Teach me reverence
am losing ground
children adulting
mothering in a void
Teach me acceptance
disability’s waters flood
I’m in the margins
an afterthought
I concede life changes
release control – passion
begs an outlet; I am worn
but I am open. Teach me.
(Image mine)
Take me to the desert
with mountains at our side;
walk with me in shadows
let nature be our guide.
We’ll stroll amongst the cacti
pay homage to the quails;
take me to the desert,
help me gather tales.
The seasons are passing,
we’re running out of time;
take me to the desert;
heal this heart of mine.
(Desert first appeared here in November 2018. Â As Winter blows in around us, I think longingly of our time spent in warmer climates. Image from personal collection.)
Bent –
life’s tribulations weighty
do not confuse this folding
with weakness, I am
worn –
tested resilience
nourishes creativity
I am muse rich,
alive –
alone my story
an illustration,
my life art.
Natural light preferable
to artificial – not the harsh
fullness of noonday sun
but softly filtered rays –
luxurious, inviting.
Love too, should be subdued,
gentle as a zephyr, not mythical
but yielding, mindful;
not worshipful nor boastful,
but comforting, warm
I am waning light,
the mistral wind wafting,
no longer a force of nature –
but smoke, spiralling,
vanishing into non-existence
And yet, even as shadows
spread, I yearn –
heart beating true,
not lost, not forgotten,
but withdrawn, humbled
passion mellowed
by toil of constructing walls –
grit and tar – scar’s long buried,
save the limping gait
of a ghost.
(Poem first appeared here July, 2018. I am resubmitting for Ragtag Community’s prompt: humble. Image from personal collection.)
Sure-footed
she navigates
forest floor
leaps over
obstacles,
scales inclines
knows each
nook and cranny
every sound
a greeting
but seasons pass
and time erodes
landscapes
and senses
lose sharpness
the nuances
of the woods
fading  memory
the wind’s whispers
elusive signals
inner nymph silenced.
(For Ragtag Community’s Daily Prompt: elusive. Â Image from personal collection.)
Pot-bellied,
am I:
misshapen by age
and gravity – more
rot than plump ripe pear –
still, a vessel for love –
grandmotherly
vase.
(Image from personal collection)
Grateful for the wilder times,
days when daring ruled –
amassed fodder for stories,
harmless antics eliciting
laughter – ever more sweet
as body fails, nothing left
but to reminisce.
(Twitter Tales. Â Visit me @Vjknutson.)
Words are leaves,
poignantly bold
when sprouted,
destined to wither
lose their hold –
thank goodness
our love is a trunk,
solidly rooted, steadfast –
no need for words.
In corners, I scrounge –
resilience fading;
hope, it seems, is sleeping.
Living a quarter life,
even ascents depressed;
dubious that alternatives
are worthwhile.
Walls would suffice –
once dreamt of co-habitating
with abundance,
now housed with constraints.
Age losing preferences,
counting worries either way.
Do fiddle together, they say,
as if man lust were in want
when his smooth, cool music
fingers my girly drives
are I ugly – not gorgeous?
Some waxy, like rust,
saying one of thousand
not sad, but like rain
are sky-suited.
(Fridays are Magnetic Poetry day. Â Play online. Image from personal collection.)
One Woman's Quest 