sound
is vast
and inevitable
always signifying
something
the start
of a school day
or cars
retreating
to the embrace
of the suburbs
when a thousand
minor variations
on a theme
are complete
all of them
are intrusions
loud and obvious
they want
too much
attention
even
the slightest motion
stirs them
into a frenzy
again
but if
we are still
they will
subside
slowly consumed
by silence
until
there is nothing
but suggestion
and possibility
suspended
in a breath
that fears
to provoke
or revoke
this perfect moment
when everything
seems to look upon us
with awe.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Poem, based on my Tumblr Cloud
probably
people time
the poems
that they
love to tell you
in songs
and music
about how nice
a person
you are
as if
all the world
and its night life
read your name
just to feel
anything
at all
people time
the poems
that they
love to tell you
in songs
and music
about how nice
a person
you are
as if
all the world
and its night life
read your name
just to feel
anything
at all
Poem
hungry
for now
even though
I feasted
before
nothing
sates me
not even
your breath
on my lips
they only
make me
hungry
for now
for now
even though
I feasted
before
nothing
sates me
not even
your breath
on my lips
they only
make me
hungry
for now
Poem for January 2, 2011
tonight
is a demarcation
the season
of lights
gives way
to a season
of withdrawal
or abnegation
trees
are just that
trees
bare once more
and no window
welcomes me
with warm
electric candles
all aglow
one by one
they are disappearing
only night
is joyful
and triumphant
and winter
is long
and dark
and cold
why do
we let go
so soon?
is a demarcation
the season
of lights
gives way
to a season
of withdrawal
or abnegation
trees
are just that
trees
bare once more
and no window
welcomes me
with warm
electric candles
all aglow
one by one
they are disappearing
only night
is joyful
and triumphant
and winter
is long
and dark
and cold
why do
we let go
so soon?
January 1 Poem
i promise
i will tell
you everything
you are
to me
if i
can only
quiet my heart
enough
to speak
above it
but if
i cannot
or i talk such
that i lose my voice
then i
will write it out
or take you
in my arms
to convey
that i
am in
your love
always
even when
i am
alone or
asleep
in your dreams
i will tell
you everything
you are
to me
if i
can only
quiet my heart
enough
to speak
above it
but if
i cannot
or i talk such
that i lose my voice
then i
will write it out
or take you
in my arms
to convey
that i
am in
your love
always
even when
i am
alone or
asleep
in your dreams
December 31 Poem
the year
offers us
an empty plate
it has
nothing left
to feed us
now in this
our time
of hunger
for something new
instead
it settles in
and listens
to our eulogies
all night long
knowing only
that what comes next
is as yet
undetermined
and anything
is possible
for now.
offers us
an empty plate
it has
nothing left
to feed us
now in this
our time
of hunger
for something new
instead
it settles in
and listens
to our eulogies
all night long
knowing only
that what comes next
is as yet
undetermined
and anything
is possible
for now.
December 30 Poem
silence
is something like
goodbye
and you
will not know
that was
the intent
until much later
when you wonder
where i am
if only because
even i
did not know
that was what
my silence
signified.
is something like
goodbye
and you
will not know
that was
the intent
until much later
when you wonder
where i am
if only because
even i
did not know
that was what
my silence
signified.
December 29 poem
it only takes
one step
until
you are
outside
where the world
hides
everything
you touch
seems to freeze
framed
by your breath
laughing
as it swirls
around your head
the only audience
a thousand streetlights
silent sentinels
that see all things
and nothing
at once
they will not
dream of us
when they close
their eyes
they will not
even know
we are gone.
one step
until
you are
outside
where the world
hides
everything
you touch
seems to freeze
framed
by your breath
laughing
as it swirls
around your head
the only audience
a thousand streetlights
silent sentinels
that see all things
and nothing
at once
they will not
dream of us
when they close
their eyes
they will not
even know
we are gone.
December 28 Poem
i love you
for mysteries
as yet
unresolved
for errands
of enchantment
that i
apply myself to
for fireworks
that move
inside you
igniting
your eyes
for wonder
in winter
and any color
you like
becomes brighter
when in
close proximity
to your smile
tell me again
who you are
i love you
like no other
i know.
for mysteries
as yet
unresolved
for errands
of enchantment
that i
apply myself to
for fireworks
that move
inside you
igniting
your eyes
for wonder
in winter
and any color
you like
becomes brighter
when in
close proximity
to your smile
tell me again
who you are
i love you
like no other
i know.
