The sun never settles in the dark;
The darkness dissipates one second interval;
Atmospheric change instantaneous;
Start has no place to run;
1 second contingency.;
Lingering spiring shadows;
Have no effect on me;
I am the speck of light;
One ditto, one spark;
Diminishes darkness;
8/28/26
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr 2026
Beneath the laminated heavens built for you and I,
memories in turn of century cylinders are lost and
passing by. They beckon with a wail and personal applause
Inviting you to join, before the day withdraws.
Ignore the early stations, lost in their vignettes -
A reservoir of gemini left purling in its wake,
the scent of east-side lobster served well past its date,
daylight wasting in a condo twice sublet,
and elderflower friends that you have never MET.
Depart at Bowery and look for me -
where excess steam exhales forgotten memories
whispered out by cafes turned to sensory
bazaars, and dissipates among avowals left undone
by boys preoccupied by counting stars, not suns.
Exhausting spirits in proportion to their zinfandel -
Until you wander back by east-side locking doors,
past sleeping cats in midnight grocery stores,
at last to sunken homes with tortoise shells
to sleep beneath the echoes of farewells.
Written 24th August, 2026 for Epiphany Poetry Contest sponsored by Constance La France
The ironbark stands rigid in the heat,
shedding strips of gray to dry red earth.
For hours, the cicada hum is absolute,
a wall of sound that blurs the horizon,
then, the hot wind drops.
Smoke from a distant ridge dissipates,
and the canopy splinters the harsh sun
into a thousand sudden, golden prisms.
In that quiet fracture of the afternoon,
the answer settles over the sandstone.
It is not a shout, but the shedding of weight.
It is the ghost gum stepping out of its old skin,
revealing the pale, unblemished wood beneath,
breathing in the newly altered light.
Painting: The Scream by Edvard Munch
my sweaty palms grip
the sides of my head
eyes wide with terror
a shrill scream rises
in my throat
my stomach is twisted
in Gordion knots
my feet are welded
to the pavement
my knees begin
to buckle
I feel thirty pairs of eyes
staring straight
through me
suddenly my mood
dissipates
thank goodness the tiny
green garter snake
has darted into the bushes
A cacophony of sound surrounds me,
As dissonant music blares into my mind.
I sit in front of my computer
to type away my latest poem.
"Are these your dirty shoes, dear?
We have a rack for them, you know."
"Why is our towel soiled, dear?
Were you fiddling with your car?"
Whining and carping, objecting and wailing.
Oh, for a precious moment of silence,
That I might be alone
That I may be allowed to concentrate
On my tenuous inspiration
Before it dissipates
Into its normal useless insubstantiality!
Gone is my poem, like a frightened bird.
Far-hilled source of all troubles dissipates.
Closer illuminates
O'er world, uprooted, this fair sign of hope:
Rainbow; a smile creates!
Borrow but two ounces of earthly ink
to dye the mountains, waters and blossoms in sync.
Plead three cups of mortal tea,
to hope, to dream, to laugh and weep.
Discern oneself from the bustling day
and distinguish the green from a mass of grey.
Eventually spectate a falling sun,
recall the tears and promises that came undone.
Fate came, fate went, fate dissipates
like the rain sweeps the land in cascading slates.
Don't know when the blossoms fell,
just that they could never dwell,
return one's heart to the Earth's embrace
and become part of the wind's sweet trace.
skipping, twirling, dancing,
whirling twisting turning bonfire
popping, burning, smashing,
leaving ashes, flames going higher
there is a sizzle and a whizzle to the whirling of her dance
she is a spinning, swaying, dipping, whirlwind
her super power is playing and swaying
a quintessential kind of faerie prance
her reds and oranges, splashing up into the forest air
crackling with eagerness, showing that she doth care
into the night she dissipates
forest watching, anticipates
She is showing her anger,
her rage, her honesty lovely and pure
explosive and, dangerous, she is me and I am her.
still glass of water
focus a ray of sunlight
on spot apparent
so with power of pure thought
> dissipates by scattering
from one another
through attentive love focus
penetrate shadows
see self dancing and laughing
> consider moment a blessing
mysterious moves
holograms of universe
peace and balance merge
surrender into deepest
> levels of spiritual love
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sitting in silence
the fog of all this living
slowly dissipates
like clouds clearing at sunset
like longing when it finds home
A Well-Dressed Mess
Sometimes she feels damaged and dark.
and that no one really sees or knows how deep it goes.
