Friday, June 12, 2026

albert and his friends


by rhoda penmarq





albert z wants to be free
so he lives in a tree

brad y rolls his eyes
and looks up at the sky

chuck x likes special effects
and wonders what. comes next

dave w does not know you
and that is so true

edna v drinks rose tea
and dreads the coming calamity

frank u says thank you
to the ocean blue

george t wants to know me
and meet at quarter to three

harriet s suffers from stress
buut has no crimes to confess

imogene r is a superstar
and will certainly go far

janet q has a dog named lou
and a cat named boo

kenneth p won a spelling bee
when he was only three

laura o, don’t you know
goes with the flow

mickey n, the kindest of men
is doing twenty years in the pen

nora m, a fatal fenmme
has a fine collection of precious gems

oliver l has something to sell
but will never tell

paula k plans to go away
for the month of may

quentin j likes to play
his hair is turning gray

roberta i never gets too low or high
no one knows why

stella h keeps a straight face
with style and grace

terry g, thoughtfully
annotates poetry

undine f, with a touch so deft
is still around because she never left victor e wears patches on his knees
and studies gestalt psychology

wanda d, engagingly
hikes the hills and swims in the sea

xenia c was a mystery
to all allured by her chemistry

a yellow butterfly up high
gives it the old college try

zora a, to this very day
always has a great deal to say


Thursday, June 4, 2026

the clod and the cloud


by rhoda penmarq





a little clod of dirt sat in the sunshine.

a cloud came along

and hit the clod of dirt

with a raindrop

turning it into a flower

thank you

said the flower

i like being a flower now

i will return

said the cloud

with another raindrop to keep you a flower

the flower waited

and waited

and waited

but the cloud never returned

and the flower died

and the sky looked down at the dirt


Monday, June 1, 2026

slim jim 13


by rhoda penmarq







the eggplant was on the kitchen table, but the quinoa was in the undergrowth.

the red dog was terrified in the quiet afternoon.

youthful enthusiasm brought happiness to harold, but the dogs kept fighting.

the lettuce was gone, to harriet’s horrified regret.

as the clown devoured the sausage, many interesting things flashed through his mind.

wait for it, professor walker cautioned. yes or no? it is only animal behavior.

not on my watch, madame n———— asserted as she continued drying the powder. we need accuracy.

it is no exaggeration to say that doctor x is a fancy pants, but maybe i was mistaken.

they jumped for joy, back and forth, ordinary as they seemed.

harold was sad that the day was over.

he had not accomplished anything.

and he had still not heard from lucy.

could this be the end?

out in the distance, a cab pulled into the driveway of the old house.

a light went on in the attic.

how much?

two hundred and fifty dollars and forty-two cents.

here. keep the change.

thank you, sir.

the old house looked the same, at least in the darkness.

the cab backed down the driveway, and disappeared down the dirt road.

forsyth banged on the old oak door with the brass knocker.

the light went off in the attic.

forsyth waited.

i could use a drink, he mused.

so could we all, old fellow.




Saturday, May 30, 2026

slim jim 12


by rhoda penmarq







eggplant

quinoa

undergrowth

red

terror

quiet afternoon

youthful enthusiasm

happiness

dogs fighting

lettuce

horror

regret

clown

sausage

interesting things

wait for it

yes or no?

animal behavior

not on my watch

powder

accuracy

exaggeration

fancy pants

maybe i was mistaken

jump for joy

ordinary

back and forth



Sunday, May 24, 2026

slim jim #11


by rhoda penmarq







your meticulous jurisprudence is appreciated

you are very kind

let us retrace our steps

mister frank is waiting

he does not know his own mind

but he is not quite obsolete, is he?

we have heard mister parker’s testimony

quite so

remember what happened in the last session

t was so embarrassing

yes, it was a terrible time fir time and all

that is not unusual in the history of the human race

can we leave the history of the human race aside, and move on?

the representative from w______ was making a valid point

it was only an expression, so to speak

you said it, my friend

and i will assert it to the bitter rend

this is the end

excuse me?

until the next time

that is what o thought you meant

we all have our bad days

suddenly confusion broke out in the corridor leading to the holding cells



Monday, May 11, 2026

slim jim #10


by rhoda penmarq



flows to the sea

gerbil

horticulturist

i never knew

jelly donut

kingfish

lepidopterist

mailman

nobody home

oh please

particular

quaintly

resolve

steely resolve

tremendous pressure

he understood immediately

viciousness

watery

epedite, expedite!

you said it, pal

nothing left

adrenalin

blue yonder

coruscating

debilitating

energy crisis


Sunday, March 22, 2026

slim jim #9


by rhoda penmarq



you missed your quota

i will remember this

so will i

with that he took his leave

he understood it all now

vermillion sky

watery eyes

always the excuses

going back to the early days

nothing doing

up ahead

believe

cherry pie

desperation

energy shares

a fantastic premise

george

harold

i missed my quota

have a seat

you are very kind

lately

mendacious

night

ordinary symptoms

momentary paralysis