quietlaughter

twiction 50

2010-01-22T18:08:00.000-05:00

Resting her head against the door frame she watched him pack his bag. He rolled the tea pot in a shirt and stuffed it in the middle.

Twiction 49

2010-01-07T16:57:00.000-05:00

Charlie started the car and pulled away from the curb. He left her standing in the snow. Her red bandana tied sadly on her bag

Birds and Invented Cages

2009-11-19T23:40:00.003-05:00

playing around with some old photos of mine as a cover for my novel....

excerpt from "Birds and Invented Cages" my NaNoWriMo novel.....

2009-11-13T21:06:00.001-05:00

day 10

It was two o’clock in the morning. Bruce didn’t know where John had gone. Steve took off around midnight saying something about his wife. Bruce didn’t care about anything. He had no ride but he didn’t care about that either. He had all the time in the world to walk back to his parents house. It was only temporary. That’s what he told them when they picked him up at the bus stop. Shelley had dumped him in Vegas, left him on his own in the city of sin and sin he did. When he called his folks, he lied and said he’d been mugged. Everything had been stolen, his credit cards, his cash, his car everything. They didn’t question him. They never did when he called. They wired him enough cash to get on the Greyhound and three days later he arrived in Ottawa. Bruce’s dad picked him up. He didn’t say much. Bruce figured he was either pissed that he’d come home or pissed that he’d let himself be mugged. Either way, Bruce didn’t care. He needed a place to crash. He needed time to patch things up with Lila.

Bruce stumbled through the street behind the strip club. He hoped to catch Carlene before she headed home. There were some guys he didn’t recognize hanging around the stage door.

“Hey guys what’s happening?” Bruce said. He was trying to see what was going on. They ignored him, or didn’t hear him. Bruce was drunk, but he recognized a drug deal when he saw one. He took a step back, not wanting to be mistaken for someone he wasn’t. One of the guys turned and looked at Bruce. He sneered and nudged one of his buddies beside him. Bruce stood his ground, feeling braver than he should have. He swayed.

“What the hell do you want asshole?” one of the other guys said. His voice was thick and menacing. Bruce peered at his face in the shadow of the backdoor light. He didn’t recognize him either. The guy’s black eyes gave Bruce chills. Bruce stepped back when he saw a fourth guy step forward holding a long hunting knife. Before he could turn and run, the back door suddenly burst open and a gaggle of girls spilled out, including Carlene. Bruce brightened and called her name. Carlene looked around for who was calling her, and saw that it was Bruce. She frowned and walked over to the big guy with the knife.

“you know that guy?” he asked Carlene, nodding to Bruce. Carlene sniffed and then made a show of slipping her tongue into the guy’s mouth. Bruce couldn’t help himself, he licked his lips too.

“Yeah, he’s a loser, just ignore him. Let’s go baby, I missed you” Carlene said. “Get lost Bruce. Things have changed a lot here. It ain’t the way it was. You better watch yourself” She said it as if she was doing Bruce a favour. He said nothing. Stupid bitch, she had no idea how things had changed. They left Bruce standing alone by the rotting garbage. He wanted a fight that he could win. When the thugs were out of sight, Bruce kicked one of the cans. He yelled after he did and then stalked back into the shadows on the alley way to find his prey. Bruce turned the corner and walked into the hulking mass that Carlene had been tongue wrestling with.

“Don’t fucking look at her again, asshole.” The guy growled. Before Bruce could get his bearings, the guy sucker punched him in the gut. Bruce dropped like a stone on the asphalt. He curled up into a ball and tried to protect his head, his face. Each kick from the thugs motorcycle boots sent fire like white lightning through Bruce’s body. He felt his nose break, then his ribs broke in so many places he couldn’t identify where it hurt more. Bruce passed out before they finished with him. He was beyond the point of caring whether or not he woke up.
~

A light snow had fallen overnight. It had been an unusually warm December, and it was the first snowfall that stayed. The pure white flakes blanketed the town, hiding the concrete sidewalks and asphalt streets, the garbage filled alley ways and parks. Only the trees stood bare and untouched by the new snow. Their long black wet limbs raked at the sky, unwilling to give up their place. They stood unmoved by the season while everything else remained temporarily hidden. As the sun poked its head over the horizon, the tiny flakes of ice started to melt.

A ring of pinkish snow surrounded Bruce’s body. He lay in the alley barely breathing, and unconscious. The strip club thugs had left him for dead after they took turns kicking Bruce and beating him to a bloody pulp.

“He doesn’t look so good.” a voice said.

“No man, he looks dead.” Said another voice.

“what we gonna do?” said a third. Three boys stood over Bruce. They were young, ten years old. Kevin, Craig and Corey. The three c’s. That was how everyone knew them. Corey touched Bruce’s shoulder with a stick. Bruce didn’t move and didn’t make a sound.

“Oh man Kevin, I think this guy’s dead.” He said. His voice quivered. He was not as brave as the other two. He couldn’t stand the sight of blood or the smell of dead stuff. He was glad that it was cold at least and he couldn’t smell the dude lying in the alley behind Lolly’s.

“How are we going to tell anyone where he is?” Kevin asked. He was always thinking about things like that, thinking about how not to get into trouble. “We’re not supposed to be walking back here remember?” The other boys nodded vigorously.

“Maybe he will wake up.” Craig offered. He prayed that the man would. The guy’s face was totally bashed in. Kevin shook his head solemnly.

“I don’t know man, I am sure that he won’t. He looks pretty dead to me.” He said. Kevin took the stick from Corey and poked the guy in the back. This time, Bruce moaned. It wasn’t a full moan, more like a whimper.

“Oh shit!” Kevin said and jumped back. “Come on, let’s get out of here. The dead guy’s moving.” The three boys ran down the alley and rounded the corner out of sight again. Bruce didn’t move. The wind picked up as the sun climbed higher in the sky. No one came by the strip club on Sunday morning. Not even the squirrels were interested that Bruce lay dying in the street.
~

2009-10-13T20:25:00.001-04:00

white chrysanthemums

standing with orange blossoms

longing for the spring

~

Twiction 48

2009-09-22T23:08:00.000-04:00

No one ever asks me why I stand at the window, watching the night sulk in alleys and draw long shadows as the sunsets.No one.

Twiction 47

2009-09-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

Silence stood in the door way like a dare. She stood and waited, not knowing what to do next. Her indecision would cost her dearly.

Twiction 45

2009-09-13T18:10:00.001-04:00

Deep night approached, walking in crooked lines down the street. She was tempted to leave, to join the wandering line. To follow.

