The Poetry Marathon

RETRACING THE LIFE PAGES

 

 

Turning pages in life’s tome,
I rewind, ten pages back, of the past
Inexperience, insults, the thriller unfurled,

a few follow like shadows, ever near,
some hang-out me, whispers in my ear.
Day after today, they are saying, brighter than the past,
on this journey, my existence might be forged.

Irrespective of to harass, deceit may not thrive,
reviews train, training to derive.
On the day past’s thorny, winding direction,
Now it’s far adorned, a scenic element.

Worry of the unknown, a bridge, a guide,
lifestyle’s shadow, inside, can not disguise.
Is existence’s motive met? Or pending probs
I ponder, a solution, from past to present
But, there’s no scientific lifeline formulae.

Distances grow, love’s dwindling art work,
in recent hours, human life assembled with gadgets
Every life connected with apps business
Everyone selling their life for happy moments.

 

HOUR-2                                                                                                                                                         PROMPT- LIFE

Wrong Signature

I wish to take a picture of the nature

Bringing down the stars into the ocean

Lightning the cosmos, existing as a star.

I wish if I perish I will come back

To tell the story that the mind can feel.

But wishes are thorns, that stick to our skin

Doing nothing good, but ceasing the bliss.

 

 

The Year I Was a VISTA Volunteer

Life has been full

in my fortunate, charmed life.

Some hard spots, of course.

Balanced, or maybe over-compensated

by the favors.

A decade ago, unemployed

and a bit old to expect another offer.

I learned about an opening

that would not pay well,

but would fulfill a teen-aged dream.

Having read CHRISTY

about a woman who answered a call

to help the most needy.

My tough times had been endurable;

maybe I could give back.

VISTA = Volunteers In Service To America,

like the Peace Corps;

but we give time and talent in our own community.

My year was spent helping the local foodbank.

meeting local unofficial saints in action.

Ten more typical years since then,

but it was a sweet gift.

In one year, I gained familiarity with

the four counties and a few more tech skills

and met terrific folks.

2 Blue

Long white hair now wears blue

With friendly agreement

A ribbon a bow a band around

Blue never worked before now

 

Brown eyes remain a wee twinkle

And crinkles around each one

Natural lashes are few

Noticed with blackened help

 

Wardrobe has settled on black

Simple and without comment

Highlighting the blue above

Covering a widened girth

 

Blue pickup trucks abound

The sky shows blue hues

The ocean beneath debris

Hopes to return to blue

 

Singing the blues out loud

With no one to listen

Moving seductively alone

Into the kitchen for tea

 

 

 

Hour Two

2013

Married three years now,
Gone by in the blink
Of an eye, while you reach
Down to me, take my
Hand in yours, forever and always.
Our married life ahead –
Flat by the sea, friends and family,
And a newborn niece
To spoil.

Not knowing of the clouds ahead,
Of illness, loss, and confusion,
A country isolated and adrift,
While our family rallies round
And pulls itself together.

Quicker even than that blink
Ten years passed, yet your hand,
Remains in mine,
A little battered, bruised,
Older and not really wiser
Holding fast for thirteen years.

Mind the Gaps

The white walls between the artworks
Seen and unseen daily
Framing the frames
Unremarked.

The silence between the music
Coughed and whispered over
Framing the notes
Unnoticed.

The pauses between the words
Chasmic conversations
Framing meaning
Unspoken.

The stillness between the beats,
Pulses echo outwards
Framing the heart
Unfelt.

The empty days inbetween
Give us time to breathe
Framing our growth
Unseen.

Hour #2 Transtemporal Travel

Transtemporal Travel

under pressure the hard ebony lump of coal
transforms into a reflective diamond

constant rubbing irritant of gritty sand
rolls into the oyster’s pearl

submerged beneath clearwater in the ceramic cask
bright but bitter dandelion heads
crumble into sweet elixer

Am I another chrysalis
waiting to be a butterfly?

10 Years Ago

10 years ago… where even was I 10 years ago?

Oh.

 

I remember now

 

Finally crawling out of my ghost form

that I had taken on to keep myself safe

and free of any attachments

lest I had to flee again

 

Not like the reason I fled three years prior was about to happen again

 

Children change everything

no matter if they stay with you

or don’t

and I was still getting used to

my heart living in another city

 

I thought if I never get attached

to anyone again

I would never be in a predicament

to have to give up my heart again

and watch it leave

 

But of course, I was wrong

 

The kids who work for me

have become my kids

and I will counsel, protect, and defend them

teach and hopefully guide them

before I watch them walk away

 

It’s easier now though

 

My son is now 13 instead of 3

my kids keep in touch and sometimes return to me

my friends keep me from being a ghost

this town has come a home to me

and I am happier now

The Forecast – Hour Two

The Forecast

Turbulent seas washing over the shore
Day after day, the waves crashing more
So much the uncertain, so much the unplanned
The currents washed quickly, unable to stand
Fall down to your knees, then stand up once more
To just lose your footing and crash to the shore
And thus was the story, the hurricane of life
Where moments of joy seemed lost in the strife

I sat and I questioned if peace could be found
As the waves crashed time and again
The chaos of life, a deafening sound
A balance of frenetic and sane
Each day came the crashing of lightning to the ground
With thunder claps close to the shore
And yet through the questions and storms all around
I wondered in life could be more

Then, one fateful day, the seas felt a calm
The skies became blue and the sunlight appeared
My heart felt the warmth of a soft healing balm
A respite from the storms o’er the years
I forged a path forward with pain in rear view
Grateful for the peace, at long last
My reward through the struggle in this life was you
And you’re more than I could have forecast

Sleepless (poem 2)

 

I couldn’t sleep tonight

Whenever I closed my eyes

All I saw was haze and an endless alley

 

I couldn’t sleep tonight

Whenever I closed my eyes

I heard someone calling out my name

 

Where was I?

Who was it?

Why was I so restless?

What answers is my mind seeking?

 

I slept peacefully after long tonight

Wherever my eyes reached

There were wildflowers in full bloom

 

I slept peacefully after long tonight

Wherever my feet touched the ground,

There were green fields with the sounds of birds chirping and water flowing around me

 

I knew where I wasI

knew who I was seeking

My restlessness replaced by peace

The answers my mind was seeking were provided by nature