An ekphrastic poem, inspired by Frank Perry’s album Zodiac. Where the stars meet silence I am on guard I am too accustomed to silence One breath Another breath Gongs mark where grains shift before tumbling down glass to strike the drum One breath Another breath The chambers in which we choose to live hold space [...]
Tag: solitude
Sinistrata (a poem)
In the twilight through the window from next door the sounds of melancholy and despair once deep within now out in the open darkness under shadow and cover One solitary figure there in the space an architect of gloom a raw wound open and fresh Washes and waves questions in sustain with percussive accents a [...]
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #24
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a ‘mix-and-match’ poem, mixing ‘fancy’ and ‘non-fancy’ words. Not as big a stretch as some of the previous prompts, but… Who am I today? The identity to which I have awakened disappoints me I’m unaccustomed as of late to seeing myself the way other people view me I don’t like being affixed to [...]
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #9
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a poem ‘that includes a line that you’re afraid to write…because it expresses something very personal that makes you uncomfortable…’ It’s a little weird to say but I’m afraid to die alone It almost doesn’t matter what’s on the other side Aging is a struggle of its own of deterioration [...]
On Yumi’s birthday (A poem)
Continuing to explore the pantoum… The day has come around again you know, the one Shakespeare warned about Normally, I’d be contacting my old friend on the anniversary of her birth—though she’d probably be out You know, the one Shakespeare warned about (something to do with Julius Caesar) On the anniversary of my friend’s birth—though [...]
That’s what Xmas means to me (A poem)
Watching movies on Xmas eve… Lights out, America it’s a full-moon Xmas this year and here I am the night before Xmas eve preparing to sleep alone That’s what Xmas means to me I’ve got a tiny metal tree a nativity scene in a box stockings packed safely away Another silent night? That sounds about [...]
Quiet fog (a poem)
Another day of slim pickings—I got to writing too late in the day… The quiet blankets the area like a fog thick and heavy, hard to navigate Inside, all my thoughts echo back in strangely muted tones Lamplight in the corner pretends to bear witness but fails to illuminate much of anything So I listen [...]
Inside (a poem)
I didn't work from a prompt this time, but I did try to imagine someone other than myself… Inside the lamp-lit room she sits and stares at nothing in particular Inside this quiet space she sits and waits for no one in particular She sits within the here and now but what she feels is [...]
Why I Opted Out of Thanksgiving This Year
I spent Thanksgiving alone this year. By choice. Basically, this year has beaten me down so much that I was in no mood for celebration. Except for a four-day temp assignment last month, I've had no paying work since June. I was doing some work for a weekly magazine—but they dropped me as soon as [...]
