Photo by Kevin Charit on Unsplash

Photo by Y S on Unsplash


  

Joshua  
branches in praise
simplistic 
in the heat of the moment

the moment of heat
in the lifetime of a moment
optimistic

vacating the intangible 
finding reality in the present

persistent determination
fighting off the climate threat
listening to the inner self

intuitive 
obstinate 
​survivalist 



                                                           Michael Allyn Wells  © 2025                    #JoshuaTree  #poem

Flamboyant they stand 
their plumage - six petals,
three standards
and three falls.

Iris is the Greek goddess
of the rainbow,
a link between heaven and earth--
showing variety of colors
quite striking & showey. 

Perennial bulbs they come
they bloom
they repeate 
come spring
pushing up through earth.




#Iris  

Photo by NIR HIMI on Unsplash



She rides beneath the radar
a touch of blue class
the underpinnings 
the verdent hangings
the trip to the unknown
a portal to the deep
a touch of nerves
a shutter of anxiety
the hope 
a journey into the unknown

 

#sherides #beneaththeradar 

​Photo by Erin Vey on Unsplash

Confession Tuesday - 

Quick, follow me to the confessional...

Dear Reader: it has been 7 weeks since my last confession. 

A lot is going on and most of it is not pretty. Trump has been in office nearly a hundred days and I will characterize those days with 4 phrases:
1. Disaster 
2. Chaos everywhere
3. You broke it
4. It's okay, I wasn't planning on using my rights anyway

I could go into detail, but you  can surmise from the tone I'm thinking we could do without this. 

Oh, reader... I'm weary. This shit is exhausting. There are people out there that must be way more exhausted than I am. People who are fighting deportation, people losing money in investments, people who have had their jobs cut by that kind spirited Elon Musk. 

But let me look inward a bit.  I am making decisions and changes of order and even poems for a chapbook contest entry. I confess this is a milestone because I have been wanting to do this for some time. It is going to happen!  That is my final word on the subject. 

I bought some Iris bulbs to plant. I love Irises, they are perhaps my favorite flowers. My favorite are the deep purple and white ones. We had those at the house we used to own. I wish I had dug some of the bulbs to move here. The bulbs I got are an assortment of colors but there should be one or more of the purple ones. I must confess they make me happy seeing them, almost instantly even when I am down.  

I finished a workshop last night taught by Melissa Studdard. It was especially good, but I confess way too short.

My friend Marianne brightened my day earlier this month with a envelope she mailed me with a bit of swag from AWP LA - 25. I did the virtual event this year and I confess it is just never quite right without the swag, so her mail was a delightful occurrence. 

I have been trying to read a couple books at the same time. This is not a new thing for me as I often have several going at the same time. I confess these two I am finding difficult to settle into. I'm on the verge of quitting one or both and moving on. 

That's it for me right now.  Until next time - be safe and write. 
PS. Read too 



#ConfessionTuesday  #AWPswag #poetryshop 

Photo by Max Böhme on Unsplash

Stretched out arms and fingers
feebly reaching  
roots probing
for the last vestages 
of any dampness

To quinch a dying thirst 
deep in the gutteral groans
underground  -- we do not hear them
but they exist
just as death is real 
even it's quietude




#quietude #poem                                                      Michael Allyn Wells © 2025