Job Description

In shadows of the ordinary,
The poet seeks out the unique,
His findings recorded for
All to see, without praise
Or condemnation,
In snapshots of
The moments
Of our
Lives.


This nonet was written for this week’s Vice Versa prompt from Poets United, using the antonym pairs unique/ordinary and condemn/praise.  I stretched it just a bit by expanding "condemn" into "condemnation."

Splattered

The floor of Jackson Pollock's art studio

fetal on the floor, 

the lies you sold me 

spattered across 

my injured shell 

in shades of 

muddy grey ambiguity

and betrayal blue, 

your brushes and sticks 

pushing deceit 

into every crevice 

until my heart overflows 

across the hardwood 

in a post-modern tribute 

to a lost lover.

~~~~ This poem was written in response to a prompt from Poets United asking us to take inspiration from the artwork of Jackson Pollock.  This is also in response to a prompt from Imaginary Garden with Real Toads asking us the consider the band the Jayhawks and their song “Blue.”  I've included the music video here as well.

Corpse Bride

bridal glow 

turned sallow, 

her life force 

siphoned away 

by the one 

she trusted 

above all others,

leaving only

an emaciated shell 

wrapped in 

satin and tulle

as the honey-

moon wanes

into oblivion.

~~~~ This poem was inspired by a prompt from Poets United asking for poems inspired by the works of Tim Burton.

The Cracks in the Pavement

Roadside_by_patu

I love the feel of a familiar road,
The cracks in the pavement
Telling the stories of the wanderers
Who cruised in their DeSotos and Hudsons,
Mustangs and Corvairs,
Seeking all the adventure life had to offer;
Each elm and pine leaning in from the ditch banks
An old friend wishing this traveler well;
Comfort rolling beneath my wheels.
But when the road leads into the misty unknown,
I find myself wishing for a sense of direction,
A mystic map to guide me,
Signs to warn me of dangerous curves,
Falling rocks and other highway hazards.
Let me find the courage
To park my fear alongside the road
And continue my own journey,
In hopes that one day
The cracks in the pavement
Will tell future travelers
The stories of this wanderer
And the adventure life held in store for her.


~~~ This poem was written in response to Kerry's Wednesday Challenge - On the Road over at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads and the Thursday Think Tank at Poets United prompt of "wish."

The Path to the Dark Side

Hearts crumble and die
With only fear and hate
To feed upon,
Allowing pain
To spread like a cancer
Through our lives.

Looking for the Key

Moving along in the draft
With the countless other seekers
On their own journeys,
Attempting to locate the proper key
To get where we think
We need to go in life,
A meandering road
Lined with obstacles
And locked doors,
Unsure which key is right for us,
Unsure of which door
Is the one that leads to serenity,
Not realizing until well into our quest
That the key we choose
Is not as important
As the lessons learned along the way.

To the Sea

I must go down to the sea again
And answer the siren’s call.
Emotions crashing
Onto my rocky shores,
I long to dive in,
Swim past the breakers
Into the open ocean,
Lose myself
In his watery blue depths.

The Violinist

with bow across strings 

a new world is created 

the grey of her despair melting 

transforming her world

by giving pain its own melody

Between Darkness and Light

Copyright: James Rainsford, Used with Permission 

I walk the divide
Between darkness and light,
The darkness a magnet
Drawing me closer,
Wrapping me in metallic cool.
I long for the light, to dive in
And let my soul be cleansed,
Ready for rebirth, for redemption.
It’s a solitary journey,
One I know we each
Must negotiate in our own way.
I struggle to keep my balance,
Knowing that if I can persevere,
The best is yet to be.

Moths

The moths draw closer to the light,
Seeking the love that never seems to find them.
They feed on whiskey and cigarettes and quiet desperation,
Placing an unwilling goddess on a trailer park pedestal
And offering beer cans and roach clips in homage,
Never finding the holy strength in themselves.

Moonlight Minstrel

He plays at seduction like the moon,
His affections wax and wane.
The singer of a deceptive tune,
He plays at seduction like the moon.
When that troubadour starts to croon
The liar’s sweet refrain,
He plays at seduction like the moon,
His affections wax and wane.

Mariposa

Pain is my chrysalis

surrounding and protecting

while I transform

metamorphosis

of mind

and soul

changing 

slowly

but completely

until the day comes

when I spread my wings

and leave that pain behind

forever

In the Spider's Classroom

Web by Ellen Wilson

Liars learn their lessons well,
Creating webs of duplicity,
Stringing lies together
Like an expert weaver,
The threads of treachery
Intertwining, twisting,
Tying the knots of mistrust,
While seeking to create
A tapestry of deception.

The Next Verse

Again a verse for the sake of you,
One more addition to the tired song
You strum across my heartstrings,
A lilting melody of hope
That always descends into despair.
I know there are new songs to compose,
New notes to fill the aching emptiness,
But you have always been the tune
That I just can’t get out of my head.


Note: The prompt from Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads that helped shape this poem asked us to use the first line of a favorite poem as a jumping off point for writing our own poem.  I found my inspiration in Ashes of Soldiers by Walt Whitman.  Be sure to check it out as well, his poem was vastly different than mine!

A Candy-Coated Lesson

Unique by selavie

Even in a confectionery world,
A random accident
Of food coloring
Can lead to exclusion
Despite being concocted
From the same recipe.

Empowered

Secrets hide in the shadows of “No”

Unrealized opportunities

Untraveled highways

Unforgettable moments

Unfulfilled potential

Fear empowers the negative

Leaving us static

Frozen in the familiar

While life rushes past

Say “Yes” to your life

Say “Yes” to everything

“Yes” empowers us,

Allowing us to

Learn

Stretch

Grow

Experiment

Create

Live

Poem inspired by the movie "Yes Man"

A Recycled Argument

The sound of angry protests,
Proclamations of innocence,
Usually reverberate
Through the familiar fight.
This time his silence
Speaks louder than
Any admission of guilt.

A Mom’s Errands Along the Mother Road

I’ve traveled Route 66
For thousands of miles
While running to
The grocery store,
The laundromat,
The doctor’s office,
Lost in my own worries,
Unable to feel
The history that hums
Through the decaying pavement,
Without any thought
To all those who chased
Their American dreams
Down that winding
Black river of asphalt.

Sweet Temptation (A Gift for Snow White)

Adam by try to touch at deviantART

Do not be afraid, 

My dear,

I mean you no harm.

I am merely 

A poor grandmother,

Stopped to rest 

On my way home 

From a magical orchard.

You see, 

My child,

Inside the gleaming 

Crimson skin

Of this apple

Lies a secret:

Magic lives

In its juicy flesh.

I can tell,

Sweet girl,

From your graceful carriage

And genteel manner,

That you were not born

To toil in servitude

In a dark cottage

Such as this.

Do you really believe

That is all there is for you?

I thought not.

Your dreams,

The wishes your heart makes,

Can all come true,

If you only

Take a bite…

A Stolen Goodbye

We danced through that summer,
Painting dreams across the brilliant blue sky,
Full of hope for the upcoming seasons,
Knowing together we could weather any storm.

And then you were gone,
Faded from my world
Like a flower wilting when
It’s time in the sun had passed.
No warning,
No explanation,
No goodbye,
No closure,
Only a bitter harvest of confusion.