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Expeditions

Snow slowed to the murmur Of flames flickering softly Against a glacial chimney, Melting then freezing Again, A pastel epoch of spring Is forged within the placidity of winter, Warmth in the hollow A crevasse between Trout stream and pine tree Etched out with leather ladened ash Embroidering the intervals of breathing And ignition With ink swells on paper And coffee between The spaces of language, Lace hung like memoirs Surrendered from thought Released to the wild With hope of being able to thrive And maybe they’ll be easier to identify When the weather warms up, When the ice recedes Taking with it Every bit of recognition, Will we still be able To find our way back?

summerswithoutwar

New *active* poetry blog plus sometimes more. Get at it

Grass Fed

"Grass Fed" Blood stains fade to belt loops restricting then easing up Loose pants unravel themselves into fabric scraps Sewn for bracelets sent as kingdoms falling apart Acid washed cornucopias of silver reflections- Socks slipping on tile, Posing arms in such fashion Looking through shadows casted against time lapse Elephants enter the room Savannah reclaimed as light travels in corrugated patterns Puddles form from bottles spilled Sip steeping leaves Picked and gathered placed covering parts That require mending Pierce skin cry aloud Snake bites given as excuse to suck poison, Clouds cover sun Elephants run Away In refraction details and colour are muddled So messy rooms, Lying drunk on wood floors Crying before homecoming Seem better than they are Makeup perfect and not smeared

1492 Was A Mistake

We pissed on porches puddled at corner’s slant, Laughed when the shag carpet- Placed ceremoniously with flame and worship- Was stepped into oblivion remaining just As a memorial bridge strand and moth eaten, Constructed furniture from decay Broke portions became plates Serve windows seared open with a dish of poached umbrella Used napkins patch holes in pants pockets Repurpose six pack cardboard to mend roof and gutter, Catch bugs Twist sand in hand movements Fill glass bottles empty or half-something Wish collectors light emitted Buzzing and twinkling Lit whispers picked between teeth Nurse in gesture of good grace Balance quarters atop snapbacks Unzip a sweater set sail as dawn approaches Circumnavigate a space so vast Two hundred thousand years will expose only a fraction, A space so small That in one weekend everything can be witnessed

Butter Knife

Counted days as taste buds savoring peppered couch cushions Spaced apart across the room in full view of flushed commiseration, Salt passive, Dress-less as stained Strip nude and reveal dog fur, Believe this furrowed stargazers Sidereal bright dreamers There is much more and so much less Keeping impression remaining stagnant Legs crossed ever cautiously Even sitting creates movement, Drew maps recited directions Leave the bullets next to the coffee container Kiss and welter for sweet requisition, Humming all along the way Whispering secrets not to be told during dinner, Fillet skin- Manners first and foremost, So we swallow shotguns, Passing them around like plates of spaghetti

Swaths of Panama

Triumphant bliss as blankets of cotton and constellations Playing cloud laughter Rolling on through tree whispers Fault for stones splashing Sending sips soaring towards Screened images of adolescent foliage Rolling on down Broke branches Counted rings Decorated clothes with ferns, Smirks littered in dirt Stood still collapsing pacific Skin washed aglow Protested tranquility yet rejoiced When the wind stopped blowing Ever is the distance not so far away Ever is and always despondent Resplendency chasing static to remain the same, Watching reflections softly sift through pebbles, Iron ore pellets of train bridges Trails trodden breeze driven Trees swarmed water’s edge Sun set cascading Paying summer’s due Tracing fading outlines now Set in as cloaked warmth eroded Even mirrors move

