The Daily Poem

THE RIO-LAGOS SPAN

They've made a bridge to Africa

With grounds of pure Arabica.

They spun them abracadabrica

To float on pillared stability

And self-repair sustainably

With germs that love salinity

That work the matrix into Bloam,

A coral-esque of Styrofoam,

Constructed dome-arch-dome

Allowing megaships to pass.

What's more, it shines like glittered glass,

Expiring phosphorescent gas.

My bennies include a commuter plan

To cross the Rio-Lagos Span;

I'm RanCorp's newest hatchet man.

D. Edgar Lamp

TheDailyPoem708

Rhyming Triplets

Modesto, California

Lat: Long:

JOURNAL: Comfort Inn

~ The Daily Poet

PLINTHOLIAN FRAGMENT

And up these special jousting forts

To do their spiral mounting sports

On stairs they carved from solid quartz

They sparred with prehistoric bones

Embellished like their royal thrones

Where kingly pilots served their drones

The ears of each were looped with gold

That played the music they were told

Would hold the heat and spell the cold

D. Edgar Lamp

The Daily Poem - 389

Rhyming Triplets

St. Ann's, Trinidad & Tobago

Lat: 10.67, Long: -61.52

JOURNAL: Samise Villa Bed & Breakfast

Walked from Samise Villa downtown. Looked at the Impressive Center for Performing Arts, an organically shaped building of silver and glass designed after the T&T National Flower, the Chaconia. Next door we found the National Museum and spent a couple hours there. Unfortunately, the art exhibit hall was closed in preparation for a All-Woman Exhibit which will include 100 pieces of art from women all over the country; not opening until April first. Too bad. there was a whole room devoted to the history of T&T music including Calypso, Rapso, and others. They had a book of lyrics by eight or ten of the great singing poets including names like Atilla and Growler. I sat and read from the book for a half hour until Mimi was finished exploring the winding corridors of the musuem.

We had lunch at Carol's Kitchen in downtown Port Of Spain. I had spicy rice, spicy lentils, and thankfully, not so spicy macaroni pie. Mimi had bread fruit, callaloo, coleslaw and macaroni pie. After lunch we caught the red maxi taxi to Curepe, where we thought we were going to catch the green maxi taxi down to the bird sanctuary, but we were informed we had to take a private taxi. He drove us down along a freeway. Suddenly he pulled over and let us out, pointing to the Bird Sanctuary on the other side of the freeway. Rather than trying to dash across four lanes of busy traffic and median, we decided to walk back a quarter mile to an overpass. How strange to be just be dropped off on a freeway.

The Madoo Bird Sanctuary Tour guide was expecting us, and we climbed aboard with about 20 other people for a two-hour adventure along the Blue River that winds a briny course through the swamp to the sea for about five miles from where we put in.

On the way down river we saw: Small Blue Heron, Scarlett Ibis, Tree Climbing Crab, Spotted Sand Piper, Common Potoo, Peregrin Falcon, Osprey, Cooks Tree Boa, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tri-Colored Heron, and Fruit Bat. Finally we came to area of wide open water scattered with islands. We three boats of spectators hid. Still and calm and waited we did. And then they came, as summoned by our collective desire, small flocks of Scarlet Ibis coming home to roost on the island about 100 yards away. Over the next 30 minutes we watched amazed as more and more bright orange-red birds came in from all directions. It was as if the green trees of the island were blooming with red flowers. I'd say there were at least 500 Scarlet Ibis nestled in the canopy before we left.

Denise had arranged a ride home for us. Turns out that it was the owner of the tour company. He's been in the business for 30 years. In fact our boat pilot was one of his sons. When we got back we had a Veggie Delight pizza delivered from Pizza Hut. Then started watching Hollow Man until he smashed the invisible puppy against the wall...OK...enough! Then watched American Idol for a while. Our room is comfortable, though a bit cramped. Our sunburns our still tender. We probably won't be ready for the beach again for another day or so.

~ The Daily Poet

NINE PANES

Just one small calculation errror

May domino a misadventure

Where suddenly the light's a jester

The giant fly begins to pester

Along the windowpanes of leisure

As if the overlords could measure

The quantity of so called pleasure

Then tax the innocent receiver

And spend the sum to cure the fever.

D. Edgar Lamp

The Daily Poem - 254

Idyllwild, California

Rhyming Triplets

CONSTRUCTION 4: BOTS DOTS & PINWHEELS

Find a stretch of country road all desolate at night.

Find it when the sky is clear, the moon is full and bright.

Take a bunch of pinwheels made to magnify the light,

Made of cut-up roadway signs like No Left Turn & Stop.

Drill a hole by every dot, and fill each one with glop.

Glop means glue, I knew you knew; just let it go kerplop.

Stick a pinwheel stick in every hole until it dries.

Do be careful not to get the bot-glue in your eyes.

Cars may pass but you'll be dressed in some benign disguise.

Fifty pinwheels ought to do, five hundred would be best.

Work until the sun comes up, or till you face arrest.

When you're done go take your car and give the road a test.

~ D. Edgar Lamp (Rhyming Triplets)

SWEET SIGNIFICANCE—A LOVE STORY

He’s a spurious digit and everyone knows,

No matter how clever his math-manic prose,

His vacant expression is all that it shows.

They call him a cipher, a nothing, a naught,

A circular reference, a bubble, a blot;

His brain is a goose egg that can’t hold a thought

But last night he went out for a leisurely roll,

And found a sad Three who he tried to console.

She was right of the decimal not feeling quite whole,

So he offered to bump her once left from the right

To help her reverse her superfluous plight.

She gave him a look mixing fear and delight.

“I’ll be gentle,” he told her, “You won’t feel a thing.”

And there on the spot he sprang her a spring,

And she, “Oh my gosh! I’m commencing a fling

With a crazy-eyed zero!” and landed with grace

And a smile, in a westerly decimal place,

As a bit of a blush multiplied on her face.

Then before she could thank him he did it again

And bumped her once more by a power of ten.

“That’s all I can do.” He said with a grin.

“My goodness,” she said, “I’d never ask more.

Since you leaped to my rescue and made my heart soar,

I’m a hundred times better than I was before!”

“It's YOU, Miss” he said, “I’m as proud as a pig.

Since I leaped to your rescue I'm feeling so big.

Thank YOU, I’m at last a Significant Fig!”

For my daughter, Ellie

~ D. Edgar Lamp (Rhyming Triplets)

LOVE ON THE FACTORY FLOOR

Bright are the lights from the factory floor,

Rusted the latch on the furnace door,

Nothing but dust in the bottom drawer.

Where will she find the route to the sea,

Bandage her leg with a bag of tea,

Lie in the sun by a silver tree.

Why does he wait for the blossom to bloom,

Open the letter that lies in his room,

Sleep in the vacancy left by perfume?

~ D. Edgar Lamp (Rhyming Triplets)

AWAY

A sharp and fancy jackknife jewel

She perches prim upon her stool

With leggings crossed she plays it cool

As all the boys confused with pain

Refreshed by her sweet dazzling rain

Keep circling circles round in vain

Not really knowing what they want

In jest and swagger nonchalant

While she with lonely-hearted flaunt

Just wishes one would stop and stay

And scoop her up in love's display

And walk her out the door—away.

~ D. Edgar Lamp (Rhyming Triplets)