Posted on by Laura Lee

“Not Sleep,” a Poem, Published in Cagibi Literary Journal

My poem, “Not Sleep,” was published in Cagibi, a Literary Space last summer.  I didn’t realize, since I am rather new to publishing, that I could promote published works. So I am now.

I should try writing a happy or humorous poem, perhaps.  I am a joyful person often, but write to help understand life and especially losses.  So I don’t write that many happy poems. I do write humor fiction and nonfiction, however.

As to this poem, I wanted to honor and show respect for long term relationships. I hope I have done so here.

Thanks for reading!

Laura

 

NOT SLEEP

A face in the window
listening to the high pitch of crickets,
low tones of frogs.
Fireflies blink and I think
I should sleep
but Venus has risen
and the silence of navy skies calls.

I hear your deep cough
know you have
put pillow to mouth.
I check forehead
bring cool cloths and water.
You kiss my hand
tell me you are fine, tell me
go back to the night.

I stay
awake, alone
listening.

Hours later
delight at the open window:
robins’ morning song.

You arise, sit next to me
try to stop shivering
as we remember winter
when this window was ice-locked.

Listen,
you whisper between coughs,
It’s lovely.

We wait together
to start our day,
tiptoe breathing.

Laura Lee is a Chicago area poet, college student mentor and instructor, literacy tutor, and writer. Her poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have been published in print and online journals in the US, the UK, New Zealand, Greece, and India. Literacy in all its forms is her passion. For a complete list of publications, visit her website at: http://lauraleewriterpoeteducator.com. Follow Laura Lee on Twitter @LauraLe97942016.
Posted on by Laura Lee

“They Left the Bed” Published at Willowdown Books, Poetic Bond VIII

This poem was inspired by a photo in an ekphrastic poetry contest.  While I did not win the contest, I thought it was a good poem so submitted elsewhere.    You should have see the photo!  Desolate, reminiscent of something vaguely wartime.

 

Willowdown Books published the poem in Volume VIII, Poetic Bond late in 2018.   As rights have reverted to me, I post it here just because.

 

Thanks for reading!

Laura

They Left the Bed

They left the bed, he said
As I was thinking the same.
And wonderful
TV, one chair,
a painting.

Sometimes
we made up names
for each other
on cold nights on strange floors
but knew better than to know.

What’s that on the bed, he said?
And we were afraid to look
blood spatters or bone dust
police matters or lone lust
we’d seen it all by then.

I’ll take the floor, he said.
I wish I hadn’t seen the bed.
Moved closer to the painting:
A Renoir? I know I knew
In another life.

Not romantic enough, he said,
a Monet is my guess
but the colors are all off.

The colors are all off
cold nights on strange floors
blood spatters or bone dust
police matters or lone lust
we’d seen it all by then.

Posted on by Laura Lee

Rough Draft

 

cropped-be-creative-creative-creativity-256514

 

Rough Draft from a few years ago.. dozen dull.  I really react to the lack of sunshine! Perhaps if we had lovely weather all the time I’d grow complacent to the beauty.

 

 

Nah…

 

Anyway, here we go, and thanks for reading.

November gray came
early into late September
baby baboon sounds  (what??? I need to reconsider this wording!)
from the old sycamore
small wolverine shaped scamperers

crashing down
the squirrel twitched, looked
left, right
while the red tabby cat
lay sick in the bushes,
its one good eye on
the swollen blue berries.

………


look up–study the gray
it lasts
into November, December, January
when sun on green does not

before then the changing colors
briefly blaze, lull, trick

as if other than gray could remain
during those dozen dull weeks.

Posted on by Laura Lee

Submitted Three of My Favorite Poems

 6 wordle  I don’t intend to make a living writing poetry–I’ve done that with teaching and business jobs. But reading and writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) help me live. So I submitted three of my favorite poems to a journal I really like and respect, a journal that doesn’t seem to have a social media presence.

Since I like the poetry this journal publishes and I like the way their poets are treated, I submitted to them.

Not on Twitter at all. And maybe that’s okay. I know I should spend more time reading and writing! (But I am a sociable person so…)  With such a huge emphasis on social media and publishing, who would submit to such a journal?
I will say it again: Reading and writing help me live. I want to share this with others, so I write poetry mainly and sometimes fiction/ nonfiction.
And I am a literacy teacher and tutor.
It all fits together; my vocation is also my avocation.
Now wish me luck with these poems–they are three I love the most, and it will be a big rejection if they are all rejected.  Or a sign I submitted to the wrong journal or at the wrong time?  (They are my babies–I’ve held them back a long time.)
Thanks for reading.
Posted on by Laura Lee

Rough Draft/ The Nine Month Sentence/Newish Poem

img_1235-1                ROUGH DRAFT. To revise.  Sometimes things come out and I am not sure what they mean, but for this one, I know it’s an autumn facing winter poem.  To work on and revise. Thanks for reading!