Leather Foot

Compassionate indifference, Symphonies of collapsing sidewalk and pseudo-intelligent clothing options, Sweaters and laughter, Snorting cherry slushies in gas station parking lots, The kitchen of Culla’s old house, Hues of gossamer blue, Chewing cheeks, Shaking slowly in rhythm of the room spinning Offering teas and cancer for specific ailments, Sipping each other’s spit Swallowing infinite Sad ambiguous resolution, Resting on wood floors, Mid day reminders there’s more out there, An all encompassing lack of direction, Curtains folded, Forehead kisses Made home on mattress springs with self reliance and co-dependence, Strung bracelets around necks bruised and struggling to breathe Vivid images of dissonant constellations twinkling tender Kids in the backyard tossing hot coals back and forth Paced beaches, Warm sand Fifteen miles ahead lights offered wonder, What if opportunity Reflexive fireworks Bottles of Sprite Resting and watching night rotate around brilliant Blissful screams Adrift in a lake of green grass and bare feet, We assume tomorrow There’ll be a needle pointing north

Probably,

Lighting dull, Dreary Filtered through coffee grounds, Hard water boiled before hand Stained opaque Spit and swallow Repeat motions, Walk forward and again Backward here then there Time it right with cloud cover Long exposure one hour, One summer, Another night reenacting happiness Playing protagonist Perspective based on eventual resolution, As it should as it goes Ghosts sit in the living room sick Pissed the bed Designation of futile effort dead but the show goes on, Processed in hopes of creating a natural lifestyle Plagiarized self-preservation- A vain attempt to create a masterpiece using synonyms of the same word

Tender Transparency

Encompassed briefly by normal feelings Happiness shallow and serous, Fluorescent reflection of laughter Sifting through strands of hair Wrapped fingers with fabric Intertwined sultry obligation with delicate inscriptions, Whispered commemorative expressions of cherished purpose Into vessels burdened and breathing Sought a continuance of repetition with only slight variance, Tonight Hues of gossamer blue wander aberrant, Cautiously frantic, Majestically blurry, Flickering timidly We huddled together

When We Grow Out of Small Words

Fold faces Embracing shoulder sleeves wrinkled, Comforting briefly Young introduction yet quickly becoming tradition Smile again pull away Swallow cotton laced with ever-well Telling again tender voiced Mistakes will be made and again Red lipstick stains Skin exposed Played out like games of Sudoku Swinging away on grandmother’s porch With lawn chairs Grass beds laid flat pondering constellations As what if we’re here forever, Sweetly snuck away Pick pocketed sand so truth be told Honesty within lamp posts Came of age a bit too late Said it’s alright Came close to midnight Head rested on tattered pants, Crumpled wind whispering secrets of placid counter tops, Selfishly let blossoming lilies bare Petals picked Wishing the copy could be as good as authentic Folded faces kissed wistful Snuggled into plastic bags Poked air holes to let the dirt in It’s ok spoken in repetition For comfort, For something to do before saying goodbye Sometimes things just have to die

Detergent

Another day Probably mid-summer, Maybe early spring Or late It’s dark It seems to be, Words only- Real time recollections sent via carrier pigeons Feathers missing, Gate shuts- Rusty denominations under the lower lines Of half-assed housing divisions, Coffee assumed to be hot but excessively lukewarm Projections of soft consecration, Crossed in lambent absence Blurry continuance Some so, More less, Morose movement from kitchen to commons, Labored expressions Passive habits Addictions subtle, So it appears it’s best to quit while parenthetically ahead Legs crossed atop just, A hill Heels buried in mud Seen as an act of resolution A show of strength and determination But ever is nothing- Another bout of sunlight taking advantage of decay

Frames

Jumped out of the car going twenty-five Spontaneous requisition accompanied by running away, Music played from the back-speakers blown Covered instead with static swelling seldom into stoic coherency Laid adrift watched marine colored lights glisten in waves Reflecting off the dashboard Sat still for a moment laughing at nebulous occurrence Stuck brass tacks between toenails and teeth Opened the door shy And reluctant wind embraced eager yet morose Kicked rocks across sand chased clusters blooming Inhaled dust The sum of erosion, Petty, Last ditch attempts to become pieces of beauty To be cherished so Worn as necklace or paper weight Keep this fragility grounded Illuminating semblance of flickering orange Homesick outlines projected lambent cotton murals As distance suggests it’s best to never get close enough

