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)
Tag: youth
Even Trees Fall
Majesty is a tree
quiet strength
and vulnerability
no more sheltered
from acts of nature
than I – none
impenetrable,
although youth
believes it –
days when strength
equates with rigidity,
resistant arrogance
A right fighter, was I,
iron will, in control –
never measuring up
such foolish nonsense –
destructive, no doubt,
took illness to educate
recognize courage in
withdrawal, merits
of inviting understanding
physical limitations
birth potential –
gracious acceptance
surrender of struggle
open, vulnerable,
rooted, like a tree.
Remember When
When you were Eden,
that longest prairie night,
warm with verdant moss
on trunk, no soft cover,
river shine vivid –
Me, a bee,
would eat from a tree berry,
seed this animal nature,
stroll a watery song –
Soon they come at dawn,
give peace.
(Another poem courtesy of online magnetic poetry.)
Cryptic
Is the writing on the wall so cryptic –
graphic images depicting rage,
flames of dissonance,
young men bleeding at their own hands
compassion incapacitated.
A sad awakening for a society fixated
on rights and privileges, dominating
culture to the exclusion of nurturing
humanity, preserving lives.
How can we continue to closet
our children’s pain – their vitality
oozing – hopelessly abandoned
by morality’s shelter?
It is the wall, not the spatters
of blood upon it,
which needs amending –
adolescent minds too tender
to wade through the cryptic messages
of priorities so divided.
Tender Hearts Fall
Here’s a boy, tender
and raw, heart exposed
awkward innocence
blocking his intention
Here’s a man, eyes fiery
coals, hands coarse ,
face leather, smoky
words coaxing affection
Here’s a girl, book smart
heart uncertain, romance
a fluttery desire, caught
between the two, torn
The boy averts his eyes
fears she’ll see the raging
in his loins, read obsession
in his longing, reject him
The man takes her hand,
softly traces the outline
of her face; slow, seductive,
draws her into his mystery
She is a two-headed lamb,
ponders the breadth of
the boy’s shoulders, knows
his future is a straight line
Hormones rage at man’s
touch, the way his eyes
devour her, the magical
nuances in his voice
Two paths, she thinks,
two diverging outcomes;
the boy holds himself erect
feels his fate is decided
the man lays his head
in her lap, thick waves
of black thrilling her
skin – a dead-end street
Is it pride that makes
the boy look away, she
wonders, or am I not
good enough – tainted?
She turns to the older
man, smiles, pull him
to her and surrenders,
darkness a familiar place.
(Image: mixtapetherapy.wordpress.com)
Always a Teacher
Set me on the open road,
encourage me to cross borders;
I am hungry for knowledge,
to hear a higher calling.
Cannot tolerate chained-to-
chairs education, imposed
immobility, socratic hierarchy
demanding conformity
spoon-fed compliance –
am too much my father’s
daughter, born rebellious
unable to mold myself
to prescribed slots
would rather initiate
discussion, engage, listen –
let shoes emote, tell their
story, develop compassion
never felt more than a visitor
in institutions, marks adequate
but brain absent, spirit numbed –
more punishment for delinquency
than awakening..
How can we convey the future,
instill optimism in prospects,
when the language of education
is secondary to how students
communicate in real-time?
Minds are energetic, curiosity
a given, youth crave elevation,
opportunity, measure themselves
against a system defined by rows.
How can I cross this barrier
of disability, open the dialogue
to ignite passions, propel learning
to open road scenarios, encourage
minds to cross borders?
(Image: www.abc.net.au)
