A Song of Six Pens: poetry

By Lana Wayne Koehler

Squirrels. The bane of my existence! They have been a part of my life ever since we moved to our home over 20 years ago. Kent State University once did an experiment with black squirrels and, when they were done, set them loose on the community. Because of that, we are overrun with black squirrels, grey squirrels with black tails, and every combination you can think of.

I love to sit and watch them play in my yard—until they dig up my flowers to plant their nuts or do some other destructive activity. Yet, somehow, they intrigue me enough to keep watching.

When Michelle Barnes asked Julie Fogliano for a May challenge on Today’s Little Ditty (https://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com), she suggested that we look out our window and write a poem about what we see.

So I wrote about squirrels.

PEER REVIEW

By Lana Wayne Koehler

Squirrels

With their

Chattering, climbing, jumping,

The way they leave hickory nut shells

On the previously white railing

Scampering up to my window

To peer into my life

Like I peer into theirs

Waiting for me

To watch them

Again.

by Lana Wayne Koehler

While I don’t consider myself a poet, every now and then I feel the urge to write something that doesn’t have to be vetted and critiqued by impatient peers and editors alike. To that end, I indulge in poetry.

No one would accuse me of being devoid of ideas, but following Michelle Barnes on her blog, “Today’s Little Ditty”, she invites authors and others to give parameters with which to focus my attentions. And, occasionally, if the poetic muses visit, she likes what I write and makes it a focus of the day.

Her recent challenge by Helen Frost, When My Sister Started Kissing, was to find an object that had no sentimental value but could be described using each of the five senses, one for each line. And, in the end, ask a question, answer a question, or both.

This was my offering for March, 2017. If you want to see it on her blog, here’s the post.

ODE TO A PIANO

It was love at first sight: Watching fingers tickle the ivories as

the sound tickles my ears;

Tasting joy,

While the fragrance of the music

Lingers, waiting to embrace

Me.

One of my poems was selected for her end-of-the-year book, “The Best of Today’s Little Ditty Volume I”, but you’ll have to buy it to find out which one it is!

If you have a little bit of the crazy and want to join me on my poetic diversions, check out, “Today’s Little Ditty”, https://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

A Song of Six Pens

"Peer Review"

Ode to a Piano