My poems

Death & Dreams
Snow blindly wisps around the freezing air,
Falling, swirling towards death (sleep).
Grey sky like eerie canvass, plays backdrop,
The oneiric scene develops below.
Slow movements of a man made with muffled sound –dirt.
The orange glow of a lantern fills space – dirt fills space of death (sleep).
Below.

Burgeoning clouds hang low,
Hovering like prophetic dreams (eternity).
They leave a residue; a film covering the mind.
One that lingers in the cold part, the darkened part,
Where it is so very hard to shake.

Cube of Time
Cube of Time, Death grows small; Figure
in the distance, an echo’ed
Shade.  Dreaming, fading bells afar,
vibrating o’er the damp’ed  land.
Fens, the Fens, moistened Fens await
as Death slowly trapes.  His black cloak
gauzily tickles the dead weeds,
and too, the mist, away, away.
Follow, with me, whispers Night’s slave.

Portion of Time, this space half-starved
with crumbling stones and filtered
light. Accompany you, I will,
through this place and throughout this time.
For this life, accept me my fate.

Traveller
The mist in the heavy Air spins – small, damp light dims.
The tinny ring of the portcullis resonates – the ding of metal – it shuts.
How shall I enter this quiet place?
But, to wander on, a traveler must; crack open the gate and scrape the remains.
A crow waits, wings folded over and straight.
I leave this silence, this glowing silence not in a redoubtable state.

She Cannot Stay
She cannot stay, she cannot fight again.
Her struggle ceases, then she grows so still.

The warmth still rises from her body, but
No longer can she gaze out of brown eyes.

The red blood seeps out, stains the grass around.
Knife, silver, flashes, slices, ripping all.

A small bay, faintly, is heard from the brush.
A whimper, a whine, a sad breathy howl.

Dark shapes that surround her mother, so proud,
They quickly remove their coveted prize.

The blackness creeps in, the night insects wail.
No more can she hear, more comforting sounds.

Nudging the form, now cold, now gone, now dead,
The baby now sits, now waits with no sleep.

The days pass, nights pass, there is no respite.
The sadness is high, her hunger is strong.

Soft hands, cool water, another strange smell.
The baby is found, she is still alive.

Confused she is, and resigned to her fate.
Warm blanket, new home, some fresh tasting milk.

Sleep comes slowly and is haunted by fear.
Hands and voices offer some hope for her.

Taken out of the wild, taken her child.
One cruel act was done, let none haunt her more.

Dream (I)
Such sweet, intangible mist,
Foggy, hidden dream – I grasp at fragments.
Come back, remember me there,
Immersed, surrounded and calm –
Let me return and escape.

From a Gaul
My Lady, my Sun – here I will lay my lament:
Baubles of pearls, strung thru dark hair,
Layers of gold unmistakably threaded thru folds of muslin, sheer and smooth.
Your jewels, my duty, your touch, my desire.

My heart beats proud, your lips
Speak the same.
Eloquent, gifted, sensuous – they lay coiled in wait –
For a chance to enchant, to enlighten, to order and command the Fates.

My strength, your safety, my loyalty, your kingdom – once attained never to be forsworn.
Time will not ravage your splendid face, nor will Forever allow me to remain at thy side.

Patroness mine, you stand with redoubtable will,
Thou art goddess, I, thy slave.
Release me now from Love’s unrequited, unending grasp.

Time(I)
Green ‘scades roll before me, yea,
Draped in thin mist they wait.
Below lay tomb and dimly lit crypt.
Mortal flesh once; now, judged alone by Time.

Grey skies permit rain to land,
To pelt and pool on the stones.
The graves, wet and silent still,
Call out with a voice that is no longer heard.

Grey
Hear the slow toll of an iron bell;
Smell the damp, cold, muddy, misty earth.
Between realms.
Move slowly over the fields, the distance offers no solace.
There are hills and low hanging fog; like shrouds, so hazy they are.
Keep walking and there is no more sound.
The half covered sun has released you from Time.
This place cannot move, but you cannot stay amongst
Black trees, green grass and eternal grey.

