Kindness encourages stories
from those too reluctant to share
from youth full of inspiration
from musicians just developing
even from the discouraged
unaware their tale lacks worth.
Each one a record-keeper
harbouring intricate plot lines
uniquely brewed, the telling
a revelation – find a good ear,
or a patient pen, and express.
(Image from personal collection.)
Grandma!
the word wraps me
in bubbly warmth –
an invasion of limbs
impress upon my heart –
best mood-altering
prescription ever!
(Tuesdays I borrow from Twitter. Â Follow me @Vjknutson. Â Image from personal collection.)
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? “)
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)
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.
Valley envies peak
begrudges fabled riches
ignores present wealth.
(For RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Challenge: Â valley/ peak. Â Also submitting to BrewNSpew’s challenge: fable.)
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.)
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. Â You can follow me @Vjknutson. Â Image from personal collection.)
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.)
Armed with plans
and guidelines, we
ready for life’s climb,
unaware that childhood,
untamed and intact,
takes the lead.
One Woman's Quest 