December 27 Poem
no holy
burgundy laugh
no peace
that finds
a friend
in tumult
no moon
to clean
all parts
of me
and so
i sing
only of
twilight and
you
i sing only
when i know
no one
is listening.
burgundy laugh
no peace
that finds
a friend
in tumult
no moon
to clean
all parts
of me
and so
i sing
only of
twilight and
you
i sing only
when i know
no one
is listening.
December 26 Poem - The Sermon, for @feline_fatale
this is
my statement
you got
to shake it once
you know
how it goes
because you
will feel it
somewhere
below the waist
lined up
and limber
or down
for whatever
works you up
and over
and over
until it becomes
a sweet patina
of sweat
like beads
of salvation
they drip
on and on
until the break
undone
and out
into the night
and your eyes
illuminate
the street lights
with something hot
and holy
until everything simmers
shimmering
like the blues
or lust
and the traffic
is a funeral march
that mourns
your passing.
my statement
you got
to shake it once
you know
how it goes
because you
will feel it
somewhere
below the waist
lined up
and limber
or down
for whatever
works you up
and over
and over
until it becomes
a sweet patina
of sweat
like beads
of salvation
they drip
on and on
until the break
undone
and out
into the night
and your eyes
illuminate
the street lights
with something hot
and holy
until everything simmers
shimmering
like the blues
or lust
and the traffic
is a funeral march
that mourns
your passing.
December 25 poem
outside
is not so different
than any other day
cars race by
like a sigh
and the corner store
is open
twenty four seven
everything
i pass
is mottled and grey
and the air
so cold
it pleads for snow
that won’t fall
apart from
certain ornamentation
you would not know
this is christmas
a strand of lights
an evergreen wreath
and people calling
ho ho ho
as they cross thresholds
with presents
it all seems
somehow ordinary
somewhere i suspect
is christmas
as big
and bold
as I see
every year
on TV
behind dark windows
or in passing cars
it is something close
a vague sensation
like nostalgia
or a hope
for something better
but not here
or now
it doesn’t meet me
on oxford
or allan
or anyone
i pass
all the weeks
of anticipation
pass peacefully
like a song
you hear
at night
in bed
drifting in
from the stereo
in your parents’ living room
you close your eyes
and it is gone
this brief respite
we call christmas
soon hidden away
in basements
and attics
presents
to open
some other day
and i
keep looking for it
everywhere
but in me.
is not so different
than any other day
cars race by
like a sigh
and the corner store
is open
twenty four seven
everything
i pass
is mottled and grey
and the air
so cold
it pleads for snow
that won’t fall
apart from
certain ornamentation
you would not know
this is christmas
a strand of lights
an evergreen wreath
and people calling
ho ho ho
as they cross thresholds
with presents
it all seems
somehow ordinary
somewhere i suspect
is christmas
as big
and bold
as I see
every year
on TV
behind dark windows
or in passing cars
it is something close
a vague sensation
like nostalgia
or a hope
for something better
but not here
or now
it doesn’t meet me
on oxford
or allan
or anyone
i pass
all the weeks
of anticipation
pass peacefully
like a song
you hear
at night
in bed
drifting in
from the stereo
in your parents’ living room
you close your eyes
and it is gone
this brief respite
we call christmas
soon hidden away
in basements
and attics
presents
to open
some other day
and i
keep looking for it
everywhere
but in me.
December 24 Poem
your heart
is a country
i have never
visited
a language
i do not
know
a day
yet to come
a trust
i am bound
to keep
a secret
i have not
revealed
a rhythm
that has become
my own.
is a country
i have never
visited
a language
i do not
know
a day
yet to come
a trust
i am bound
to keep
a secret
i have not
revealed
a rhythm
that has become
my own.
