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