Twiction 46

2009-09-13T18:10:00.000-04:00

Instead, Ren sat still, listening through the window. Waiting for the call. The whisper she'd been waiting for.

start of a novel assignment - A complicated kindness

2009-08-02T16:32:00.000-04:00

...new assignment - write a paragraph that is the start of a novel, inspired after picking 7 books off your bookshelf and reading the titles, then writing with the title that pulls you the most - from Sandra and Deena Metzer. It was a tough one for me!
la
~
Neva rushed to catch the door of the apartment building before it swung shut and left her locked out in the street. She shivered as she shook off the slush and snow that had piled quickly onto her shoulders and hair. It was a two minute walk from the subway, but the winter was fierce this year. It was snowing furiously outside, and she was glad to not be out in it any longer. She bent down to adjust her knee-high leather boots and turned her head to look down the hallway to the elevator. The band of golden light was moving to a thin sliver.

“Shit” Neva said out loud. “Hold the door!” She called out and hurried down the tiled marble floor. Her heel s clacked and clicked, echoing against the bare walls. The elevator door continued to close, uninterrupted until the last possible moment, when a gloved hand suddenly shot out to keep it from closing completely. The door relented and slid back open with barely a whisper of protest. Neva rushed in, consumed by the gold interior light.

“Thanks” she said. She was breathless, and leaned back against the wall. Snowflakes melted against her skin. Neva touched her face absently. She glanced out into the empty hallway before the elevator door closed and then turned to see who it was that held the door for her. Her flirty smile froze on her lips, and the colour drained from her cheeks. The last thing she saw was the flash of white light, then the elevator was plunged into darkness.
~

Twiction 44

2009-07-31T12:44:00.000-04:00

There was a sharp knock on the door. Monica ignored it.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Steve asked. Monica refused to look up.

the pieces lay on the floor

2009-07-27T10:57:00.001-04:00

The pieces lay on the floor
Every time I turn around
Do not ask the score
Lose again, for I am bound

I pull me together again
And try to walk away
Overcome my shame
This struggle will not sway

One day I will be fine
A smile will burst my face
All to say one of a kind
And end this silly race

eyes that stare at me

2009-07-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

Eyes that stare at me
Lamenting at my ugliness
No trace of beauty can be found
In the folds of such plain dress
But look deeper
Into the dark recesses of my mind
Search for beauty there
Perhaps that is what you will find
Beauty buried so deep
That it cannot blossom forth
Like the delicate rosebud
Never considered for all its worth
End this terrible tormenting
Stop insisting on what I must be
For all that comes is all I can give
And all I can give is me
~

the sun shines

2009-07-27T10:56:00.000-04:00

The sun shines
Cooling the land
The clouds crawl on the ground
The strange of day
Has come this way
A dog barks with no sound

The birds, they crawl
Like lizards small
The snow is hot to touch
“Bizarre” they cry and
wonder why
Do we know all that much?

the rose, it blooms

2009-07-27T10:55:00.000-04:00

The rose, it blooms
In heat of day,
And then by night
It fades away
There is not one
Who can explain
Why one small flower
Would suffer this pain
Having to wake
In the heat of day
And then by night
Just fade away

the rain last night left me sleepless

2009-07-26T23:26:00.000-04:00

the rain last night left me sleepless
it sang against the window
in the deepest hours
left me restless and wondering
about the smallest moments of my life

where will this wandering take me?
though now i feel i am waiting
like one of those raindrops
hoping to fall from the window sill
to join others in something bigger
than myself

one day maybe i will realize
maybe not until the sun shines again
that in that moment before i disappear
to return again to the sky
i am everything i can be
i am everything i am

i watch the raindrop patterns
as they dance across the glass
i cannot make any sense of them,
but i know just what they are
there can't be only one raindrop that
falls on a cold november night
and i am waiting for the sun to rise
stubborn in my blindness
waiting to understand
waiting to be free
waiting to be me

~

i watched myself in the mirror

2009-07-26T23:24:00.001-04:00

i watched myself in the mirror
there shattered on the floor
a thousand pieces of me
scattered, staring back

there can be no mending
it seems
once the glass is broken
just sweep the shards up
toss them away
- forgotten

what lays beyond that moment
that moment of refuse?
the glass then ground
to powder by another hand
and fire to melt it to form again
not what it once was
but something...

in that fusion
born from destruction
not new, not more
never the same and yet it is

how sad to see
the thousand me's disappear
without another thought
while somewhere another
works to mend the glass

and i -
i am left standing
looking everywhere
but at myself.

~

lost in moments

2009-07-26T23:24:00.000-04:00

lost in moments
that shine like stars
in the deep night sky
a trap some say,
like drowning
in a rushing river
toss in the torrent
and left to die on the shores

a photograph to remind me
of what was precious
and wasted
taken forgranted
forgotten
and loved
simply loved

the shell of me walks in the
hallways searching
for a place to rest
to lay down when
living is too tiring

it is enough to love
when the stars shine
in the deep night sky
brightly enough
to guide me
home

how can i say these words
the calm that steals over me
undoes the small pins of myself
that have been drawing
beads of blood for so long
and free from that pain of living

i can say i came home
to myself in the starlight -
watched the crescent moon
in the mirror reflection of my eyes
and let myself die one more death
knowing i have loved
and did not mistake
this time what i felt

the stars shine over me now
deep night draws to early m
morning and the new day, like
a perfect pearl is dropped
into my palm

misted fields bathed

2009-07-26T23:23:00.000-04:00

misted fields bathed
in autumn gold
leaves glisten with the morning

lines of sunlight breaking
through the trees
cut the ribbon of road
winding through
swirling and dancing

gossamer thoughts
float in amongst the hovering
passing like walking
through spirit

i cannot be still in this stillness
even the birds can
in their morning slumber yet

i move with the winds
down and along the gravel road
when it turns
and leads away from here
this one moment so perfect

then gone
with the rising sun
and another day

this mist like the day
holds everything and nothing
a breath of life
that waits
and falls away
with the warmth

i long for that moment of clarity
which lets me see
just as things are not
as i want them to be.

the falcon cries to warn
of its hungered flight
and even its wing is hushed by the
cloak of morning

all too soon i am gone
turning again along the road
and i breathe in as i pass
while the light dissolves
my reflection in the mist

this wall

2009-07-26T23:21:00.001-04:00

this fear
this love
this is my wall
i cannot break it down
or let it go
i hear it mumbling
in quiet tones
to find peace
solace
is that what i want?
always the goal
has been to love
and be loved in return
but who can do this
when i cannot simply
manage the high crested waves
that crash over
or drown me in the pull
unseen yet devestating
or when the sunlight
on the water blinds me
with its reflection
on a still afternoon
i have seen there
that i am my own wall
there in that instant of
blindness
how can i break
myself
to the point where
no wall
will be built again?

