Sense Sonnet - Chiller

 Darkness

Jake, my three year old son, had

Longed for Halloween to come so

I would accompany my lad,

His first trick or treating to go.

It was nice weather, still light out,

When Jake and I left home and went

Through our safe neighborhood, no doubt

Jake was thrilled with this first event.

Then almost home, when suddenly

Over the sidewalk loomed ahead

A weird dark cloud, Jake ran from me

Into it, filling me with dread.

Darkness, I should have been fearing,

My son Jake, just disappearing.

Sense Sonnet - pumper

 Seasonal Exchange

"Yes, I hear Mother Nature call."

"So are you ready for your task?"

Summer posed the question to Fall.

"Of course, so nice of you to ask,"

Fall replied, "As usual you"

"Have given me such fine reason"

"To take your work and follow through,"

"Passing from season to season."

Then Summer said, "Please take my green,"

"And paint your artwork you do well,"

"To yellow and orange and red scene,"

"Dazzling the senses with your spell."

"You're always gracious, Summer friend,"

Fall praised, "As I start and you end."

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Darkness Falls on Howard Street

Howard Street, Chicago, at night,

Lake Michigan, the street does end,

And nature presents a delight,

A city park with a good blend

Of plants and animals that call

This time and place as home to share.

Of course the Great Lake beckons all.

The smell of fish be in the air.

The sight and sound of waves on roll.

When sky is clear and moon is out,

The moonlight succeeds in its goal

To spread its dazzle all about.

A gift to find in city dark,

Presenting in this city park.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

 Ever Lake Ontario

Great Lake Ontario I be,

Derived from Iroquoian word

Meaning "beautiful lake" is me,

For hundreds of years, name preferred.

I am pleased and proud of my name,

Native American acquired,

As be other Great Lakes the same.

We all bear names we have desired.

I hear a U.S. President

Wants to change my name out of spite,

As a trade war dispute event,

A reason that is just not right.

Always I'm Lake Ontario,

U.S. Presidents come and go.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

 Element of Final Destruction

The ancient gods coveted me,

Unleased in storms and volcanoes,

Fear instilled in humanity

Whenever my fury arose.

Then seized by humans, I became

A tool for use for good or bad,

And every human knew my name,

And knew the power that I had.

More humans pursued greed and war.

I be star of atomic age,

Increased in deadliness the more,

Until worldwide was felt my rage.

Human made apocalypse, I

Rain nuclear wrath from the sky.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

 Feeling of Remorse

I am a vampire and long skilled

At hunting out humans as prey.

A husband and wife I've just killed,

Left me in a remorseful way.

The couple reminded me of

A time and place so long ago

When I was capable of love,

Such feeling I no longer know.

Remorse, weird, new feeling I guess,

And I should have known better when

I looked too closely, I confess.

Will take care not to do so again.

Long ago, human life I had,

And these folks looked like Mom and Dad.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Got Out of the Trap

I was on the high school golf team,

Got good at golf and other stuff.

But then my more drinking did seem

That I never drank booze enough,

To fill up all my emptiness.

And so for years I stayed a drunk.

People who cared, cared less and less.

At golf and at living I stunk.

Luckily, I got some help, and

Now living sober day to day,

Hang with people who understand.

Golf with sober friends, I now play.

Each golf shot in sobriety

Better than booze shots used to be.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Fitting Challenge

"If the shoe doesn't fit, must we"

"Change the foot?" the question was asked

By Gloria Steinem, as she

Argued the system too long tasked

All types of folks to fit into

Patriarchal expected role

Of one unfairly rigid shoe,

And mangling feet to fit that goal.

Folks, especially women, need

To take the system shoe as made,

And change the whole of such indeed,

With inclusive fairness displayed.

And Steinem showed how that shoe could

Conform to female feet for good.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Lunch at Woolworth's

1978, a bunch

Of us would leave workplace at noon,

And go down to Woolworth's for lunch,

Inexpensive and opportune.

