Come, reduce me to ashes
Kindle what you call love
Within me and set to match
A fire that smokes and smolders
Torch my desire clear
Until it bursts into flame
And I am branded
And brought to my knees
Singed with passion
Go, when my glow
Has heated to a slow burn
And I flicker still flicker
Twisted in the blaze
Of your love
Monday, 20 August 2012
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Newspapers
She was backed into a corned of crumpled newspapers from 1966
She caught sight of a snowman outside the window
A sign around his neck said "I’ll be dead soon"
This view was from the house that spanned two walls
One rested on dry land and the other was in the water
Bob was seen to be delivering all of 1967 on his bicycle
He was coming down the lane along the river towards her house
She caught sight of a snowman outside the window
A sign around his neck said "I’ll be dead soon"
This view was from the house that spanned two walls
One rested on dry land and the other was in the water
Bob was seen to be delivering all of 1967 on his bicycle
He was coming down the lane along the river towards her house
I Don't Need Your Help
I don’t want your help
Just leave me alone
I should have prefaced
My sigh with don’t fix me
Don’t fix anything
I’m not broken
I just need you to nod and smile
Even if you don’t understand
I don’t mind a question
Once in a long while
Please keep eye contact mostly
Please don’t glaze over
If I cry…
Maybe I’d like a hug
Even if it makes you uncomfortable
Because tears do that
I don’t know why
Salt is precious
And water is life
Just listen
If you need to…practice
Just leave me alone
I should have prefaced
My sigh with don’t fix me
Don’t fix anything
I’m not broken
I just need you to nod and smile
Even if you don’t understand
I don’t mind a question
Once in a long while
Please keep eye contact mostly
Please don’t glaze over
If I cry…
Maybe I’d like a hug
Even if it makes you uncomfortable
Because tears do that
I don’t know why
Salt is precious
And water is life
Just listen
If you need to…practice
The Snail
The Snail
Curled and striped
Still and dry
No will
No way
Stuck on the sidewalk
Two hours ago
It was a good idea
To venture out
Curled and striped
Still and dry
No will
No way
Stuck on the sidewalk
Two hours ago
It was a good idea
To venture out
What do The Gods Hold in Their Hands?
What do the gods hold in their hands?
If I err, I am smitten, and I may never know my error
If I am blessed, then I will praise them for my good fortune
I sacrifice to appease them and I sacrifice to give thanks
My many prayers hit stone or wood or earth
But their ears are bound up and deaf
I must go to the priest and he will exact a fee
Why can't the gods talk to me?The trees grow strong, the river gives food
But my cattle are sickly and my son has a twisted foot
How can blessings and sufferings exist side by side?
I made the pilgrimage to the holy high ground
I brought offerings of all I had
I walked the three days back to our little village
Why did the gods take my children?
Don’t they have enough children of their own?
I was the one who needed three strong sons and a daughter
My wife is getting older and the gods will not favour her for long
Why can’t I see the gods?
Why must I only hear of them in stories and mysteries told by the priests?
Have they seen the gods?
I want the gods to show their faces
I want the gods to answer my questions
I want the gods to be kind and not capricious
I want peace
I want a happy life
I want to go to the dust with a full belly
If I err, I am smitten, and I may never know my error
If I am blessed, then I will praise them for my good fortune
I sacrifice to appease them and I sacrifice to give thanks
My many prayers hit stone or wood or earth
But their ears are bound up and deaf
I must go to the priest and he will exact a fee
Why can't the gods talk to me?The trees grow strong, the river gives food
But my cattle are sickly and my son has a twisted foot
How can blessings and sufferings exist side by side?
I made the pilgrimage to the holy high ground
I brought offerings of all I had
I walked the three days back to our little village
Why did the gods take my children?
Don’t they have enough children of their own?
I was the one who needed three strong sons and a daughter
My wife is getting older and the gods will not favour her for long
Why can’t I see the gods?
Why must I only hear of them in stories and mysteries told by the priests?
Have they seen the gods?
