
imbued with old
regrets
and wishes unfulfilled
and yet I stop
to drink

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Uma Ventrakman's It is elusive.

knight's respite

sleep sweet child
in the  calm of your recaptured innocence
the world and its cares
will impose themselves soon enough
for now in this oasis
rest in my arms while I hum a lullaby
letting me believe I played a part
in your rescue

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

relative

maybe the moth was minding its own business

affectation

I have a cunning cocktail glass
emblazoned with a shell
with rocks and spirit of my choice
it surely is a swell
accoutrement to help project
the image I desire
but 'bout it's cunning swizzle stick
I sorely am confused
does bulbous end go up or down
we're surely not amused

balance

beware euphoria love brings
supporting cantilever's stings
are equally compelling

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Luke Normsy's Eternity.

going through the motions

who are you today
the weight of calculation
must make you weary

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

spring eternal

wouldn't it just make your day
to see that look
you know the one
dissolve mirror's regret

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

blush

it's less about the things we do
     though parted lips
     and darting tongues
     with quickened breath
     and skin on skin
     friction
     just enough
     to make long dormant embers glow
     on edge ...
                       ...of open flame ...
     sounds nice
and more that i am into you
that makes the color rise

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

cross

it's
you
the one
who taught me
feelings are valid
eviscerates casually
with a simple glance
visual
a dis
of
me

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

different shoes

each coin two sides
no
make it three
the edge should not
discounted be

what seems like instability
is really
how we roll

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

chinks

where you doubt
and where you need
this is where the demons feed

the creases 'twixt your double chins
the places where your hair is thin

where paradigms not recognized
are challenged by those let inside

when expertise is proven false
and deferred passions raise their costs
beyond what hearts can bear

it never was about the thing
more dear was hearing people sing
your name in songs of praise

truth is your armor's full of chinks
and underneath balbriggan stinks

no wonder windmills never fall
now whence you go beneath this pall
for nothing is a finer measure
than where you go from here

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

to Monday from Sunday

ah Monday I do see your countenance
compelling me to don the plate and mail
to gird my loins assume a warrior's stance
prepare for battle and the week's travail

but Sunday's deemed by deities for rest
reflection on things other than the work
with which weekdays and often nights are blessed
as 'tween and 'twixt our tasks we're often jerked

so Monday you'll excuse my reticence
to recognize your premature onslaught
'tis Sunday I'll negate your puissance
with suitable libation in a draught

like death and taxes Monday's time will come
but 'til then raise a toast to all that's fun

© 2015 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

fitting in

small affronts like pebbles tossed
just hard enough to bruise
accumulate to marbling
in slightly morbid hues
which never seem to go away
but certainly evolve
until the roiling bruise is me
and I've all but dissolved.

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by one of RC deWinter's Shorties with Selfies.

in mom's eyes

can I put you in my pocket
will you brush away my tears
like you did when I was younger
and beset by little fears

oh the world has gotten colder
since I gave you that last kiss
and I'm feeling so much older
seeing all that's gone amiss

perhaps the lesson that I need
was written on your face
everytime you held me in your arms
that warm and loving space

where everything and everyone
were kind and got along
and I was always welcome
unencumbered by the wrong

so many seem to see in me
when at least they deign to see

please

let me see them through your eyes
as you once beheld me

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

hindsight

hindsight implies an end at hand
and though that surely stings
it can afford a view that's grand
of lithe and graceful things

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

resurgence

as long as those we leave behind
remember what we've written
in word or deed in act or screed
the medium I do believe
is less important than the act of memory
which means in perpetuity
we've never left at all

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

inspired by Poet Desh​​​'s After I am gone...