Each of us sat on counter stool,

Green vinyl topped, some cuts and tears,

Fine seating for us "in" and "cool,"

Surrounded by novelty wares.

Burgers with fries, sodas or Cokes,

No need for plastic menu view.

Waitress, Madge, served all of us folks,

Friendly, efficient job she'd do.

Memories of nostalgic time

Back in the days of five and dime.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 As the Last Human

If the last person on Earth, I

Would stay with my many a friend

Made in life before time to die,

To serve good purpose till my end.

These friends, the animals and plants,

Ambassadors of many kind,

Who afforded many the chance

To be a better humankind.

But for some reason we have failed

To heed warnings of nature's call.

Now the solution's been availed

To return to wildlife for all.

Rest of my life what would I do?

Take care of the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

 Origami Belt

A sheet of paper I did take,

With intention of folding, so

An origami belt I'd make.

And when was done, that belt I'd show

To the wife to prove that I be

Doing well in the diet that

The wife had demanded of me.

So I was motivated at

Folding the paper in such way

As to become a perfect fit.

Regrettably, to my dismay,

I'd been shortsighted about it.

Before the wife I was red faced,

A waste of paper for my waist.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

 Memory of Mine

It seems the more that I do live,

The more mistakes that I do make.

And it is so hard to forgive

And change myself for better sake.

The devil's in me, Mama would

Often tell me before she died,

And no way for me to be good,

No matter how hard I have tried.

And for me truly what is worst,

My life I remember too well.

With true memory I be cursed,

That keeps my mind in living hell.

A test subject I want to be,

A.I. to change my memory.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

 Public Image Maintenance

As I got older, I did get

A public image to uphold.

Then rumors began that upset

Me, that I was gay, the world was told.

So I began my searching for

The lady who'd be right for me,

I felt a necessary chore,

So gay rumors might cease to be.

Such lady I found and pursued,

But she shunned me to my dismay.

Then finally I did conclude,

Both in the closet, we were gay.

She was my Ms. Right all along,

But for her, I was Mr. Wrong.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

 May She Rest in Peace

She was only three years of age

When unfair cruelty came to her.

Through her body, cancer did rage,

Painful dying, attempting cure.

Most modern therapies were tried,

Chemo and radiation, still

In a matter of time she died.

Cancer in children oft does kill.

A friend of the family gave

A gift in loving memory

Of her, and set upon her grave,

Thanked by the grieving family.

As though in peaceful sleep is shown

Her memory in sculptured stone.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

 Ex Friend

In high school, we two started out

As best friends, but quite soon I found

We were growing apart, no doubt,

As more to "in' crowd I be bound.

And when accepted in that clique,

I knew that right away I need

Be selective of friends I'd picked,

When my old best friend did indeed

Tell me right to my face that I

Was turning into a mean snob.

Of course I gave a mean reply,

But down deep felt guilty a gob.

So horrible some truth can be.

Such truth my ex friend dared tell me.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

 Weighing Thin

When I was a kid I was fat,

And ate lots of junk food, no doubt.

I got kidded a lot 'bout that.

What goes wrong in can come right out,

Became my guide on what I ate.

Regurgitation, answer to

My being able to lose weight.

Yes, an eating disorder, true.

But I keep a picture of me

Close, ever a reminder of

The kidded fat kid I did be.

Of course the junk food, I still love.

Once a fat body I was in.

Now I'm obsessed with staying thin.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

 Insecurity Accusation

When I fired the pool boy, the wife

Said my reason for firing him,

His youth and good looks caused me strife,

So acting on insecure whim,

I fired him, feeling threatened by

His attention to the wife, and

I could not compete with this guy,

And simply could not understand

That such an unwarranted display

Of childish insecurity,

Shown in passive/aggressive way,

Was make the wife just feel guilty.

The wife must think me quite a fool,

'Specially since we have no pool.