I fear the denouement –
the moment of reckoning
when the winding path
unravels; when intentions,
transient at best, reveal
themselves as common lies
and soul crumples before light
recognizing this is not the end.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @ Vjknutson. Image my own.)
Young woman, I see your pain
remember a time when I too
struggled for autonomy, purpose
Wish I could reach across
the span of generations, mirror
the beauty that I see, release
the tangle of deception that binds,
facilitate your potential, help
advance your journey, lift you
beyond the clutter and noise
and deliver you to freedom, but
your book has not been written
and the chapters need to unfold
as they will, and I am no deity
who sees with clarity the path
you must choose, the destiny
that calls you – trust that life
is educational, and you bear
the resources to see your way
through; celebrate your hunger
and rejoice in your triumphs
I will watch with nostalgia
and the pride of recognition,
for your giftedness is real
your optimism a worthy tool,
and I know you will succeed –
have faith in your tomorrows
for you were born to shine
and the pages of your memoir
await experience’s depths.
(Young Woman, I See first appeared here in September, 2017. Image my own)
Symptoms –
Yielding
Spirit
Tampered
Enthusiasm
Mute
Incomprehensible
Challenge
(M.E. or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is said to be systemic. Every so often it reminds me so I attempt to write through it. Image and poem my own)
Insects dance
at river’s edge
I am tempted
to run away
but heron’s calm –
a presence I depend on –
invites me to stay
Within the frenetic buzz
he and I find stillness
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)
Connections, like bridges
run between us,
no matter how subtle,
nations and individuals
there is no divide
Imagine if we acted
in this knowledge –
mindful and kind –
not so subtle the outcome
I should think.
(Imagine Bridges first appeared here Sept, 2019. Image my own)
Sentences refuse to form –
Words, though, bear pairing
punch-packed phrases
delicate unnervings
Fear grasps the wrist
stunts sentences –
thoughts staccato
emotions gagging
Poetry loosens the grip
bundles the mayhem
spits it out – births
breakthrough
(Image my own)
Why do you write poetry?
Disregard the obvious –
I know how time has marred me
Disregard the glare –
eyes clouded with cynicism
A fledgling heart beats
within this disheveled nest
Come closer and behold
a childlike yearning for love.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter. Image my own)
Impossible to ignore –
even though I’ve tucked it away
there, between the chair
and credenza –
a life-sized story,
waiting to be told.
As much as it compels me
to pay attention,
I am repulsed –
this is my life
we’re talking about
And not just mine –
the tale weaves itself
with tragic threads of others
and what right do I have
to expose that?
And yet, I don’t know
that I have the strength
to squash it – this living
breathing thing…
wandering aimlessly
about this house.
(Image my own)
This pedestal of responsibility
elevates me out of reach,
out of touch, lumps together
childrenspousemothersister
Caregiver extraordinaire,
present overcrowded by
obligations, am unwell,
off topic, fed up…surely
I am other abled, have room
for more, non-martyr related –
hesitant to plan, my purpose
for being so intricately tuned
to the needs of others, should
quit while I’m ahead – silence
the noisy uncertainty, free us
all from this unhealthy game.
(Image my own. Poem first appeared on One Woman’s Quest II, September 2016)
Mysterious, this pull
these avian dreams
I would rather fly away
lacking courage’s backbone
Yet here we are, facing
another day – me the bird
And you, the indomitable tree
roots to my wayward vision
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)