I want the gods to show their faces
I want the gods to answer my questions
I want the gods to be kind and not capricious
I want peace
I want a happy life
I want to go to the dust with a full belly
Swimming at The Bottom of The Pool
Swimming at the bottom of the pool
Swirls of bright light dance around me
The filter morphed into a tunnel a long time ago
I am at peace
Voices whisper from the walls
I open my eyes and bleary grandma beckons me
“Swim through the filter”
My life sparks before me in rapid frames
I feel rewarded
There is a splash like a cannonball
A man with a life guard shirt
Is coming right at me
I feel a tug and then another
He lifts me from the light, from the voices, from the peace
Damn
Swirls of bright light dance around me
The filter morphed into a tunnel a long time ago
I am at peace
Voices whisper from the walls
I open my eyes and bleary grandma beckons me
“Swim through the filter”
My life sparks before me in rapid frames
I feel rewarded
There is a splash like a cannonball
A man with a life guard shirt
Is coming right at me
I feel a tug and then another
He lifts me from the light, from the voices, from the peace
Damn
Shushan
Shushan
The City of Susa where Daniel lived
Daniel in his white T-Shirt and jeans
Near the swamp where the waterlillies grew
Some days he would go to the hilltop
Strip off his shirt and feel the heat of the sun
In the near cool of the night he would dance in Susa
Daniel would dance with no shoes, on the dusty ground
In a club called Shushan, called Shushan
For the City of Susa and the liberation of the people
Daniel danced for all people in his white T-Shirt
Statues of lions in relief on the wall watched him
They growled without words “Make us one, give us opportunity”
Ivri drunk with sanctuary, sang out in one word over and over
“Let, let, let, let.” the rich chant bounced around the den
Shushan. Shushan. There is safety, there is release in Susa today
“Thus saith” is far away echoeing from minds long closed
Ivri throws his hands up and shouts in triumph
Daniel stops his dance, looks over his shoulder and gives a wide smile
Someone yells “tonight there is no wall, tonight there is no wire”
The ground is stomped and rhythm and music grow as wild as the lions
The dizzying burst of freedom and acceptance continues 3 more hours
Soon the lawmakers and the nay-sayers will be opening their eyes
Prowling with their list of “Thus saith us” and their list of dissidents
For now there is love, there is kinship, there is Daniel in the arms of an unknown man
With his white T-Shirt in hand Daniel walks past the relief on the wall
Stepping out onto the dawning street towards the high grafitti wall
He pulls back a sheet of wire fencing and squeezes through the other side
In the distance Daniel can see the hilltop, his hilltop, the sun kisses it
He hesitates and falters and thinks to himself about the kindness of God
The City of Susa where Daniel lived
Daniel in his white T-Shirt and jeans
Near the swamp where the waterlillies grew
Some days he would go to the hilltop
Strip off his shirt and feel the heat of the sun
In the near cool of the night he would dance in Susa
Daniel would dance with no shoes, on the dusty ground
In a club called Shushan, called Shushan
For the City of Susa and the liberation of the people
Daniel danced for all people in his white T-Shirt
Statues of lions in relief on the wall watched him
They growled without words “Make us one, give us opportunity”
Ivri drunk with sanctuary, sang out in one word over and over
“Let, let, let, let.” the rich chant bounced around the den
Shushan. Shushan. There is safety, there is release in Susa today
“Thus saith” is far away echoeing from minds long closed
Ivri throws his hands up and shouts in triumph
Daniel stops his dance, looks over his shoulder and gives a wide smile
Someone yells “tonight there is no wall, tonight there is no wire”
The ground is stomped and rhythm and music grow as wild as the lions
The dizzying burst of freedom and acceptance continues 3 more hours
Soon the lawmakers and the nay-sayers will be opening their eyes
