Some days I feel as though I’m listing,
weighed down by too much news.
Hantavirus, gas prices,
John Roberts resurrecting Jim Crow,
taxpayer money gilding an extravagant,
exaggerated, excessive, exorbitant,
extraneous, bawdy ballroom
for Mr. You Know Who.
Perhaps a blooming list might brighten my day.
My favorite blooms then, in no particular order:
hyacinth, cherry blossoms, tulips, daffodils,
crocus, lilacs and *panties of the week.
Listing toward eighty now,
purple veined hands, crepey knees,
fading eyebrows, expanding girth.
All changes I can live with.
I can still dance the waltz,
twist lasciviously, bunny hop ridiculously
and show off my *bloomers
doing high Rockette kicks.
So the point is, listing at my age
is more than a poetic feat.
It should tell you I am alive and well,
not planning any time soon
to take a docile back seat!
Written for dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today, Bjorn from Sweden is hosting.
WORDS OF EXPLANATION:
1. The astericks on panties and bloomers. Back in the day, panties were called bloomers!
2. Panties of the Week were a very popular fad in the 1950s. You bought a 7-pack of girls underpants and each one had a day of the week embroidered on them!
3. The Prompt: Bjorn asks us to write a “list poem”. He says, “The use of lists in poetry can be very powerful. You can start with a list and expand around it. Maybe even your shopping list can be made into poetry by reflecting on what the list tells you about the season. The whole poem may be a list, but you may also use a section only as a list.”
So basically we’re to write a poem that involves listing. I had fun with this one!
Image is AI created on Bing Create.
lillian the home poet 
It’s an art, listing gracefully, no matter our age, change being inevitable, and this poem lists most delightfully, Lill.
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I think we need a balance with bloom against all the manace that happens.
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What a delightful and uplifting poem!! I loved your flower list and the panties of the week. 🌸 😂
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Hi Lill— another good po
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Nice one!!!
much love
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This is absolutely stellar writing, Lil! ❤️ I smiled at; “I can still dance the waltz, twist lasciviously,” more power to you! 🥰🥰
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Your Bing image is as priceless as YOU. And …. fyi I share the same list of “dreaded attributes.” Great write, Lillian.
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Well done. And list away, as long as you stay on your feet.
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Well done, excellent, marvelous, and the list continues how impressive your Listing was viewed by me. Keep doing that Bunny Hop!
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Heck yeah!! What a great list I especiually like the strength in these lines, “I can still dance the waltz,
twist lasciviously, bunny hop ridiculously
and show off my *bloomers
doing high Rockette kicks.
So the point is, listing at my age
is more than a poetic feat.
It should tell you I am alive and well,”
Well said and well earned! 🩵
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It’s great the way you have woven in the list of words. You’re as young as you feel. Keep dancing.
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So well done, Lillian. 💙 We need to remember the flowers and the dancing, as well as all the very real horrible. We can’t let this regime steal our joy!
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It should tell you I am alive and well,
not planning any time soon
to take a docile back seat!
Wonderful close Lillian! Others should see us still active and performing. They should not take us for granted . Well said! Love it!
Hank
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I actually once wrote about wanting to have Panties of the Week panties! We must be of the same genertion.
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Generation…oops.
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Nicely written listing Lilian 👏 I hope I can maintain the joy de vivre that I feel now for another 20 years or more…all the way to the end even.
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I love this and it made me smile 😊
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Such a great take on the prompt – and a excellent poem to come out of it. I love it and its quiet humour.
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A nice dance around the prompt – a joy to read.
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Such a delightful write, Lill! “Twist lasciviously”…oooh!!💃🏼❤️
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Flowers and dancing–you can’t go wrong. It helps dull ballrooms, war, and prayer meetings on the lawn.
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