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What Insomnia Conjures
What Insomnia Conjures
Ongoing sleep disorders
pluck the memories;
dilutes judgments.
the email from the publisher smashes my head:
“Although your book is written deftly and engagingly,
we can’t accept your book because
it has already been published elsewhere.”
Alas, I’ve forgotten about the poetry collection that
I had sent to the publisher six months before,
and self-published it at Amazon.
“If you have a manuscript that has not yet been published,
I want to see it,” she says.
O, yes, I will. I hurry to pick up poems from the old pile;
it takes time; editing; proofreading, etc.
Try to forget the unlucky collection; despite its beauty,
it is destined to be buried in a dump, unless…
I’ll pick it up, in my bosom, give it a warm bath, and
dress it in wonderful words before sending it to
a contest judge? Or, else.
©Byung A. Fallgren
In Reading & Writing at 3 AM
In Reading & Writing at 3 AM
Hearing him babble in my
half-asleep: "Out of pay the bill."
What does it mean?
The face of the young man appears
in my head: the young plumber with a smiley face.
Of course, we'll pay when he sends the bill.
What does it have to do with you?
Are you implying that he is you? you
the usual demon-lazy ghost?
You are using the hard-working man to disguise you.
Not too bad. If that is your wish, wish means:
you wish you were him, not a demon-lazy ghost.
To encourage you to morph, even a bit of fragrance,
I will give you some, not much.
I must add: I cannot afford your demand:
I am frugal to the bone and soul.
©Byung A. Fallgren
The Weekly Avocet
As usual
as the weather warmed up
the computer froze
what I could do was just reading
–Byung A.
The Weekly Avocet
Hope
Hope
Clara Ann Thompson, 1869--1949
The saddest day will have an eve,
The darkest night, a morn;
Think not, when clouds are thick and dark,
Thy way is too forlorn.
For ev'ry cloud that e'er did rise,
To shade my life's bright way,
And ev'ry weary day,
Will bring three gifts, though'lt value more,
Because they cast so dear;
The soul that faints not in the storm,
Emerges bright and clear.
Thompson was born a poet, teacher, and
civil rights advocate.
The Weekly Avocet and more
My two Haiku are included in this week’s journal.
Thank you, Charles and Vivian, for taking the pieces.
–Byung A.
In the Teller’s Laugh
In the Teller's Laugh
On an autumn day, at the teller's desk,
I ordered a book of blank checks
and asked her about the fee.
The young woman's eyes swept over
my salt-and-pepper hair and explained:
"If you are senior, it is free."
I raised my eyebrows
and nodded; "Oh, I didn't know.
I've never been this old before."
She laughs like a braying horse.
the expression on my face must
have been that funny, like a woman
who has just awakened to find
she is no longer young; or,
like a woman who has known
all about aging long before and now
finding joy in odd moments.
Byung A. Fallgren
Pondering on Saving Earth, Saving Us
Pondering on Saving Earth, Saving Us
Climate change, everyone's concern,
but we wonder what to do;
there are universal hints that remind us:
use natural gas instead of coal;
stop rainforests from vanishing;
walk or use a bike whenever possible, etc.
As to protecting our water source:
use the pesticide as little as possible;
do not throw used water with household cleaning
chemical agent on the lawn;
change the lawn grass that needs less water; with
some research you can find one that you like, etc.
Polar bears if they are in trouble, their entire
an ecosystem is in trouble; fewer of them could
lead to an overpopulation of Sears, which threatens
fish population, our food source.
Protect other endangered species; tigers, lions, etc.
Save millions of marine lives and us too.
--Byung A. Fallgren
Byung A. Fallgren 