poetry – Page 93 – One Woman's Quest

Define Evil

I loathe The Man
whose power bulges
out of waistbands,
whose double chins
wag double talk,
who equates dollars
with immunity,
claims superiority.

Whose dominance
intimidates, so I
duck out of the way,
bite my tongue,
refrain from speaking,
cower in the face
of injustice.

Who, I ask,
is the more evil?

(Reena’s Exploration Challenge this week asks us to respond to the words of Wendell Berry’s Questionnaire. I chose to respond to question #2: “For the sake of goodness, how much evil are you willing to do? “)

First Love

We laid beneath the stars
our youth tingling, dared
to dream cosmic –
Thought I landed in love’s lap,
till summer waned and
you were gone, carried
by the wind, my heart
in your pocket.

(This poem appears in the VSS365 Anthology, untitled)

Brown Creeper

Full sun,
river dons an icy blue,
white banks blind,
light hits water –
bedazzled burst –
I seek an angle.

Banditry of chickadees
noisily arrives
dance their joyous jig –
too slow my lens

Movement on a bare bark
draws my focus,
a brown creeper –
I am lucky this time
delightful noonday capture.

Envy’s Folly

Valley envies peak
begrudges fabled riches
ignores present wealth.

(For RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Challenge: valley/ peak. Also submitting to BrewNSpew’s challenge: fable.)

Travelling Solo

Chill and fog
cloud my senses –
effective distraction
loneliness holds no sway.

Others speed past,
while I advance,
slow, steady –
drawn by an unknown

Presence, who may
or may not receive me well
at this road’s end
I cannot tell.

Pray indifference
does not await me –
have suffered enough
no stomach for more.

Must stop a moment
and rest…darkness
brings its own brand
of cold… I am weary.

Tomorrow,
I’ll begin anew,
perhaps not so alone,

But loved ones
are preoccupied
others long gone

So the task remains
mine singularly
to further this journey

With faith to carry me
and a prayer for clear
passage to see me through.

(Image from personal collection.)

Alone

Soft, the day’s fading light,
hushed, the manic pace –
my heart’s rhythm lulled
beats a nostalgic melody –
love’s memories bittersweet.

(Tuesdays, I post a poem from Twitter. You can follow me @Vjknutson. Image from personal collection.)

Broken Shell

Cocooned, I am
enclosed, secure
shut down

Ignore initial
stirring –
like a skipped
heartbeat

Convinced
this retreat
is cemented

Have had enough
life too harsh
soul too sensitive

and yet, there it is
again – gathering
momentum uninvited

sensations, emotions
morphing into words
commanding expression

growing wings,
battering my barriers
flocking towards light

poems emerge
and I am stripped naked
exposed once again.

(Inspired by the prompts of Ragtag Community: stir, and Reena’s Exploration Challenge who provided the featured image.)

Grownup?

Armed with plans
and guidelines, we
ready for life’s climb,
unaware that childhood,
untamed and intact,
takes the lead.

I Am Eve

I am Eve
living with accusations
storage full

Commissioned to clear
the backlash of parked myths –
vessels in need of repair

The path is uneven
littered with stones thrown,
still I proceed, plan

Patriarchy stands by
smugly vilifying
I am the snake

Deceit my foe
control my folly
battling a lost cause

Till rebirth redefines
innocence, grabs
serpent by the tail.

(Image from personal collection.)

Ugly Duckling Learns

From Nature, instinct,
intuition – confidence
of nurture derived.

(For RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Challenge: nature/nurture. Also linking up with BrewNSpew’s weekly challenge: folklore. The Ugly Duckling is a fairytale from my childhood. Image from personal collection.)