~

caught in the reflection

2009-07-26T23:21:00.000-04:00

caught in the reflection
in the glasses on the desk
perched on books and papers
here, now more than for reading
i realize... and ask

what do i see there?

the window
sharp lines
on more glass
and sunlight that falls over me
more
what do i see there?

gentle curve of metal frame
while the seeing is held
through them
what don't i see there
when i am wearing them?

seeing now
from the other side
of the lens..
the lines and shape
the light and shadow
the moment
and everything that i don't see
looking through
looking away

~

turning in a moment

2009-07-26T23:17:00.001-04:00

turning in a moment
of bliss
like thunder chasing
the wind

silence

the sound of the ripple
after the first tear falls
after the last drop comes home
echoes within me

turning
in a moment
like thunder
chasing silence
after it passes

when the wings stop beating
and the wind is still as death
between nowhere and everywhere
i am free

~

life

2009-07-26T23:17:00.000-04:00

life
living through the cracks
in moments
like glimmering shafts
of sunlight
through the broken window slats
of an aging house
maybe brief
until the clouds come
or the moment has passed

i am jealous of the cracks
and all that falls through
forgotten treasures
spilled like salt
here even where the cracks
can be the straight lines
to someone
to somewhere
expected
more subversive
- perhaps

than the seemingly lost
but there - caught again
in the light
glinting like diamonds
waiting to be noticed
~

I can feel me

2009-07-26T23:16:00.000-04:00

i can feel me
slowly going
breath that
spills over the lips
and leaves
no lingering kiss
nothing changes
the sun still shines
the cicada mourns
its day of life
crying loudly in the pines
everything is changed
- somehow
still following
the breath
as it lifts
the orange robed butterfly
up into the clouds

~

the house of my soul is too small

2009-07-26T23:15:00.001-04:00

the house of my soul is too small
thoughts, hopes, dreams
sit in hapless piles
like mismatched socks
forlorn, forgotten
almost
except for brief moments

there's no room on the shelves
one thing slips off and again
it falls in a heap
crashing somewhere be low
waiting to be picked up
put away
replaced

if you dig through
who knows what may be found
i'd call it Christmas
but even that won't help
to describe the treasures hiding
in the deep debris
waiting to be remembered
waiting to be noticed

the house of my soul is too small
much too small
i said that already
now it is more the mournful cry
pitiful recognition
that nothing else can fill the spaces
what to do?
what to do?
come in like a breath of life
like a swift running river
to wash everything all away
i wish it all away
not tidied and
reorganized
- waiting
furtively to explode
out of carefully labelled boxes
but just done and gone...

what remains after
well, can stay i suppose..
whatever it could be i don't know...
something to remind me
that the house is too small
and space is
always at a premium
choose wisely or
not at all...
because the house of my soul
is much too small

~

little sparrow

2009-07-26T23:15:00.000-04:00

little sparrow
fragile wing
misunderstood
unknown
pause here
please
before you fly again
mend
to be free

~

white clouds

2009-07-26T23:14:00.000-04:00

white clouds
reflected
in the window
slipping quickly by
even at a glance
who watches them go?
besides me...
though even i do not
really watch
since only their reflection
is what i see...
who watches

~

little sparrow - song of grace

2009-07-26T23:13:00.001-04:00

little sparrow take this pause
a breath to sustain you

to lift your wing above me
to the sky to the sun and back again

little sparrow
i can't know you now
in your frantic search
along the ground

this food eludes you... again and again
though you keep searching ..

little sparrow rest
the moment waits for you
to mend

the day is not long to ending
and i am here to hold you
reassure you
and let you go
once more

broken glass and betrayal

2009-07-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

the air
is rank
heavy
each window closed
- sealed tightly
with no possibility
of renewal
except
with the shattering
of the glass
strange
how in the shattering
the sting of betrayal
is deeply felt
who is betrayed
when the cool autumn
breezes finally
can flow through

~

morning prayer

2009-07-26T23:12:00.000-04:00

someone must pray
in the morning light
as the day begins again

not only those
whose lives are near
closing some curtain
not only furtive thieves
desperately trying to steal back

some favor
some time
some moment
some lost thing
some future fortune
some second chance
some life

not only the wise
and compassionate
whose life spills over itself
and in quiet moments can see
the pain and suffering of
those near to them
and not so near

there must be that moment -
that moment of recognition
in our day

one moment however brief
of knowing deeply that
right now is everything
and nothing

in that moment of knowing
when the heart speaks more loudly
than the wind and rising sun
when someone prays
and it lifts us beyond ourselves
for someone
for ourselves
we can be grateful
that someone
must pray

~

little bloom

2009-07-26T23:11:00.001-04:00

little bloom
white flashing
in the reeds and leaves

fish turn and swim among slender stems
in cool waters below you

emerald frogs hide
from the day's heat
in your wide shade
while you sit still
to collect morning dew
for swifts and swallows

risen above the water's edge
now gently swaying
in summer breezes
you, oh willow pond's
beautiful jewel

~

sunlight reflected

2009-07-26T23:11:00.000-04:00

sunlight reflected
in the shadows of another concrete building
closed windows
tinted so no one can see inward
though there i am sitting
in the concrete ampitheatre
where no one speaks
except the wind and me

what dance passes
unseen between us
as the hour falls away?
shadow pulling sun
defines them so i can see
clearly the lines
wind whispers in the grass...
you are...

can you see past the stone walls
of this steel/glass building
before you
however imposing
however indifferent
however cruel
can you forgive yourself
when you cannot?

another minute more to drain
as the concrete circle slowly fills
the wind now is harder to hear
over the din
but never is far it seems
a breath away
to remind me
i am....

