Tag Archives: poet David Kuhns

Diamonds in the Trees: ImproVerse Rhyming Poem

Friends were complaining after a major ice storm in the Chattanooga Metro area (Catoosa County, NW Georgia). With lows around 6 degrees above zero, it WAS cold! As the sun came up, it showed something magical: Diamonds in the Trees. I walked through the woods and out into the wildflower field at Spirit Tree Farms, where goldenrods, pokeweed, late bonneset, blackberries, grasses, and other native plants joined with honey locusts, hickory and oak trees, and more, to show off  a collection of sparkling jewels unmatched at any jewelry store. I riffed these iambic lines in a video, trying to stiffle my crying. Thanks to HomeGrownNationalPark.org for the inspiration, and to Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus for the Creation.

Why Should I Care Slumber: Free Verse

She wants more,
cracks open the door,
slowly shutting it
as he droans on,
drones on
and on
and when he asks
what she needs
“Nothing.”
“What do you want?”
“Nothing.
I was wondering who
you were talking to.”

And doesn’t that really ask
the penultimate question?
“Who am I talking to?
What am I talking to?
What am I talking to who about?”
Does it matter?
Why should I care?

As I slip into
the abyss
of Nyquil-induced slumber,
I can only hope my alarm
eventually wakes me up.

And then,
that I won’t need melatonin
to go back to sleep
again.

Writing, Worried: Free Verse

Is he pretentious,
talented,
whimsical,
or just exhausted
and silly?

At last,
he is writing,
worried about what others think.
He hasn’t done that
in a long time.
He hasn’t cared.

I’m Responsible Memory

A half a century ago
my character yelled:
“I’m responsible!”
on stage.

I’m not certain that,
back then,
I knew what the phrase meant:
“I’m responsible!”

Now, decades past,
I understand that,
at my core,
I’m responsible.

It’s silly to blame
anyone else
for anything bad
in my life,
because it’s all good,
as long as
I think it is
and want it to be.

I’m responsilbe
for that.