writing – Page 7 – One Woman's Quest

Shadow Speak

Shadows stalk our conversations,
hovering between lines spoken.

Mother fears death and I,
sidestep darkness…

It’s delusional to believe
we can think ourselves well
or avoid pain by seeking only light

I chew on my words
not wanting to inflict harm –
have done enough of that over the years

Pray for peace to guide her passage
the reassurance of forgiveness
love unconditional

Times like this, language
is sorely lacking, we stumble
build sentences, capture moments

Tell ourselves it will be enough.
It won’t be in the end.
It never is.

(A found poem, borrowed from a previous post, July 2019, on One Woman’s Quest II. Submitted for Eugi’s Weekly prompt: peace. Image my own)

Please Visit Me at Tangled Locks Journal

I feel deeply honoured to be part of September’s issue of Tangled Locks Journal. Thank you to Teresa Berkowitz for accepting my poem, “Feline”. Please visit me there, and take a moment to peruse all the writing: you won’t be disappointed.

Tangled Locks Journal is published quarterly. Information for how to get involved is available on the site.

Nature’s Message

Nature has a way of reminding –
even the most diehard nonbelievers –
that a force, inexplicable and sacred, exists

Like an unseasonal storm unleashing hail
waking us from a deep slumber –
she is a messenger, knocking

The soul answers, child reawakened,
joyous recognition that despite all
theories, doctrines, and delusions

There exists a life within a life:
a great mystery that defies
and keeps us ever humble.

(Revisiting old posts, I found these words.
To see the original, posted in September 2014, click here.
Image my own.)

Where Ignorance Leads

Quest for independence
born of familial dysfunction
led me down a path of dissent

Compromise, I believed
was toxic, swore against
the brutality of submission

Need no one,
depend on no one
have nothing to lose

Overlooked the joy
of interdependence –
an alien concept

Chose a lonely path,
a straggler destined
never to belong…

(Image my own)

Religious Calling

Armed with righteous conformity
the zealots rang my bell

Came calling on a cleaning day,
in that remote country hell

Spotted me before I did them
my attention on wringing the mop

No choice but to answer
and before I could ask them to stop

Carefully scripted narrative
tumbled from pious lips

Bemused, I noted neither blink
as I, stark naked, stood hands on hips.

(Image my own)

On Moving Forward

Curious by nature
and driven by hope
we push forward

Spring ourselves
from mud-mired traps
of psychological undoings

Focus on a horizon
where sunrises
and sunsets
offer glimpses of glory

Optimist and pessimist
alike, daring to believe
that the beckoning future
bears equal promise.

(Image my own)

Yet, I Plod On

Tectonic, the force
required to move
this wall of shame

Erasable, the missives
I write to defend my worth –
pencil strokes that only mock

Unsustainable, the hope
that life should ever receive
my efforts as more than folly.

(Art my own)

Things That Confine Me

Islands define us –
attempts to stave off
a ruthless invader

Heritage dictates
reclusive behaviour
shame driving pain

Finding comfort
in solitude, uncertain
if I’ll ever vacate again.

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

Cautionary Tale

Tell my woes to River
she listens graciously
an empathic mirror

Not so the Jackdaw
whose arrogant clattering
derides self-pity

Slaps me conscious
for I am victim, yes, and
if not careful, abuser.

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

Viral Madness

Children moan
reflect the day’s gloom

We are virus-cautious
confined indoors

While ‘I-wannas’
buzz at windowpanes

and news feeds mount
the terror – I scream

silently, pray for
uncommon patience

Pause as eagle,
soaring overhead

tips a wing my way
bids me a good day.

(Eugi’s Weekly Prompt is soaring. Image my own)