The contrast is stark.
Difference is night and day.
Her aura and love for others shines as bright as the sun.
While her heart is as heavy and clouded as the sky when the storm comes.
Every time, she thinks she finds a safe space to be herself… feel seen, heard and understood.
it dissipates right before her eyes…
like cotton candy in a bowl
of water.
She tries to grasp at it, but before she knows it,
it’s gone.
She finds comfort in her solace and solitude,
because she’s unmasked and declothed.
No white picket fence & garden full of roses,
with pleasant smiles and false supposes.
Just her. No expectations and room for
discernment from others. The ones who
never really see her, are the ones who
stay... She is still figuring it all out. “I'll just take it
day by day”, she says.
She’s a composed, poised and “well-dressed” mess.
Striving for independence and trying to be strong
But, constantly succumbs to emotional distress
As though she deserves it.
one deep note my love
across space fear dissipates
a sufi guitar ~
~~~~~~~
one hesitation
crimson seconds of response
fondness embrace waist ~
~~~~~~~~
response meets request
one withdrawal in tart time
fear was still abreast ~
~~~~~~~
tear trickles down cheek
tactic is but silver fork
melting in fire ~
~~~~~~~~
face of love aware
awakening bountiful
funny is fire ~
~~~~~~~~~~
questioning quiet
questing luminal lively
unfathomable ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raw, unfiltered anger, it’s all that I know. Constantly
Aggravated by worthless pieces of scum that I struggle
Getting off of my shoes. A nasty glare, a hostile retort,
Everything and anything can, and will, fan the flame.
After the infliction, what happens then? A swelling, a vicious,
Nasty swelling in the throat. A horrible torrent of flames threatens to
Destroy all in its path. Words of pure venom threaten to spew out.
Harrowing to myself and others, I know this to be so. But, like a sore
Affliction or rash, it never truly dissipates. It only subsides, a dormant ember
That flickers in the inky darkness until some ignorant cretin ignites it again.
Red, red, red! Blinding, sizzling-hot red is all I see. Pure and unfiltered
Evil that only cares for spreading vile hatred and destruction. Suddenly, the
Devil is fatigued. It sinks into the abyss, dormant. But not for long.
[Note : For FINISH MY POEM CONTEST
Sponsor: Mystic Rose Rose
Tuesday 15/4/25
1st two verses by Mystic Rose Rose ]
(3rd Placing in Contest)
As she drinks nectar from a flower, sweetness from heaven falls like dew
anointed with a gentle rain amidst sun showers she appears as if on cue
Lifting her wings she lands on a Zinnia beneath a tinted sky of April blue
flight of fancy fanning fast, fabulous marvel, she is beauty true on true
Two papyrus thin wings of buttercup yellow
she flutters in and out of my garden Heart
it is freedom she brings, cares not for bellow
I crave to join her, finish my art, baking tarts
Her proboscis deliciously delicately long
into a lonely red rose she inserts it so precise
inspiring me to dance to a super Spring song
her wings like my breath dissipates every vice
Oh Butterfly ! Take me with on your fanciful flight
daisy fields, mountain streams to desired Eden
let’s go where no cares air, just serene sights
fairies composing tunes for whispering women !
stirring
with
silver
throated
chirrups
cherry
sonata
soothing
serenade
beauteous
rhythm
mid-morning
mood
tunnel of cell tone
dissipates
drowned
by
delirious
elixir of solitude
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