About Poetry - Kathy Figueroa

These days, pretty much anything goes
From measured meter to free-form prose
From haiku, odes, or tossed “word salads”
To precisely presented ballads
 
Like crickets chirp, wolves howl, and birds sing
To express one’s self is the main thing
So share your thoughts, let the words ring true
We learn from each other’s points of view
 
Kathy Figueroa


Image : GuernseyPoets

Tamara Lich - Kathy Figueroa

Tamara Lich is like Canada’s
Very own Joan of Arc
Though she didn’t lead soldiers to battle
But truckers to Ottawa to park
 
Where they were met with vitriol
Of the most calumnious kind
When a Liberal honcho to talk to
Was what they had hoped to find
 
The people longed to be heard
To make their concerns known
But for “mandated” impacts on their lives
Rude political disregard was shown
 
The truckers were defamed as “terrorists”
Lies were disseminated far and wide
And the person occupying Canada’s main office
Actually chose to run and hide
 
Similar to the men
Who declared Joan of Arc a witch
So have Liberal Parliamentarians
Reviled brave Tamara Lich
 
Though they can’t just seize her
And burn her at the stake
They can level charges of dubious merit
...Some possibly even fake
 
So, here’s to Tamara Lich
May she ever be brave and strong!
Canada, people still stand on guard for thee
Though some politicians pretend it’s wrong

Kathy Figueroa


Image : Toronto 99 Independent News

Here’s to the Women - Kathy Figueroa

Here’s to the women who wore pants to school
When skirts or dresses only were the rule
 
Here’s to the women who made a safe place
For the battered to shelter, when the violent gave chase
 
Here’s to the women who fought to change laws
To improve life for all, a humane and just cause
 
On International Women’s Day, let’s pause and reflect
And give credit where due, along with respect
 
Kathy Figueroa


Image : Pixabay - dimitrisvetsikas1969

Respect for Truckers - Kathy Figueroa

Respect for big rig Truckers
Kings of the Road
Who transport food to our stores
Load after load

Especially to the ones
Who must cross the border
...And have now resisted
The vaccine mandate order

On them, wary Canadians
Have a reliance
And a hope of success
For their defiance

...Of untested toxic jabs
Designed to modify human DNA
An experimental “treatment”
To make COVID-19 go away

But a treatment rife
With negative health impacts
Like myocarditis and blood clots
Which are now established facts

So, a salute to the Truckers
For standing their ground
May sanity once more prevail
Where it’s currently not found

Kathy Figueroa


Image : Kadri Mohamed/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Hundreds of articulated lorries, pickup trucks and cars rolled into Ottawa to protest against vaccine mandates and lockdowns. The “Freedom Convoy” began as a cohort of drivers protesting against a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers imposed by Trudeau’s Liberal government.

Ten Days Before Christmas 2021 - Kathy Figueroa

'Twas ten days before Christmas
The weather was drear
And people in Canada
Were experiencing fear
 
A sense of gloom
Was felt everywhere
As Virus Omicron
Hung in the air
 
New government restrictions
Took more rights away
And the pandemic made everyone
Fretful, not gay
 
People socially distanced
They stayed well apart
And the strain on their lives
Made an ache in their heart
 
There wasn’t a lot
That filled folks with joy
It seemed daily news
Was designed to annoy
 
The media blared
That predictions were bleak
And a third booster shot
Was what jabbed folks should seek
 
For the virus multiplied
Incredibly fast
And it looked like forever
The pandemic would last
 
So over the season
Was cast a pall
And people didn’t feel
Very merry at all
 
Businesses floundered
Money was tight
As the pandemic’s end
Was nowhere in sight
 
Prices went up
People were concerned
Things started to cost
Much more than folks earned
 
Breakups and suicides
Were on the rise
Propaganda spread facts
But some were shown to be lies
 
It was a time without merriment
Without social life, without mirth
A time to make you worry
About man’s fate on this Earth
 
People began to wonder
“How will this end?”
It was like humanity
Needed a friend
 
But as Christmas Day
Drew nearer and nearer
The true reason to celebrate
Became clearer and clearer
 
It wasn’t about presents
Parties and food
It was more about
Heartfelt gratitude
 
It was about faith
And miracles wrought
About good news for man
That Jesus Christ brought
 
A way to ease
Burdens of the soul
A way to make
Broken spirits whole
 
So we celebrate
His compassion and caring
His way of life
Of kind deeds and sharing
 
Though times are rough
And, of the virus, we’re fearful
Remembering “the reason for the season”
Will help us feel cheerful!
 
