I’m tickled to have two poems in The Sunlight Press this week, although “tickled” doesn’t exactly match the tone of the poems. But it’s best to take some sweet with the bitter, right? Warm thanks to Editors Beth Burrell and Rudri Bhatt Patel who were wonderful communicators and cheerleaders. I recommend The Sunlight Press for reading and submitting. Continue reading Poems in The Sunlight Press
BansheeGather round the table dressedwith Granny’s wedding china and Brussels lace cloth,for a banshee has spoken,returning three times in my dreams, her long, russet hair whispered overmy cheeks, her pale eyes held me between purgatoryand heaven. But dreamsare not reality unless given purchase.So eat from the briny breathof the sea, drink from the fruit of sun-kissed grapes, kiss with life-loving lips and pray our charms hold back death. Na/GloPoWriMo day 30 prompt: Today, try writing your own poem that discusses a real or mythical being or profession (demons, firefighters, demonic firefighters) with the same sort of musing yet dispassionate tone. … Continue reading Banshee
New MexicoWhat was memory but talestold by others that slowly disappeared with each mile, faster still with each year untilall that remained was a fadedfew moments in the depths of my past, a manwith a pocket full of M&M’s,myself running to meet him.When I think of that brief life now,this is the image that lingers still,a tale that no one else has heard,an echo of an echothat lives inside my mind. It risesat unexpected times,when I eat M&M’s, when I seeimages of a red desert earth,when I rub his leather coin pursebetween my fingers. An echothat will last a lifetime. … Continue reading New Mexico
In the NightLife with its aches & wants —How does it move throughthe world? The aching does little & the wants settle like stoneson the heart. Sometimesthe only thing to do is sleep, allow the body & all its mistakesto swell in a dream-cloudand float away. Na/GloPoWriMo day 28 Continue reading In the Night
AlteredThe song began, flowing over my bed in gentle waves, the breeze coming through the window shifted the air around me in a way I cannot accurately describeexcept it felt and smelled like the damp saltiness of the sea at night. The song & the scent created moments that felt familiar in an ancient way, as if I was saturated in another time or level of being, an altered state, a cell-deep shift. It lasted for a few moments, then faded away with the song. NaPoWriMo day 24 Prompt: Today, we challenge you to write your own poem that takes … Continue reading Altered
From the Earth-planeSpiritlike starshover,a fluttering,a perfect tender touch. Na/GloPoWriMo day 23 – off prompt. A erasure poem created from text in the source work and superimposed onto artwork by Georgia Houghton, the subject of this fascinating essay.Source work: “The Substantiality of Spirit”: Georgiana Houghton’s Pictures from the Other Side by Jennifer Higgie in The Public Domain Review. Continue reading From the Earth-plane
OriginsIt took death to peel backthe layersl’d wrapped myself in.Crusted bits & dust clung to the cornersin my voice. Even the poorest dirt holds microscopic life invisible to the eye but the ear& the heart stay tunedfor the barest of scratchings. Na/GloPoWriMo day 22 – off prompt. Continue reading Origins
Finished Means ForeverThe night has fallen fartherthan I thought possible and Iflail within its void.You could have warned metoo many sighs could alterreality and I’d be left alone with my regrets, as if breath held weight. Na/GloPoWriMo day 21 – Off prompt Continue reading Finished Means Forever
Oak WomanDear Lucille, I treasure your poem as a reminder of all the life that’s left to live in a culture that worships the young. What is a forest but the strongest of bones, what is a blossoming but an awakening of self. The sapling girl is still inside but the Oak woman is stronger & fiercer,still chasing wildness & wonder. You showed us how.Respectfully, your ardent admirer Na/GloPoWriMo day 17 prompt: For today’s challenge, write a poem in which you respond to a favorite poem by another poet.I chose this poem by Lucille Clifton. I love it & have … Continue reading Oak Woman
Cat & I sneezing together in unison wish the beeswould fly all the pollen away Na/GloPoWriMo day 16 – off prompt. I am tired and blockheaded today. Allergies. This is the best I can do. Sigh. Continue reading Untitled Haiku-ish
