March 6, 2014

A Facebook Poetry Collaboration with Tara Stephen and Several Others

or

The Most Fun I’ve Had on Facebook in a Very Long Time

or

The Longest Poem I Ever Didn’t Write

Peter Rhebergen - A Winter Hiaku

Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow

No Snow No Snow No Snow No

Go Snow Go Snow Go

Heidi Zwaan S - Love it!

Jane Adema - See spot. See spot run. See spot run on green grass.

Christopher Lee Wiebe - There are flowers blooming all around me. No snow all winter. It may be more efficient to move to avoid snow than wait for climate change to turn Canada into Florida. Though Canada is the best despite the cold, ice and snow.

Katee Campbell - Out of all your poetry, this is the piece that resonates with me the most. Your juxtaposition of haiku and Dr Seuss with such a timely message. . .

Peter Rhebergen - There is remarkable resonance in the words of the doctor

Tara Coulter Stephen - Sure hope that works!

Peter Rhebergen - By the way, Katee, I had harboured hopes that at least some of my poetry would have a more profoundly spiritual resonance that the simple and childish dream of this one

Emily 'Naju' Campbell - You know Haikus don't have to rhyme, right?

Peter Rhebergen - Sigh ...

Tara Coulter Stephen - Dedicated to Peter Rhebergen because every Haiku can use a Seussian follow up.

I do not like snow

Do not like it at all.

It's still on my driveway

And half up the wall.

There is snow on the walk

And there's snow at the door

There's snow in my boots

And all over my floor

I can't see through the windows

There's snow on them too

And the snow is so deep

I can't clean the dog doo.

Peter Rhebergen - :) !

Emily 'Naju' Campbell - Can I like that twice? ^^

Cheryl Rendle - Now THAT is a poem I understand!

Ian Hugh Scott - Love it! I'm sharing this

Peter Rhebergen - For my friend, Tara Coulter Stephen, who likes snow more than I do:

Snow …

a single flake of snow alights

to stir the heart with rare delight

and distract from autumn’s fiery leaves

to thoughts of gifts wrapped under trees

a thousand flakes of snow fall down

to gently kiss the cooling ground

summer’s chores must soon be done

excitement grows, there’s more to come!

a million flakes of snow descend

putting dreams of summer to an end

on skis and sleds the children play

joyously live their glorious day

a billion flakes of snow pile up

bringing frantic commerce to a stop

people try to huddle warm inside

for the groundhog once again has lied

an infinity of snow around me streams

dashing hopes and plans and dreams

it is too much, it befogs my head

I've had enough! I’m going to bed

Tara Coulter Stephen - You have set a challenge!

Peter Rhebergen - And here I thought I was merely rising to yours

Tara Coulter Stephen - Always fun to write a little bit of nothing in particular to make people smile!

Rachel Ullman

It's the SAND I can't stand

It's the sand on the floor

It comes in the front hall

When I open the door

It sticks to my socks

And scratches the floor

I sweep it each day

But always there's more!

Tara Coulter Stephen

The sand just won't go

The Sand it will stay

Though Roomba rides by

It just won't go away!

Tara Coulter Stephen - Sorry Peter. Now my sister has joined in. There may be many more verses to this poem forthcoming!

Tara Coulter Stephen

The sand, and that salt!

How they plot, and I'm foiled...

That salt and that sand

How my carpet is spoiled.

The sun just won't come

The sun just won't stay

The sun that would help

It to all go away!

Joshua Lovell - Ode to snow

Peter Rhebergen

If I had my wishes

If I had my dreams

I'd kayak near fishes

On free flowing streams

Tara Coulter Stephen

But the streams are all frozen

The water turned hard

I can't get to the shed

In the back of my yard

The kayak lies dormant

The paddles are still

It's just me, my snow shovel

And a mighty wind chill

Peter Rhebergen

My tears they lie freezing

Like gems on the ground

As my friends are all teasing

'til spring comes around

But the boats are still calling

Through the wind and the chill

Though snow may be falling

Spring WILL COME STILL!

Tara Coulter Stephen

It WILL come we will say

And repeat oft and on

It WILL come and will STAY

Yet .. the snow presses on.

We're made sad by dark skies

And the clouds, and each storm

We've lost our left glove

And our mittens are torn.

We hope for the thaw

For the birds to return

We hope for the rain

And the smell of wet worm

Peter Rhebergen

I still own my left glove

But my marbles are going

Even so with my best love

I'd rather be rowing

But my snow blower growls

With sinister cheer

And all the snow howls

As it's thrown far from here

And yet I will hope for

That far brighter day

When going out the door

Won't have my nerves fray

Tara Coulter Stephen

The winter we think

It has gone on too long

The robins should come

It is time for their song

For the snow and the ice

And the wind chill to leave

For the polar vortex to

Provide a reprieve

Peter Rhebergen

Suzuki and Gore

Are huddled in igloos

And holding the door

To drown out all our boos

The Vortex and warming

Seem both inhospitable

For us they are harming

With doom so disputable

Tara Coulter Stephen

What's that...do I hear

A slow gentle drip?

Is the ice in a thaw?

Did my heart do a flip?

Peter Rhebergen

A drip, oh for a drip

The oft' hoped for melting

Would call for a trip

To the shore to go smelting

Tara Coulter Stephen

Methinks that your rhyme

Is beginning to fail

That you're trying too hard...

Missed the head of the nail.

Peter Rhebergen

Perhaps it is the cold

Has addled the brain

My verse may be old

Yet I cannot refrain

Tara Coulter Stephen

Perhaps it's the talk

Of the climate in change

It may mess with your head

Cause the rhyme to turn strange

Peter Rhebergen

Oh dear, oh my goodness

The sudden derision

It must be the sand-mess

Affects your decision

For honest and surely

I'd thought better of you

Than to razz me so purely

Over poetry true

Tara Coulter Stephen

So sorry dear friend

If you feel that I mock

I've enjoyed all our rhyme

It's more fun than just talk

Peter Rhebergen

The feelings aren't hard here

I'm not even miffed

Though word hasn't touched ear

We surely have riffed

And now awesome singer

I must call it a night

For my book it doth linger

I must taste its delight

Teresa Lam - I loved reading all that! You two are brilliant!

Tara Coulter Stephen

Had fun through the snow

And the sand and the rhyme

Enjoy your good book

And a restful night time.

Peter Rhebergen - Thank you Tara, that was a blast!

Tara Coulter Stephen - Hopefully not a blast of snow! Most welcome and thoroughly enjoyed - Now I will have to go back to regular sentences. Good thing we don't work together. We would drive our coworkers all nuts!