Top Soil

Move so slowly Stand among ritual rebirth Inveterate fervency Youthful proclamations reiterated repeated as folklore Passed and shared Dreary humming tender obsequies Silent chorus Gorgeous intoxication Revel in humble achievement plaques mounted Date acquired marked with covered knees shirts with long sleeves, Purpose relinquished Swished, Spit out or swallowed Brief encompassing Hands clasped together recovering fallen, Misplaced swift in rhythm Photographs taken Feel good diary later written, Sent sealed with candlewax Open when needed When’s later there’ll be good timing waiting for, As if glaciers ever recede Revealing moments like these intact

...And We All Sang Hallelujah

Halloween came late, Dressed straight Played true to statistics, Stayed sly kept eyes trained and ambiguous, Smiled as expected Lights decorated red and green, Red and red and red Placed bordering curtains, Along eaves Beautiful illumination dripping down into the gutters, Hung among the pine branches Encapsulated, tis the season. Door opened greeted and disarmed Went for appetizers first, Light hunger small laughter Tiptoed quietly Exchanged serous transfusions Avoiding detail keeping vague Taking note of tactical positions, Each corner occupied center swarmed Held breath mindful of predators, Humans with sharp teeth, Stayed away from windows knowing Hiding in shadows cold so quietly lonely Has ensured survival thus far, Red and red Pricked slightly cauterized with candle wax Winced minimal Swallowed turkey complimented size and tenderness Excused for the bathroom Threw up Red Apologized for drinking so much water,

Jean Shorts

Stones skipping across water, Hymns hummed solemnly Clapping, A brief stomp against skin And old growth root system Rising quietly Sunshine sneaks from behind Beyond peaking pine tree tops, Reflecting off a slow flood Occasionally, Blinding us

Soft

It’s raining outside, Grass saturated Steeping in tire tracks and staggered walks, Sat in living room river fronts, Porcelain slipped through the window slightly ajar Early adolescence sometime now Purposely hid rings under couch cushions, Between loose teeth, Embers displaced along stream banks, Ash as winter adventures, Thaw, Age detrimental, Casting and sipping on broken possibilities Cut holes for eyes Mouth unnecessary in white bed sheets Dim yet lively sitting as ghosts haunting History books pages slipped and written miscellaneous Across miles in insignificant places, Wind mills decorated with limestone, Highway lines painted with a french press, Summer hideouts pine covered cedar scented Carved with snowshoes varnished and sculpted, Pebbles thrown down and deposited, Arranged in archaic syllabus As we are fossils refusing to be estimated or dated

Said Maybe I’ll Be A Bit Late

Another cat killed, Second day in a row, Minimal variation of location and hour, Laughter stopped abruptly, Temporary funeral, Spoke as if nature noticed Dimmed the lights, Caution directed to shoulder Leaning against weighted condensation, Makeshift memorial, Piece of scrap paper stating date and cause of death, Lifted release Stood silent for a moment Maybe it was a good thing

Embroidery

Primitive emotion showing, Crying in the parking lot of a hospital, Words as sterile sentences, Elucidated empathy, "It’ll be ok These things happen and it’s only temporary-" But the possibility for it to be permanent is only slight, Implying postmortem might be an option to consider, Comfort offered Wrapped in dismal displays of plastic film, Phone call, Letter to art school, To cedar bedrooms vacant, Heavy sigh, Scrawled diary entries In between conversation and needle pricks, Sigh again Panic attack late at night "It’s normal to feel this way for awhile, It’s your body adjusting and becoming healthy-" Repeated over again Crowded centerpieces Summer sun lambent so, Climbing mountains Drinking spit to swallow, To forget what kissing felt like, Stayed up late walking trees through forests Showing where they should grow, Where they used to Refusing to ever return, Counted rings, I counted the rings of pine and oak, Sharing numbers with coffee and routine checkups Kissing, oh kissing Holding hands, Drinking Lake Superior Listening to, Waiting for the outro, Oh agony Waiting for a way around this, Waiting, Waiting Procrastinating in the best sense Said boredom’s the reason "No, everything’s alright-" And sleep has become easier to explain that feeling

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Summers Without War