The Long March Ends

The Long March Ends is a great title (if I may say myself, and I may). But now I’ve got to figure out what to do with it. There is so much promise with its multiple meanings I’m almost afraid to waste it. What if my post is uncreative and uninspiring? Have I set expectations too high with such a brilliant title? Have I marched right into my very own trap? Probably. Or rather, definitely. But what is done is done and what’s titled is titled. There is no walking backward. I must march onward to the very end. So must you. We have no recourse. We are all time’s fools on April first!

Be well,

Monty

• It’s Complicated (2025 NaPoWriMo #5)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! It’s complicated – click link and see prompt for April 5th. I followed the prompt loosely. napowrimo.net It’s Complicated BreakingContinue reading “It’s Complicated (2025 NaPoWriMo #5)”
• Drawn (2025 NaPoWriMo #4)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Write a poem about living with a piece of art. napowrimo.net Drawn He drew me with everlasting lovingkindness,The only loveContinue reading “Drawn (2025 NaPoWriMo #4)”
• Licensed to Poet (2025 NaPoWriMo #3)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Write a poem that obliquely explains why you are a poet and not some other kind of artist napowrimo.net LicensedContinue reading “Licensed to Poet (2025 NaPoWriMo #3)”
• Dear Me (2025 NaPoWriMo #2)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Write a poem that directly addresses someone, and that includes a made-up word, an odd/unusual simile, a statement of “fact,”Continue reading “Dear Me (2025 NaPoWriMo #2)”
• Moto (2025 NaPoWriMo #1)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Today, we challenge you to take inspiration from this glossary of musical terms, or this glossary of art terminology, and write aContinue reading “Moto (2025 NaPoWriMo #1)”
• The Portrait (2025 NaPoWriMo #0)
  I’m a bit late, but that is not going to stop me from celebrating National Poetry Month! Pen a portrait poem of your own. ItContinue reading “The Portrait (2025 NaPoWriMo #0)”
• Adding My Light to the Sum of the Light
  Be well, Monty
• As Time Dances Along
  East bleeds west,As time dances along,Urging the day forward. Be well, Monty
• Sitting in the Dark
  The lights burnt out,Darkness cast across a nation broken,Lit only by fiery wrath and ire,Graffiti hate betraying fear,He watches from his Oval Office,Admiring the powerContinue reading “Sitting in the Dark”
• I’ll Be Ok
  I fell down, hard. First tripped up by my own feet, I’d lost my balance. Then they saw their chance and pushed me. Slammed meContinue reading “I’ll Be Ok”
• Burning Slow
  I’m slow to anger, how biblical of me! But the truth is I burn low and slow and resentfully. You won’t catch me shouting loud.Continue reading “Burning Slow”
• Re-reading Monty
  They claim to be my words, but I’ve no memory;They seem too deep, too wise, beyond me,Yet there they are, on the page,With a typoContinue reading “Re-reading Monty”
• An Act of Love
  She ripped a page out of my book, literally.Tore the page right out of it,Transforming words undercover into an act of love,A passionate invitation toContinue reading “An Act of Love”
• Textures
  Be well, Monty
• Psych 101
  A mystery, a silent roar,Boiled down to an atmospheric essence,Unlimited in a formless dress;The girl from Baylor Hall. Be well, Monty
• Boing!
  Be well, Monty
• Another Absurdity
  Up the bean-stalk he climbed,Exposed arse whistling in the wind(the score to some old sitcom frombefore all the screens turned blue),He was compensating for theContinue reading “Another Absurdity”
• Explicit Absurdity
  Hydrogen uppers gaslight me into obsolescence,Escaping gravity, wound-up, and ready to bounceAn engineer’s failed experiment in abstinence,A human bot,Go ahead and tariff me – what’sContinue reading “Explicit Absurdity”
• Poof!
  Be well, Monty
• The Dancer
  Be well, Monty
• A “Selfie” Portrait
  Be well, Monty
• And There it Was
  A simple request. An ask to take the decision out of my hands. To be open to receive. That’s all it took. It wasn’t longContinue reading “And There it Was”
• A Return to Patterns
  Be well, Monty
• Poetry in Motion
  Be well, Monty
• A Simple Joy
  The citrus spritz bloomed,Awakening my senses,A simple, wondrous joy,The sweet scent from a bitter rind,Perhaps a lesson there. Be well, Monty
• A Life Being Lived
