Slumbers' Kiss

crickets sing gently
beneath the moon's lushes glow
waking dreams behind closed eyes

car horns serenade
beneath flashing neon lights
coaxing dreams to steal the night

---

A note on form:  One form I have found interesting is the sedōka.  Being an ancient Japanese form predating the haiku, there is little about this form for an unschooled poet who relies on the internet for information.  It has been linked with the choka, tanka, and katauta.  Most closely it is related to the katauta; I have found sources that state the katauta is 5-7-7 and/or 5-7-5 (like a haiku, but without the nature link).  The form is known as a half-song...putting two together (in the 5-7-7 version) creates a sedōka.  My first exposure to the sedōka stated it was often a pair of individual poems (able to stand on their own) that addressed the same subject in a different manner.  I think this is what I like most about the form.  There is also sources that indicate this pairing was an exchange between lovers.  I prefer to link that instead with the katauta with the idea that two different individuals are writing in a call-n-response form.  I have been exploring this notion in a series called A Tale of Love (and Woe) - Lovers' Song.  Tomorrow I will be sharing the 8th piece in the series.

More than Me (alt. title: I Need to Get Over Myself)

I want to say something
     not nothing

I read the other day
about 'perfection paralysis'

the inability to
     put pen to paper
           fingers to keyboard
           life o words
for fear of not
     being perfect

& I thought
                   "Wow,
that's me!"

so caught up with all of me that
is imperfect, I
long for something
             something
             something that
is perfect

& it's not about the words I choose
    though
that definitely plays a part
     but

I want to say something
     not nothing

I want my words to resonate
to mean something
outside of the nothing that is me

I'm not paralyzed by the imperfection
     of my words

I'm paralyzed by the perfection of others'

beauty pours from their lips
heart scrawls across napkins
truth stains their fingers

& I sit
so caught up in the nothing of me
that I grasp at straws for something
                                      something
                                      something more

than me

Crazy & Old – Yes, but Cats – No

They say every girl dreams
        about her wedding day;

I'm not
            "every" girl.

I wonder if I knew
        even back then

        (though fond of felines)
how reluctant I would be
to adopt a cat.

In the End, It Is for Me Alone

Selfishness,
the ability to put one's self
before others
a quality I lack
with regret
for those moments
of pain
which tear through me
at times

Selfishness,
the ability to disregard others
in self gain
a characteristic I view
with envy
for to cut away the pain
which consumes
would take one single selfish act
ending it all

Selflessness,
the ability to look past one's self
at others
a quality I exude
with glee
for those pained moments
are few
which leaves many wondrous experiences
to live.

---

Inspiration for this post:  I wrote the above piece back in September of 2004.  I felt, with this being National Suicide Prevention Week, this was a relevant write.  I admit it is an unusual and odd train of thought, but that is often the case with me...odd and unusual.  Honestly, aside from the use of the word "few" at the end there, I still hear echos of this train of thought.   

Bringing Light to Darkness

Inspiration for this post:  This is the convergence of what I feel must be non-coincidences.  Over at dVerse, the topic is "Bringing Light to Darkenss."  Shortly after reading the post, I was browsing through my tumblr feed and came across a post by Tyler Knott (see below), which reminded me of the fact that this is National Suicide Prevention Week.  I admit, for me, far too often "darkness" links to "depression."  I would not be true to myself if I tried to unearth some other version of darkness for this prompt.  So...I have two pieces at the moment (in honor of today which is World Suicide Prevention Day)...and another coming tomorrow (in continued celebration of this week).  While I'm sure I could dig up quite a number of pieces that fit the prompt, I thought I'd keep things simple.  The first piece, Still, (created using an app called Poetics) I feel says quite a lot in just TenWords.  The second is a piece entitled Origami Hope.

Still

---

Origami Hope

Hope brings tears to my eyes;
logic would assign these precious pearls
with a joyous & uplifting tempo,

but tears are a fickle thing,
their truth held only
in the eyes shedding them.
yes,

        hope brings tears to the surface,
but they are sad
                           dark
                                    su
                                       ff
                                         o
                                     cat
                                   in
                                      g
                                           streams
threatening to consume.

Sometimes I think
                               if I could
I would fold every single hope lying within me
    up
into tiny little paper seeds
& blow them away
leaving me a bald dandelion head
bowed in the darkness where light
cannot trick me into feeling
                                              more.

but I know
                   I'd shed tears
                                         for their loss.

(what am I without hope?)

I'd rather watch those tiny white puffs
float along my dark oceanic tears–

     life rafts for me to cling to
     as the darkness looks to pull
                                            me
                                          under.

---

Post by Tyler Knott

TWLOHA's 2014 Campaign
for National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW14)

"There Is Still Some Time"
poster based on blog post
by Jamie Tworkowski, TWLOHA Founder.

Fly Swatters & Motorcycles

The side view mirror announced
its presence even before
I heard it buzz on by me

& I couldn't help wonder
what it might be like to
ride a bumble bee

leaning to one side where feet
could easily touch asphalt
& glide in between empty

spaces careful not to taste
metal which can easily
squash it like a bug

---

Inspiration for this piece:  I was driving home yesterday and a yellow motorcycle passed me by.  (Never ridden a motorcycle before.)  That coupled with the buzzing bees that had been disturbing me earlier in the day lead me here.

Lune: Sweet Spot

Music Workshop at Castle Goldrain
by Claudia Schoenfeld

Lune:  Sweet Spot

#1 (Kelly Lune)
notes kissing earlobes
awaken
passion deep within

#2 (Collom Lune)
it's the sax
with notes slow dancing together
that seduces me

---

Inspiration for this piece:  If only I could be this good after 9 months...over at dVerse Poets Pub, the walls have been decorated with some lovely artwork by one of the dVerse community members, pubtender and proprietors of the pub.  You can learn more about Claudia and her art at dVerse: Poetics - Sketching it Out, check out her work on Flicker, or her poetry at jaywalking the moon.