~

Child of indigo sky and silver jewel

2009-07-26T23:10:00.001-04:00

the sun has slipped behind
the crest of trees
as day gives way to night
where will you lay your head to dream?

let me hold you here
where the stars fall like polished glass,
until your eyes grow heavy with slumber...

the bubbling laughter of water
playing playing
against the river stones
fills the air
and the lullaby of night crawlers and crickets
draws sleep closer
wrapping itself around us
like a soft woolen blanket

sleep dear one
as the fireflies dot the sky
diamonds of flickering light
i will hold you here
listen to each breath
each heartbeat

this great song i will always hold
a treasured memory
rest your head, dear one
close your eyes and dream
the buds on the branches above us
wait to bloom with the morning light
and tonight
tonight the dew will fall

~

when the effort of living

2009-07-26T23:10:00.000-04:00

when the effort of loving lays dying in the roses
impaled on the thorns as it falls
through the branches
ripped and shredded into pieces...
when it lays in the cocoa shells and lavendar
hidden in the cool shade of leaves
to disintegrate and fertilize
the roots ....
that is when the rose blooms

~

gentle lake

2009-07-26T23:09:00.001-04:00

gentle lake
your face has changed
angry waves slap the shore
stones shine in wet dresses
thundering music of your soul
touches mine
no theory or formula
can be laid across you
to define you
even the fish swimming within
have no knowledge of you
but once outside
the agony is played on
the broken heart, broken breath
lamenting what once was

~

my heart is frankly scarlet

2009-07-26T23:09:00.000-04:00

my heart is frankly scarlet
in the wake of the phoenix
ripe, raw, full to overflowing
up and outward moving
against this darkened sky
like each star
each moment
each breath
glowing brightly
all around me
all of this
lilting laughter
extending
beyond
within
at once
centred
open wings
this is
my life's
beginning
this is
me

~

as morning sun yawns

2009-07-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

as morning sun yawns
spreading its first light
shimmering dew drops
send the spider into flight

along delicate homeward paths
a crystal web
where few dare to roam

prisms formed by midnight's tears
drying on the silver threads
where the silent spider
- treads

~

leaves rain on cloudless skies

2009-07-26T23:06:00.000-04:00

quietlaughter
leaves rain on cloudless skies
winds play a symphony
through the trees
while i sit under a maple
with leaves of fire
i close my eyes
and hear squirrels
dashing madly through the brush
storing away what they will soon forget...
shadows dance as last sun spills around me
and the day falls away
i look up and smile at the winking sun
and raise my hand, palm exposed
to feel the kiss of each leaf
in the breeze, each shaft of light
you ask "do the clouds change the sun?"
and i whisper to you
in this sacred place
"no".

~

pale light

2009-07-26T23:05:00.000-04:00

pale light, like the blush of a rose
slips quietly across the morning sky
to thread itself through the branches of the oak
it shapes the shadows, sprawling them
out over the dew laden grass
an unassuming dance
that reaches to catch my arm
drawing me in step with ancient harmony

as we go along the light of day
longer shadows play,
and languid leaves rise and fall
with the warm breeze
soon they will tumble and turn
to rest again

day ambles away over the horizon
evening stretches now
and i sit in the glow
of sunset's silent embrace

~

light falls through the window

2009-07-26T23:04:00.001-04:00

light falls through the window
like water from a broken glass
shadows slip across my body
as i sit in this evening sun
dark shards cut through
with slivers of golden light
while silence sits next to me
flashing a sly and knowing smile
waiting for me to move away
to fall into the shadows
or dance in the light
to leave the room
and not find the door to return
but wherever i go i am here
the door, window, sun
may slowly melt into the landscape
even silence may slink away to play
with his noisier cousin chaos
sitting here now, i can smell
the roses through the window
feel the cool breeze on my skin
and even though i know the mirror
shows a face drawn out in pain
the stars will still shine tonight

~

listen dear one

2009-07-26T23:04:00.000-04:00

listen dear one... until the waves
are quiet against the stoney shore
when words are wrapped tightly among them
silent sentinels, guarding waiting...
moments pass, like wind through the trees
each not drawn against
the bowing branches
earlier, i watched a bird explode into the air
while another swam silently below
the serene face of the lake
and gold flashed in the shallows
as the sun set
as the first stars leap and play
against the blackening sky
know that all this i see
with you sitting here beside me

~

waves on the bay

2009-07-26T23:03:00.000-04:00

waves on the bay
myriad rise and fall
with wind and sunlight
each wave a deep sigh
from below
to dance, to sing, to be
one breath connects all
while this me floats among them
dense as the shale below
yet the wave's gentle gesture
becomes its own
the wind and sun
bend to kiss the upturned face
just as sweetly as the wave itself
no shape remains
no arm, no leg
no eye, no breast
no me
only waves on the bay

~

this gentle rain of emotion

2009-07-26T23:01:00.000-04:00

this gentle rain of emotion
falls sweetly over me
holding out my hand to you
alone again, i'll never be

this love carries me on
melts the hardest days away
when the tears won't stop flowing
this love knows just what to say

eyes like the morning sunrise
shining still with dew
i never knew i could be whole
until the day i met you

this love carries me on
melts the hardest days away
when the tears won't stop flowing
this love knows there are no words to say

when the evening is upon me
and twilight's kiss i feel
my life is a gift in your arms
and this love is the seal

this love carries me on
melts the hardest days away
when the tears won't stop flowing
and we don't know where we are going
this love knows the way

~

Life spills around me

2009-07-26T22:58:00.000-04:00

I

life spills around me
water from an over-turned cup
carelessly, recklessly tossed to the ground
i am running, i am running
forget what is lacking
what is gone
the sun never shines twice on the same day
drink this light down
catch up with me life
while i dance in this orange glow
trailing this dark mantle behind me
laughter falls like rain
wisps of yesterday
moments hanging in the air
i won't suffer to reach for them...

II

The day now dressed in ebony
river winds to rush over
pale, grey weathered stones
soothing, cool caress
in silence, i sit now
beneath mango boughs alone
to listen to the spring moon rising
its silver melody drips down over me
the gentlest waterfall leaping
to the still deep pool below

III

I breathe
sitting in this space
between now and the next moment
between the pebble's drop
and the ocean's embrace
love spills over mindstones eroding them
to no thing
and i see with light again
there is no running
no catching up
the laughter remains the same
my soul jumps into your arms
as the moon rises

light like a sigh

2009-07-26T22:57:00.000-04:00

light like a sigh
spreads gently across
the mountain range
a breath that floats
and brushes against you
barely there
like standing in a gale
wind blows, clouds dance
then in stillness
waves rest
blossoms unfold
in the morning

~

take this breath

2009-07-26T22:56:00.001-04:00

take this breath
from my lips, wind
as you dance
in this morning's
first light
each turning leaf
of your complete caress,
rose up to greet you
and saw it was not alone
with this life of mine
draw it up in your airy arms
as the sun wanes
and the shadows grow long
in the last whisper of light
let this stillness
resonate
in my soul