  I’ve been retracing my steps all morning. Not deep into the past, but shallow moves forward followed by equal measures backward. Stuck in a reciprocatingContinue reading “A Life Being Lived”
• The Visitor
  He chatters away downstairs, the sound carrying upward as he tells a story in a rush, interrupted only by the laughter of a captive audienceContinue reading “The Visitor”
• Seasons of the Sun
  Be well, Monty
• A Gray Day
  Finally a gray day,All those expansive bluesWere wearing me down,As if compelling me to good humor,Trying to get me to forget it’s still mid-winter. WellContinue reading “A Gray Day”
• An Evening’s Inventory
  The dog lays flat out as if to emphasize the basis of the saying “dog-tired”. The TV chatters in Chinese in the background, almost quietContinue reading “An Evening’s Inventory”
• Firework Extractions
  Be well, Monty
• New Years Morning
  The celebrations have quieted,The night sky of thunderous glitterNow settled upon the ground,As if tired from partying all night,Laying in heaps wherever the winds decided,CaughtContinue reading “New Years Morning”
• Dancing in the Sunlight
  I watch from upon my swiveling perch,Praying I never tire of the beauty below;The cold waters boil in the wind,Creating a diamond encrusted Surface dancingContinue reading “Dancing in the Sunlight”
• The Morning’s Witness
  The wind swept across the sea’s surface,Blue shades rippling into greys,Forming shadows of mystery,I imagined huge creatures swimming beneath the surface,Then suddenly diving deep,Disappearing asContinue reading “The Morning’s Witness”
• Set Me Free
  Set me free, set me free, Lord, please set me free!Cut me loose from the chains of past sins,Open my heart, be the wind beneathContinue reading “Set Me Free”
• The Winter Rose
  I watched the rose petals fall one by one as the cold wind stripped them of their mooring and left behind only a shadow ofContinue reading “The Winter Rose”
• Our Father
  Bent over from the weight of the years,Not the seventy-seven already lived,But the twenty or so left to survive,The balance sheet of life upside down,SinkingContinue reading “Our Father”
• Here and Now
  A chill awakens my nerves,The warmth of a deep slumber ebbs,I’m readying to take on the day,To write myself into presence,To draw a point onContinue reading “Here and Now”
• Words for the New Year
  Words crept up,Like a nose itching to sneeze,Hiding just below the surface,Hinting at images, yet still blurred.Seeking to be set free?Or to nuzzle back underContinue reading “Words for the New Year”
• Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Jungle
  #Jungle Lance Bumbleworth @Threads Typhoon (#Jungle) Typhoon winds and rains batter against our windows. The wind whistles and bangs through every crevice it can find.Continue reading “Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Jungle”
• Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Cave
  #Cave Lance Bumbleworth @Threads Once (#Cave) Once human in formDiggingindirttounearthmysteriesDecipheringancientscriptsInterpretingcavescratchedtriptychsStudyingremainsinoldcryptsAlltounderstandwhatthey’d Once already known. If you enjoy these very short stories, you can also check outContinue reading “Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Cave”
• Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Desert
  #Desert Lance Bumbleworth @Threads Dark Silence (#Desert) With a mouthful of desert sand,Mind cocooned in dense fibers,Eyes glued shut from disuse,I listen to the darkContinue reading “Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Desert”
• Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Wing
  #Wing Lance Bumbleworth @Threads A Gentle Breeze (#Wing) A gentle breeze formsTaking flight on his new wingsChasing the wind’s tail If you enjoy these veryContinue reading “Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Wing”
• Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Island
  #Island Lance Bumbleworth @Threads I Stand Alone (#Island) I stand alone,An island in a sea of strangers,That come and go with the tides,Some with fleetingContinue reading “Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Island”
• Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Woodland
  #Woodland Lance Bumbleworth @Threads Dream (#Woodland) I dreamt I was king,King of the woodlands,With a crown of braided branches,Decorated by autumnal leaves,Life was colorful. IContinue reading “Monty’s Very Short Shorts – #Woodland”