Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Reaper (Pt VII)

Her eyes settled over him with a confused grin.

"Aren't you going to pick me up," she laughed and he burned with embarrassment.

"So sorry, I wasn't looking," he apologized. Instinctively, he bent his head and bowed.

"Southern manners. I like that," she complimented and her words seemed to rise in him.

She became the object of knowledge to him, an inviting new book laying at his fingertips. Her pages ruffled and flirted with him. How he longed to tear through the cover. But he was full of self doubt, quietly pondering his affections for her.

He saw her frequently in the library and watched her lovely red hair sink deep in a book. Then, she'd rise like a beauty out of water and gape at him. Her lips parted shyly into a smile. Perhaps it was a sign but he didn't act upon it.

Though her heart fluttered madly in her chest, she could not shake her encounter with him. Nor could she deny the warmth of his gaze and touch upon their awkward greeting.

She made her move; a mad dash for the boy while he innocently roamed for books on a shelf. She pounced on him like a cat seizing a toy and kissed him.

"I just wanted to say thanks for the other day," she whispered shyly. Her face turned shamefully red at the doubts of her ambush.

"No I ran into you. I should be sorry," he answered. His words retreated as it escaped his breath.

An intimate line lay between them. It was so delicate and fine that each took tiny steps so not to break it. They were budding trapeze artists suspended in fright. They calculated their emotions like equations but failed to see the solution in their reasoning. Taking several missteps, the line broke and they were falling into the precipice of love.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sky Watch Friday: The Monument

These photos were taken on my last trip to D.C. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to go somewhere special this year. (Click to enlarge photos)








My monument's
A towering soldier
Immovable stone
Etched on blue canvas

You can view more lovely photos at :



Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Simply Snickers Challenge: Peek

This week's Simply Snicker's Challenge is using the words park, peek, and pick.

The accompanying painting is Spring by Carl Larsson.



Pretty in pink
A gentleman took a peek
Of a lady in a bonnet
Nestling in trees
She searched for her wallet
Much obliged to her need
He rode upon a steed
Recovered what was lost
And picked a flower for her cause
Lightly kissed her in the park
Laughing till the skies turned dark

Monday, May 25, 2009

In Memorium



As it is Memorial Day, I thought this poem embodied the sentiments of losing loved ones in war. God bless all the men and women who sacrifice so much for our countries. Both in the U.S. and around the world.

In place of monuments
I would have preferred civility
In place of wreaths
I would have welcomed humanity
In place of statues
I would have erected love
In place of street christenings
I would rewind the annals of time
For what good are these sentiments
Now that you are gone

Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Reaper (Pt VI)

The school buildings rose like grand statues in his mind, and the vine house of his childhood, with mom and sister in it, dissipated into oblivion. The heaviness in his footsteps seem to lighten. Yet, his legs could not keep up with the lithe crowd. The melancholy habits of his rural ways was no match for the rapid city life.

His compass pointed him in every direction and his eyes squinted at the strangeness of his transcript. When he finally settled himself, he landed in the clutches of his guidance counselor. He was a frail man with pale skin, and his gold rimmed glasses swooped down his nose. A look of mild displeasure rose on his face.

"Aha, I see," he remarked. "You have poor grades but you're an athlete. Athletes have it easy." His piercing, blue eyes seemed to condemn him.

"Well," Kadin stammered, but the professor waved off his reply.

He was dubbed the quiet one. His lips never parted except to say something he deemed important. Kadin didn't connect to the new world he was birthed in. His roommate made futile attempts to bond with him. Kadin accepted the invitation one night, drowning in beer, and waking up on the floor. His head spinning like a merry go round, he vowed not to touch that stuff again.

Eyes seemed to follow him wherever his foot tread. They watched him because he was tall; they prodded him because he was mysterious. Their eyes penetrated his skin and he squirmed.

He found sanctuary in the library; its quiet solitude beckoning him in. The walls closed in like a sensitive flower, only the petals of a book lay open to him. Here eyes were preoccupied with words and work. He was safe. He never had an appetite to learn. Words usually danced in his head, producing no understanding.

Yet in this library full of shelves, he discovered new worlds. He became an adventurer, drifting on the channels of his consciousness. The revelry lasted for hours and when he finished, his head ached.

