Forthright

The T
with its crosshairs
feathered with aech
and too
are used as wings
in a word-Truth-
with you in the middle.
The angels arrow
hits the squinted bullseye,
stuck in a black hole lie.




Painting by Giovanni Baglione, The Divine Eros defeats the earthly Eros (c.1602), [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Sign language

Early,
I learned to yell with horses,
assert my stubborn will with weight
and quiet hands-
neigh.

Nay-
I remember not getting anywhere
faster than a cheetah, as
likewise, the robin flees before the race
we all jump the gun-alert and
early.

A wild child-yet unbroke
and the mustang duo, run like there is no
Lands End-
Let us pretend too,
hills only roll gently
circling round the plain...

Flowers sway and manes fly,
entangling tendrils and thrills-
with that type of wind
that blows her name-Gale
fast and hard.

I have found where thunder settles
down and grazes.

And did I ride bareback-
harness-less-Yes.
I confess,
I stole many horses
with my bare hands
rhetorically.

A bit and bridle, only
belong here,
reined in poetry
as this is memory
Now
ad Again.

I think of signs,
like lightening
and stalled horses
and understand
plain screams,
and freedom.


Photo By National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Katie Theule, photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Drought & doubt (Haiku)

Greening of the grass-
fruitless as the conifer,
ripe for a reason.



Photo By Rosendahl [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Eve(ning) (Haiku)

Under bamboo ribs

the Fall; leaves expose yellow gold

slanted shadows lie.

Attributed to Kanō Eitoku (狩野永徳) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

In other wor(l)ds (Haiku)

Sat-com: men build rockets
to penetrate atmosphere
beyond metaphor.


Photo By U.S. Air Force [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Color transfusion

September, said the sky
stirring the air into a bitter frenzy.
With tension
teeth bared, her clouds growl while
making steel eyes squint back
for clarity between greys.

A breath of earth seeking rain.

Pastels all put away,
slate carries excess white,
backing black and blue up-
on sun less days.
The sky fell into our lap,
sobbing at her reflection.

Autumn yellow goes red
where the seasons bled
(out).




Painting by Johan Christian Dahl [Public domain], Cloud Study over flat landscape (1837) via Wikimedia Commons.

Rememberance

I see myself
in the thicket-as a little girl
with a gleam in her eye
and beat in her step...

She skips along the wooden planks
deep inside the Olympic rainforest-
well ahead of the rest.

She hums
and notices her small feet-
Left...
Left...
Left-                 Right-
Left-
(and nothing but gingerbread left...)

Sing the Song, they pled,
their wise eyes smiling wide
and iron-shod feet shuffling
a long...

"'Twas in Yokohama,
I met this-black mamba-"

No, no, no-Not wrong!
use the words I taught you,
my grandfather groaned.

"'Twas in Yokohama, I met this hot mama
selling radishes, octopus, 
rice and dried squid..."

What was her name,
the other old GI Joe requested-

"Her name was Suzuki,
she was a sharp looking cookie
and she was built like
Brick Chicken House!"

The old men giggled gaily
at the little memory
of their recondite life, that day they
Left the wife
lost in translation
under tropical reverie
the next generation, skipping
a long...

"Chick-a-dee, chik-a-doo
chick-ah-ku, chikaku"



Photo By Unknown or not provided (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Conifer seedling arising from charred Timberland (post clear cut) Olympic National Timberland.