~

let us go together

2009-07-26T22:56:00.000-04:00

let us go together
along the light of day
our souls will sing
with each step we take

it may rain along the way, I know
the clouds may hide the sun
each drop of rain a jewel
to feed the seed of change

we are the shifting breezes
that flow through the trees
the rose that blooms, unfolding
its petals to reach the sun
the stream tumbling and falling
over rock ledge to the quiet pool below
the shore shaped by the ocean wave

let go along the light of today
the journey is the destination
our souls are singing
with each step we take

storms will blow through us
we may feel weary and worn
battered and torn
but just as the wind blows
through a screen door
so too shall the sun shine

hope will propel us through
even as a tiny grain of sand
it grows from deep inside of us
from nothing to a pearl

we are the sturdy oak
whose branches reach skyward
and roots that embrace soil and stone
the mountain that will not be moved
the azure sky that will not falter
the sun that will not fade away

let go along the light of day
life is waiting
breathe deeply
with every step we take

~

silent evening

2009-07-26T22:54:00.000-04:00

silent evening
as wind embraces
majestic pine
stones cease
their restless
current journey
wrapped in this
quiet blanket
moon reaches to
pull back the
cloudy curtain
in this subtle light
where the shadows
are almost imperceptible
souls sing
and laughter
bubbles up
from the depths
light falls around
like tiny gems
rolling across the palm
spiralling around
to drop like rain
when each one does
from its grassy resting place
everything, the universe
and beyond
is reflected there

~

afternoon sunlight

2009-07-26T22:52:00.000-04:00

afternoon sunlight
streaming in the window
i am sitting beside you
trying to say goodbye
but i don't want to leave you
just want to stay
hold you close to me
to keep you safe
no matter where you are
i have a place to wander from
it may not be your hand i can hold
for all time, for always
but i know when the sun rises
you will be here beside me
holding me close
keeping me safe from harm

~

not only in the quiet

2009-07-26T22:51:00.000-04:00

not only in the quiet
of the evening do my
thoughts turn to you
i rest with the setting sun
soothed by a cooling breeze
still the days are grey
when you are gone
and i am left with only
the cats for company
( the black one thinks to
own the chair by the window
now and the other has decided
what space is left is hers alone)
not only in the stillness after the day
is folded and put away, watching
the reddening sun but when dawn
breaks the black cast of night
and i wake with the same joy the
sky has in seeing the sun again
because in that moment it is you who
i see or at midday, when
the sun is strongest, and
i find your pictures marking my place
in a book i just took from the shelf
not only in the evening, when
darkness stills me
do my thoughts turn to you and i smile.
i smile and think of you.

~

A page turned with the wind

2009-07-26T22:50:00.002-04:00

A page turned with the wind
Paper from the book rustled then settled
Soundlessly
Morning stole through the window
Over the fury of night’s contemplation
No glorious sunshine
Danced and dripped gold over everything
To soften every edge and hue
Instead a cold unforgiving February day
Stared while the sky struck at the frozen ground
Bending barren tree branches in an icy coat
The white glares at me
I feel the snow bore into every cell
It blinds
Or do I blind myself?
Who do I blame when things get so hard
When they get this hard?
Steeled against the coming minutes and hours
Wiping sleep from my eyes
To peer cautiously at the resting page
What did my hand write
During my sleep
Look for nothing
Look for me
I am here

~

waterlily white

2009-07-26T22:50:00.001-04:00

waterlily white
against my palm
what dream do you hold for me
little one?
while the willow sleeps
with the resting wind
you sit with me
and hold me still
how this flower unfolds is mine
alone
every pure and velvet petal
is mine
the edge of the bloom
rests against me
while it all falls apart
where it all falls apart
i am
don't let go of me
please
let go let go
it screams against me
let it all fall apart
let the petals float
in the water below my fingertips
in the air above my head
in the deepest part of my heart
it all falls apart
it all means something
every petal
every cell
every thought
every dream
every memory
gentle one
you are not who shattered the glass
you are who floated the flower to begin

~

words fall like scattered papers

2009-07-26T22:50:00.000-04:00

words fall like scattered papers
as soft light dressed as afternoon
slips in through the window
illuminated
the room
my desk
my mind
revealed
i can see the torrent of books,
papers, scraps of thought teetering
on the shelves i look and see
stones i had forgotten, old photos in piles
faces from the past that stare balefully at me
landscapes waiting for acrylic birth
when did this happen?
when did i stop to do what comforts me
pulls me in from the whirling,
wraps me in the sweet unknowing and
presses a pen, a brush to my palm
whispering to me
express
instead
frantically overcome
and choking i have sat by this window
forgetting everything
until, like walking into a low tree branch
and crashing to the ground
i wake up
and watch the sun

~

i have been watching

2009-07-26T22:46:00.000-04:00

i have been watching my
white orchid
waiting for it to bloom
endless days it seemed
the last bloom hung
tucked into its pale green cucoon
waiting waiting waiting
and then without warning
i woke one morning
in the soft light of a new day
i saw the bloom had exploded
onto the fragile stem

~

i watched the morning sun

2009-07-26T22:45:00.000-04:00

i watched the morning sun
shine through a fern
a perfect emerald silhoette
dew gathered in the folds
of a scarlet maple leaf
shimmering in the light
i was not until i looked closely
that i saw the long slender
legs of the spider
resting on its glistening web
in complete stillness

~

listen to the wind

2009-07-26T22:44:00.000-04:00

listen to the wind
whispering in the softest voice
the stream sings
a laughing melody
under tall, firey trees
while my heart soars
with the southbound geese
and lies at once with
the slumbering trillium
wrapped in the solid stone shield
of this ancient soil
soon the snow will fly
and all this will remain
in untouched harmony
~

autumn roses spill crimson

2009-07-26T22:43:00.001-04:00

autumn roses spill crimson
over the stones in the drive
reflections dance in the puddles
with every cooling drop

steady drumming
through the trees
a soothing lullaby
sung against this rich tapestry
as i stand collecting raindrops
in my upturned palm

~

bamboo grows on the window sill

2009-07-26T22:43:00.000-04:00

bamboo grows on the window sill
tiny saplings in water and glass
i am coaxing them skyward
i watched an emerald flyer
spread her golden wings
to dance in the sky blue eye
dipping and soaring in the breeze
fluid flight becomes a slow trickle
a gentle waterfall
flowing into itself
as she lights on the window before me
resting quietly in the late sun
i see my reflection there