Rifling books back on the shelves, he smashed into a delicate, young woman. Her body tumbled on the floor like a crushed moth. Her eyes were stunningly large, dipped in the blue light of the window. Her hair was a rich auburn, which reminded him of strawberries in blossom. The fold in her lips reminded him of a rose. He wanted to kiss her.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Wet Paint

Bleeding reds and blues
She painted the world
From her mind's eye
Chaotic brushstrokes
Clouds fashioned like mustaches
They were fantastic
And raindrops falling
Black and hard
Against her back
Paint splattered like bullets
On the mahogany pavement
Knee deep in paint
The palette her riverboat
Men as trees
Bending brown limbs
Birds swallowing blue skies
And her eyes
Floating like a great balloon
To the edge of the canvas

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Poetry A-Z: B is For

Blue
Brimming
Bountifully
Before
Babies
Baths
Beckoning
Bubbles

Or

Beauties
Buzzing
Baiting
Bridegrooms
Bedazzled
Breathlessly

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Praise The Lord & More (Acrostic)

This week's Acrostic Only Challenge featured eight words. I choose the words Praise the Lord, Love, and Hypocrisy.

Prostration
Renders
Atonement
Inviting
Sinners to
Enter

Trembling
Hands
Emptied

Lithe
Ovations
Rippling
Divinity

Losing all traces
Opining syllables
Vertically rising
Entice kisses

Honey dipped language
Yields consent
Promises receding
Oligarchy rules
Condemning dissidence
Rotting chambers
Insidious arguments
Silence meekly
Yearns

Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Reaper (Pt V)

Kadin never knew sleep while under the cowboy's possession. He ripped him from the arms of sleep like a newborn from his mother. His eyes groped about the still blackness of night.


The sun didn't peek its head from the horizon. The stars grew dim and restless. The cold air enveloped his lungs as the cowboy conducted drills; the silver hiss of his whistle ringing in his ears.


The weeks settled like a deck of cards. He rose in darkness; he slept in darkness. But one day the cowboy's rough hands slackened. He was enrolled in a private college. The cowboy's connections lay golden opportunities at his feet.


"Haven't I done right by you, my boy," the cowboy laughed and patted his back jovially.


"Yes sir," Kadin replied. He had no doubt that his mother was the invisible master behind his destiny. The cowboy was merely an actor in her grand show.


He was thrusted upon the doors of academia. The halls of higher learning, the pantheon of knowledge. He watched boys and girls his own age scurrying along the sidewalks. They all appeared amused with smiles plastered upon their faces. Many huddled like wolves in a pack, charging at something he did not know.


He realized when he left the presence of the cowboy, he had entered into a new freedom. There were no eyes watching him. No commandments whipping against his ear. Perhaps this won't be so bad, he thought as he walked into his new destiny.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Sky Watch Friday: Wings






This week I captured some shots of a plane as it flew in the sky. Please click to enlarge the photo. It looks like a little speck but it was amazing to see.

Wings soar
Like doves
In the sky
Caressing the clouds
Enthralling heights
Of elevation
Dazzles the eyes

You can view more lovely photos at:


Tuesday, May 12, 2009

New World

Conquest
Sunrise
Awaiting
Beauty
Mystery
Riches
Adventures
High tide
Storm's eye
Men sigh
Land ho
Black earth
Gold dust
Exotic faces
Unknown embraces
Declarations broken
Flags unfurled
Victory brandished
Old world erased
For the glory
Of new worlds

Monday, May 11, 2009

Destiny

This week's Acrostic Only challenge is the word Destiny.

Take 1

Dangerous
Endeavors
Strike
Time
Irrevocable
Nefarious
Yoke

Take 2

Delectable
Entreatments
Spoon
Tremulous
Ideologies
Nurturing
Youth

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother

From the womb
Your palms nurture
The belly
Life springs
From the cocoon
You count the fingers
And the toes
Truthfully only
Heaven knows
The secrets of
The one in tow
You marvel at
The beauty
Of this Godly being
Nestling under
Your wondrous wings
Children's laughter
Blissfully sings
The joys
Of motherhood

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!!!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Simply Snicker Challenge #7

This week's Simply Snicker's Challenge uses the words Jeer, Jump, and Just.