Laura

The Nine Month Sentence–(Must work on this title. Sounds weird.)

Stunned. Nine months of
little sun, closed streaked
windows to follow.

We had not
used our summer well.

We had not slept
under a June blue sky,
toes curled in fresh green.

We had not wrapped nights
in tender sighs under stars;
our nights
were wasted in worries.

Midnight.

If we slip outside now,
we might walk unnoticed.
We might find the source
of the crescent, the crickets,
the scamperers.
We might
flee with them.

 

?????

************* Let’s slip outside

find sources of

crescents

crickets

scamperers.

maybe we’ll leave

with them.

 

*****Addendum:

Worked a lot on editing this one, and it’s ready to submit…but where? It’s no longer..Nine Month Sentence…because winter is not that long. Other good revisions… now to look for a home for this revised and edited (for the better, I hope!) poem. #poetrycommunity #poetry
Posted on by Laura Lee

From a PIP (poem in progress)

C5438C4D-7EFC-4B03-8398-D253E9D9DDE8Line breaks, wording, so much work needed. A much longer poem, but I don’t want to post complete poems here. And they are MISSING GIRLS, which is important. And missing small ones… hmm.. Lots to consider.

Middle of the night
moon casts
umbrella shaped shadows.

Soft light of night
I’d hoped would help
find the lost (missing?)
(??find the missing
small ones?)

 

**  Word Press doesn’t like to format poetry, it seems.

C5438C4D-7EFC-4B03-8398-D253E9D9DDE8I’m playing with language, tone, line breaks, meaning.  (I don’t want to post a complete poem here, since I will submit for publication.)

Posted on by Laura Lee

Publications, Updated

 

pexels-photo-997721 Publications, Laura Lee

Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included online and in print books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, India, New Zealand, and the United States. Many thanks to the staff at these publications. 

“Devastation,” a poem, August 2019, in Headline Poetry.

“Havishammed +1,” a poem, August 2019, online and in print edition available through amazon.com and at High Shelf Press.

“Where You Are Not,” a poem, June 2019, Esthetic Apostle, here.

“Swamp Pearls,” a poem, May 2019, in Prometheus Dreaming, here.

“Not Sleep,” a poem, in Cagibi: A Literary Space, April 2019, here: Cagibi.

“The Professor and the Gravel,” a poem, 2019, at Wingless Dreamer.

“Saltwater Faces,” an ekphrastic poem inspired by paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago, High Shelf Press, 2018, here.

“Click,” “The Night is our First Language,” and “They Left the Bed,” poetry published in The Poetic Bond VIII print issue, December 2018. Available at Poetic Bond VIII.

“Moving Gravel” a short story at Crack the Spine – Themed Anthology Submissions, “Routine”, print edition, 2018. Available at Crack the Spine Anthology.

“Walk with Child,” a poem, in Snapdragon Journal, September 2018, “Here and Gone” theme, here.

Coffin Bell Journal,2018, “Herstory,” a poem, October 2018. here.

Spillwords Press, “Stopped,” a poem, 2018, here. 

Tuck Magazine, June 2018, “Teach to Kill” http://tuckmagazine.com/2018/06/06/poetry-1528/.

Tuck Magazine,  May 2018, “Refuge,” http://tuckmagazine.com/2018/05/29/poetry-1511/.

 Southernmost Point Guest House (UK), poetry.

Journal of Modern Poetry 21 (Volume 21), “Hell, No,” a poem at JOMP Volume 21 Dear Mr. President.

Journal of Modern Poetry 20 (Volume 20), “Moonlit Awakening,” JOMP Volume 20 Poetry Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Journal of Modern Poetry 18 (Volume 18), The Official Poets Guide to Peace, two poems: “Open” and “After Poetry Class.” 2015. Purchase here.

Journal of Modern Poetry 17 (Volume 17), JOMP Volume 17. 

Cram Volume 12: “White Board Clown,” 2011. Chicago Poetry Press 2011.

Magazine (New Zealand) , Raewyn Alexander, Publisher, nonfiction and poetry.  Raewyn Alexander NZ.

Fiction in: http://staxtes.com/2003/ “Between the Sunlight and the Skipping” in English Wednesdays

Poetry in: https://poetsagainstthewar.org/ archives.

Illinois English Bulletin, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, nonfiction article about teaching in an alternative education program.

 Poetry in Marginalia, Elmhurst, IL.

Posted on by Laura Lee

FACE STORM —very rough draft

Oh how I hated to close the window!

FACE STORM

The Smell of rain

Through an opened window

The sound of thunder

Awakened her

at the beginning

week five

Of recovery.

The excitement of a

late summer storm

The sky turning gray green

the raindrops falling

down, straight down

Towels around the window

soaking something splendid

summer storm, found a small way

blessing way

fresh onto her face

On a Sunday morning

On the first Sunday

dreamed for week 5

Of recovery

Rain, the smell of rain

Awakened.