Poem A Day for April 8 and 9--Too Much Good Stuff Goin' On

April 8: Today the prompt is “…pick a tool, make that the title of your poem, and write your poem. There are the more obvious tools, of course: hammer, screwdriver, wrench, etc. But there also less obvious tools and/or specialized tools available as well.” It took me a bit of thought to figure out how I wanted to handle this one. There's the obvious tools, how tools can be used for other than their intended tool identity, people as tools and a host of other possibilities. But when it finally came down to it, I realized I was sitting right in front of my favorite tool....

Computers
By Bill Kirk

As tools go, computers
Aren’t oft thought a tool—
Not like, say, a hammer—
But indeed they’re quite cool.

For what gives a thingy
Its toolness to claim?
Does its fame rest entirely
On whatever’s its name?

Without a computer
We’d be a sad lot,
Left to pen and to pencil
Each squiggle and jot.

Although those without them,
May write with great zest,
At some point a computer
Makes us good, better, best.


April 9: “…write a self-portrait poem. Other artists study themselves to create compositions (not all of them exactly flattering either), so it is only natural that poets, who are word artists, write self-portrait poems from time to time. In fact, some poets make self-portrait poetry "their main thing." For at least today, make it yours." Talk about a challenge. At first, I thought "piece of cake". But then where do you start and what do you include---or leave out?


A Self-Portrait
By Bill Kirk

What you sees is what you gets;
A happy life with no regrets.
OK, there could be one or two—
Or hardly more than just a few.

There was that time I smoked a pack
In just ten minutes behind the shack
At grandpa’s farm—and I turned green.
But since then, I’ve been strictly clean.

And who knew saki and home made beer,
Would make my vision so unclear?
I thought I’d guzzled fire starter.
After that I got much smarter.

Once I bought some swampland, too.
What a deal—I had no clue.
At last, we sold it ten years later—
Never found the alligator.

Worn some blisters; skinned some knees.
Got stung by some wasps and bees.
Lost my freckles and some hair,
And a few bets here and there,

Found true love along the way
Thank my lucky stars each day.
Life is full of blessings now.
Ask me and I’ll tell you how!