The SLAM! Green Room

WHEW! Never wrote a Pantoum before -- never even heard of one! What a challenge to write one -- and am I glad that is over! Never heard of a Sestina either - and it was even harder. But I am glad I did them!!

Free Verse is more my style - though 15 lines was a challenge for me! I ended up writing two "death personified" free verse poems - and since I could only post one in the SLAM , I am sharing the other one here.

Good luck to all the Finalists!

"Gently into that Good Night" 

As we stroked her warm furry body
now so small and thin.
her breath came slowly … and more slowly …
as her wide blue eyes looked trustingly into ours
and we could feel the soft rumbling of her purr beneath our fingertips.
We didn’t want to see her go ~ she was a last link with him ~
but you were no stranger to us
and we knew that you were near.

When at last you came
you came gently, quietly
as you had come for him that other day
and though our eyes were full of tears
we imagined them together
and breathed a silent “thank you” at the end.