How many winter walks
ended with burrs matted
in curly Wheaton hair?
How you wriggled
to escape the grooming;
how we laughed at
jokester antics?
Your spirit still fills
the empty spaces
I hear the jingle
of your collar, catch
a whiff of terrier fluff
Pull on an invisible leash
whenever I encounter burrs.
(For our former, cherished companion, whose memory still lingers. Image mine)
Pockets of light
illuminate the shore –
day submitting to dark
I trace the lines
of our passage,
remembering
How winds and tides
shaped us, how carelessly
we wasted time…
Danced around
our solitudes
imitating intimacy
(Once upon a time I wrote poetry for Twitter. This is one. Image my own)
Lies from lips linger
when kisses shred sanity
and hot embraces
burn soul-deep, abandonment
reducing hearts to residue.
(Image my own)
Caring hearts
shine bright
Needs, like moths,
flock to light
Cast shadows
threaten to eclipse
But love’s fight
is eternal.
(Linking up to Reena’s Exploration Challenge after a long hiatus. Image my own)
Love’s waters rise
defy the impossibility
of our sedentary walls –
tides and emotions
like sculptors
reshaping the contours
of opposition, softening
the places where hearts meet.
(Art my own)
Idleness fills his hours
as if time knows no limits
I devour moments, afraid
tomorrow will forget me
We see-saw between
treacherous righteousness
and fusty avoidance
Ignoring balance –
the sensible response.
(Written in 2019, I chuckle that little has changed. Image my own)
I accept differences –
understand that internal processes
are subjective, that emotions
colour perception, but..
I seek commonality,
a binding sentiment –
enough connection
to seal the love I crave.
(Tuesdays I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image mine)
Was willing to settle
even before casting off –
anchor-less, with no compass
to guide me, nor oar to steer
Left fate to the currents –
a vessel adrift, naïve –
trusted those with power
to rescue me, unaware…
of the target vulnerability
made of me, that sharks
circle wayward boats,
certain of a catch
No wonder, when finally
I came ashore, wrecked,
I had lost faith in love,
turned hope to cynicism
Had failed to register
the dangers of sailing
into uncharted waters,
without a life preserver
Ignorant of the skills
I needed to stay afloat
and safe, in a sea where
discernment saves lives.
(Washed Ashore first appeared here in July of 2018. Edited. Image my own)
Once I counted your love
on daisy petals –
loves me, loves me not
Followed you to Aberdeen
where the grey wafted
like haar off the sea
Everything cold –
cruelty of avarice
absence of compassion.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)
We are not islands:
isolated,
insulated,
to be ignored.
We are hearts engaged
in a relational dance:
intertwining stories,
weaving new tales
Yearning for love’s reciprocity
Delighting in wonder of discovery
Slugging through painful demise
Striving to be better
We build walls,
construct towers,
follow paths leading nowhere –
the pitfalls of our quest
Artificial barriers:
lofty ideals,
dead ends…
and still we push on
Dreaming of hands that hold
and gentle waters – soothing
and warm – passionate kisses:
Love’s rewards
We exist
not for accumulation
but for the gifts that arise
when open hearts dance
(Image my own)
