New perspective sorely needed
current one rubbing raw
How can I cope with change
when life fields me no support?
The Hangman leers
his upside-down frown
mocking self- pity
I sense a barrage
of platitudes
headed my way.
(Image my own)
New perspective sorely needed
current one rubbing raw
How can I cope with change
when life fields me no support?
The Hangman leers
his upside-down frown
mocking self- pity
I sense a barrage
of platitudes
headed my way.
(Image my own)
Islands define us –
attempts to stave off
a ruthless invader
Heritage dictates
reclusive behaviour
shame driving pain
Finding comfort
in solitude, uncertain
if I’ll ever vacate again.
(Tuesday I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson.
Image my own)
I lied.
The initial seed of disappointment has fermented,
and in the absence of confrontation, grown roots
written sorrowful chapters
conclusion: unworthiness
Why couldn’t I just have said:
I don’t understand
this makes me unhappy?
Where did I learn that prevarication protects
that I alone am responsible for emotions
that I do not matter?
Decades later
I still cannot uproot the weed
the lie remains.
(Image my own)
Morning melee
with coffee pot –
canister escaped grip
contents scattered
clean up ensued
sharp warnings
to dogs eager
to help –
second round
forgot to empty pot
hot liquid seeping
everywhere –
I’m a tea drinker.
Need I describe more?
Trapped inside
two-dimensional torus
backward spinning
Not even my pulse
emits an echo – would need
a third dimension for that
Am geometrically disfigured,
an illusion, I fear, for human
substance seldom adds up.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own,)
I am gregarious
initiator
risk-taker
eagerly anticipating
the unknown
But the subconscious
alights on old stories
gathers sanctimonious
rumours of unworthiness
spits out shame
and rage
Reveals the truth –
I am vulnerable.
(Facing Truths first appeared here July ’19. This version is edited from original. Art my own.)
House creaks
ferocious
decries starkness
of bare walls
absence of furniture
finality of boxes
stacked and sealed
Sleep eludes me
mind recalling
passages –
his cancer
my fear
twist of fate
that left me housebound
We could not stay here
this place chosen for healing
turned prison
“You’ve been good to us”
I whisper, “Now
you’ll favour someone else”
She grumbles in response
this old house, sharing
my trepidation
of unknowns, change
always precarious
Another groan
and I concur
we grand dams
need extra TLC
but I have faith –
an injection of
new life
will do us both good.
(This is a found poem, excerpted from a post of the same name which appeared on my second blog in July of 2017. Image my own.)
Natural light preferable
to artificial – not the harsh
fullness of noonday sun
but softly filtered rays –
luxurious…
inviting
Love too, should be subdued,
gentle as a zephyr –
not mythical, but yielding…
mindful
not worshipful nor boastful
but comforting…
warm
I am waning light
the mistral wind wafting
no longer a force of nature
but smoke, spiralling
vanishing into non-existence
And yet,
even as shadows spread
I yearn – heart
beating true
not lost,
not forgotten,
but withdrawn…
humbled
passion mellowed
by years of constructing walls –
grit and tar –
scar’s long buried
save the limping gait
of a ghost.
(Even Ghosts Yearn first appeared here in July, 2018. Image my own.)
Burrs of misadventure cling
I am not beholden to them
Progress, not always visible
requires breathing room
Tenderness heals wounds
patience guiding movement
One by one, I extract the hooks
sigh with each deliverance.
(Image my own.)
Have arranged a musical ensemble
to perform for their entertainment
and one guest has already engaged
Now to entertain the children
who bored with the setting up
have gathered to create havoc
Not to mention the cats,
whose presence, unexpected
is threatening my equilibrium
I’m pulling out all the stops here
happiness my number one intent
but the winds have picked up, rain
threatening, and the guests
have wandered inside, away from
the chill and the tents are buckling
and before I can even announce
the days events, the band is leaving
and without a set, it’s a all awash
What ever made me think I could
please them all, control elements
and achieve perfection – hmph!
(For Eugi’s Weekly Prompt: happiness. Image my own)