December 23 Poem
sometimes
the world
and i am
too hard
to touch
beset with numbers
that tick
and take
a toll or
too many voices
to hear
even one
mine
or yours
i turn away
and tell
everything
and nothing
to know one
i know
like you
and your touch
which is softer
than any word
i know
i want the world
at a distance
so i can leave
it alone
when it asks
too much
and strip ornaments
from my memory
to live
with you
now
somewhere outside
the world
somewhere inside
where my hands
and my mouth
are open
to receive
your tenderness
and i can hear
your heart
as clear
as if
it were mine.
the world
and i am
too hard
to touch
beset with numbers
that tick
and take
a toll or
too many voices
to hear
even one
mine
or yours
i turn away
and tell
everything
and nothing
to know one
i know
like you
and your touch
which is softer
than any word
i know
i want the world
at a distance
so i can leave
it alone
when it asks
too much
and strip ornaments
from my memory
to live
with you
now
somewhere outside
the world
somewhere inside
where my hands
and my mouth
are open
to receive
your tenderness
and i can hear
your heart
as clear
as if
it were mine.
December 22 Poem
the moon
slumps in the sky
like a heavy heart
and gravity
tugging at my eyelids
in a cavalcade
of sighs
that dissolve
like ice
in spring
i am waiting
for sleep
to ferry me
away
any dream
will do
for now
i am
one more passenger
like you
i do not believe
we have been
introduced
who were you
before you
closed your eyes.
slumps in the sky
like a heavy heart
and gravity
tugging at my eyelids
in a cavalcade
of sighs
that dissolve
like ice
in spring
i am waiting
for sleep
to ferry me
away
any dream
will do
for now
i am
one more passenger
like you
i do not believe
we have been
introduced
who were you
before you
closed your eyes.
December 21 Poem
i know
december and
what comes after
i know
how many steps
until i am
outside
i know
how the window
in the kitchen
lets the cold air in
in the morning
when i sit down
for breakfast
i know
your eyes
are as green
as spring
is vibrant
is new
i know
every spot
in our home
where sunlight pools
and the cat naps
i know
the path
that i
mean to follow
and great doubt
i know
that you
bring love
that is ever
unassailable to me
but i
do not know
my soul
it has no reflection
apart from that
which i find
in you
december and
what comes after
i know
how many steps
until i am
outside
i know
how the window
in the kitchen
lets the cold air in
in the morning
when i sit down
for breakfast
i know
your eyes
are as green
as spring
is vibrant
is new
i know
every spot
in our home
where sunlight pools
and the cat naps
i know
the path
that i
mean to follow
and great doubt
i know
that you
bring love
that is ever
unassailable to me
but i
do not know
my soul
it has no reflection
apart from that
which i find
in you
December 20 Poem for @nobodyspoppet
when my mouth
was on fire
i could not hear you
i would not say
i was not
paying attention
i tend
to get lost
when the words
are raw
or slippery
they ask
a lot of me
and i
do not know
their intent
maybe
i should
surrender my voice
give it
to someone new
but i
don’t know
you would only
fill it with yearning
or fear
it cannot express
and i would
shake it out
until it is empty
a stillborn ghost
or fill it
with damn noise
and the sharp edges
of punctuation
better yet
let silence
negotiate a truce
and we
can start again
my name
is mark
what is yours
you know
we have
the strangest
conversations
when i imagine
what you will say.
was on fire
i could not hear you
i would not say
i was not
paying attention
i tend
to get lost
when the words
are raw
or slippery
they ask
a lot of me
and i
do not know
their intent
maybe
i should
surrender my voice
give it
to someone new
but i
don’t know
you would only
fill it with yearning
or fear
it cannot express
and i would
shake it out
until it is empty
a stillborn ghost
or fill it
with damn noise
and the sharp edges
of punctuation
better yet
let silence
negotiate a truce
and we
can start again
my name
is mark
what is yours
you know
we have
the strangest
conversations
when i imagine
what you will say.
