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Challenge from Susie Morice: write a poem about a tradition or
Mornings on the Funny Farm with Boo Radley

Lick the corner of Mom’s right eye to wake her up.
It’s time to go out! 
Jump down off the bed,
Shake, and click toenails all the way to the front door. Turn 20 circles while she walks to the door. 
Wait for brother Fitz to pee on the gardenia bush. Sniff around. 
Pee on top of his pee to be the Funny Farm Territory King.
Run inside and beg Mom for a cheese bite. 
Watch while she packs sandwiches.
She drops pieces of ham every time. 
Run to the bathroom when Dad’s shower water goes off: time for blue jeans pants leg tug of war. 
Lick my chops so he’ll fill my people cup with fresh water.
Drink it down so Fitz doesn’t get as much. 
Dig the red ball out of my toybox and growl at Mom. Run from her when she tries to take it. 
Wait around the corner with my front legs guarding the ball on the floor, my white wagging tail straight up in the air. 
Growl again and wait for her to move a muscle. Take ball, run, and jump on the bed. 
Listen for the crinkly cracker wrapper.
Run to the kitchen for breakfast with Dad: graham crackers and yogurt.  
Try to get more than Fitz.
Every. Single. Day.
Peek around the corner for a wet towel or stray sock to steal. 
Rummage through Mom’s closet to chew tissues or receipts from totes. 
Blame it all on Fitz. 
Listen for keys. 
They’re leaving for work! 
Dentastix time. 
Push Fitz off couch to be first in line. 
Listen to the “You Boys Behave Today!”
sermon.
Every. Single. Day. 
“No pooping on the floor. 
Guard the house. 
No barking at the deer and squirrels. 
No chewing shoes. 
We’ll check in on the camera at lunch and say hello. 
You boys behave.”
Watch the cars go down the driveway. 
Look for a place to poop on the floor 
so I can blame it on Fitz. 
Take a nap. 
Bark at squirrels and deer. 
Chew Dad’s slippers. 
Howl LOUDLY at the camera because I love them more than Fitz does. 
Sit by the window and be a better watchdog than Fitz. 
Reflect on all the ways I take care of these two people I rescued…..
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Challenge: write a 100 word story using only 1-syllable words and showing something in a new light.

We took a flight to Rome and France, ate new foods. 
France was a place of love – a Seine boat ride, an art tour, a walk with a guide, a show. 
“Home is the best place,” he said. “It’s safe there.”
“But I like to breathe fresh air and forge new paths, to storm the streets with a map and a mind spin. Your warm bed will wait.” 
“Each hour is a trip if you seize the day and see it through a new lens,” he said. “We don’t need to jet the globe to find a world of fun.”
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Challenge: write a poem
About your senior year of high school

1983
A year away from Big Brother
How little we knew Orwell had it so right
And Asimov In The Fun They Had before him.
Beowulf in yellow and black for Ernestine Jones’ Senior English class
Yearbook editor with dreams of teaching just like Mrs. Jones, only nicer. 
I thought The Road held a more direct path, but Robert, like George and Isaac, had it right.
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Challenge:
Write a poem about a time of pretending in October such as when you wore a Halloween costume as a child. 


Wednesday Addams –
The “normal” abnormal one.
Not the total monster of a Monday, yet
Never quite connecting with the Saturdays and the Sundays.
A haunted house freak
Where supernatural happenings are as predictable as the cuckoo
Where spirits come calling at all hours
With ailments as random as tombstone manners of death.
“YOU RANG?”
Of course. Some creep was always ringing.
The creepiest…
The kookiest…
The most mysterious…
The spookiest….
I never had to pretend. 
There’s not much difference between
An asylum and a parsonage.
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The autumn camera roll photo that inspired my poem was taken last Friday night at The Sleepy Hollow Experience, a nighttime play that progresses through the woods with the audience traveling alongside the characters from point to point as the story unfolds.

The Sleepy Hollow Experience

Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Headless Horseman’s path was fallow

Rustic Landscape
Weeping Willow

Ichabod Crane
Lanky Fellow

Brom Van Brunt
Brawling Bully

Katrina Van Tassel
Curls of Yellow

Fateful Party
Crime to follow

Unsolved Mystery
Suspects narrow

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Today I wrote a hashtag poem about Cesar Chavez.

#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

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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

comment image?itok=SPo5eiMJ

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Cesar Chavez – I WANT JUSTICE

It Was Never About The Grape.

It
Was
About
Never
Trusting
Judgmental
Underpaying
Scammers
To
Impart
Competitive
Earnings

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“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

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#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