Afterglow

March 17, 2020March 16, 2020 V.J. Knutson20 Comments

Euphoric, I wrap myself
in the silent aftermath
Love’s vibration
still aglow
push aside
the fear
the effort
it took
to get here
bask in the moment,
glorious –
tomorrow, I’ll cry.

(Tuesday, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Linking up with Eugi’s Causerie, whose weekly prompt is glorious. Image from personal collection.)

disability · health · ME/ CFS · mental-health · poetry · writing

Isolation’s Hold

March 14, 2020March 13, 2020 V.J. Knutson41 Comments

Disability covets isolation –
this stripped-back, box-like state.

Rustic serenity, with room
to breathe would be preferable

but old memories creep in, and
lack of self-worth leaves the door open

phantoms of former torments
unwanted visitors, shadowy

invaders target loneliness,
misconstrue lack of health

for neediness, prey on weak –
hearted, presume incapability.

I am unwell, not unwanted, effort
to protest ignored, I grow wary of

fellow travellers, am vandalized by
nightly attacks, attempt to reach out

aim for strength, logic, clarity,
dial-up past abuse instead, cannot

fathom the purpose of unsolicited
persecution, grasping at isolation.

(Isolation’s Hold was first written in June of 2017. I am resubmitting it here for Reena’s Exploration challenge: isolation. Seems to me is also reflective of the times. Image from personal collection.)

life · poetry · psychology · writing

Return to Center

March 12, 2020March 8, 2020 V.J. Knutson22 Comments

Centred, I project merit
directed by routines
grief securely stored

Anxiety, not so compartmentalized
reveals that I am outsider, pliable,
pursues a validating response.

Perfectionism despises vulnerability
balance embraces contradictions
complexity overwhelms – I breath.

(Image from personal collection.)

birds · nature · photography · poetry · writing

Glorious Morning

March 10, 2020March 9, 2020 V.J. Knutson23 Comments

Cardinal sings me awake
promises a verdant day
viburnum scented breezes
and the sun’s warming light.

(Tuesdays, I borrow a poem from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image from personal collection. Linking this up with my weekly challenge, which is morning. Also linking up with Eugi’s Causerie prompt of the week: song.)

culture · poetry · women's issues · writing

Corporate Inequality

March 8, 2020 V.J. Knutson34 Comments

Wore green shoes –
a shock of colour
to highlight business –
attire aimed to succeed.

Walked ten blocks
rode fourteen floors
passed security,
heels continually clicking.

Navigating male-dominated
passages, I was driven
ignored patronizing comments
exercised for corporate ladder

But the lies, the betrayal,
the dirty little secrets,
they taunted me –
sold me out in back rooms

Broke under pressure
vile accusations, improper
propositions – How did
gender equate with progress

How did firmness of pert
breasts, the flash of muscled
calves, exempt me from rising –
Why should my efforts fall short

By refusals to drop my panties
and who could I go to –
boss and boss’s boss
all male, in on the plots

Big business banking –
financially fruitful
personally demoralizing –
I walked away, morals intact.

(For Reena’s Exploration Challenge:featured image. Sexual harassment was rampant during the 70’s and 80’s. Although we have known progress, the struggle for equality continues.)