Category Archives: New Writing

The Sound

7 Replies

The Sound

 

Today the sound of rain is over my head, in the leaves.
For a month it will get more and more silent

As the canopy thins, even as each drop more directly
hits its mark it will be more and more like a whisper

of something going away, until the level of leaf is ground
and then in the first cold rain a new sound like a cough

rattling to life instead of death, louder and colder will
arise from the earth, for a few times anyway reminding

us that nothing not even death stops talking until the
first snowflake tells it utterly and quietly to shut up.

Psalm

5 Replies

Psalm

 

So where is the past? Is it the terrain
in periphery, never the destination

but whose contours shape the weather?
Is it the icy light the moon reflects

on the tracks of things before me?
Wonderful deeds have we done, and

fearful things. They lay across the path
of parting like roots or over-hang

my steps with shade and snakes.
I do not wish to look

back. I only need to know
from which direction will come

the monster-god it has nurtured
to replace me so that I may stand

before him in the breach to turn away
his wrath, convince this pale reflection

that it could be a kinder god

Lines Written After Encountering a Cat in My House, #1

5 Replies

Lines Written After Encountering a Cat in My House, #1

 

The darkness of a cat sliding past me on its way
up the stairs as I descend can seem symbolic

of a missed opportunity or something passing by
I should have paid more attention to on my way

to put out the trash but in reality I still got the trash
put out and a cat passing by in the dark on the stairs

is never an opportunity even in this ankle deep silence

The Present [#FullMoonSocial2014]

5 Replies

The Present

 

O star you should have known
not even your memory will eclipse you

No distance will establish a shadow
between this heart and yours

The light that comes back to me
from something larger—is it

not my own joy which without you
I would never know?

Framework [#FullMoonSocial2014]

5 Replies

Framework

 

You sleep beneath a quilt of moonlight.
As I cut off the lamp across the room

and walk into darkness the heavenly
body brightens. There is just enough

room for me, pushing aside a dog
or two, to press against you, fall in

to the rhythm of your breathing,
our dreams mountains on the moon

 

Suggestion, Just Before Sunrise, Cemetery Hillside [#FullMoonSocial2014]

5 Replies

Suggestion, Just Before Sunrise, Cemetery Hillside

 

Loblolly pines peel away from the paling sky
looking back on their roots.

Over one’s shoulder the full moon
eclipsed on the western horizon’s

almost an after-thought. As indirect
light rises from the ground below us men come,

constructing the canopy tent for the next
funeral. Ground fog further east glows

red and headlights are no longer
necessary to see where you’re going.

Early Morning Sky

Leave a reply

Early Morning Sky

 

Underlit clouds reach across the new day’s ceiling
like a giant hand trying to trap something.

Or save someone. But I’m hidden beneath these trees
and houses. It goes on, drifts beyond, the wrong way.

Full Moon Poetry Party — #FullMoonSocial2014

42 Replies

fullmoon1

Let’s harmonize with the Ancients, and each other.

 

On October 8th, the full moon rises. In the hours it’s alight, let’s do like the Ancients do, and send out a poem to those we’re thinking about but cannot be with, or to each other, or simply to the moon itself.

In a wrinkle on the tradition of Full Moon parties, let’s post our poems on WordPress and tag them “fullmoonsocial2014” and/or on Twitter and hashtag them #FullMoonSocial2014.

Let’s celebrate together this next full moon! Also, if you’re interested in having your poem included in a free epub anthology linking to your blog or website, leave a comment below with a simple “put me in the anthology.” If enough people are interested I will put it together and it will be available on this site and free.

What do you think? If you’re in, feel free to let your poet friends know, and reblog this post if desired. This is not about an edited anthology, this is not a competition. This is not about making money or marketing–this is just plain a full moon social celebration. a time we can share together, as poets and readers, the things and people we love, no matter where we are when the moon rises on October 8th.

Full moon rising and setting times can be found here, and I’ve included a few sample times below. http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/

FULL MOON RISING AND SETTING TIMES, OCT 8 2014

Staunton, VA — OCT 8 7:01 PM to 8:30 AM OCT 9
Kansas City, MO — OCT 8 7:07 PM to 8:38 AM OCT 9
Austin, TX —  OCT 8 7:48 PM to 8:41 AM OCT 9
Los Angeles, CA — OCT 8 6:49 PM to 8:11 AM OCT 9
Seattle, WA — OCT 8 6:50 PM to 8:48 PM OCT 9

Istanbul, Turkey — OCT 8 6:37 PM to 8:03 AM OCT 9
Hong Kong — OCT 8 5:59 PM to 6:49 AM OCT 9
Manila, Philippines — OCT 8 5:35 PM to 6:16 AM OCT 9

 

 

 

 

 

October 4

2 Replies

October 4

 

A night too cold for crickets. The moon crested
the rocky crust of the east a full two hours

before sunset, a beacon over the reddening
mountain shaped clouds inhaling the last

of the sun. Eighty five point something percent
full, isn’t that enough for this to reach you?

Reflections, Early October Rain

3 Replies

Reflections, Early October Rain

 

In the rain on the street’s surface
each house shimmers its inner life

when my eyes water with memory
the homes break into ten thousand drops