Jump into life
Head first
Swimming freely
Time rolling like waves
The sun rising in your eye
Like a balloon
Drifting towards the sky
Heed not to jeers
Just ride
In the tide of life

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Sky Watch Friday: Roam Free








This week the sky was saturated with rain and precipitation. I was able to take a couple of shots with my camera phone. You can click to enlarge images.

Happy Sky Watch Friday ; )

Wander
Where the clouds
Roam free
Your spirit
Will take you home

You can view more lovely photos at:






Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Reaper (Pt IV)

The thoughts of his father seized his mind so suddenly, he sensed a hand gripping him. His mother's voice pulled him from his revelry. Her hawkish eyes awaited a fire storm. But his smile assuaged the brewing fire. The smile kindled youth in her eyes and for an instant, a little lad tottered before her. She kissed the image of him before he grew into a man again.


"I didn't mean to raise my voice," she whispered, wrapping her son tightly in her embrace. He wiggled from her, half annoyed, but accepted the love bursting from her.


"Now, I have a friend coming to see you," she explained. "He's very much interested in your future." She watched her son scowl but she reassuringly kissed him on the hand.


He met the spry, cowboy donning his white, cotton tee and rugged jeans. He appeared after eleven years to Kadin's disdain. He associated his father's departure with this man's arrival. Thus, his affection were calloused towards him.


"Dear lord, you weren't lying about this boy. He's a giant," complimented the cowboy.


"Thank you," his mother curtsied. "He has very good genes." The cowboy brandished sports equipment in his hand: a football in his forearm, a baseball in his right hand, and a golf club in his left.


"Ever played with one of these son," the cowboy asked. Kadin cringed at the word son.


"No, I like Frisbee better," he scoffed.


"You've got yourself a comedian here," the cowboy jested. Growing impatient, his mother nudged Kadin in the rib. Her eyes conveyed the great commandment "Thou shall obey your mother." He humbly cowered to her.


The cowboy watched as he performed tricks and feats effortlessly. His body moved like a graceful gazelle and his muscles bulged liked a rhinoceros.


"Your son is untrained but fierce," the cowboy concluded. "I am convinced I can secure him a scholarship. He requires rigorous training though. " The cowboy was not convinced Kadin possessed the discipline to be successful.


"He is an obedient boy. He won't be any trouble," his mother assured him. This time she sentenced a man away from the house corrupted by vines. She sent him away with the intentions of cultivating a new man. She desired, above all, that he not seek the life of a sower.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Quiet You, Quiet Me

Quiet you, quiet me
Our words hum and simmer
Our souls run free
Your ears brush against mine
Hear the howling wind
The rustle of tree limbs
The creak of the swing set
We are sitting in
The owl's hoot
Commanding the darkness
The silence of shadows
Bending in silver light
Quiet you, quiet me
A lullaby carouses the universe
Till only our heartbeat's greet

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Forbidden Fruit/ Divorce

This week's Acrostic Only challenge are the words Divorce and Forbidden Fruit.

Dividing
Intimate
Vanities
Oscillates
Reckoning
Cloaked
Endeavors


Flirtatious
Odes
Ruefully
Breed
Illegitimate
Dreams
Drifting
Erratically
Naked

Felicitations
Recedes
Under
Intuitive
Touch

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Simply Snickers, Awards, and More


Before I do this week's Simply Snickers challenge, I wanted to thank Septembermom at My Voice, My View for giving me the Friendship Award. I am honored to accept the achievement especially from such a talented mom who writes about her daily experiences with her kids while weaving poetry and creative verse.


Here is the preface of the award:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their award.


I'd like to give this award to the following:

1. Regina Marie at Kilauea Poetry
3. Beloved Dreamer at Beloved Dreamer
4. Floreta at The Solitary Panda
5. Andrea at Finding Sirius
6. Linda at Simply Snickers
7. Judith at The Being Brand

My thanks also to some supporters who are not Bloggers but nevertheless give me insightful words, encouragement, and support. Thank you WorkerV, CWill, Diana, and Captain Esc.


I'd like to thank everyone who has supported, read, and commented on this site. It is truly a blessing to write and to have wonderful blogging friends like you.


And now this week's Simply Snicker's Challenge is stage and stop.

Unearthing friendship
Endearing words
Greets me
Stop in time
To muse at laugh lines
And curtsy graciously
Before a stage
Of blogging worlds
Kindled in friendship