No matter the race
Culture, or creed
Good news is something
That we ALL need

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Pixabay - GlauchauCity

Think - Kathy Figueroa

Think of how much better society would be today
If all of those young men hadn't died in such a brutal way
Think of the advancements in humanities and science
If, to deadly conflict, the world had expressed defiance
Surely, there must be nonviolent ways to “settle old scores”
Or curtail tyranny, than to engage in endless wars
If only humanity’s feral instincts could be tamed
And mankind’s noblest higher qualities were what remained

Kathy Figueroa

November 11, 2021 Lest we forget

Pain: A Sonnet - Kathy Figueroa

Ah Pain!  Thou intruder!
With footsteps across my skull resounding
Could your presence be any ruder?!
My scalp’s a drum that someone’s pounding!

From whence you came?  Why torment me?
Please depart, I implore!
Why dost thou not leave me be
And upon my visage stop declaring war?

To halt your conquest of my nose and jaw
I gird for battle with vitamin C and zinc
My nerves are now frayed and raw
As I reach for yet another hot drink

Pain, in this fight I strive for your defeat
And hope this intrusion won’t repeat

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Pixabay - geralt

Just A Note - Kathy Figueroa

Just a note to tell you, once again
How much you mean to me
And express how I appreciate
And enjoy your company

How much I crave your presence
During nights dark and cold
How wonderful it is to be with you
To have and to hold

I hope you always know I love you
Though I don’t whisper it every day
May my actions tell you more
Than my words could ever say

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Pixabay - geralt

COVID-19 Blues - Kathy Figueroa

I’m trying to recalibrate my thinking
To lose this COVID-19 frame of mind
The weather’s finally getting warmer
And verdant signs of spring aren’t hard to find

It’s been a long, pandemic-plagued winter
With an overabundance of sad news
As a result, it’s accurate to say
I developed the COVID-19 blues

Kathy Figueroa


Image : Pixabay - Leo2014

Safe Haven - Kathy Figueroa

The fragrance of baked apple fills the air
It’s quick, tasty, and healthy lunchtime fare
Soup made from barley, lentils, beans, and rice
Will have a good flavour, with added spice

The kitchen’s a safe haven these bleak days
As the virus mutates in scary ways
It’s better to stay home, behind closed doors
When new strains emanate from distant shores

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Pixabay - Bru-nO

Overwhelmed - Kathy Figueroa

I wanted to write a cheerful rhyme,
To add a rosy tint to the day,
But it seems I’m having a hard time
Zeroing in on just what to say

I’ve many a disparate feeling:   
On life, this pandemic’s cast a pall.
Its impact has left the world reeling
And I’m quite overwhelmed by it all.

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Pixabay - geralt

This Changed World - Kathy Figueroa

Local businesses falter and fail
One by one stores are put up for sale
The virus tanked our economy
Signs of its impact are plain to see

It’s so different in the downtown core:
Masks worn, long line-ups - unlike before  
Will this pandemic just fade away?
Or is this changed world now here to stay?

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Pixabay - Queven

Is This A Cold? - Kathy Figueroa

I’ve got the sniffles and “the runs” too
Is this a cold, or maybe the flu?
I’m so tired ...should I crawl back in bed
...Or drink more tea and take zinc, instead?
 
I’m feeling hot, my throat’s getting sore,
Why can’t I taste the food anymore?
Is this a COVID-19 attack?
...Or am I a hypochondriac?
 
I really don’t know what’s ailing me
And hope that it’s just an allergy
But I’ll still stay home and isolate
My regular life will have to wait

Kathy Figueroa

Image : Banksy

Famous? - Kathy Figueroa

Famous?  I guess I have been, to a degree
And could be more so, except that I’m low key
On social media, I don’t strive for a million friends
Outliers like me often buck the trends

My poems and pictures are published here and there
These creative endeavours I’m always glad to share
But though my work is known in many a distant place
Most folks undoubtedly wouldn’t recognize my face

Some artists and writers strive to cultivate fame
But basking in the limelight isn’t my aim
I’ve things to do, dreams to dream, and words that rhyme
Blank pages await my pen ...for chasing fame I have no time

