Wednesday, September 16, 2020

What happens in the middle of the night on a Thursday when there is no rain

 

 


Darkness descends

 Thoughts flood

 The house creaks

Memories arise

Windows rattle

Voices whisper

Wind chimes peal

Fleeting hope surfaces

Shame and guilt

Crowd the mind

Like the streetlight

Illumines the room

Feelings flow

Like an avalanche

Of mud and muck

Blue pills of sleep

Take over soon

Dreams of  

Evil and beauty

Mingle together

To wake still tired

 Face it all again

And seek healing

For the many ills

That conquer and divide.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

only serious inquiries need apply


I need a muse
How do you find a muse
Or do they find you? 

I have lovers and critics,
Editors and agents
But I need a muse.

Maybe I have a muse 
But he has chosen
To remain silent

Hidden somewhere
Waiting to inspire
When I am ready

Pen in hand
Fingers on keyboard
I await his arrival

Eager to begin
I start without him
But the words won’t come

I need the words that create
 a soul cleansing epiphany
Which only a muse can incite

I wait in the silent dusk
All is quiet and still
I need a muse

Saturday, July 4, 2020

day by day


Life is a dark, dense forest
A formidable place we want to avoid
Still we tread on through it
Searching for bliss
Hoping for redemption.
Obstacles await us 
Storm clouds loom overhead
It feels like chaos
Maybe it is
Maybe it is just our own voices pleading 
The clouds sigh and release their burden.
The rain washes away regret
Lotus flowers bloom in the mud
Sun shines, birds sing, blue skies
We head home, renewed, refreshed
Humming a familiar tune.
Life is grand 
Tomorrow we enter the forest again.
An endless cycle of loss and love

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

flying



Like a clown being shot out of the cannon at the circus
Fighting the accelerating trajectory was worthless
She could only hope it would all end with a soft easy landing
mixed with a large measure of compassion and understanding

And the clicking of the knitting needles echoed in her ear
 The ticking of the clock made her know the time was near
And the snowman in her window rocked back and forth
In the warm sunlight while a storm brewed in the North

The ringmaster signaled with a nod for the drum roll to start
The crowd grew perfectly quiet, she felt their silence in her heart
 fireworks exploded with a loud blast and she rose towards the sky
Then as she soared above the tent, she knew at last what it was to fly

Landing in a broken jumble, totally missing the net meant to catch her
Trying to move brought pain and agony as her vision began to blur
Clutching the grass, feeling the earth spin as light and sound became one
Hearing screams that might be hers, just a fallen hero lying in the sun

She heard footsteps running toward her and voices calling her name
Unable to answer, unable to move she felt only peace, no guilt, no shame
The last thing she remembered was being lifted and carried away
And again, she felt as if she was flying, this time though a gentle sway

Now she never escapes, walking slowly, carefully one step at a time
Hoping to find another way to fly, searching for the perfect rhyme
That will match the beat of her heart and the rise and fall of her breath
And guide her footsteps to follow the way to find the perfect path.

And the clicking of the knitting needles echoed in her ear
 The ticking of the clock made her know the time was near
And the snowman in her window rocked back and forth
In the warm sunlight while a storm brewed in the North

Sunday, April 28, 2019

the perfect day




The day held all I needed.
A crystal blue sky created the backdrop
For the flowers to flaunt their blooms.
I collected the warmth of the brilliant sun,
Letting it soak into my skin and soul.
The gentle breeze rustled through the leaves,
Whispering its wind song in my ears.
The chimes joined in the glorious chorus
Of songbirds, 
Creating a resplendent symphony.

And I thought, “This is it.”
Life has been mended and is whole again.
Certainly now I can find peace of mind.
I will prudently choose the proper path this time.
And the journey will be effortless and full of joy.
But suddenly one infinitesimal flicker of a thought
Slipped into view with a discordant and disagreeable plop.
I struggled to send it away as quickly as it came,
Maintaining my composure and idyllic ruminations.

It was already too late.
Soon an army of thoughts returned
To join the first one in the assault.
It was futile to try and stop them all.
And soon they overtook my mind,
Like a swarm of screaming banshees,
Destroying the short-lived peace I had enjoyed.
So I once again entered my cave of melancholy
Cue the woe and misery that blocks the sun

The onslaught continues.
Like an old movie I’ve seen before
The thoughts play over and over again.
I fear it will take more than a perfect day
To defeat the despair and anguish.
But still I search for escape from the pain
Something, in whatever form, to clear the fog and set me free.
Now I am waiting to be rescued from the relentless attacks,
Hoping my knight in shining armor appears soon.