Hallway to Nowhere

Author: Kel

  • Peripeteia (Poem)

    A slight anticipation, a catching of the breath,

    Heralds the moment of great change.

    The world tilts, and the possibilities

    Open myriad paths.

    What lies ahead on any of them?

    The only way to know is to proceed.

  • Enough (Poem)

    What is enough?

    The cooler air of evening

    After the heat of a summer’s day.

    The petrichor that heralds

    The relief of a dry spell.

    The bright color of tigerlillies

    Enlivening the yard.

    The peace found in mountains

    Distant with a covering of smoke.

    Any of these.

    All of these.

    Let us rejoice and be glad.

  • The State Of Not Being Present (Poem)

    The train sounds its mournful cry.

    They are gone now,

    No longer present to hear the whistle,

    To see the graffitied cars roll past,

    To feel the ground rumbling beneath their feet.

    I can say no more

    Let us have a cup of tea

    And offer the latest from China.

    But I can hold them fast

    In memory and by recounting the many stories

    Of how they lived while they were here.

    Love and all we shared does not disappear.

  • Life As It Is (Poem For An Aging Dog)

    We grow older together, you and I.

    Our gait has slowed,

    And hills are harder to climb.

    But we still dance in sometimes wild abandon;

    You can manage occasional astounding leaps.

    We spend our days quietly now,

    With me at my writing or with a book,

    You always at my side.

    I know that when I do go out,

    You worry and fret more,

    So that we are both relieved when I return.

    Always, always in my heart

    Is the knowledge that you are aging faster.

    I try to fill our time remaining

    With all the love and gratitude I can give.

    You have made life beautiful and wonderful and joyful

    In ways I never anticipated.

    Thank you, my beloved companion.

  • Divi/Illu/Sion (Poem)

    There is you and there is me.

    There is division.

    Look deeper.

    There is illusion.

    What you thought was a warning,

    A hand held up high,

    Is in fact a greeting of welcome.

    Perspective changes everything.

    Open your mind.

    Expand your heart.

  • How We Remain (Poem)

    You still live on.

    Not in some celestial hall,

    Separate from those you left behind,

    And watching them go about their lives.

    No, you remain present

    In the stories we tell of you,

    Among those who knew and loved you.

    And you will reach strangers even yet,

    As these are shared,

    And people see your name to ask,

    Who was this?

    While we are here to remember and tell

    And all those who come after us who have heard,

    You will live.

  • Theresa’s Story (Poem)

    I see you now,

    Your face turned away from me

    And hidden in shadow.

    You will be everywhere

    As I move through this changed life,

    The one I used to live with you.

    The birds you rescued have fledged and flown the nest.

    I am slowly getting the house organized.

    When I go out, people ask where you’ve been.

    Sometimes I still can’t bring myself to answer.

    This grief is yet very raw.

    I will survive, but I miss you so.

  • The Edge (Poem) (dedicated to Mike, who didn’t return)

    I didn’t jump, but I remember

    The long walk to the edge.

    Each step felt like a promise;

    Each breath felt like a scream.

    The relentless drum beat

    Counting down my life

    Had as its message:

    Today; today; today.

    I stood there and listened,

    As I looked at the rocks far below.

    Then I turned and began the journey back.

    ————————————————————————————————————-

    IF you or someone you know is considering suicide:

    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

    1-800-273-8255

    Reach out.

  • 100 Seconds To Midnight (Poem)

    We look around at a landscape

    Forever altered by the presence of nuclear weapons.

    We stand and wonder,

    Where is our home? And who will lead us there?

    We hear the inexorable ticking of the clock

    As it moves closer to midnight.

    Do not turn away and hide.

    That seems the easy path, but it is futile.

    We must open our eyes, our ears, our hearts, and our minds

    To join together to repair this broken world.

    The varied clothing of our differences-

    Be they religion, skin color, nationality or any other-

    Does not change our relation underneath.

    Everyone is part of the family of humanity.

    Let us choose life, so that all might live.

  • The Group Experience (Poem)

    Once again I find myself

    A renitent gadfly, with a rebarbative voice.

    Familiar but tiresome,

    And I am loath to continue this charade.

    I am no Ariadne in these times.

    Indeed, should I be compared to anyone,

    Give me the name of Cassandra.

    I discomfit and discomfort

    While being seen as caviling.

    Let me go my solitary way.

    I’ll soon be crying out for Charon anyway.