Through the screen door, I saw my family, sitting in the
backyard
arranged in a circle arc on wooden chairs in wafts
of roses and barbeque ribs and sauce that gusted from the
grill –
as Michael bluntly remarked: “I don’t recall THAT being
particularly funny.”
His brother, not one to equivocate in word or deed,
dissolved into chortles of laughter and gleefully, responded:
“Oh ya, Man – THAT was SO-O-O-O funny” ... and his sister,
ever the peacemaker, chimed in: “Well, it was kind of funny, Mikes”
as the rest of the backyard kin, waded in with a
cacophony of
howls and guffaws, bubbling sniggles, cackles, whoops and
giggles . . .
that, after a time, dwindled and drifted
unto the summer shush
of a nearby sprinkler.
The patriarch of the clan, holding court sedately, chuckled
softly, then:
as I had heard him do so many times before – kindly, warmly,
fondly –
as a jovial titter, skittered from Michael
and erupted
into a full blown belly laugh
that left him doubled over and gasping for air …
naturally, his dearly beloveds clamored right back in
there
for another round of hilarity – laughing so hard,
I feared several of them would fall off their chairs,
until finally,
they exhaled in deep buoyant breaths,
wiping their eyes and melodically blowing their noses
in mutters of e-e-e-ch and omigosh and geez
as Michael, having made his case – or so it seemed –
pronounced, through wheezing snorts,
with as much solemnity as he could muster:
“Well, ya-a-a-a – NOW it’s funny!”
notes: posted for Poets United.
Prose Poem - The prose poem appears as prose, but reads like poetry. Though it lacks the line breaks associated with
poetry, the prose poem maintains a poetic quality, often utilizing poetry
fundamentals, such as repetition, rhyme and alliteration. The form can range in length from a few lines
to several pages and explores all genres and styles.
It gained popularity in the 19th century in France, and was
spread to England, Germany, Latin America and the US by writers such as Charles
Baudelaire, William Wordsworth, Franz Kafka and Gertrude Stein.
photo: Backyard Father’s Day Barbeque
– W. Bourke
© 2015 Wendy Bourke
