Shimmer With All Your Might

the shimmering begins at a distance
it is held at arms length
hovering
shivering
darting
just out of reach
just out of sight
it is nearly here and
       then
it slips through my fingers

but then it returns
to hold my hand
clasp my arm
clap onto my knee

it is here!

Suddenly the Shimmering rushes
Full force
Envelopes me all at once
Then stands at my back
Ready to pounce again
And Again
And again

until the shimmer begins to fade
until only a dull glow remains...

Father's Day for Fathers and Mothers

In honor of all the single parents out there who have to be switch hitters.

Sometimes I will be your mother

Sometimes I will be your father

At times I will pick you up

and kiss your boo boos

make it feel all better

and send you on your way

with a hug and a smile.

Other times I will tell you

to pick yourself up

Get off your ass

Brush yourself off

And walk it off.

Every moment

Of every day

I have

I do

I will

Love you

Unconditionally

Without end

Or reservation

Always

I will be your loving parent.

The Edge of the Night

On The Anniversary

In the passing of a year
time creeps,
trudging along
as everything changes,
completely turns around,
and comes full circle.

In the passing of a year
time rushes
racing past
moments
and events
birthdays
holidays
graduation
births
and deaths
all gone in the
blink of an eye

A year has passed,
but you only left us yesterday.

Zinger

Confidence is Beautiful

"A Surprise in Spring"

Have you ever been
where you don't belong
when you don't belong there
completely unwanted
perhaps even disliked?

And yet
entirely at home
content
and, frankly
quite pleased with yourself!

Thawing out from a Frozen Friday the 13th

After a frigid Friday complete with frozen fingers and toes, I've finally thawed out enough to type!  Thank you to those of you who tuned in to World Poetry Open Mic last night.  If you missed it, check out the archives on their website.  You'll find two poems of mine on last night's program.

After participating in the show and listening to a lovely poem by the very talented Cynthia Sharp, I was inspired to write about a beautiful place I love.  The poem emerged much differently than I expected; it's rather somber, but I still think it conveys the beauty of the location.  It sounds more like tragic beauty, though.  See for yourself.

“The Pit”

the expanse of stars above

crushes the chest

breath flees

and refuses to return

must be coaxed back

haltingly

wary of the grandeur

caught up by the shimmering

sparkling sky

hanging

above the shell of rock

sharp and broken underfoot

slabs shift and slide

skittering down the slope

the clatter echoes

reverberating around the bowl

sipped up by the far tree line

and gobbled by the near

fire dances in the basin

growing and glowing

flitting up high

and diving down low

tongues wagging mightily

but only a crackle

and occasional pop

is heard

smoke slides through the air

cresting over the cusp

and settling in the hollow

permeating skin, follicle, and fabric

interweaving itself

with all involved

hitching a ride

to be inhaled at a later time

and coughed out bitterly

A Quick Monday Pick Me Up

And boy, do I mean quick!  I'm responding to a visual writing prompt with my own version of the six word memoir.  Here's the quick background: Hemingway was famously challenged to write a story using just six words.  The famous six words? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."  I know, right?

I chose to put a more comical spin on it.

"Multiple Warnings Apply; See Attached Booklet"

What would YOUR warning label say?  Could you fit it into six words?  Less?  

Selena Gomez "The Heart Wants What It Wants" response poem: Friday Free For All

I've seen several poets in recent weeks who were writing response poems to popular American poets of the last century.  I've been wanting to do something like that, but I just happened to turn on the radio the other day and heard this song.  It's by Selena Gomez and it's called "The Heart Wants What It Wants."  Frankly, I think it's rather foolish.  You have a heart and a brain, and they should both be consulted.  Mind you, this is my opinion.  Feel free to make your choices however you want!

Anywho.... this song was stuck in my head and I figured I'd work on getting it out by writing a response poem.  Well, the song is still stuck, rattling around in my brain, but the poem's here!  I'm including the lyrics to the song for comparison.  Enjoy, and happy Friday!