December 19 Poem - Midnight, for Blanddiva11
night
is defiling
everything
even the stars
are scarce
and tomorrow
is ever approaching
ready to take you
until today
begins
but this
is an interregnum
a time between then
and when
it is upon you
it is already gone
only morning
remains
and hidden
in the dark
slowly revealing itself
to you
like a lover
you never considered
before now
is defiling
everything
even the stars
are scarce
and tomorrow
is ever approaching
ready to take you
until today
begins
but this
is an interregnum
a time between then
and when
it is upon you
it is already gone
only morning
remains
and hidden
in the dark
slowly revealing itself
to you
like a lover
you never considered
before now
December 18 Poem
there are
so many things
we have not
as yet forgotten
but i mourn
the ones
we have lost
and ask you
to forgive me
for repeating
what i recall
of us
as often as i do
although
i suspect
i have embellished
our story
somewhat
it is as close
to precise
as it needs to be
to be true
so many things
we have not
as yet forgotten
but i mourn
the ones
we have lost
and ask you
to forgive me
for repeating
what i recall
of us
as often as i do
although
i suspect
i have embellished
our story
somewhat
it is as close
to precise
as it needs to be
to be true
December 17 Poem
is this
your song
of winter
it is
cold and
hard to swallow
it covers everything
in heavy layers
of nostalgia
and melancholy
such that
i cannot sing it
so lay it down
and i will make one
of my own
a brief refrain
an epitaph
for my footprints
swallowed whole.
your song
of winter
it is
cold and
hard to swallow
it covers everything
in heavy layers
of nostalgia
and melancholy
such that
i cannot sing it
so lay it down
and i will make one
of my own
a brief refrain
an epitaph
for my footprints
swallowed whole.
December 16 Poem
i lay my silence
down to sleep
and unwind the blue
when it is done
it is too close
too bright
and spent
even so
i ask you
lend your voice
to give me a light
and i will spark and
shadow you home
find your breath
on my tongue
trusting you
with my mistakes
see what you
can make of them
because they
made me dull
and unfocused
they made me
want you
too much
or at least enough
that i
could not finish
this.
down to sleep
and unwind the blue
when it is done
it is too close
too bright
and spent
even so
i ask you
lend your voice
to give me a light
and i will spark and
shadow you home
find your breath
on my tongue
trusting you
with my mistakes
see what you
can make of them
because they
made me dull
and unfocused
they made me
want you
too much
or at least enough
that i
could not finish
this.
December 15 Poem
of all the names
i offered you
i liked that one best
i made it from beeswax
and gave it to flames
to free you
when i grew
too attached
to its beauty
when i forgot
it was not
your name.
i offered you
i liked that one best
i made it from beeswax
and gave it to flames
to free you
when i grew
too attached
to its beauty
when i forgot
it was not
your name.
December 14 Poem
this is
for no one
in particular
and you
this is a first draft
an offering
i make it up
as i go along
adding details
like guests
to a wedding list
suddenly
there is a blue sky
even if you think
it is gray
or maybe i am blue
if not you
does it matter
you can walk away
from this
and not remember
a word
i said
but i
keep calling
to you
and no one
in particular
begging forgiveness
for this intrusion
the next one
will be more precise.
for no one
in particular
and you
this is a first draft
an offering
i make it up
as i go along
adding details
like guests
to a wedding list
suddenly
there is a blue sky
even if you think
it is gray
or maybe i am blue
if not you
does it matter
you can walk away
from this
and not remember
a word
i said
but i
keep calling
to you
and no one
in particular
begging forgiveness
for this intrusion
the next one
will be more precise.
December 13 Poem
the moon
and its jealous
delegates
are soon to appear
or maybe it is me
who is jealous
they do not need
to justify themselves
to anyone who passes by
not like me
revealing one detail
after another
my words
lose their luster
the moment
i let them go
but they deny scrutiny
with silence
and become divine
as i wonder how
to tell you something
without saying anything
at all.
and its jealous
delegates
are soon to appear
or maybe it is me
who is jealous
they do not need
to justify themselves
to anyone who passes by
not like me
revealing one detail
after another
my words
lose their luster
the moment
i let them go
but they deny scrutiny
with silence
and become divine
as i wonder how
to tell you something
without saying anything
at all.
December 12 Poem for @silkpillow
do not give me over
to the silhouette of snow
in the sky
do not give me
to the eager hands
of evergreens
or to the graveyard
of reeds bent
like the penitent
or to that dark sea
that seems so still
and soulless
i know
i was not meant
for such things
their beauty
can only endure
without me
but my heart
would perish
without you
to the silhouette of snow
in the sky
do not give me
to the eager hands
of evergreens
or to the graveyard
of reeds bent
like the penitent
or to that dark sea
that seems so still
and soulless
i know
i was not meant
for such things
their beauty
can only endure
without me
but my heart
would perish
without you
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