~

gentle rain falling

2009-07-26T22:42:00.000-04:00

gentle rain falling
against broad emerald leaf
tracing its lines and ridges
down to the slender stem

~

I bent my head down

2009-07-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

I bent my head down
to write out all of my anger,
frustration and sorrow...
instead my heart spilled out
across the blank white page before me
joy snuck out in streaks of gold
and happiness, close on her heals,
with careless splashes of scarlet and rose
soon the page a chaotic dance
a riot of colour
and between the rain of laughter
I sit shocked by my own blind reverie
~

this star shines

2009-07-26T22:38:00.000-04:00

this star shines
as our love
through endless sky
uncontained
so shall we be
for all eternity

~

water drips down

2009-07-26T22:37:00.000-04:00

water drips down
the side of the glass
like a tear
does it fall out of joy or sorrow?
is it enough that it falls?
sliding down the cool surface
to form a small pool on the table's face
water drop descends and i am drawn
to your photograph
it shows a deep reflection
of the world outside my window
framed with silver
this sight takes my breath
how is it i have sat
on endless days turned
from what has always been before me?
absently i draw my fingertip
through the fallen drop
tracing an invisible map
of my hand
and then...
one last kiss as i touch
my finger to my lips
and the waterdrop is drawn
within
~

there was a drop of rain this morning

2009-07-26T22:36:00.001-04:00

there was a drop of rain this morning
that fell against my cheek
a pinprick cold shock
looking into the sky
why did you fall against me,
wake me, startle me, love me?
your sudden kiss
took my breath,
made me stand still
i almost missed knowing you
with another step

~

I was the other one

2009-07-26T22:36:00.000-04:00

I was the other one
that wasn't me
the overturned petal
where the light of sun
doesn't lay to sleep
the entire day away

~

laughing with shame

2009-07-26T22:35:00.000-04:00

laughing with shame
I bowed my head and wondered how
how to answer this question that hung in the air
begging to be heard
complicated knot waiting to be untied
and I think that I don’t have it
the answer found a mate and is hiding
covered in some darkened corner
while I sit open mouthed and dumb looking a fool
and not knowing how to say the right words
because now any word that rolls away
pulls a layer too
exposing raw skin
and I doubt myself shivering
in the glaring scrutiny
who is watching who
and what the hell am I still hiding for
then I remember I do have a voice
deep breath
and the answer comes
even if I am standing naked before you
~

your voice slips behind my ear

2009-07-26T22:34:00.000-04:00

your voice slips behind my ear
the way your fingers might trace
the hair line, down the neck
and curve gently across my shoulders to the other ear
to make sure that no words have escaped
unheard, misunderstood, ignored
don’t ask me to open my eyes
and witness the death of this moment again
just let me listen
let me feel this cool reassurance against my fevered skin
one more time
as your voice fades to memory
and I sit waiting
for the next moment
for the next breath
for the next word

~

eight cups of coffee measure the day

2009-07-26T22:33:00.000-04:00

eight cups of coffee measure the day
lined up on the table among the newspapers and magazine clippings
i sat endlessly flipping between sips
not sure what I was looking for
except to find maniacal comfort in the glossy pages and
frankenstein faces plastered there
and then the ripping -
pages torn out for a word, a look, a leaf, a colour
in precarious piles at my feet
i should find an envelope for them
a sleek, simple place to put this chaos
i should stop the coffee pot from boiling over
leaving garish brown stains across the stove again
i should drink more water
i should remember to eat
i should go for a walk
i should…
Wait - another crystalline sky reflected in a still lake
azure, emerald, diamond
know thy self,
be,
freedom
love
love
me

~

The storm on the sea was cliché

2009-07-26T22:32:00.001-04:00

The storm on the sea was cliché
I want to reach out well beyond the safety
Of the boat I cower in
Dive through the waves
Down below them
Watch the crash that follows each peak
I want to let the last remnants
Fall from my shoulders
And dance freely among
The angels’ tears
Yet I am rooted by
The battered stubbornness that remains
Clutching frantically at threads
That keep me from being exposed
I am overcome with knowing, with fear
And only the tiny freedom
Painted within me
Is the pastoral vision of a pine
Resting by a fragrant meadow
in the shadow of a majestic mountain
if, if, ,if, only if plays with each crashing way
each crashing wave
it is well beyond what I want now
beyond waiting for the storm to calm
well beyond the next breath

~

freedom rediscovered

2009-07-26T22:32:00.000-04:00

freedom rediscovered
like an unexpected embrace
the flash of a smile
reflected in a mirror
faith restored
this is what life is
a whisper came like this
with the morning wind
while the sun shone
the bamboo sung
in low tones
and i sat
only to listen

~

all I can do is sit and write

2009-07-26T22:31:00.001-04:00

all I can do is sit and write,
let the words flow through me
it seems that they are empty and elusive
they don’t meet the measure
to what is within my heart
but i cannot deny this pull
to express in some way
however fleeting...
in the stillness I can feel you
when fear and doubt are laid to rest
I see myself in you
with your compassion and kindness
the well of love that is your soul
I want to reach out and hold you
to feel you standing there before me
I don’t want to know life without you
it would the sun be without a sky
or a bird without the wings to fly
without you there with me
I would be lost in the endless sea
sounds cliché I know…
but the truth is you are my anchor
while chaos reigns around me
you are the calm I need to remind me
that I am everything now I need to be
my love you are the mirror
I can see me in your eyes
I am free in your eyes
I am me in your eyes
I am me
there is a freedom with you
that I have never felt before
you accept me for who I am
not who you want me to be
when the love overwhelms me
and I feel I am running
you quietly take my hand
and remind me that I am already
where I am supposed to be
I want to be lost in this simplicity
I can feel my wings unfolding
and it feels to me that the letting go
is in the flowing
I can’t kid you
you mean everything to me
I realize that I have been fighting
I see it now.. like shadowboxing
and being knocked down
by my own reflection
my own illumination
and from this new perspective
flat on my back on the ground
I see the world differently
fear sprawled beside me
and doubt scrambling to help it stand again
instead I will stand,,
leave them to wrestle in the dust
while I
let the angel fly
~

that mirror

2009-07-26T22:31:00.000-04:00

that mirror
holds no answer
not for me
I can barely raise my eyes
High enough to meet my reflection’s gaze
So cold to my finger’s touch
While my own skin burns
With an unarticulated fever
Staring hard at my hands
I can ask what is this?
But that same question chokes me
Stops my heart mid-beat
When the emerald pools reach out
And drown me
What do you want?
I scream the question
Until its echo is faint
And a silence dresses it
So deep it is like a well in a desert
Where water is gold
And the search for it leads down
beyond what was once thought impossible
and the answer
like a whisper floating,
barely moving on undisturbed water
is freedom.
~

trail of stars sprawled

2009-07-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

trail of stars sprawled
across the sky tonight
they dance on my extended palm
their gentle light falls toward me
the distance removed
with the closing of my eyes

~

the distance

2009-07-26T22:29:00.000-04:00

the distance
makes me ache
artificial separation
that slips in and cuts
like a razor
leaving me bleeding
on the floor of my own mind
i don't reach out often enough
fear gets me and ties me down
i want to tell you to wake up
to tell you this life is opportunity
to love, to give, to heal
i want to hold you,
hear your dreams, your hopes, your fears
every day, the sun grows in the sky
i say to you ( though you do not hear me it seems)
i love you
not because you are my blood
not because you are my air
not because you are my everything
but because you are.

