Liquid (O.S.I.)

Hello all,

I am writing for O.S.I. and the theme is liquid.  Hope you enjoy!!

I can testify that dreams
Are liquid pools for the soul
And we may take bird baths
Or baptize ourselves
In their splendor

If we spend evenings
In the gutter
Where the rain
Collects our thoughts
May we gleam their beauty
From a crystal waterfall

And should they darken
Towards the moon
In a starless sky
We will laugh and remember
Life is but a dream

Volcano (Haiku Heights)

Hi bloggers,

I am in a haiku mood. The following poem is written for Haiku Heights, and the theme is volcano.

Wanton, burning eyes

Palpable fire in your touch

Lips of volcano

Square Box

Hi bloggers,

I am writing the following poem for Sunday Whirl.  

Rosie believes the world reveals its face through a square box

When mama waves her black wand

The square box clicks on and an image waltzes in

With stories and tales that shipped beyond her land

She struggles to understand the world with infant eyes

As horror sweeps against her mother's face

It is like the shock of pain

When she can find no shelter from the rain

And the promise of sunlight dissolves into the clouds

Rosie observes the countless evenings spent in front of the box

As the world thrives on blood

She skinned her knee once, out came a drop of red

But on the screen blood sheds like a river

Men in anger and hate cry infidels

Rosie does not know this word but fears it is a boogie man

While land and sea is consumed by black smoke

Mama tugs her baby tight and whispers a bomb

But her heart refuses to harden in darkness

Rosie is nurtured in love, resilience, and peace

Poem In the Sky

Blue ribbon in my pocket

Stretching from end to end

Is it heaven or the sea

Reflecting its heart back to me

Happy Sky Watch & Poem In Your Pocket Day

Owl (Haiku)

Black shawl sweeps like night

Hooting, beating on my chest

Hunting for his prey

For Haiku Heights

The Crush

Artwork By Kuzma Petrov-Vodin, Spring (1935)

Shy, coquettish Laura Lee

Your lips anoint me like the buds of spring

I thirst for playful romps in the grass

To dive into your ocean-blue dress

But I digress cowardly folding my hat

As you are preoccupied with the world beneath

If I could live inside your great, brown eyes

I'd steal your thoughts from those blue skies 

Written For Magpie Tales

The Daughters of Aman (Part IV)

Hi Bloggers,

Here is Part IV of my short story.  If you missed any sections, you can check out Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Scarcely had the men escaped from the great eel's presence, that they filled the halls of the court with shouting: "The prince is dead!"  "Prince Kristacus is dead!" 

The news grieved the king greatly as he cried aloud to heaven, and he inquired about his son's tragic demise.  One of the witnesses recalled the eldest daughter of Aman enticing the prince before he swam to his death.  

But the king refused to investigate the matter for his heart was broken.  He ordered the kingdom mourn Kristacus for two fortnights.  

While the kingdom honored his memory, Redinoldo (the second prince) had desired that the mourning cease. He discerned that his father had become sickly and neglected the throne.  And he ventured out into the Forest of Fortune with hope he'd return with a rare and valuable gift. 

Now the Forest of Fortune was rumored to hold grave dangers for mortal men, but Redinoldo praised himself for being wise and lacked fear.   While the prince hunted, Amielle followed him silently, jumping like a lithe cat from branch to branch.  

Along the journey, a hare crossed his path.  The creature danced in an exotic coat of red and lifted its tail as if to tease him.  Redinoldo raised his arrow slowly and was ready to shoot when the hare shouted:

"Be merciful my prince!" 

"Ho! Did the hare talk to me?  Or do I dream foolishly?"  The prince almost fell backward by the hare's reply.

"Nay, I speak and plead for my life," the creature answered.

"I shall humor you hare," the prince granted.  "What shall you give me in exchange for your life?"

"The untold fortunes of the forest," she replied.  "For no man has seen nor tasted the forest's rich fruits."

"Shall I trust this creature," Redinoldo reasoned aloud.  "Hare, if you lie, my arrow shall strike you dead."

"My prince, I revere you for your wisdom.  And if I lie, I deserve this fate."  

To be continued...

Jasmine (Haiku)

Hi Bloggers,

I am writing for Haiku Heights and today's theme is jasmine.

Empty mug
Jasmine for your lips
Pour on love

Broadway (O.S.I.)

Hi Bloggers,

I am writing for O.S.I.  and the theme is Broadway!

Farm life is a speck of dirt beneath her fingernails

She is a moth trapped between two worlds

Suspended by the light of the city

Though the mud cakes beneath her boots

Though the cow's udder is so full it moos

Though the rooster holds the sunrise with its crow

And papa's tears are bluer than his overalls

A train hollers in her dreams

Promising happier days in the city

A suitcase holds the remnants of her life

Broadway sparkles with glimmer and light

Yet her heart grows homesick by the day

As her accent slips into a country twang

Her hair still smells of straw and churned butter

She'd rather pick daisies instead of men

In her dreams, she flies and greets clear skies

With hope she'll lay her head in greener pastures

Pillow Fight Haiku!

Hi all,

In honor of Pillow Fight Day, I've penned the following haiku:

Pillow fight 

Feathers floating free

Light as snow

For Haiku Heights

Rumi's Moon (Poetry Month)

Hi bloggers,

April is National Poetry Month!  I will be paying homage to classic poets throughout April on my site.  

The following poem was inspired by Rumi's Twilight.

Am I myself
Fingers, toes which curl
In an unconscious stream
A lazy swim 
Eyes half-closed
To the moon
There is a ship 
Which sails beneath
I am a shimmering body
A rock sinking 
Drowning until 
The stars catch me

Wide Open Soul

Artwork By Jacek Yerka (Between Heaven and Hell)

There are no curtains, no doors

To the room that is your soul

By design an artist to the core

Lock and key, serving tea for two

Be my Adam and I'll play your Eve

Forbidden fruit between our lips

We forget the hissing egg on a hot pan

And the cat curled up in dreamland

We cover ourselves in leaves

A pair of human trees

With eyes wide open and full of dreams

Inspired by The Mag and O.S.I.