poetry – Page 88 – One Woman's Quest

Heed the Warnings

Legends surface
graze at river’s edge
nuzzle our consciousness

Ancient prophecies
born of primal instincts
Crow’s caw a warning

Spirit speaks
calls us to witness
to record this passage

The predator
at our doorsteps
phantom fierce

Targets indiscriminately
threatens the cherished
sleeps with one eye open

Now is not the time to freeze
neither distraction, nor dismissal
will disable this animal

It circles, begs a host
Please don’t open the door
History knows we need a valid plan.

(Submitted for Eugi’s Causerie Weekly Prompt: cherish. Image my own.)

Chagrin

Rehearse my role –
charm-school warmth
intellect engaged,
an air of mystique –

Tongue trips
brain backfires
a fool emerges
chagrinned again.

(Tuesday I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. In this case, edited. Image my own.)

Adultery

Mistake
Beg forgiveness
Repeat

Appearances sanitize past
Push dirt under the rug
Smother recall

Reason can be fraud
common sense out of order

Suspicions merit
an ear, listen
over din of betrayal.

(For Reena’s Exploration Challenge #135: quotation. “Always listen twice. First what’s being said, then who said it.” Image my own.)

Coming of Age

Green eyes captivate,
he whispers, warm hand
resting on youthful thigh

Stomach somersaults
reviled by whiskey breath
yellowed fingers clutching

Not these eyes! I stand
tossing my drink in his face;
coming of age moment.

Forgo the Mask

Discontentment –
that restless inability
to surrender to distraction –
not easily masked

Wired, I am, for intrigue –
a dramatic actor displaying
mystery, baiting an audience

Denial dons noise-cancelling
headphones, blinders –
invested in illusions

Harmony the end-goal –
no point disguising,
discontentment ignored.

(Forgo the Mask originally appeared here Dec, 2018. I am linking it up to Eugi’s Causerie Weekly Prompt: harmony. Image my own.)

Stuck in a Rut

In every moment
my life is a palindrome –
same backwards as forwards,
from cellar to attic and back –
searching for a centre point
so I can reset the track.

(Tuesdays I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own.)

Survivor Instinct

Buried alive
by illness’ onset
only hope for escape
tunnel whose guilt-lined
walls oozed mucous
of neglect, sorrow
so raw, shredded
faith – no light
just a dull
pulse
screaming –
I am alive.

(Chronic illness is a game changer. No amount of ambition can turn the tide. One is left to face the onslaught of that which has been oppressed or skipped over. I wrote this poem early in my journey with ME. Amazingly, no matter what, spirit still clings to life. Image from personal collection.)

What We Really Need

We purchase boards
imagine roots –
dream bigger
ignore the dawning

The higher the fence,
we tell ourselves,
the better the privacy.
Work hard, earn big.

And the longing grows
it’s the heart that seeks roots
hungers for connection
love like sunshine

Would knock down walls
throw open the doors
bask in the expansiveness
of kindred moments shared.

(For Eugi’s Causerie Weekly prompt: sunshine. Image is my own – a common merganser basking in sunshine.)

Choked

Heart, craving expression
seeks the aid of paper –

A message with pizzaz
a testament to love

But my pen chokes
on the word itself

refuses the pronouncement
soul balking at the possibility

I toss the note…
…maybe next time.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from my Twitter account @Vjknutson. Image my own.)

Spotlights Burn

She amassed children while
he pursued accolades

Family photos display
northern shorelines
tanned faces, white-toothed grins
parents not represented

Lost her childhood
at the bottom of a ravine
laid beaten and shattered
no one came to rescue her.

Guess that’s what drew her
the his light; money, she hoped
would not abandon her.

But muck tracks the same
and children need feeding
and absent a co-parent
she sleeps most days.

Offspring learn independence
a product of adults’ disarray
outlasting the fickleness of fame.

(For Reena’s Exploration Challenge: prompt is the last line of the poem. Image my own.)