~

I miss the sun today

2009-07-26T22:28:00.001-04:00

I miss the sun today,
the clouds have moved in
and taken over
the horizon…
the piercing cold of the wind
is the slap I need in the face
to keep the door closed, locked
and every piece of furniture
against its back
while I sit at the window
peering through the blinds
waiting….

~

violets and forget-me-nots

2009-07-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

violets and forget-me-nots
sit in a careless collection
in the vase on the window sill
sunlight is fractured and scattered
as it falls through the water
stems, leaves, blossoms
cut out at awkard angles
shaped by the sloping glass sides of the vase
i wonder if i saw this
for the very first time
would i stop and question
if the flowers were so disjointed, incomplete
without the water to hold them or the glass?

~

the garden is quiet in early morning

2009-07-26T22:26:00.001-04:00

the garden is quiet in early morning
birds settled still with folded wing
morning glory stretches to catch the light
in its transparent painted palm
grasses leave silver trails
against my dress
as i pass to greet you
as i have done before
the pool among the stones is calm
even the fish hold
wrapped in watery arms
and words are stayed in my throat
i stand to hear the song of your heart
however the words and stories are woven
however the dew rolls off the rose
this friendship, dear one, simply is
just as the sun raises its head each day
i sit beside you and listen
while this moment begins

~

rain clatters

2009-07-26T22:26:00.000-04:00

rain clatters
against the glass
muted caucophony
from within
i sit reflecting
another day
folds like melted wax
upon itself
sun has set
veiled by cloud
beyond my sight
assured slumber
i thought to sleep
in your hand
curled against
your open palm
to rest for a
moment's lifetime
and then the rumor of a smile
brushes across my lips
light dim
and i close
my eyes

~

what remains unsaid, my love

2009-07-26T22:25:00.000-04:00

what remains unsaid, my love
within the walls of this heart
not the strangled, maniacal pleas
that trap the arms, pinned down -
demanding... Love me! Complete me!
Set me free!
where is the freedom in this?
when the white dove batters unknowingly
against the filigree bars
slight enough to be entangled
and yet enraged at this caged injustice
it is in the silent unfolding of a paper wing
extended with graceful deliggght
in these wide arms do we walk,
Entwined, Whole, Embraced
and as my happiness has found its place
to wander from
you have been just as you are,
an endless flight in a cloudless sky
found when my hand holds yours

~

Whisper of a prayer

2009-07-26T22:24:00.000-04:00

Whisper of a prayer
Falls of me
Eyes closed tightly
I feel I am moving
Though I know I am standing still
The rumor of a smile consumes me
Expected glance shatters me
Like a stone meeting glass
With the briefest kiss
As I sit amongst the shards
Bleeding from the bits of glass
I missed cleaning up
I think that I only want to hear your voice
If only,
As a drop trickles down my palm
Where is the grace in dying this way
Ears empty, heart torn
The flicker of light dancing
Along the white tiles draws my sight
Away from the ruby splash beside me
Pulling me away from the knotted pain
To brilliant clarity
That for a small brief moment, I thought
The pain could cure me of an ache
So deep within my chest
And no, the tears, not of sorry, but joy
Rinse all that was spilled away

~

hand on the doorway

2009-07-26T21:31:00.001-04:00

hand on the doorway
ready to run again
walk out of this skin
to let it all fall away
shed, forgotten
here you stop me
pull each toe back through
make me sit down
and breathe
the one thing i forgot to do
so i sit listening to the roses bloom
and the storm being born on the horizon
what was i running from again?
how long until my soul gets it rights
~

beyond these words i long to stretch

2009-07-26T21:31:00.000-04:00

beyond these words i long to stretch
and reach out of what i thought could be
shake off the darkly laden doubt,
that keeps me stayed
and spread wide my eyes to truly see
to feel the breath of this love
gently pass across my skin
and kiss the air about me
may this moment never find its close
and let me stand encircled by you
for all eternity
~

i invited Happiness in today

2009-07-26T21:30:00.001-04:00

i invited Happiness in today
to sit among the piles of books, magazines
and empty coffee cups
she pushed the clutter
to the floor, a sweeping gesture
to clear enough space
to sit before me
and embrace me as
the sun embraces the earth
with its light
she scolded me then
sternly chastising me
for waiting so long
to open the door
tired of always peeking
through the cracks
and whispering through
the open windows
she pulled out the chaise lounge
set it out beneath the broad arms
of the oak
and sat waiting for me
to get it together enough
to release
the door latch
~

crescent moon

2009-07-26T21:30:00.000-04:00

crescent moon
through bowed branches
light bathes me
flows through me
gentle healing
long weary day falls away
listen to her reflection
dancing in the water
gentle hands sweep
the cool shore
while a quiet breeze
stirs the leaves
only enough to carry
the sleeping melody of a dove
and to lay my head down
to rest
~

frost dances on fallen leaves

2009-07-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

frost dances on fallen leaves
morning sun shimmers
in each icy reflection
bluest sky bows
in joyful reverie
~

what of this laden head

2009-07-26T21:27:00.001-04:00

what of this laden head
that lies pressed against the glass
screaming mind, howling against
the chains, the bonds
that hold it in place
what of this peace
that it fumbles to grasp
and lay hold to, so elusive
only the minnows flashing
in perfect harmony
in late afternoon sun
can truly know its essence
or the sparrow’s seamless flight
each feather constant with the next
yet here i sit revolting against
what i claim i cannot know
and yet i am here, here i am