Jardin des Tuileries
Closed eyes, warm breath of air;
Envelopes this bright Orb.
City of Light, City of the Golden Day – and all that shines;
Your constructed effulgence pays this wild Beauty her dew.

Continue down the avenue of leafy sentinels, the tan Earth
Softens your footfalls and leads you onward.
The soigne statues gaze downward, while the spouting fountains spray into ocean blue pools.
To smell the air delights the senses; another place no one can take me that is more fair.

Lover
Shimmer on the sea of thought,
Gust of air on the beating heart.
Sweet aroma that intoxicates the bones
Of a lover full of hope.
A touch so soft, it could be missed,
Be ever mine.
A love so strong, so deeply destined, to elate while the
Stars fell from the sky.

Arcoiris
Rays of sun, droplets of rain.
Spring winds move the water and the still-bare trees.
This milieu of forces cause one to see slightly differently,
I see, before me, only infinity.
The colors, hazy, form an arc across the sky.
The colors of light were made before eyes were able to see them,

Light, colors, made for all eternity.
The dance of drops and sun defy mortal imaginings,
Destined to endure long after we leave –They linger in their graceful pattern; as has been done
Since Earth’s time began.

Passenger
I meet the passenger as he passes by,
There is no better greeting than to sit upon the stones
To chat and converse a while.
The breathy air, however moist, can send a chill.
But notice not we, that can tarry and make merry for a bit.
Far away you can hear the crow’s caw, loud and shrill.
It remains hard to tell, sitting amongst the hedgerows,
Whether we shall happen to greet again.
Matters not, this; right now we are amongst friends.

Spain (I)
The blue grey horizon kisses the
Brown, dusty hills.
Short shrubs, dim light and
The day starts anew.
Travelling I am, Traveller I will,
Be, across this new land – dotted with small trees.

Woman
If I could jump into Woman’s head, I’d ask her to say her name.
I’d insist she yelled it back to me. Owning.
And I would say to her,

You are yours, and yours alone.
Nothing you are, nothing you give, nothing you have belongs to another.
You are yours, and yours alone.

The grievous moment when you lost your voice, humanity lost its way.
The askewed ages we’ve endured, were never supposed to be.
From that break in time, humanity has lived wrongly, badly.
Know that, and know the power that comes from it, your power
Is essential.

Your worth is immeasurable, your value is unknowable;
No one can put a price on the life of a giver, a creator, a doer, a lover, a healer.

You are yours, and yours alone.
Nothing you are, nothing you give, nothing you have belongs to another.
You are yours, and yours alone.

Now, understand with me, that it is you who are important, you who are deserving.
You have a right, a right to own;
Yourself.

Yell back to me,
I am mine, and mine alone.
Nothing I am, nothing I give, nothing I have belongs to another.
I am mine, and mine alone.

Yell to me your name, Woman.

A path
A path is not always straight, and never quite clear.
My footprints leave marks in the soft earth, but with no guide,
where shall I tread?
My tracks split off along the way,
wet,
fresh,
and unsure.
Some trail quickly,
others reluctantly,
back to my life’s muddled road.
Some, go ever on their way, still walking beside me.
My path is hidden, that I know.
Full of shadows, full of hope.
Do I trust my heart to guide me?

Snow (I)
Snowflakes swirl, bounce and drift.
Falling, full of Grace, Serenity, and
Bliss.
Endless circles, written in columns of air.
Building, one flake at a time, a blanket below.
Full of Peace they float, sometimes slow,
sometimes fast.
Their landing, a quiet mantra of snow.

Aware of me
My breath, makes me aware,
allows my mind to speak from the deep.

It rouses my soul, stirs my heart.
Connecting my fibers from this world, to That.
In and out, up and down.
Repeat,
Repeat,
Repeat.
Ah.

The gathering presence swirls within me, amongst me, through me.
My heartbeat and soul are connected at last,
And I am aware,
of,
Me.

