the maple
l o o s e n s its amber hush,
leaves drifting
in slow, deliberate strokes
around the bench
she sits
in her denim skirt
and beige sweater,
mittens cupping
the briskness
of the watercolor air
a small stack
of pale pumpkins
rests beside her~
soft autumn accents
in the muted scene
before her,
a watering can waits,
and from its spout
a rabble of butterflies
rises,
tiny brush marks
of wandering color
she gazes
to her left,
comfortable
in the silent drift
of leaves and wings~
perhaps letting her thoughts
l o o s e n
the way the season
does
Listening to songs, like turning pages of a book
Just to hear what I need to and not overlook
any insight or lesson I may need right now
All to find a way to survive longer, somehow
I need to feel the meaning, take in what I hear
in so many songs I have heard year to year
I must relax to survive all these things
and come to terms with what life brings
So, I listen to these talented people who each gave a gift
out there for us to lean on, in a life we may drift
Heidi Sands
8/22/26
(C)opyright
Sailing far beyond the fading shore,
Dusk till dawn, laboring at the oar,
Ears acquainted with the ropes and cleats,
While the mind races where the ocean meets.
Wounds of the heart evade the brush,
Loneliness weeping in the evening hush,
Smiles are buried deep and out of sight,
As hands grow frozen in the dead of night.
Dream the restless waters bloom in rows,
Where ocean winds wrap like a warm embrace,
Drift on the vessel, letting worries go,
And find your harbor in this quiet place.
NO COMPASS OR ANCHOR
….At sea
also known as my life, I drift.
I dream of wanting to have a
plan but I don’t. Letting down
people, not quite grasping
opportunities.
For I am a
non-commissioned
ensign of a boat in a storm lost
without its compass
or anchor.
I have passion and the drive
however I am fettered to a
chunk of seaweed.
It smells. It rots.
It becomes a part of me.
Oh the distant sunrise of a new day
is so far on the horizon it may as well be a grain of sand.
Small, minuscule, measly and insignificant.
Just like my remains of a past plan
long ago stranded on a desert island.
At sea also known as my life,
I drift….
“The Ten-Year Drift”
Ten years buried,
Like a cabin under frozen snow.
Surface: A sudden knock at the door.
A return of ten years.
Suspension of consciousness
I am relieved. Twist of fate;
An icy chill on a white blanket
slate, fresh skin; a new life.
As the sound of snow sonic,
pillows over the cabin.
There sits our picture.
Fades to old blue.
Once a shared shadow.
Becomes an instant replay.
We sat looking out of the window
Sharing an age-old bourbon.
Stirring in clouds, inside clouds.
A jewel in this moment,
Old friends together again.
drift, drifting, drifting
away from shore's safe harbor ....
lighthouse, restore me
Starlight spills like frost,
dusting night’s dark velvet rim.
Galaxies breathe slow~
soft lanterns in cosmic drift.
Drift away
I look at the night sky
It's dark and its broody
Clouds all surrounding
Choking the moon
I know how it feels
To be surounded in darkness
I know how it feels to be all alone.
Why would the fluffys hold on so tightly?
Don't they know,
We have to live free?
Strangles and tangles shut out our feelings,hide in the corner
I just want to be me.
Someday they'll love me,
just as I am me,
Maybe I'll drift away
Just like the Moon .
TaH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sails are spun from comet dust,
stitched with light that cannot rust.
The stars do not flicker-they hang,
constant, like distant buoys in a black ocean.
No wind here, only the pull of invisible hands
urging the ship through the dark.
Sometimes, a planet drifts by~
a stranger I will never meet.
The hull creaks, remembering Earth.
Leaves
Turn gold
Drift away
A soft descent
At the close of day
Sun shines with fading light
Air grows crisp, a gentle bite
Birds take flight, seeking warmer climes
Autumn has gently parted away
Winter chill begins to fill the space
The branches etch against the grey
Nights stretch long and shadows tall
Hidden seeds take some rest
We draw the shutters
Firm, close and tight
To welcome
Coming
Night
Dream moon gazing,
at its flit and flow,
over urban slumber,
that nocturnal bliss,
haze of radiance,
blissful balm benign,
shivery glow aligned,
dark ink canvass,
skyline thirst for,
wink and blink,
star dust menu,
green leaf copse,
smothered hedge row,
black veiled footpath,
lack of lustre,
from the heavens,
yet passing orb,
behind frilled clouds,
in spartan bounty,
might shed blob,
of lean luminance.
I rise, I spin, I float
Mind unbothered, a blissful soul.
Stars gossip the forbidden in my veins,
Turmoil leaves and nothing remains.
Flame burns like magic, safe and slow.
Dancing with my shadows in the sacred places they go.
Drifting through pulsars of wonder and green,
Visiting galaxies I have never seen.
My heart is in alignment with the universal hum,
Planets frolic to the beat of their own drums.
I rise, I spin, I float
Home is inward, the soul knows.
Colors dance wildly, and lovingly merge
As night unfolds the end is blurred.
Inhaling the mystery, exhaling what is known.
I am with everyone and alone.
Every time the seasons change
My love seems to grow astray
But I’m hoping with you, that can change
For you make me see the color
Through your rose-shaded glasses
You turned mine from grey
I wish I could say
The things I would like
But I’ll save it for another day
For I don’t think you can bear what I have to say
This forever drift from you
I don’t see this working through
The lies
The cries
The drift that never ends
Every day, I know that you try
But efforts aren’t enough anymore
Help me get back to the shore
I’m about to die
Drowning in the drift
The one you caused with your consistent games
The Forever Drift
Let me drift with you
If he can’t be the one to save me
Then take me away with this memory
Is it strange
That I saw a bit of flapping curtain
And thought of you?
These rainy days do go on,
And the soft pitter-patter outside
Reminds me of your warmth.
Oh to be enveloped by you again.
The chilly breeze is ever so cold,
But my heart's not out there.
It's with you.
You keep me warm.
And safe.
You're a broken mirror
That sits in the trash can I live,
Reflecting the sky
And giving me hope.
I miss you.
So much.
I hope to see you soon.
Unsuppression
Exact wild convoluted digressions
Dispatched rap to re ramp tan
Hide all important novelties
As I confuse the vile
Stagnations the ball sawed dust till
Legends found tall
Ballerina indignant
The definition that wouldn't kiss
She wanted rules in verbs
Out of poison
Longing for idiom
We played out a sunlight
So I could pass on to heaven
What he might
A long a line in times
Well righting zincs
Wipe after wipe
I built a heart she never lept
Four cloves to the heart did grow
And removed her shucks from my lies
Brexit
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