~

wind gathers through my fingers

2009-07-26T21:27:00.000-04:00

wind gathers through my fingers
i hear its ancient melody
as the river passes the shore
shaping the sand endlessly
each wave a breath
each ripple the stone’s gift
each moment slips away
with each rolling water lift
sunlight across my palm
day’s sweet stolen kiss
evening’s rapture through the leaves
moonlight’s bliss
wrapped in this blanket
between here and now
in this silence i breathe again
as the reeds along the river bow
~

the day has left only

2009-07-26T21:26:00.000-04:00

the day has left only
folded wings and bowed heads
waves have fallen in slumber
as quiet as the shore
footsteps have filled
the autumn night air
crush of stone on stone
soft cool pad of sand
silence comes to embrace me
brush the hair from my eyes
to look deeply within
holding me
as the dragon holds the white orchid
and releases me home
to see the moon’s watery face

~

under glass

2009-07-26T21:25:00.001-04:00

under glass
finger traces
this slow, loping curve
to press this fragile limit
with my palm
i wondered,
in my longing
to shatter this glass dome
if i have over looked
freedom’s responsibility
arranging a crushed rose
so the sunlight won’t
fade the coloured silk,
neatly creasing folds
to preserve the petals’ form
having forgotten the material illusion
that reveals a dying flower
desperate for water
~

twilight trips through the window

2009-07-26T21:25:00.000-04:00

twilight trips through the window
with sprawling grace
silence, sitting with me
catches the light as it passes
and scatters it with a careless hand
out along the wall and table’s edge
transparent mandala drifting
capture me, hold me still
not by chance, am i here
to watch this timeless union
of shadow and light
dance its way across my room,
my furniture, my body, my life
and erase itself like the gentle sweep
of fine sand after
the circle is complete
drawn closer in the fading light
by my quiet companion
while the wind reminds me
of the cold winter night to come
not even the scattered starlight
and soft candle light glow
can help me discern
where my hand ends
and darkness begins

~

Now this heart is home

2009-07-26T21:24:00.001-04:00

Now this heart is home
As you tell all you think you know
What can I do?
It’s the choice you made
To view the world as you say
I don’t want to be your reflection
Or your helping hand
Only you can know
Where it is you stand
All that you assume
Is the baggage you carry to the room
So if you don’t mind
I will sit quietly here
And listen to the wind unwind
When it has finished I will keep going on
~

this day lies, rolled in darkness now

2009-07-26T21:24:00.000-04:00

This day lies, rolled in darkness now
The cool night air slips through the window…
I should probably shut it
But don’t
The chill on my skin keeps me alert
Or at least gives me the comforting illusion that I am
The light from the candle is warm
My hand seems soft and unscarred
I smile knowing another illusion lies
And I think how can this be that I want to sit here
Wait for the phone to ring or a letter to arrive at the door
While you have gone again
The time will pass as it always does
No alteration to it will come
It cannot be stopped, not even with sleep
The dream will stay for only as long as my eyes close
And I know this with the heart
Whole and unbroken
Soon this deep night will leave itself
To let the sun rise once again into the endless sky
The wind will continue to blow,
Every living thing will draw breath as it has before
And I, I will watch the steam from my tea
Rise
~

water drops from my hair

2009-07-26T21:23:00.001-04:00

water drops from my hair
head bent low, watching
silver orbs slip down long strands
to plummet below
each drop a thought
too deep even for tears
their rippled consequence
almost unperceived
in the mass of fragile white
light reflecting upon itself infinitely
stays my gaze
while jasmine hangs
as an aromatic veil
not to obscure
instead a warm, yielding embrace
to hold me still
in the absent cleansing trails my fingers draw
on the extremities and porcelain
the moment slowly drains away
and yet, i feel there is something
just arriving
~

when the sky blushes

2009-07-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

when the sky blushes,
the water still as silvered glass
and the stars shine one more time
at their brightest
before the first stretch of dawn
I sit with silence to greet the day
The world still sleeping
And though still gently tucked away
I want only to feel the first warm ray of light
Slip across my palm
Not to hold the light between my fingers,
But to feel its lingering kiss as it passes
There are no words that I have found
Nothing that can compare to
The first breath of day
When the sky is painted with a carefree hand,
The sun lies just beyond the farthest line
And the cool sand a sweet and gentle gift
That reminds me I am alive
~

this star shines

2009-07-26T21:22:00.001-04:00

this star shines
as our love
through endless sky
uncontained
so shall we be
for all eternity
~

river slowly curls

2009-07-26T21:22:00.000-04:00

river slowly curls
around the stayed stone
as the eagle soars
beyond the highest pines
in this still place
i can hear the breath
you take as though
it was my own
what reason brings us
to meet in this even flow
if only to watch the sun
as it rises and sets on each day
light to pass like a kiss,
a caress, a dream
i rest my head to yours
not daring to ask or reveal
the words spill from your lips
tell me - it’s why i am here
all i can do is join the words together
pearls on a string
and begin
~

sitting in anticipation

2009-07-26T21:21:00.001-04:00

sitting in anticipation
of a quiet moment
absent gaze
through the window
the unexpected kiss
of a warm breeze on a cold day
the startling cry of a hungry crow
roots me to my chair
to reveal the moment
has already come and gone
~

tea steaming on the counter

2009-07-26T21:21:00.000-04:00

tea steaming on the counter
while wind rattles passed
the window
drops of rain smash
through blades of grass
to drown myriad insects
gathered in the garden
i watched the dark clouds
move over the afternoon
blocking the sun
i knew enough then
to come indoors
to put the kettle on
~

listen to the wind

2009-07-26T21:20:00.000-04:00

listen to the wind
whispering in the softest voice
the stream sings
a laughing melody
under tall, fiery trees
while my heart soars
with the southbound geese
and lies at once with
the slumbering trillium
wrapped in the solid stone shield
of this ancient soil
soon the snow will fly
and all this will remain
in untouched harmony
i watched the morning sun
shine through a fern
a perfect emerald silhouette
dew gathered in the folds
of a scarlet maple leaf
shimmering in the light
i was not until i looked closely
that i saw the long slender
legs of the spider
resting on its glistening web
in complete stillness
~

autumn roses spill crimson

2009-07-26T21:18:00.000-04:00

autumn roses spill crimson
over the stones in the drive
reflections dance in the puddles
with every cooling drop
steady drumming
through the trees
a soothing lullaby
sung against this rich tapestry
as i stand collecting raindrops
in my upturned palm
~

in a moment

2009-07-26T21:17:00.001-04:00

in a moment
lotus blooms
still, quiet waters settle
after the crane finds
wind to lift it
skyward
~