sudden fever decimates
scorching the physical terroir
poisons previously held in check
spread like liquid fire
usual means fail to extinguish
everything is consumed
room now for new growth
Category: poetry
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The Season Turns Without Regard(Poem)
a leaf always upon the wind
its color the element of fire
yellow flame red flame brown-smoldered ash
some spark sets all alight
blown by forces uncontrolled
we stand bewildered as the brick walls collapse
while the match drops from our careless hand
-
The Revelation of Rainfall (Poem)
rain carries sorrow hope joy despair
each drop a tear for all you cannot express
growth and destruction entwined within
mirrored strands of the same process
germinating seedlings given enough
villages in a floodplain washed away
each vital somewhere to someone
stand with open heart and dare
to be drenched in what water brings
-
The First Swallowtail of Summer (Poem)
and it was dying on the sidewalk
one delicate wing’s edge half-missing
the black border jagged as if chewed
the bright yellow interior poised
as if to spill color onto the pavement
in one last flutter before utter stillness
such brief resplendence needing witness
there on the sidewalk in silent recognition
then off into the seasonal turn
steps echoing on the cusp
and summer was dying as well
-
Back Streets (Poem)
done with the weariness of it all
overbearing traffic, busy shops
too many cars and the heaviness of trucks
no longer trying to contain chaos
within their narrow lanes
resting in time’s change
home now to mundane businesses
and the occasional solitary walker
who finds solace in abandoned dreams
-
When We Sleep Fitfully
lost in dreams
bridges lose their moorings
chitter through barren scapes
manufactored arthropods seeking
their remembered Paleozoic glory
roads untether from the earth
slither over desolate terrain
hardened serpentes with hidden fangs
their venom’s effect unknown
if you awaken to glimpse
this inexorable journey in the dark
close your eyes and turn away
let it rest among the debris
on the floor of your night
-
There Was No Child (Poem)
only a shadow cast upon the wall
faint shoe prints on the stairs
a smear from fingers upon the jar
laughter from games that never happened
the scent of dinners never cooked
warmth from arms never clasped
but in the window glimpses remain forever
of that constant playful grin
-
Can You? (Poem)
ask for words
for script
pour this into a cup
drink slowly
let meaning slip into the heart
then
scrape letters from the dregs
eat them one by one
bitter and sweet
tasting of wisdom
tasting of tea
-
Bigger Windows, Different Trees (Poem)
hours watching the sky
light that changes every second
summer weave of branches
textured movement of clouds
illusory drive of time
underlying these fluctuations a stillness
the pause within the flicker of a leaf
the infinite moment between exhale and inhale
the ever-present calm of the gap
no one that sees, nothing to be seen
only seeing
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The Dead Whom We Honor (Poem)
those who came before us
whoever we are, whoever they be
do they mourn the current destruction
or rejoice in the smaller joys
do they care, the ancestors, the revered ones
the sainted and the destroyers
they who change roles depending on view
will the little happinesses that anchor our lives be enough
and if we call out in desperation
these having ceased to hold, will they answer
all their wrath, all their wisdom
what becomes of them unheard
the forgotten gods and the abandoned elders
now crumbled remnants in the dirt