Writing Through Hard Times – December 2018
Each month, the Denver VOICE publishes a selection of writing from workshops sponsored by Lighthouse Writers Workshop. The Hard Times Writing Workshop is a collaboration between Denver Public Library and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. This workshop is open to all members of the public—especially those experiencing homelessness. Hard Times meets every Tuesday from 3-5 p.m. on the fourth floor of DPL’s Central branch. The Lighthouse sponsored workshop at The Gathering Place is specifically for that organization’s clients.
To check out more writing by the poets featured in this column, go to writedenver.org.
Linda L. Magnuson
Still
Pronghorns still race
Across the grasslands
Bull Elks still bugles
In ancient mating rituals
Cutthroat Trout still swim
In cold mountain spring.
Shepherds and dogs still
Keep watch over their flocks
Cowboys still work cattle on
Horse back with lariats
Eagles still float high above
On out stretch wings
Native Americans still dance
And seek visions
Buffaloes still graze and
Thunder across the land
Autumn still carries the scent
of roasting chili peppers
Stone mountains still echo
Sounds of clashing Rams
An I am still but a
Fleeting shadow on the land.
Benjamin Eric Nelson
Salt and Metal
Eternal now
Choice becomes fate
Different ways to hurt
As time creeps along so does the snake
Missing the converted angelic bond
Fruits as first fruits not so common
The wait is long
Fortunes tossed aside
To live under purple sky
Curtains sway
The window bends with the light of poison
Gears grind
The clock becomes ancient trash
Snapping at creatures that gnash their teeth
A starlight dream
Put down the rude and obscene
Traverse the carpet roomed white walls
Salt
Metal
Swords sharpened from leaf springs of a truck
To die or to follow orders
Decide on luck
But never trust
A lost soul
Cannot control
Life’s vital components pulsate with joy
No longer
No longer sane
Enough on my plate
Taste the tear drops that sting like acid rain
Dean Glorso
Marriage – Divorce
It was a wonderful vehicle
At its peak
But a sudden bump
Caused oil to leak
At first the proud owners
Maintained it well
On lookers thought
The ride was swell
But the trickle of oil
Did not seem green
Just a small mess
And trouble to clean
So the owners tore up
The ragged pink card
And drove their pride
To the scrapping yard
No parts to salvage
No parts to save
Just drop it in the crusher
And walk away
