Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Metaphors Have Stained Glass Windows


A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of a faraway place.  A traveler on the plane sees the farmhouse below and dreams of home.  ~Robert Brault



Museum Artifacts:
Some dreams are like a glassed in museum artifacts,
we can see it and ponder it's beauty, but we can never hold it in our hands.

A Nearby Explosion:
Memories are like a nearby explosion,
the moment it happens is brief, but the ringing in our ears can last a lifetime.

An Old Shirt:
Bitterness is like an old shirt,
the more you wear it the more comfortable it gets, and the stains become permanent.

A Passing Train:
Harsh words are like a passing train,
they pass us by harmlessly many times but when they hit us they are devastating.

A Burning Forest;
The gangs of the ghetto are like a burning forest,
they stand together in danger unable to run and that is where they shall fall.

A Repaired Leaky Roof:
Courage is like a repaired leaky roof,
you never know if it will hold strong until it rains.

That Fine Crystal Vase:
Sometimes love is like that fine crystal vase you always longed for,
when you finally have it you place it on a high shelf to protect it from breaking and its true beauty is never revealed.

A Handgun:
Power is like a handgun,
When it is used wisely it serves its purpose of protection, but when it is used carelessly it is a danger to us all.

Condensation:
Prejudice is like condensation on a window pane,
the difference in temperature makes it impossible for one side to see through to the other.

Wild Flowers:
Chances are like wild flowers,
they come and go with the seasons yet only we can decide to stop and pick them up.

Deep Splinters:
Mistakes are like deep splinters,
they enter our lives easily, but they are very hard to work out.

A Pin Drop:
Hope is like a pin drop,
it can fall in a room and never be noticed, yet it is still there just the same.

Stained Glass Windows:
Feelings are like stained glass windows,
everyone that looks through them views things a little differently, but when it is shattered we all see it is a crying shame.




 


Sunday, November 27, 2011

Tornadoes And Trailer Parks

Photo: Christine Donnier-Valentin



Your love has always been a tornado
and my heart a trailer park in it's path.

Its an arduous journey going down,
like straight whiskey with no glass.

Somehow I keep holding on
like a careless scarf caught on barbed wire.

I am waiting to be rescued from the smoke
but you are running from the fire.

Yet, somehow through the wreckage,
I still have something left to hold you close to me.

My heart has a sofa in the middle of nowhere
waiting for your love to take a seat.

Yes, my heart has always been a trailer park,
and your love a tornado on it's way.

It is an arduous journey going down,
like a plate of eaten jalapenos the following day.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

All That We Behold

"All that we behold is full of blessings. " ~William Wordsworth


What we see when we look at the world has a way of changing from the time we are youngsters, to adulthood.  The view through that familiar living room window changes light.  We no longer see with a sense of fascination.  The magical goggles somehow get removed from those brilliant eyes.   Then bifocals replace them with a mundane outlook.  The only way to see that glorious vision again is to remove the layers of practical callus upon the soul, and see like a child once more.

I have always believed that you can learn more from a child than you can a text book, when it comes to the matters of the heart.  They wear their heart out on their sleeve, and do not mind sharing how they feel or what they see.  We learn to be patient in their haste, and we learn to be honest from the example and tendernous of a child's presence.  They see the world as an adventure and a wonder.  There is a certain grace in innocense, and a graciousness in the innocense of a child.  They are open to love and acceptance of others.  Something that we could use having a little more of in our adult lives. 

Another Thanksgiving is arriving once again.  The holiday season is always a busy time, making it easy to loose sight of the simple pleasures that matter most.  So I challenge myself and anyone that wants to venture with me to put back on those magical goggles of a child.  To see the world and all it's beauty, knowing that there are so many blessing in every direction we look.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Just take a peek out your living room window, and you will get your first glimpse.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in blog land! 


Sharing with Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads

Also linking with Poets United Poetry Pantry # 76






Sunday, November 20, 2011

Latched

Magpie #92 


A lady had a lover that stroked her care free hair.
He held her mighty love with a gentle kind of care. 
Kindred spirits they became through day and through the night.
Like a lock and key they latched together close and tight.
Yet through the test of time, what they had faced many storms.
What held them together became weak and mighty worn.
Then one day her lover became a stranger setting her love free
But this lady holds no freedom, for her heart is locked now with no key.












Saturday, November 19, 2011

Where Hope Abides

Photograph by Dorthea Lang

Linking with Poetry Jam


"Hope never abandons you, you abandon it."  ~George Weinberg



There is no place that it does not breathe
it can survive in a cardboard box
a lion's cage
 a train wreck
a coal mine
yet there is a hunger in it's belly
that yearns to be held whole
it will travel far
or it will hold still
like a photo
it's greatest strength
is where our weakness abides
in the time of need
it lingers
yet like a ghost
you may not see it unless
you are looking with your heart's eye.







Friday, November 18, 2011

My Sister Is A River


Linking with In Tandem #19 a wonderful prompt for writers!


My sister is a river
she heads to the eastern sea
in her pockets she carries pieces
of all the things we used to be...

My sister is a river
her colors reflect of beauty from the past
yet she keeps moving forward
with ebb's distance and future's splash...

My sister is a river
she brings with her eternity in a rush
with force she moves, yet soft is her touch.


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Sight



I chose to be blind.  It was easier that way. With eyes closed like a window shade I refused to see the truth.  No light could come in and warm my broken heart.  Some burdens are too heavy to bear all at once, or alone so I did not look.  I threw away my map and I gave no glances to the east nor to the west.  Not knowing was the only comfort I could grasp.  Fumbling in that kind of darkness....is a long walk to any light. So denial became both my friend and my enemy...engraved in one shroud of regret, that hurt to wear, and was even more painful to take off.  I can see that now, but in the midst of the storm, I was blind.



This was written for Kerry's Wednesday challenge at Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads.
It is my attempt at a prose poetry piece....a big weakness for me.  This is something I really went through and never want to have to face again.  The only thing worse than our heartaches in life...is our children's.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Algebra For The Soul



(Regret + y does not = fulfillment)




All of yesterday's regrets are 100 chairs we can no longer fill
yet we will create even more for tomorrow
foolishly trying to fill them today.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

A Moment For Reflection

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson



Nature has a way of knowing when it is time to rest and renew. 
Growth will come when the time is right.
When I think of winter it reminds me of a pause in life.
A time of rest and reflection.
A way of being that mankind just does not know how to do.

 


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Like Etchings In Stone




"May you live all the days of your life."  ~Jonathan Swift


 
I learned early the power of what we give and take in this life, and the weight of what we leave behind. It can be a heavy burden whether it be plenty or it be brief.  Having lost both my parents by the time I was 29, and my only sibling before I was 40, I know all too well how important it is to make every second count.   Regret is a heavy burden to pass down as a keep sake, and sadly I have held it within my hands more than once.
It was in that loss that I found both comfort and liberty in writing.  Through poetry and the written word, I discovered a way to capture those feelings and lessons learned in a way that could be passed down from generation to generation.  Like etchings in stone, the written word surpasses the power of time's decay, giving forth more than just a glimpse of days gone by.  It is like taking a piece of someone's life and preserving it in word.  Everything that we do in this life leaves a mark in some way.  Like etchings in stone at a cemetary that states our name and the years of our life, I want my words to leave a mark as well.  Something more than just a faded memory, or torn quilt.  My desire is to give a piece of myself through my words to the ones I love, to leave behind something substantial that my grandchildren and their children can hold dear.