Kathy Figueroa

A Crimp In My Snacking Routine - Kathy Figueroa

Tasty barbeque chips, how I’ve craved you so!
But have had to do without, for to the store I rarely go
And honey-roasted peanuts are such a delight!
But these persistent yearnings, I’ve long had to fight

This pandemic has definitely put a crimp
In my daily snacking routine
And forced me to limit my munching
To what’s at hand, and usually green

Though nutritious wild violet leaves
Are abundant out of doors
They don’t pack the zip of a chip
Or other delicious stuff you get at the stores

Risking a brush with a coronavirus
That’s mean and highly detrimental
Inspires a certain fear
That’s primal and elemental

So, if to the supermarket,
I feel I must make a jaunt
Careful advance consideration
Is given to exactly what I want

A strategy is devised:
When will the least tourists likely be there?
Is hand sanitizer in my purse?
What sort of mask should I wear?

Shall I don the clear plastic face shield
That allows me to breathe free?
Or that paper surgical-type mask
Which fogs my glasses 'til I can barely see?

Yes, there are many details
To be given consideration and forethought
Before I head out shopping - so groceries,
Including snack food, can be safely bought.

Kathy Figueroa

This Ecosphere - Kathy Figueroa

Bow to the might of the Pangolin and Bat
Leave them undisturbed in their wild habitat
Tremble before Creation in its glory
Know that Humans are but part of its story

Instead of plundering to ruination
Let Humans protect this wondrous creation -
This ecosphere, this world, this garden in space
This most marvellous home of the human race

Kathy Figueroa

In Memory of Dr. Li Wenliang - Kathy Figueroa

In memory of a good doctor in China
Who, about the new virus, sounded an alarm
He was aware that people were becoming ill
And wanted to inform folks, to save them from harm

December 30th, he posted a message
Using the Chinese messaging service, “WeChat”
Which riled local Communist Chinese overlords
Authoritarians who didn’t stand for that

Days later, he was called to the police station
And “reprimanded for spreading rumours online”
Forced to say he’d committed an “unlawful act”
And threatened with “detainment,” rather than a fine

He had to go back to work at the hospital
And on January 10th caught the dire disease
The brave doctor’s condition worsened steadily
To a state not even critical care could ease

Over twenty-eight thousand folks are now sickened
Because the courageous doctor’s words weren’t heeded
And the government didn’t advise the public
About health precautions that were sorely needed

Exponentially, the tragic death toll rises
From this virulent and mysterious new flu
Today, Wuhan, China, news is even sadder
For now good Dr. Li Wenliang has died, too

Kathy Figueroa

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

China’s Virus - Kathy Figueroa

China’s birthed another virus
A lot of people will be killed
Now it’s reached North America
Only drug companies are thrilled

It’ll thin the population
Decimate it in short order
Too bad we don’t have quarantines
Or a way to close the border

So many people are now sick
The frail and elderly will die
The government should act …and quick!
Why it hasn’t, we wonder why

Oh China, fount of strange disease
This export is one we don’t crave
Use caution not to spread it, please
Don’t send foreign folks to their grave

Kathy Figueroa

A Cup of Tea - Kathy Figueroa

There are times when weighty matters
Must give way to much lighter stuff
Instead of news of gloom and doom
You want to hear some happy “fluff”

It’s a self-preservation thing
Designed to keep you hale and sane
As the world burns and stomach turns
And U.S. war drums beat …again

So make yourself a cup of tea
Maybe get out your sewing kit
Sit next to the kitchen window
Breathe deeply and relax a bit

How stately stand the trees outside
How pretty are the lights of town
How grand the sky that opens wide
How pure the snowflakes drifting down

Kathy Figueroa

December 6th, 1989 - Kathy Figueroa

I can still remember
opening my studio door
and the shock of seeing the newspaper
in the hallway, on the floor

And what that unbidden issue
of the Toronto Star said -
fourteen women at Ecole Poly-technique
in Montreal massacred …shot dead

And I remember the fear
That slowly crept up my spine
As I looked at that awful
Early December headline

Was this surprise at my door a warning
some sort of indirect threat
that if you’re female, bright, and ambitious
this is what you might get?

As it turned out, it was left
by a man with a good intention
who wanted to apprise me of the news
not cause me apprehension

I felt compelled to write this
to mark the tragic date
when common human decency
was overruled by hate

When fourteen innocent lives
with so much potential were ended
by ignoble and evil actions
which can never be defended

Kathy Figueroa