Prowling with their list of “Thus saith us” and their list of dissidents
For now there is love, there is kinship, there is Daniel in the arms of an unknown man
With his white T-Shirt in hand Daniel walks past the relief on the wall
Stepping out onto the dawning street towards the high grafitti wall
He pulls back a sheet of wire fencing and squeezes through the other side
In the distance Daniel can see the hilltop, his hilltop, the sun kisses it
He hesitates and falters and thinks to himself about the kindness of God
New Song
New Song
I have a new favourite song
The melody is warm and sublime
When I hear it I stop what I’m doing
and wrap myself in its lilting voice soothing as a mother’s
The piano keys trickle down and off the board
I think it is supposed to be a sad song
and I take great comfort in its minor key
I picture a perfect easy day at the first of autumn
leaves are all around to kick
and they are warmed from the sun
Two people are in love
Everything is sepia in colour as they walk down a country road
I don’t want to leave the song as it soothes and heals my spirit
Perhaps I am the woman in the song and I am in love during my favourite time of year
and he is the man walking by my side holding my hand
I have a new favourite song
The melody is warm and sublime
When I hear it I stop what I’m doing
and wrap myself in its lilting voice soothing as a mother’s
The piano keys trickle down and off the board
I think it is supposed to be a sad song
and I take great comfort in its minor key
I picture a perfect easy day at the first of autumn
leaves are all around to kick
and they are warmed from the sun
Two people are in love
Everything is sepia in colour as they walk down a country road
I don’t want to leave the song as it soothes and heals my spirit
Perhaps I am the woman in the song and I am in love during my favourite time of year
and he is the man walking by my side holding my hand
Anger Clears The Eyes
Anger clears the eyes and focuses the intent
Possibly in the wrong direction
Probably in the wrong direction
The sinuses drain and breathing becomes powerful
Like a self inflicted dragon
With a wonky eye
“Over here” yells the target of the anger
It
’s hard to move a dragon body around quickly
There is no winning
Like a game of Chinese checkers that are all one colour
Flames come out at the wrong time
And the wind blows them fiercely upward
Anger to be right is a waste of time
Anger to right a wrong must be carefully tended
Possibly in the wrong direction
Probably in the wrong direction
The sinuses drain and breathing becomes powerful
Like a self inflicted dragon
With a wonky eye
“Over here” yells the target of the anger
It
’s hard to move a dragon body around quickly
There is no winning
Like a game of Chinese checkers that are all one colour
Flames come out at the wrong time
And the wind blows them fiercely upward
Anger to be right is a waste of time
Anger to right a wrong must be carefully tended
Women Have Stronger Bones
Women have stronger bones
Women have stronger bones
In prehistory we were the same
In the beginning, there was not light
There was fire, there just was
My family came out of East Africa
150,000 years ago descended from Eve
I am the last issue from that journey
That arduous journey was made by equals
Almost 5,000 cycles of the world
Look back on this shiny bit of tin
See men of many cultures subjugating
Females slowly become property
Why?
In Canada, in 1928, in the year my aunt was born
29 years after my grandmother was born
Women were granted the status of “persons”
They were always persons
Women have stronger bones
Lying under their masters
They do not break or crack
But give life
Women have stronger bones
Women have stronger bones
In prehistory we were the same
In the beginning, there was not light
There was fire, there just was
My family came out of East Africa
150,000 years ago descended from Eve
I am the last issue from that journey
That arduous journey was made by equals
Almost 5,000 cycles of the world
Look back on this shiny bit of tin
See men of many cultures subjugating
Females slowly become property
Why?
