Lies unfold askance through a peevish portal.
While devotion hesitates, mirthful moments
Lurch in churlish rhythm by mangled masses,
Slaying old treaties.
Category Archives: poetry
Cinquain/XVIII
do NOT
hammer that nail
into Johnny’s top spot;
without him, our musical grail
shall pale
———-
Cinquain XVIII was inspired by this quirky photo of John Lennon and George Harrison.
Winding Up Inside
“Beware of darkness,” you gently cry out of the blue.
L’Angelo Misterioso, if not for you — what is life?
Don’t you understand that it is light which I fear?
The darkness is why I came.
No one can escape from it — not even you.
Isn’t it a pity?
All things must pass,
so — let it down, plug me in, and let it roll
like you have no place to go.
Behind that locked door, I’d have you anytime.
It won’t take long.
Everyone has choice— it’s free!
This is the art of living.
Cinquain/XVI
brother,
when you were born
our tremendous mother
adored you, thus her tender thorn
was shorn
———————
For my brother Jason, who shines brighter than us all.
beneath that faithless sky (repost)
On the night we squeezed hands to say goodbye
the heavens were bruised so deeply
that I thought they wouldn’t heal.
Such a sky I shall never witness again.
The violet whispered of our memories.
The cornflower blue whispered of our sadness.
The indigo whispered of our fears.
The tangerine whispered of our hopes.
The coral whispered of our regrets.
The copper whispered of our pain,
and in those fretful moments before you
flew away into the blinding blackness
the scarlet wept in ecstasy of our love.
Our life, our sweetness, and our hope
do you now walk beneath that faithless sky?
And is there anyone more sorrowful than I?
I have never forgotten how the sky looked as my mother was slipping
away from us. To witness such brilliance in a time of great loss and sadness
is a gift.
Cinquain/XIV
your stone
I do despise
and so amid this groan
my heart regrets such shameful ties
to lies
———————————————-
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who was punished for his knavery by having to roll a large boulder up a hill, before it rolled back down again. He was forced to repeat this up and down cycle for eternity.
From this point on, I will only post even numbered cinquains.
Cinquain/I
we dash
down the hillside
towards the leafy brash
until our legs cry and collide
off stride
Youth
You and I
sat on the front stoop
in August
with cold beer,
watching boys on the corner
brawl over new sneaks.
Our hearts sighed
while remembering
the good days.
In our time
we didn’t give a damn hoot
about fancy shoes.
Then you barked,
“Those days weren’t so sweet.
We did some
stupid shit
that stole far more than our pride.”
For those boys, we prayed.
Cinquain/XII
her blade
rips howling veins
in a radical raid,
committing misbegotten reigns
to chains
—————
Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes is one of my favorite Baroque paintings. Judith’s beheading of Holofernes is the subject of over 100 paintings and sculptures. I recently discovered a beautiful treatment of the story by German painter August Riedel.
어둠과 함께 춤을 춘다/Dancing with the Darkness
부드러운 그 구름안에 신비감이 있다
두려움 없는 집시처럼 어둠이 온다
조만간 어둠과 나는 함께 춤추겠다
There is mystery inside of that soft cloud.
Darkness approaches like a fearless gypsy.
Before long, he and I will dance together.
sundry folly 