Snow (II)
Out my window the snowflakes dance.
From my tower I watch them fleet,
float,
fly –
on the frosty back of the Western Wind.
Their mistress is fickle and cold, not caring where they blow.
Chaos; wonderful, unchecked, to the ground below.
My mistress is too, as frigid; but I am frozen, slowed.
Left to regret a life owed.

Snow (III)
In the cavernous place where I house my old memories,
I regularly, easily, can recall one.
Of childhood, and snow; of cold, and warmth and nights below.

The light spills onto the snow, down from the bright moon.
It illuminates the ice crusted night.

Then, a dark, second floor room.
A  radiator streams out warmth.
In my small bed I lay next to it, listening to its gentle clicking sounds.
A soft green Christmas candle is lit, shining from my window to the world beyond.

The houses on the other side, snow covered and still, waiting.
Resting.  They are suspended in this Time.

The shock of cold when I touch the pane.
A world, hushed.
Unmoving for coldness, night and snow.

Looking out into the night, my child-self is awed.
So cold and distant is Out There, so warm and safe In Here.

When I need to, I recall that scene, touch it, and draw it close.
I close my eyes, and I’m looking out my bedroom window on that eve close to Christmas,
The stillness, perfect. The fallen snow, peaceful.
A memory forever locked in Time.

 

Snow (IV)
The sunshine seems to slow the flakes.
They halt their dance,
and glance,
for a moment in space.

Spring
The oak’s bare limbs scatter the early Spring light
onto tender greens.
The lichen observes
the rabbit, and waits.
And the trees listen.
The last chilly breeze means nothing
to the wing of the robin.
Poised, she sings.

Wedding poem
Let the lovers walk, side by side
forever towards eternity.
Confident together, defy the ages of Time.

Reality
My demons drip down greened fangs,
tarnished with time;
that grip and strangle old dreams,
that slowly die.
They feast on my wants, on what my soul craves;
They devour my being and destroy my flame;
Incessant, they linger,
they lurk in my thoughts,
they prowl on the edge of awareness.
And clamor with the chorus so strong:
No. Nothing. Gone.

Beginnings 
The end of days,
An end to time.
Banished from this place,
I welcome, just fine.

Here is where my torment stays,
never touched again; supine.
My heart speaks, it is no race,
simply be, and find your divine.

Winter Solstice
The shortness of the day
The bleak midwinter gray
Glints of light
fall
from the tip of the icicle
To the hard earth
pooling and collecting, they lay.

Appalachian Air
Cool smell of the air
breeze moves the fir trees, and parts my lips.
Drops of water gently slip onto the old stone.
Moss grows slowly– and stays.
I’ll wait.

Memories on my tongue,
Embraces long gone
Heavy thoughts like the rolling mountains,
large,
old,
strong.

Day Before Thanksgiving

Racing home down the hill at half day,
It was time for Thanksgiving holiday.
Fun with cousins was on its way,
Along with turkey, light shows, campfires, and loads of play.
Who let me grow up, and let my spirit drift away,
Left with memories, I wish could stay,
I wish it could repeat, but it won’t, no matter how I pray.

To a friend
Loyalty is earned, and not easily restored once lost, or forgotten.
Moving on doesn’t destroy it, neglect and willful ignorance aide with that.
Once a fiercely burning flame can die off over time if not cared for, and loved.
It does not fleet back, restored, and young again at a willful beckon.
It feels disingenuous to return, to pick up, after so much time and silence has gone by.
There’s so much to be said that never will be, that cannot be.
Times moves us all along.
But don’t ask me to pretend.
Loyalty cannot be faked, and I will not wear a mask.

Going Inside
Voyage inward to see your mind’s eye,
from the inside out.
Your voice resonates,
vibrating,
in timbrous echoes.
Hear it,
as it moves through the depths of your soul,
first.

The mind and body are connected,
by this sound
floating in the sea between consciousness.
It happens in a moment,
a single breath.
It can last for eternity
when stillness is welcomed.

A Breath
Infinity rests between the crests and troughs
of a wave.
It is measured in the stillness of morning,
before the birds awake.
And it is heard in the silence of time,
when flowers reclaim their space.