In Canada, in 1928, in the year my aunt was born
29 years after my grandmother was born
Women were granted the status of “persons”
They were always persons
Women have stronger bones
Lying under their masters
They do not break or crack
But give life
Women have stronger bones
The Birds Know More Than I Do
The birds know more than I do
The birds know more than I do
They sing and call in the fog
Before dawn
They sense the rising of the sun
Giver of all life in the still
In the rootedness
The unseen birds see
And feel the chilled air
A dance of now begins
I smell their language
As they spell out to join them
To reconnect with our mother
In the moment crossing souls
They must think me very dull
And lacking understanding
Mistrust travels through the fog
I suspect that this was not always this way
Somehow I have lost my way
And become deaf
Like a stone
Like a predator
But they sing
And it is for me to puzzle
Their ancient chanting
It is for me to glean the eternal
And the now
From creatures that know more than I do
The birds know more than I do
They sing and call in the fog
Before dawn
They sense the rising of the sun
Giver of all life in the still
In the rootedness
The unseen birds see
And feel the chilled air
A dance of now begins
I smell their language
As they spell out to join them
To reconnect with our mother
In the moment crossing souls
They must think me very dull
And lacking understanding
Mistrust travels through the fog
I suspect that this was not always this way
Somehow I have lost my way
And become deaf
Like a stone
Like a predator
But they sing
And it is for me to puzzle
Their ancient chanting
It is for me to glean the eternal
And the now
From creatures that know more than I do
Shadow Woman
Shadow Woman
See that
You are that shadow
A shadow only existing from a street light
In the deepest dark
Cast large on the walk way
Without substance or reality
A mere inflated image
We name you The Adult
Take a good and long look
This is all you are
All out of proportion
Surrounded by back light and bluster
Broad shoulders and a tiny head
By morning’s light
Your skulking will be done
You, The Adult
Will have your prowess turned inward
And a shaky faint dictatorship will ensue
How vunerable you are at 2 in the morning
With a cigarette between your living scorn and contempt
I cannot speak for others
At full light you attempt to lord over us again
As nature cycles through another day
With rules that make little sense
Backed up by a society that makes even less sense
But 2 o’clock will come again
As sure as the ancients worshipped the sun and the moon
And then you will be a shadow
A nothing
An illusion
This is your reality
See that
You are that shadow
A shadow only existing from a street light
In the deepest dark
Cast large on the walk way
Without substance or reality
A mere inflated image
We name you The Adult
Take a good and long look
This is all you are
All out of proportion
Surrounded by back light and bluster
Broad shoulders and a tiny head
By morning’s light
Your skulking will be done
You, The Adult
Will have your prowess turned inward
And a shaky faint dictatorship will ensue
How vunerable you are at 2 in the morning
With a cigarette between your living scorn and contempt
I cannot speak for others
At full light you attempt to lord over us again
As nature cycles through another day
With rules that make little sense
Backed up by a society that makes even less sense
But 2 o’clock will come again
As sure as the ancients worshipped the sun and the moon
And then you will be a shadow
A nothing
An illusion
This is your reality
Peppy Blithe Mary Died
Peppy blithe Mary died
Now, I am only repeating what Helen said
Peppy blithe Mary died
Of a horrendous disease that had no cure
It was carried by large potato bugs
That lived in damp basements
And didn’t eat potatoes
That happy chipper bitch bit it
In such a horrible way
First there were the chills then the fever
Then the chills again
And disgusting oozy scabs all over her 120 pound perfect body
Laughing sunny Miss Meyer hyphen Smith with a Y
Spent 7 angonizing days and nights
With bleeding eyes and pounding temples
Her toes turned black and curled toward her middle
Then the flies began to buzz and the crows began to caw
Perky lively MM hyphen S whore
Died twice. They revived her
As a feeble addled grotesquely puss-y chilly hot thing
That flies and crows really like a lot
Then when she died again she exploded
And it took a team of 12 specialists 4 days to put her back together
To bury her properly you know, like a jigsaw puzzle
Bless her heart, our dear cheerful delightful sparkling Mary
Now, I am only repeating what Helen said
Helen disliked Mary, but not in a bad way
Now, I am only repeating what Helen said
Peppy blithe Mary died
Of a horrendous disease that had no cure
It was carried by large potato bugs
That lived in damp basements
And didn’t eat potatoes
That happy chipper bitch bit it
In such a horrible way
First there were the chills then the fever
Then the chills again
And disgusting oozy scabs all over her 120 pound perfect body
Laughing sunny Miss Meyer hyphen Smith with a Y
Spent 7 angonizing days and nights
With bleeding eyes and pounding temples
Her toes turned black and curled toward her middle
Then the flies began to buzz and the crows began to caw
Perky lively MM hyphen S whore
Died twice. They revived her
As a feeble addled grotesquely puss-y chilly hot thing
That flies and crows really like a lot
Then when she died again she exploded
And it took a team of 12 specialists 4 days to put her back together
To bury her properly you know, like a jigsaw puzzle
Bless her heart, our dear cheerful delightful sparkling Mary
Now, I am only repeating what Helen said
Helen disliked Mary, but not in a bad way
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