Selena Gomez "Heart Wants What It Wants" lyrics

You got me sippin' on something
I can't compare to nothing
I've ever known, I'm hoping
That after this fever I'll survive
I know I'm acting a bit crazy
Strung out, a little bit hazy
Hand over heart, I'm praying
That I'm gonna make it out alive

The bed's getting cold and you're not here
The future that we hold is so unclear
But I'm not alive until you call
And I'll bet the odds against it all
Save your advice 'cause I won't hear
You might be right but I don't care
There's a million reasons why I should give you up
But the heart wants what it wants

You got me scattered in pieces
Shining like stars and screaming
Lightening me up like Venus
But then you disappear and make me wait
And every second's like torture
Hell over trip, no more so
Finding a way to let go
Baby baby no I can't escape

The bed's getting cold and you're not here
The future that we hold is so unclear
But I'm not alive until you call
And I'll bet the odds against it all
Save your advice 'cause I won't hear
You might be right but I don't care
There's a million reasons why I should give you up
But the heart wants what it wants (x4)

This is a modern fairytale
No happy endings
No wind in our sails
But I can't imagine a life without
Breathless moments
Breaking me down down down

The bed's getting cold and you're not here
The future that we hold is so unclear
But I'm not alive until you call
And I'll bet the odds against it all
Save your advice 'cause I won't hear
You might be right but I don't care
There's a million reasons why I should give you up
But the heart wants what it wants (x4)

The heart wants what it wants baby

Source: http://www.directlyrics.com/selena-gomez-heart-wants-what-it-wants-lyrics.html

In Response to “The Heart Wants What It Wants”

The heart wants what it wants

But so does the mind

It takes time to think

And then it declines

Saying, “please think about it

Please don’t just feel

I’m not over analyzing

Intuition is real

So don’t listen to me

But how ‘bout the gut?

You know something is there

You feel it—you must

The gut listens to me

And also the heart

Thinks and feels all at once

And knows from the start

What’s right and what’s wrong

Every should and should not

It’s usually spot on

In fact, quite a lot.”

So the you that is you

And must listen to all

Goes ahead with the gut

And avoids a great fall

Monday Pick Me Up: It's going Swimmingly!

"Take a Dip"

Take a dip

in my pool of thought

or a long

leisurely swim

do a lap or two

or ten

get a full work out

in the deep end

of my mind

I gladly share

the waters

and the company

as we swirl

some thoughts around

together

The Poem from the Train Ride

I just did some editing on an old poem that I wrote while riding the train a while ago.  It felt a little odd then, using borrowed emotions, but I've edited it into something that comes across more naturally than the first version.

“Lovers Separating”

Click clack

Click clack

Chuff chuff chuff

Chug chug chug chug

Each low rumble speaks

Ominously declaring

The widening separation

Parting body from body

And parting me

From that portion of my heart

That I left tucked in with yours

Laced between your fingers

Held in your embrace.

And I carry you with me

That tiny piece you gave me

Bundled up

Against my breast

Warming the heart that remains

My body remembers yours

Slow sensual scratches

Up my calves

Along the small of my back

In the palm of my hand

The chills reverberate

Within the depths of me

Rippling to my most

Sensuous core.

I bump and sway

Side to side

As I slide away

A slow dance of separation

Speeding up

As the distance grows

Picking up pace

As the miles stretch behind me

Friday Free For All: "Somewhere in America" as performed on the Queen Latifah Show

Happy happy Friday!  Sorry I missed Wednesday’s post this week, next week I’ll make it twice as helpful (but not twice as long… unless you’d like that).  I am delighted that it is a new day and that this particular new day is a Friday.  They’re fun! 

It’s been up for a while, but this week I stumbled across a video of an amazing video of a very moving poetry performance.  Several aspects of this performance caught my attention.  This was a poetry performance on national TV!  That frickin’ rocks!!  Teenage girls performed it (and they OWNED it), and the poem itself was very moving.   I’ve watched it several times now, and I still tear up a bit each time. 

The girls sat down with Queen Latifah after their performance for a short interview as well: