Daily Challenge: write a poem based on a Latino artist of your choice in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
I selected Camas Para Suenos by Carmen Lomas Garza to write a Haiku:
Beds for Dreams (Camas para Suenos)
Rooftop bed for dreams
Moonlight tints the art canvas
Artist sisters bloom
-Kim Johnson
?itok=SPo5eiMJ
Cesar Chavez – I WANT JUSTICE
It Was Never About The Grape.
It
Was
About
Never
Trusting
Judgmental
Underpaying
Scammers
To
Impart
Competitive
Earnings
“Eating My Way Through Europe”
In a London pub
Fish and chips, malt vinegar
Beer and lemonade Shandy
Warm bread pudding for dessert
Scoop of vanilla ice cream
Eating escargot
Espresso shot with sugar
Outdoor cafe in Paris
Melted Camembert on toast
Chocolate mousse for dessert
Florence, winding streets
Pasta arrabbiata
Shredded Parmesan
Spicy penne with basil
Pistachio gelato
Rome, table upstairs
Hot pizza margherita
Mozzarella cheese
Red peppery olive oil
Thin, crispy crust for dipping
White asparagus
Buttery tasting in soup
Berlin restaurant
Tangy red cabbage side dish
Apfelkuchen for dessert
Farmhouse in America
Fresh eggs from backyard chickens
Fried over easy
Yolk-sopped buttery wheat toast
Apple butter and coffee
Still no place like home for food
-Kim Johnson
#rescued
#one’s a Schnoodle #one’s a Schnauzer
#peaceful hippie #rabble-rouser
#flattened chin #bearded snout
#one with mustache #one without
#whale-spray tail #pine tree stub
#back scratch #tummy rub
#grumpy dog
#bump on a log
#black #white
#portly #sprite
#yin and yang
#paw and fang
#upside-down #right-side up
#sweet old soul #playful pup
#prized lamb #black sheep
#fearful growl #pleading bleat
#wants to play #sleeps all day
#up all night #snores away
#kneads and nooks #sits and looks
#twists and jerks #full of quirks
#lifts his leg #squats to pee
#both a he #not one she
#crack of dawn #dark of night
#playful tussle #vicious fight
#most expressive #blank glare
#raised eyebrows #stoic stare
#gnashing teeth #quivering lip
#holds it in #lets it rip
#one is docile #one gets zoomies
#in the car they’re kennel roomies
#needs a leash #runs away
#comes right back #here to stay
#self-served timeout #who’s in trouble?
#regrets mischief #lives in bubble
#nutmeg sofa #khaki chair
#king-size bed we all four share
#digs, sniffs, circles #plops right down
#crowds dad’s pjs #seeks mom’s gown
#neither fetches #both can sit
#both catch popcorn #lively wit
#table beggars #hopeful snackers
#turkey bacon #graham crackers
#love to ride #windows cracked
#heads in wind #playthings packed
#noises frighten #cuddling calms
#transcendental #fretful qualms
#one’s a purebred #one’s a mix
#does blood matter? #ask the ticks!
#designer dog #pedigreed
#worthless titles, most agree
#both were rescued #one abused
#one abandoned #each refused
#old ties severed #new lifesong
#not neglected #now belong
#both now wanted #both adored
#cherished deeply #family scored
– Kim Johnson
“Family Dinner”
His greatest stories never started with words.
They began at his heart.
He patted down his shirt pocket
fumbled for his pen
furrowed his wild and unkempt eyebrows
slid his coffee and half-eaten pie to the edge of the table
flattened his napkin and ironed out the creases with the side of his wrinkled hand
clicked his pen
sketched a Parkinson’s- jagged diagram
grasped the bottom of an imaginary globe
drew in a raspy, phlegm-filled breath
and held his audience captive.
He still does.
-Kim Johnson
Ten Reasons I Despise Chanticleer
1. He struts around like he owns the country.
2. He violates women.
3. He thinks he’s necessary.
4. He attacks for no reason.
5. He attacks from behind at full force.
6. He has a ridiculous top notch on his head.
7. He’s cocky.
8. He’s loud and obnoxious.
9. His clock is off.
10. He reminds me of someone just like him.
Johnson Funny Farm Peepers
Peepers on the Funny Farm
Bantam, Ameraucana,
Australorp, and Orpington
Asian Black and Dominique
Rhode Island Red and Leghorn
preening, prattling pullets
steering clear of Chanticleer
footloose biddies rue the coop
moody brooders rule the roost
free-range fowl feed family
breakfast-supper meals each week
scrumptious eggs from scrambled breeds
feathered personalities
entertain, to say the least
much like people, yes indeed
Ode to My Hair Clip
We’ve been together now
for years,
and I think it’s time we
comb the area and
put down some roots.
I need to keep you in my life.
You help me hold it together
when it all gets squirrelly.
Without you, it would all
come tumbling down
in a matted heap,
leaving wayward strands
confused, not knowing
which way to go.
I’m grateful to you for
having my back and
keeping me cool
for keeping me untangled
and able to see things
for what they truly are.
You keep me in my lane –
and help me avoid collisions
with walls and cars and
people and random things
like pickle displays in
Kroger and
cactus plants in Lowe’s.
You encourage my reading habit
even more than my glasses do.
You really help me keep a clear head.
I admire how you keep holding on
for the wild ride,
never letting go,
even when everything is hairy.
Oh Goody, you’re my main squeeze!
Connecting
Empty journals –
new and blank,
for student writers
who need a fresh start,
a blank slate,
a chance
to begin anew.
A smile –
an opportunity
to connect with a student who doesn’t get many smiles.
A conversation –
a way
to encourage a student who feels
disconnected,
passive,
unmotivated,
an inspiration and a nudge to write
and be known
and heard
and loved.
Common Threads 
#VivaLaCausa
#Yumaborn #namedforgrandpa
#Marchbaby #CesarEstrada
#marriedHelen #doublewedding
#had8children #wasn’tkidding
#boxingmatches #playedhandball
#foughtforwagesfairforall
#USNavy #Seamanfirstclass
#peacefulprotest #hopefulfoodfast
#UFW #CSO
#boycottgrapes! #UvasNo!
#Si,SePuede #”yes,onecan”
#Barack’sSlogan #Presidentialfan
#grassrootsvegan #Huerta’sfriend
#civilrightsfighttotheend
#diedinApril #activist
#certainlynopacifist