Is it the stillness
of the rock pool
that draws me
again and again?
Authority eludes –
is not my own –
I dodge hawk-eyed
critics, am weighted
down…struggling
to resurface…
Crave tranquil
company, a chance
to breathe…
unseen…
Nature always the key
(Image my own)
Nightfall, river calls
tranquility leaves footprints
on my soul, this life
seldom calm, craves redemption –
river throws calm and I fetch.
(Image my own)
Wary of ruts –
lies I tell myself
sprouting roots,
impending progress.
Yet, without roots
how am I defined?
Does impermanence
not also leave a stain?
The ground shifts
beneath me
and I dance
imperfectly
inventing a rhythm
that defies ruts,
mocks impermanence
and eludes definition.
(Dancing first appeared here in May, 2018. Image my own.)
Today is Thursday
I’m certain of it
Thursdays Mom calls
after her hair appointment
But she hasn’t called
and I can’t find that show
I watch on Thursday nights
Did they change the programming?
And then I remember
that garbage goes out
Thursday night
and so I scramble, but
everyone else has forgotten
how can this be?
Today is Thursday
and nothing is going right.
(For Reena’s Xploration Challenge: featured image is prompt. I suffer from inflammation on the brain, which at times affects my understanding of reality – especially when I’m overtired. During these times, my mind will lock on to what it believes to be true, even if I’m totally off base. Reena’s image reminded me of those days.)
Nothing about the job intimidates him –
has lived the ups and downs of mental health –
besides, he cries for the children, abandoned
who jump from home to institution, lost.
Nods at warnings about attachment
knows all the drills of the hospital
feels certain he’s found his place –
is hit hard by the rejection
Seems personal experience, and the willingness
to speak the truth about stigma, shunning
and how many stay silent has no place
on a ward where old school rules.
(Written for Reena’s Xploration challenge #175. Image my own)
Calm belies the storm
dis-ease spawning a flurry
fractured ideas
peppered with glints of hope –
with focus, I too sparkle.
(There have been many instances this week that have tested my grit.
I am learning to harness the good moments and hang on.
Linking up to my weekly challenge: I’m learning... Image my own.)
Barrage of fears
plague each dream
render me useless
Invoke positivity, you say,
but the voices persist
intimate familiars
I set each fright adrift
hide among the weeds
pray for a moment’s reprieve.
(Image mine)
Quiet now, places
harbouring my memories –
river dreamcatcher –
nostalgia floats on swan’s back
past bridges linking time lapsed.
(Tuesdays I borrow from my Twitter account #Vjknutson. Image my own)
A grackle shimmers
sun highlighting blue – my mood
queer melancholy –
absent knocks, talks, minutiae
remains discomforting din.
(Photo mine)
I weave words
with alacrity –
on a mission
Foreign forces
infiltrate brain
cells scrambling
Must write
till ability wanes
thoughts hang
Disconnected
brushed away
like cobwebs
(Tuesdays I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own.)
One Woman's Quest 