In summer
Wet earth releases memories of old
Sun warms a patch of moss encircled by grass
The bees linger, slowly, timelessly

Stately trees whisper remembrances from their loft bows
In the distance, a brook swiftly flows

Crumbling white shack—overgrown, sad stump
The air heavy with insect calls
and dreams

Memories are thick here
Their presence is felt on your skin
The images move quickly in the mind’s eye
but slowly, languidly, they move through
this place
Summoned by the aroma of Time.

Fast, wet and luscious
the cool grass on my back
darkness surrounds me
drowned out by the hum of the summer night insects
reach up to feel your face
pull you closer
slowly, one moment,
then divinely,
for ever more.

Crows silently fly past the dawn-lit moon
hanging in the purple, grey, pinkish sky
clouds of breath disperse into the ice air
wind blows hard, stark still the next

A chill passes, a memory recalled
the time before beginning, sealed behind a wall
this is where forever starts and eternity awaits
pay no mind as the stillness crawls
the soundless room grows dimmer
the caw of the corvid, the brush of the wind
an endless dance of faded memory

Stuck Inside
I’m stuck inside the drabble
trapped inside this rabble
lost hopes run down the walls
dreams scattered, left broken on the floor
my smile betrays a heart, crushed, that needs to soar
I started out so tall

I’m stuck inside vacant spaces
where wishes have departed leaving no traces
no one can have it all
I’m stuck, barely able to crawl.

Lone Deer
Cold day, slowly a lone deer walks by
Frozen, she sees the white before her
Stark, bare, the trees offer a meagre respite
With steaming breath and brittle legs
wander on
Darkness falls, her hooves are still
Footprints in the snow.

Cold Day
Cold day, the snow is heavy
we start up the old Chevy
seats are ice, the heater doesn’t work, nice
The smell of the bakery is enough for me
Same roads I travel on
still can’t find the kitchen
it’s long gone now

9/23/82
The ride there must have been breathless
scared, excited, the second time must be easier
Still the pain is palpable, and getting quicker
Breathe in, breathe out
it’s time
Move back and forth, it’s done
Small and red she emerges – crying, grasping, breathing
Breathe in, breathe out, it’s your time
Move back and forth, and you have begun

Years later she looks back, time moves too fast
Still, the pain is palpable, and getting older
Breathe in, breathe out, and still she waits
Move back and forth, soon it will be too late
Cold and grey creeps into her heart – crying, grasping, breathing

Breathe in, breathe out, your world will not untangle
Move back and forth, do not lose hope, nor your way.

Fear of nothing, fear of empty, fear of failing, fear of unknowing
Crippled beneath the weight-how could anyone know?
My decisions are mine now, but for how long?
Such a cruel master, the edge of sanity awaits
Slow destruction of mind and limbs – gone
Only a shell remains
Slowly decay and waste away
Others will watch and surround this shell
This fear of nothing, this fear of empty, this fear of failing, this fear of unknowing
I am afraid this is my fate.

Fairy Tree
The fairy tree’s petals drop like snow
the bed of dandelions below

The whispers of trees travel fast
They contain murmurs of lives long past

In the still, coolness of morning, a breeze travels in
Sunlight streams, curtains flutter.

Rose Red
Fierce and free my mind flies
but slow, my body lags
remembered only in dreams
a faint whisper, pristine on my lips
travel with me and elope to the sky
there amongst the stars
destiny and dreams collide
there exists a realm that this can never mar
Rose Red, I await the night
Rose Red, give me your delights
Rose Red, your star burns so bright

Distant Winter Star
The sun is at its coldest
a most distant
unreachable
star
in late December
rays that come late and barely linger
long enough for a brief kiss of light
but it is enough for this snow enfolded space

The winter sun gleams through the undressed maples, ashes, and oaks
from its place low in the purple hued sky
flickering through the frosted air it penetrates the dense evergreen yew
and finds the eye of the cardinal before she lifts off
the branch waving, disrupting the Solstice repose