cometary timeout

she reached out
the other day

that unaccustomed channel
          long ago grown dark and musty
          with its windows sealed and shuttered
springing open in a flash
and filled with light and
was it
just the slightest touch of warmth

a space for conversation

not long before replies subside
the pattern reasserts
the light grows dim
and darkness brings the cold

comets never linger
near the sun

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/2016-april-pad-challenge-day-14

fortress

these words I read that resonate
a fool believes that they relate
a message meant for him

shush
patience is my armor
and within this fortress
expectation holds no sway

you are welcome here
and there are snacks

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

over his head

like verse penned with great care
her words
mean more than
just what's written there

or are these doubts delayed
and ruminations
merely figments
of imagination

running fevered o'er ellipsis
betwixt lines perspective shift is
subtle and sublime

or height of hubris to believe
he's target of what is perceived

the truth in all this consternation
regarding what she said
and meant
the truth regardless of intention
right over head with heels
it went

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

motley

the motley fits
just like a glove
it coruscates
and shines

attracting smiles
and glances
from the goddesses
so fine

but mostly it
puts up a wall
of armor
tissue thin

and in each caper
deftly hides
these foolish tears
within

©2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

edge of hubris

successful advice
even when solicited
sliver of failure

dilemma

heart strings
slipping through your fingers
all you need

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

candidates

their psittacisms
tissue thin grow tiring
raucous bytes of noise
political inertia
is their only grand design

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved 

harmony

blue marble viewed from space
defines beauty in its place
each
and every
one of us
contributes
at their own pace
the harmony  is beautiful

Nicely done.

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by a +Mel -Mel​ post

spontaneous pedicure

Demosthenes has nothing over me
in finding methods to improve one's speech
he gargles pebbles strolling on the beach
while I declaim around my two left feet

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

essence

that I could make you bill and coo
what's more that you would want me to
with softest ministrations

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

collateral

the damage is
our history
expressed in loving scars
more beautiful
than airbrushed skin
in spandex on hot cars

reality
is fractal nuance
textured and complex
a weaving more
compelling than
one lonely strand begets

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Lisa Yoder's The End

appraisal

here I sit

in awe of all the goddesses
desirous of a chance
to bask within their essences
as wingtips waft them past
not knowing if this ache I feel
will ever be assuaged
by one or maybe more of them
instead of being dodged
as kindness takes a warmer turn
and lips begin to part
invoking moistened visions
of a place that's hot and dark

here I stand

before the mirror with pretensions
stripped and laid aside
confronted by the lapse of time
encumbered not by pride
and seeing my December is
by several annums past
the May of all the goddesses
whose essences do waft
about and put my head into a spin

here I sit

knowing all advances are
unseemly at their best
and I am self deluded
if intent is more than jest
so I will don this armor
though it's brittle and it's old
and strive to offer kindnesses
instead of being bold
in hopes that on occasion
a stray waft may come my way

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

smithy's respite

the smithy's gone
as is her wont
with morning's final hour
to break bread with
the one she loves
rejuvenate her powers

the forge grows cool and quiet
as the urge to shape recedes
and in the stillness
parts and pieces learn
that it's okay to be
just be

focus

so wrapt we are
in longing's monologue
coherent like a laser
oblivious to all outside the beam

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

Inspired by RC deWinter​​​​​​'s untitled piece I don't even know ...

fresh

if there's a chance
we can be friends
and help each other out

despite misunderstandings
which have plagued the past
with doubt

picking up where
we left off
seems not to make
much sense

then again
sense
is not
what this is about

© 2016 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

all of you

gladly do I play the fool
despite persistent ache
born of the cool dismissal
of each caper that I make

reminded am I of a time
when hope burned bright and hot
and though 'twas naught but fantasy
it made me smile a lot

to contemplate a place and time
where more than thought I'd give
to what the witching hour'd bring
as blown on embers live

in mind's eye and in yearning heart
'pon whom such feelings fall
it's clear there never could be doubt
truth is I love you all

© 2015 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

mistake

today
like everyday

I think of you
and wonder how it feels

to be the light
that makes you smile
instead

© 2015 Frederick Andrew ~ All Rights Reserved

inextricable

a blade
honed and sharpened lovingly
lies by omission
in telling it's truth

© 2015 Frederick Andrew - All Rights Reserved

Inspired by Jessika O'Sullivan's untitled piece.