Tag: poem

Poem 20150509

crow

too much twitching
–a damaged seventh cranial nerve
thank god it wasn’t the fifth–
squeezes like a vise on the temples
just like uncle fester
only not funny
and pressures the ear
so that you hear the ocean

the throbbing of the sunlight
early in the morning
hits the eyes
even coming from behind

and the malevolent glare of brake lights
of the cars on the 405
well, that just adds menace

like a spider it stretches its legs
at the back of the neck
and crawls over the scalp
and drives hairy fingers
right behind the eyes

the throbbing behind my eyes
is the pulse in my head

Poem 20150507

crow

i saw a fire burning in the sea
in the sea
in the sea
and within the fire grew a tree
grew a tree
grew a tree
its leaves were flames
its fruits were gems
and one of these a diadem

i saw an angel upon the shore
upon the shore
upon the shore
and in its hand a sword it bore
sword it bore
sword it bore
the edges of the blade were eight
made by heaven’s mysterious art
and with the blade it pierced my heart

i saw a tiger in the night
in the night
in the night
its skin was dark but its stripes were bright
stripes were bright
stripes were bright
its mouth was filled, a froth of blood
its feet were hands like those of men
its eyes were ice, its breath a wind

Poem 20150506

crow

we walked
through the dark woods
dark not just because of the canopy
of green and grey leaves
that hid the sky
whenever we came into a clearing
we looked up to find black clouds
and we could taste the metal
tang of rain wanting to happen

but one clearing blinded us
when we entered
we looked up but the clouds
hung black as before
thick and oily

in the center of the clearing
huddled the angel
wings folded over its shoulders
hiding its face
it trembled, racked with sobs
and the light came from a pool
of tears gathering at its sandaled feet
unbearable to behold

we moved on without speaking
either to the angel
or one another
what could drive an angel
to earth
to tears
and what human comfort
could stop those tears

Poem 20150505

crow

the sea looked like green glass
almost but not quite still
the sky looked like gray glass
with its smooth, motionless clouds
a handful of seagulls screamed
and the breeze
was almost nonexistent
the salt of the ocean
clung to the skin
and the stink of bait hung
a cloud of fish smells
and also clung to the skin
surfers paddled in the green water
waiting for the few, weak waves
and under the pier
seals waited for scraps
waited to break the lines
of the wrinkled brown men
hauling up fish too small to eat
though they put them in buckets of ice water

Poem 20150504

crow

in the failing light we search with dimmed eyes
can the scent cling still to the air
the dogs whine and wish to return, the prize
uncaught and the horses toss their manes. unfair

to say the least, having tracked through woods thick
with brambles and thicker still with shadows long
only to have it disappear, a third rate magician’s trick
but we will track it by its song

as the now sun sinks below the line of trees
we hear it above our ragged exhalations
and the quiet humming of sleepy bees
we take up our arms, and greet the dark occasion

Poem 20150503

crow

there is something inside me that wants to play
i won’t refuse its voice or lower its height
break the chains of doubt and save the day

when i see you in the morning at the start of my day
and you flash a smile that shines so bright
there is something inside me that wants to play

when i’ve run out of words or have nothing to say
your heart sings to mine and they take flight
break the chains of doubt and save the day

when your clothes and hair are in disarray
even when you’re spoiling for a fight
there is something inside me that wants to play

when the color from the world has all run away
the color in your eyes give me new sight
break the chains of doubt and save the day

if this life is a game, then i must say
your heart is the prize; i won’t say good night
there is something inside me that wants to play
break the chains of doubt and save the day

—–
Huh. Not too bad. I guess I could try to work on the meter.

O fixed-form poetry
You vex me
You vex me

Poem 20150430

crow

Today is the last day of #NaPoWrimo. I have to say, this was a lot of fun, and some of the challenges were outside of my zone of, if not comfort, than at least what I was used to. Thanks #NaPoWrimo. I will see you next you, I am sure.

And now, the challenge.

And now for our final prompt (still optional!). For the last day of NaPoWriMo, I’d like you to try an odd little exercise that I have had good results with. Today, I challenge you to write a poem backwards. Start with the last line and work your way up the page to the beginning. Another way to go about this might be to take a poem you’ve already written, and flip the order of the lines and from there, edit it so the poem now works with its new order. This will probably feel a bit strange (and really, it is a bit strange), but it just may help you see the formal “opening” and “closing” strategies of your poems in a new way!

—–
here’s the composition order–

leaving everything exposed, laid bare
twisting sinew and removing sorrow
striving against one another
like jacob and the angel
muscles straining
tearing me away in layers
your skin against my skin
and we come together
like sandpaper
our exposed skin like grit
from opposite sides of the same ring
as we approach each other
not a competition
this is not a contest

and the final version–

this is no contest
no competition
we approach
from opposite sides
of a ring that binds us
our exposed skin chafes
like grit
like sandpaper
like the desert we wander
when we come together
your skin presses against my skin
tearing me away in layers
peeling me piece by piece
our muscles strain, ache, scream
like jacob wrestling with his angel
striving against one another before dawn
one seeking a blessing
one seeking domination
twisting sinew, removing sorrow
leaving everything exposed, laid bare