Random Wisdom: Laini Taylor - Opening Doors

“She knocked and waited, because when the door was opened from within, it had the potential to lead someplace quite different.” ~ Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone


A Pause Between

Delightfully confused
by sudden freedom from pain,
he is giddy--
flittering from room to room and out
into the open expanse of the world
like a firefly beaming
on a warm summer evening.

Seeing these streets--
his streets
falling away as he drifts higher,
he hovers
taking in the beauty of a skyline
he never took time to notice.

Unencumbered now by time or expense,
he sets sail on the wind
to walk upon the Tor in Glastonbury,
to perch upon a spire in St. Petersburg,
to sit upon the stairs of Machu Picchu,
to see all the splendor
he never saw in life.

And as the dawn
sets the upper atmosphere aglow,
a greater light pierces him
with a bitter sweetness.
His soul laments all he has lost,
and with a moment's hesitation,
he lingers
before dissolving
into nothingness.


Inspired by: G. Holst - The planets Op. 32 - Mercury, the Winged Messenger - Berliner Philharm. - Karajan (3/7)


Loosening the Laces

I first danced in his arms
then on his toes
as he told me not to follow
in his footsteps
but to take the risk,
push down the petal
and grab the wheel
with both hands.

As the path grows longer,
narrowing
into the halls of necessity,
I find myself wearing his shoes
and long to run barefoot.


Inspired by: Poet Share 9/28/13, Number Eleven
http://bspoets.blogspot.com/

Late Night Wrangler

Throwing open the door
to the desert's only 24 hour
convenience store,
he storms to the beater truck--
Stetson pulled low,
boot heels crushing gravel into dust.

Kicking stones in a skid of speed,
tires spin then bite hard
launching him onto open road,
heedless of the hour--
hell bent
on getting milk home to baby.


Inspired by: SV - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - Still I'm Sad (vinyl)


Random Wisdom: Henri Matisse - Serenity

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue. 
~Henri Matisse


Portrait of an Airship Captain

Grown and gray
in top hat and tails,
proud in a steampunk style
of burnished buttons and crushed velvet,
he dances with a dirigible--
lost in the romance
of cogs and gears,
machine oil and old lace.

Inspired by: Poet Share 9/21/13, Number Ten


Things That Go Bump...

Reading aloud to my love,
we step into the tale together--
we laugh
we comment
we push past the need for sleep
to squeeze in another chapter.

Hoarse and tired,
I close the book and my eyes
as he asks why
it seems so many stories go subterranean--
he not being a fan of deep dark places
and our current scene being
the sewers of 1860's London.

I sigh
and remind the horror writer
of what makes his work successful.


R5 Ride

The train's steady click mingles
with a soothing sway
and early morning muteness
descends into daydreams.

Telephone wires rise and dip
in a dance of distance
waltzing behind backyard trees
and empty lots
turned fields of wildflowers.

A scene almost serene
suddenly skips
as silhouettes flash staccato,
thrashing like a broken film reel
severed by the passing commuter train.

Motionless people moving past
at breakneck speed
sit silent like specters
travelling back to where I've been.


Inspired by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez8eKTzQXEI


Random Wisdom: Christian Nestell Bovee

Panic is a sudden desertion of us, and a going over to the enemy of our imagination. ~Christian Nestell Bovee


Mission Control

Self-assured, it configures the path
on which to launch its rockets—
telling itself with scientific certainty
that the vision outweighs the risk
or the means.

With digitized eyes
tracked and focused,
eager for epic discovery,
it monitors the vast unknown
thinking itself omnipotent—
counting the seconds down to lift off
and, eventually,
to an epiphany of self-destruction.


Written as part of Poet Share-Prompt Number Nine. 
To view the prompt, please go to: http://bspoets.blogspot.com/2013/09/bs-poetspoet-share-prompt-number-nine.html

Music Monday - Song Eleven: Blue Butterfly by +Niels Bonke

A Glimpse 

In the briefest of moments,
a single shaft of sunlight
pierces through a tinted window
half hidden by piles of paper--
the proverbial light
at the end
of a work day tunnel.


To hear the prompt go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vo4IxqDfxI&feature=c4-overview&list=UU-Jdl0JqgKbE4SXR_em3Mfg


Ekphrastia Gone Wild Virtual Publication Party

Be sure to tune in to the Ekphrastia Gone Wild Virtual Publication Party, Sunday September 15 at 2:00 pm (pacific time) to hear poets from the book read their work on a special Poetry Super Highway Live broadcast.

And, yes, you will be able to hear me read my contribution during the broadcast even though I continue to maintain my aversion to being recorded. ;)

Random Wisdom: Appreciation

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it.”
~ Ralph Marston



Music Monday - Song Ten: THE STREETS OF MADRID by +Niels Bonke

Sangria Weekday

A bounce into the barrio
sets the late summer sun ablaze
with loud laughter
erupting from a playful argument.

Children chase each other
running through the streets
dodging cars and a heavy bass beat
punctuated by a splash of Spanish guitar.

Sweating with a smile,
I pass another
cacophony of conversation
understanding nothing
but the joy.


To hear the prompt go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYksIE01o9U&list=UU-Jdl0JqgKbE4SXR_em3Mfg


Random Wisdom: Enjoy Life

“Even in the mud and scum of things, something always, always sings.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


The Path Over Travelled

I hitched a ride
with the evening news
to wander around the world for a while.

Detouring politics
and skirting business,
we accelerated toward African famine
and Middle Eastern turmoil.

Cruising through earthquakes
and wildfires,
tornadoes and floods,
we slowed to witness atrocities
in countless colors and denominations
lingering on what seemed
every street corner of the globe.

It was when I saw the slaughtered children
that I jumped out the window
and tumbled to the soft grass verge of home --
wishing simply walking backwards
could wipe away the vision
of splattered blood.


Written as part of B.S. Poets/Poet Share, 8/31/13, Prompt Number Seven.  

Rules? 
1. Write a short poem or vignette about the Gif or image. 
2. Link back to Poet Share/B.S. Poets from your post. 
3. Sign up in the Mr. Linky list, linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted. 
4. Read the other pieces and leave a comment after linking.

As we support and encourage others, we support and encourage ourselves. 


A Promise Kept

  Post-it® Poem from April 30th on a 3x3 note. And that's it for this year! :) Thanks for following along...