2020 - The Wabi-Sabi Writer

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Wabi-Sabi Warrior
October 31, 2020 2 Comments

When will I wander

into my knowing

I am 

worthy


When will I wander

into the safety

of your 

embrace


For I am

a child

of

light


One who wanders

the endless dark

like the stars

planēta

on the path

of

shadow


When will I wander

through 

tearing tangles

bruising brambles

 time's thorn

and at last

see

the scabbed scar

truth

that my beauty

is 

in

my

imperfections


 long

have I 

wandered

 this world


long

have I

circled

the

sun


Forever falling

into

the

gravity

 of knowing

of accepting

of being


who I am

who am I?


 I am

a

wabi-sabi

warrior



October Poetry Writing Month 2020

Day 31 of 31   


Inspired by the word prompt:

worthy, embrace, light, dark, shadow, imperfections warrior

Image Courtesy of © J. Felice Boucher, Black Birds from "Wabi Sabi"




 

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Friday, October 30, 2020

Spoon
October 30, 2020 2 Comments


As long as I can remember

you cupped me

in comfort

always

there

when I would crawl

into the bowing bed

beside you

curving around

you

a collapsed c

spread

past the midline

I would mold

to your shape

I was the shadow

cast long

in the autumn afternoon


If I woke you

the guttural

growl

and

shove

soon followed

so in stealth

I would slither

a silk sleeved serpent

tucking in

around your warm body

melting into liquid

that could fill any space

then the dance begins

all night

tossing

turning

twisting

leg over hip

arm overhead


like being locked in

 the weathered white

roller coaster

at Whalom park

You made me feel safe

enough to brave

the final drop-off 


October Poetry Writing Month 2020

Day 30 of 31   

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Thursday, October 29, 2020

Derailment
October 29, 2020 2 Comments

 

I remember

walking the tracks

of our childhood

woven past the cemetary

filled with fictions

of forgotten souls


Together, we

laid down ties

in the long grass fields

filled with lies

and sticky milkweed cotton

on off Lord road


140,000 miles

of tracks

to travel

in this land 

we call home


They say 

it is against the law

of this land

to place

a penny

on the hot rolled steel

still we dared

flatten a few

for fun

never fearing

click-clack

contact

consequences

in the muggy Autum night


it wasn't until

that 

time


I walked

the empty Elk Grove tracks 

with your babies

beside me

staring out 

the horizon aching

in its endless expanse

I hear my words 

like the train whistle

in the wind


The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   
But I have promises to keep,   
And miles to go before I sleep,   
And miles to go before I sleep.



October Poetry Writing Month 2020

Day 29 of 31   


Inspired by the prompt to write a poem about tracks

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Covid CPR
October 28, 20201 Comments

We coded another man this afternoon

cracked his ribs

like twigs 

under foot

on a scorched

forest floor

splintering

bones

at 104 beats per minute

the staying alive

meter

that was never going to work


Everything

is a violent request now

sometimes

it is futile


That man

that song


Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive


that sound

sternum snapping


Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive


stayed on my mind

all day

all night

It is 3 am now

and I cannot 

shake him


there is another

refrigerated truck

outside the hospital

it does not feel as startling

as the first

it feels

inevitable

of course there would be two

the fancy ones

have shelving

so the bodies

do not have to be

piled on top

of each other


this virus

an unwelcome guest

settles in

 deep

impervious

taking up

all the air

in the room


it is hard

to

breathe


just

bearing witness

shortens

my

breath


We all need some extra air

to keep

 stayin' alive


Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive



October Poetry Writing Month 2020

 Day 28 of 31    

Lyrics: Bee Gees Stayin Alive Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack 1977




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Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Flow of Light
October 27, 20200 Comments

 


Choose the path

follow your 

nature

calling

allow the pull

fall into flow

map

your course

run 

around

boundaries

rules

impediments

practice

consistency

set 

sacred

time

trust

yourself

clear the way

welcome

on stage

inspiration

create

mind

space

calm

clear

simply 

breathe

your

net

will 

catch you

and

your

words

will

keep

you

afloat



October Poetry Writing Month 2020

 Day 27 of 31   


Image Credit: American Technology Society    

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Monday, October 26, 2020

Solitude and Silence
October 26, 2020 3 Comments


Beauty Calls

in the waning

shadow

of a desert moon


The pack

howls

in mourning

in celebration

of youth


stolen

forgotten


 circles

commune

closer

to guard

the wounded

souls

seeking

salvation


I sit

alone

a lioness

listening

to wolf-song

echoing

across

the valley

of

death


I know this place well

It calls my name

but I refuse

to call 

it

home




October Poetry Writing Month 2020

 Day 26 of 31       

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Sunday, October 25, 2020

Desire
October 25, 2020 3 Comments

 

she watched him

watch her

closely

as he moved

fluid

and 

firm

across her thoughts


holding

hands


loosely

palms

grow

moist


holding

on


the glass half full 

of unctuous red

intentions


holding

out

 

perhaps it is best

to put it all out

on the table


holding

still


mouths opening

opening to receive

a spoonful

just

a taste


feel

the low

rumbling

the deep

stirring

an urge

on the edge

of a need



October Poetry Writing Month 2020

 Day 25 of 31       

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Saturday, October 24, 2020

9

Friday, October 23, 2020

Baise-moi

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Fallow land

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Vagitus Uterinus
October 21, 20201 Comments


I almost forgot

my place

re-reading

my choices

like chapters 

words

written

without

recollection


I crawl 

out of the comfort

of deliberate

denial

where I curl

nose

to

knee

in the womb

of dreams


listen 

here it is

 the first

cry


hear

it is

at last

proof

of 

life 


October Poetry Writing Month 2020

 Day 21 of 31     

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Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Esalen
October 20, 2020 4 Comments

This place

This place by the sea

a sea

that knows 

my name

calls forth

all the aching parts

and shattered pieces

of me


her 

relentless

return

to the shore

softens

my 

edges

into sea glass


I have kept

the company 

of foxes,

blue-winged birds

and the one

whose story

pulls out my truth 

like a splinter


She stands

at the jagged edge

knowing

me


She sees

me

and

pulls me in

to

the sea



October Poetry Writing Month 2020

 Day 20 of 31    

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Monday, October 19, 2020

Everyday Napkin
October 19, 20200 Comments

Pain is a demanding guest

at the table

hamfisted

grabbing 

all the attention

like buns steaming

hot from the oven


the crumbs

of intentions

cling 

to the 

corners

of the nine 

minute

napkins

our grandmother's

mother

made

on

slow

Saturday

afternoons

to pass the time


Somehow

we

make

our way

through

it


all

those

Mitered

corner

memories


locked in

a creaking cedar

hope-filled

chest

folded

and

forgotten


October Poetry Writing Month 2020

 Day 19 of 31   

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Sunday, October 18, 2020

Descending into Delta