Longing
by Michael R. Burch
We stare out at the cold gray sea,
overcome
with such sudden and intense longing . . .
our eyes meet,
inviolate,
and we are not of this earth,
this strange, inert mass.
Before we crept
out of the shoals of the inchoate sea,
before we grew
the quaint appendages
and orifices of love . . .
before our jellylike nuclei,
struggling to be hearts,
leapt
at the sight of that first bright, oracular sun,
then watched it plummet,
the birth and death of our illumination . . .
before we wept . . .
before we knew . . .
before our unformed hearts grew numb,
once again,
in the depths of the sea’s indecipherable darkness . . .
When we were only
a swirling profusion of recombinant things
wafting loose silt from the sea’s soft floor,
writhing and sucking in convulsive beds
of mucousy foliage,
flowering,
flowering,
flowering . . .
what jolted us to life?
Keywords/Tags: life, evolution, love, desire, longing, passion, lust, sex, sexuality, relationship, chemistry, biology, hormones, appendages, orifices
Categories:
appendages, desire, life, longing, love,
Form: Free verse
Thirty-two appendages is what I count.
Toes and fingers totaling twenty.
Lower and upper legs and arms equal eight.
Hands and feet rounded to four.
Is that what you count?
Is that what you found?
Or did you count
appendages more?
Categories:
appendages, self,
Form: Light Verse
What is the difference between:
I like you,
I love you, and
God loves you?
Socrates said:
“When you like a flower, you just pluck it,
When you love a flower, you water it daily!
One who understands this, understands life…”
But when you plant new flowers
Around the flower that you love,
You create a garden
And your flower, no longer alone,
Is doubly blessed…
One who understands this, begins to understand God*…
We are all His Children!
When we add our imaginations to His Creation,
Splashing color from the rainbow of our souls,
God* is frequently moved to tears of joy…
Brian Johnston
October 9,2015
Poet’s Note:
With special thanks to the Socrates** (not Buddha it seems), to God’s Word in the Bible, to my own muse, and to special friends like Mbono Dube on FaceBook.com, for the flowers that they plant in our gardens.
*God - The "God" that I worship and believe exists at least. If you don't believe in Him, believe at least that I am sure He forgives you and so do I. We all are covered by His Grace.
**See Fakebuddhaquotes.com.
Categories:
appendages, faith, life,
Form: Prose Poetry
Auricular Appendages
She hears the gentle stirring of the womb
rejoices in the musical duet
attunes herself forever to this tone
a beacon that will always lead to home
tuning forks that vibrate – each - as one
She understands a language – ever new
attuned to eyes and grins and coos
perceives the gentle inquiries of touch
a living mobile swaying in the hush.
She’ll sit – distracted
listen to unspoken tears
longing to erase a heart’s first sting
bake – chocolate chip hugs.
She will wince at the sounds of loneliness,
closed doors and silence,
a distance that magnifies the noise,
quiet waiting that endures
the pangs of life’s demanding growth.
She hears all of what we say – and don’t.
5/2/2015
submitted to - A Mother’s Ears – Poetry Contest
sponsor – Craig Cornish
Categories:
appendages, children, mother,
Form: Free verse