power
a winter’s wind…
by River Urke and Charles Wm. Martin
these things you hold so dear
cradled in your hands
as if a delicate bloom
are mere shadows of your past
you long to hold as it was
cradling a memory
framed in yesterday
unwilling to set him free
but he is not yours to hold
he belongs to a winter’s wind
flowing through these barren trees
like his fingers once in your long hair
combing the woven threads of knowledge
the tangled web of life’s intrinsic collective
delicately kissing a union of unattainable love
knowing he has to walk the paths not taken
your ache bears the weight of drowned tears
tears flowing from a thousand souls
abandoned by the gods of peace
and so each warrior must leave this place
and those he loves for one last futile battle
a battle of man against the natural world
a ludicrous yet crucial clash of power
he stands not with men ~horrified by
the hundreds of years of rap and pillage
leaving the earth a barren tract of sand
sand moving in the hour-glass of history
through this narrow passage way of fate
to where his death will be found
the mere moment you know, stabbed
your heart bleeds for you and your unborn
a wail of agony escapes through silent cries
the loss of your beloved, her father
the time is here to set him free
his soul flies with a winters wind
Once again River Urke and I have entered into a duel poetry challenge and this is the resulting poem. Duel Poetry: a prearranged poetry writing challenge between two people to evolve a new poem where each writer must respond to the other writer’s lines (4 -5 ) until both parties agree that the poem is complete.
caution high voltage lines…
My friend Toni Cross has done it again…presented me with a photo and challenged me to write a poem based upon what I see…without any background information …just based upon what I see….of course in the true spirit of poetic brother/sisterhood I have sent her a photograph with the same detailed information that she provided me….I certainly hope you enjoy each of our poems.
Challelnge Photo From Toni L. Cross
sorry
i have some
bad news
for you
the power
has been off for years
in this damn societal enclave
the only thing running through
these lines
is yesterday’s dreams
this recycled ball of trash
that we have been living on
ain’t worth the cost
of the security system
we keep spending billions
on a worn out corner of the globe
that erupts in smoke and ash
flowing with blood-red lava
through the veins of history
shakin’ like some old damn car
just before the wheels fall off
yet
folks we elect
keep telling us
for national security
we must spend more
for an old wooden door
with rusty hinges
shut tight
years ago
with nails
of fate
and
neglect
for true
human
rights
and the unicorns shall come down with them….
From Constant's Theodora
once the unicorns
roamed these lands
and created the thunder without rain
but there was a kingdom
where every king was
given
and buried with
a crown inlaid with the magical pearl
of a unicorn’s horn
it was the king’s birthright
the unicorn’s great strength
and independence
made for a fine image for a new king
but their numbers began to dwindle
some were hunted just for sport
others for human fuel
burning as the finest of oils
the horns were tossed aside
and buried
so as not to challenge the king’s power
but soon their numbers
were few
and finally one remained
so when the new king
was crowned
the ground was soaked
with its blood
and the last
unicorn
was gone
it was his birthright
you see
voting for a killdeer…
lies do not hide in the shadows
they stand in plain sight
knowing that you would not suspect
that they would stand so close to the truth
they know you’ve been trained
to avoid the avoiders
so they meet you head on
admitting to weaknesses
weaknesses
contrived for the conversation
so as to impart to you
some sense of power over them
knowing all the while
you do not matter
nor will you even care
when this day is done
cast your vote
kiss my ring
and lets
be done with this
Image of Kill Deer from Google
I must replace my dream catcher…
while dreaming last night
i found myself swimming by the sea
in the warm waters of expectations
when the red ball appeared
so i pursued it
as i did in my youth
finding my body transformed
into a golden koi
struggling against the current
i saw the ball within my reach
but it dove beneath the waves
and i with no thought of tomorrow
followed it like a man possessed
lusting after its power
so willingly forfeiting my soul
in pursuit of this prize
but without warning
the sea became black
the blackness filled my lungs
each breath pierced them
like a razor’s edge
cutting deeper
and deeper
until i was the blackness
floating as a unified corpse
with others in the blackness
trapped in the tidal flow
consuming all in our path
bringing them into the darkness
grasping all that lived
and as we reached the shore
i awoke in a cold sweat
tears streaming down my face
for i knew the nightmare
had just
begun
Read Between the Minds 