Ever since our lives entwined / Grafted to the noble vine / Wondered whether we’d survive / The peeling bark of time
Grafted
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Category Archives: Poetry Blog
One
It’s easy for the enemy
to strike at the heart of me
when I wear it on my sleeve
So rather than hiding it
I cover with
amour mesh of steel
righteousness, no do-good
but right feelings, intentions
thoughts, beliefs.
Devotions to
One
One-self
One-another
Nothing else matters
Seed of Creativity
A quote from Dubliners by James Joyce in “A Little Cloud”
“A light began to tremble on the horizon of his mind…
He tried to weigh his soul to see if it was a poet’s soul. Melancholy was the dominant note of his temperament, he thought, but it was a melancholy tempered by recurrences of faith and resignation and simple joy.”
Harvest
Image
I carried a scarlet cross for her
Dark as His blood
I held it high for the sake of my
Own dearest love
I heard the men I’d never marry
Judge with words in haste
Waiting for His tender mercy
As tears melt on my face
The witness of a cowering woman
Weighs nothing in this prose
The blood of the martyrs
Feeds the field as it grows
Untamed
Image
First, a quiet friend, dark glossy coat
hanging around me, peacefully
Grows wilder, lays by me rested
Gazing we lie in mournful wake
I stroke its dark and bristly hair
It grows under my care
Follows me everywhere
A loyal friend.
Soon overlooked by daily haste
Untamed, unkempt, rejected
It grows fierce and growls
Paces the floor, I lie awake
Our hearts race
The growing shadow of hairy beast
Takes a swipe, deflected
It claws and prowls, surrounds my all
Steals prized possessions
Forces me back, there’s worse in stall
Let it end – save it takes my all
Grief untended.
For Karen
You with your hands
held high in the air
Blank stare on your face
Your words said with flair
Still, we both pray for Karen.
You with your bells
and your smells in the air
With robes and peak caps
And ceremonial fare
Still, we both pray for Karen.
You with your book
and your words fill the air
Nods all around
Words just and fair
Still, we both pray for Karen.
Me with my morning
and evening, night air
Hands closed to my head
Soul emptied of cares
Lying still, we all pray for Karen.
Them with their sun
and full moon on the rise
Empty words in the air
Suspicions of lies
Still, we all care for Karen.
Sweet Bye and Bye
Every time I say hello
I also say goodbye
Just in case it’s the last time
I see you alive
I used to fret about
being the first
or being left behind
but now I don’t mind
It’s the sweet bye and bye
Every time I say hello
I also say goodbye.
The day the war began
The day the war began
Seasons framed in reflection
Of my bedroom window view
In the mirror
I see me in all my bedding
Hair awry, face unkempt
Illuminated by the backdrop
Of the cherry tree
Telling me how long
I’ve been sitting here
Since the day the war began
Lying wounded and shell-shocked
Months ago on my pillow
Craning my neck hesitantly
To peer out at the cherry picking
Birds up high buried in leaves
Listening to little voices squeal
Mouths filled with red juices
Delighting eating low hanging fruit.
More recently sitting strong, erect
Arms opening wide the curtains
To feast my eyes
On the kaleidoscope
Of fiery leaves still attached
And glowing in the light
As the sun hurriedly sets.
The coolness of the window
View icy grey branches
Dew upon the buds
That wait in vain for the frozen
Months to pass.
Teased endlessly by a
Weak winter sun bare lee
Shining on their old
And twisted frame
I feel much the same.
Old inside but
Growing wise to not
Allow the inevitable
Changing seasons to
Dominate my own
Mind’s window view
Instead, I rely upon You.
To fight my battles with the
Endless foes apply the balm
to shrapnel woes
Batten down the mind’s
Battle cry and send the
Warning salvo’s high.
Relent, relent, face me till
All life is spent.
Fallout Shelter
Image
Caught a glimpse of your soul
And crawled inside
A safe place to hide
Kept fed, warm and dry
Loved and faithful abide
Picked up out of the rain
Time and again
Cocooned from outside
Another lost one to find
Where comforts are few
Instead, I’d always find you.
Inside I heard your heart beating
The words repeating
Both begging that old ways
Be dead and gone
We felt nothing wrong.
Pieced together
It was as if a happier place existed
Geographically removed
From the seaborne blues
That swept our lives
And loved ones away
There is no respite from events
They carried on living and breathing
In our minds reenacted, even resolved
In our dreams..
Words such as ‘trigger’ held
Different meanings here
In this broken state they became one
But individually, completely undone
It is a necessary drawl to share
Whatever their minds have prepared
In the week since they last met
Whether triumph or despair
Friendships quickly tarnish
Like a silver teapot from the burden
Of incessant hospitality –
They could no longer see themselves
In the shine of each other’s eyes.
The warmth of the tea turns bitter cold
On their lips after a long-winded session
Of one-upmanship.
Count the stars of heaven 