Like a Sharp Stick in the Eye

I think of my enemies like a toothache, bothersome yes, but sometimes they can be inspirational like a sharp stick in the eye or a joke that makes me rock and roll with laughter. Poetry is my medicine. Monday Poetry can be the stick or the joke. All depends.

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If I were a tombstone,

I’d stand erect

atop your grave.

I’d mark your death

and bear your name,

chiseled deep

across my chest.

I’d wear your epitaph

like a black tattoo.

If I were a tombstone

my face would gleam

in a beam of sunlight.

I’d look at you

and feel nothing but stone.

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If I were an onion

I’d get in your face.

I’d burn your heart

and spit in your eye.

If I were an onion,

I’d make you cry.

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If I were a democrat

I ‘d be on drugs

like Abilify, Zyprexa

or Clozapine. I’d

promote schizoprenia.

I’d get in line

to get my jabs,

flu and otherwise.

I’d drink martinis

like Nancy Pelosi

and act real dumb

like AOC. If I were a democrat

I’d need Google

to inform me

of my gender.

I’d hail Zelensky

and honor the misled

like Alex Pretti,

Tyler Robinson

and Renee Nicole.

If I were a democrat

I’d be a puppet

for a protest.

When a Poet Writes, the World Listens

When a poet writes, the world listens. In fact, the Universe has eyes, ears and a heart filled with poetry.

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Repute

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Too many poems 

wear esoteric shoes.  

They conspire

with the literary elite

and tout  

distinguished pedigrees

like Harvard or Berkeley.

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Poems that run barefoot

immersed in life,

emerge hand written

from farmers, nurses

and proprietors of truth.  

They can illuminate places 

the intellect seldom goes.

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The heart is simple

and mostly straightforward. 

Like the Shoshone the say:

some people are smart but not wise;

and the Sasquatch teach:

ignorance and stupidity cannot see themselves.

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More Poetry

Close Your Eyes, Open Wide

This Monday Poetry for April 13, 2026 is Close Your Eyes, Open Wide. (Not to be taken literally).

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 Doctor’s Visit

Close your eyes, open wide

take your medicine.

Have faith in science,

blind or otherwise;

for Science is God.

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Get in line, get injected.

Get measured.  Get tested.

You are full of germs,

viruses and infectious,

so close your eyes, open wide

take your medicine.

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Cancer is coming

to a theatre near you.  

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More Poetry

The Love Tree paperback

Tragic Poem Speaks to Devastating Cause of Ice Storm

This tragic poem speaks to devastating cause of ice storms in Michigan. We just got federal money from the last one and here we go again.

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Geo Engineering is real.

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More poetry by Michigan Poet Richard Rensberry.

The Wild Canary Children’s Book

Monday Poetry to Excite the Heart

Monday poetry to excite the heart and soul. Today’s poem “Identity”, carries a resonance like a violin.

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 Identity

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There’s a golden thread

sewn into the fabric

of our existence.  It is electrified.

It carries a resonance

like a violin.  It vibrates

at the speed of life.

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The artist hears it.

It is the rhythm and rhyme

in his lyrics.  It puts the verve

of living color into the brush

of the painter.  It makes the dancer

leap and the sculptor sculpt.

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We sing.  We imagine,

we create.  We bring

the beauty and harmony

of love, affection and family.

We know, not think.

We help, not preach.

We nurture destiny

the best that we can.

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Richard Rensberry, March 9, 2026

Monday Poetry March 2, 2026

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Touch and Grace

If I Were hand,

I could smooth a crease

from your worried face.  I could

grasp what you hate

and hold it away

out of your reach.  I could

glide you across the kitchen floor

while Neil Young strums his blue guitar.

If I were a hand, I’d touch your waist.

I’d caress your cheek with touch and grace.

I’d pull you close and never let go.

If I were a hand, I’d lift your soul.

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Monday Poetry

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I hear my fishing poles stretching their muscles. My lures are rattling in my tackle box. My waders are singing the opening aria of an opera I can’t wait to attend.

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Monday Poetry February 16, 2026

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Sanctuary

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I have many rooms

in my heart. It’s a house

where only a few have been invited

to remain. Each room is occupied

by a kiss or a hug. So much happiness

comes calling, a special cat,

a playful dog. A begonia

or an orchid. The moon

and the stars, even the wind

and the smell of the rain

have a place at the table. I

am blessed with your presence

that still comes and goes

with the quiet dignity

only the deepest of intimacy

can afford.

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More Poetry

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