_Scene: After the fight_
His snore filled the room now,
Like air inside a balloon.
Thoughts run like sprinters in her mind.
Steady. Distant. A retreat.
Sonia stood. Always standing.
Her eyes locked on the door.
Not wood. Not paint.
An exit.
The course was set,
Like the stubborn August breeze.
Purpose sharpened in her chest.
The bulb still buzzed.
The night was almost over.
For two who once joked they were lovers.
She breathed. She was ready.
outside the bedroom
of my old, old, old apartment
is a cozy small balcony I created for
relaxing my mind can rest and go
where it will to places unexpected
I can spend hours in the shade of day
at my little table with plants here and there
perhaps with a cup of tea
or petting the cat or maybe reading a book
often in the evening I light candles
to create a mood . . . cozy
When I ask folk where the sun don’t shine
I get funny looks every time
So I have to repeat
I cant stand the heat
When I’m in a naturist retreat.
* * *
("Original Mind", 2017, original mixed media encaustic)
If awareness is the ground of being
Then consciousness is the fabric
Woven to cloak it
Awareness is the face we have before birth
Consciousness is the veil we shield it with
(2022)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
autumn’s gold retreats~
a blade of winter whistles
through the maple’s spine.
Yesterday’s sun, now a ghost
pale beneath the crow’s taut cry.
At dusk when my shadows quit me,
That’s when hundred arrows hit me.
So far some faceless folks fooled me,
My own close to heart now cheat me.
A feeling heart hails thee, my friend,
Come heart to heart, why audit me?
Come, pry unto my nightlong dreams,
Thence, for what I say credit me.
Dawn dawns, if dream deprived I wake,
Daylong your reveries greet me.
_____________________
Ghazal |18.07.2025| dream, passion, sleep,
What a miserable person he must be...
obsessively dreaming up ways..
to make life miserable...
for you and me.
The waves gently caress my feet, leaving traces of sand as they retreat,
A weight presses on my heart, leaving me still, bound to memories,
For I still see you beside me, as if you never left this place,
The sunset by the waves reflects the tremor in my heart, reminding me of you,
Here, buried in the sand, lie our endless conversations, echoing,
The shells beneath my feet call to me, reminding me of days gone by,
A gentle breeze flutters my hair, whispering of the days when we were us,
Among these familiar stones, our laughter still echoes, asking for another chance,
The quiet trees offer me a glance full of understanding and old memories,
An overwhelming desire to hold your hands and our fingers together,
The pull to rest my head close to your heart, on your warm chest,
What if we could jump into these waves and disappear somewhere?
Far from the chaos of the world, for you are my entire shore, all I desire.
When life’s been pillaged of calm
I yearn for welcome release
Somewhere far beyond life’s qualms
To know solace and deep peace
I build castles in the sky
Where I retreat now and then
I build castles in the sky
But I never move in
I go there to think and pray
Where no one can breach a thought
A safe place to steal away
And ponder what God has wrought
My castles are of brief worth
Short escapes from tough battles
Encountered here on this earth
‘Fore bang of heaven’s gavel
I build castles in the sky
Where I retreat now and then
I build castles in the sky
But I never move in
In this charming retreat,
the silence of nature and hills talk to me,
whispers of forgotten tales in the breeze,
of hidden secrets of times bygone,
an era of luxury and grandeur,
where every stone holds a story untold.
In the marble statues and king-size portraits,
etched in elegance, they gaze through time,
their faces frozen in an eternal grace,
gripping the pulse of a golden age.
Laid in every nook and corner of the mansion,
they speak of grandeur
of feasts and whispers in the halls,
of laughter echoing beneath crystal chandeliers.
The velvet curtains, the blinds drawn in quiet reverence,
softly filter the light, casting shadows of tranquility and peace,
the swimming pool in the front yard
girdled by palm trees standing tall and erect like silent sentry
the mango tree laden with fruits drooping over the pool
a visual treat for hungry eyes sore with city life.
and outside, the hills stand,
ancient and proud, keeping their vigil.
on the idyllic retreat
where wealth and wisdom reign in peace.
and time slows, and memories breathe.
‘I found an explosive quill
down on the streets of New Orleans.’
It’s fun to share who I am and also learn from other writers. There was a discussion on the idea to let yourself get lost inside of another world. I made sure to speak a reminder of the inner child. The one who wasn’t jaded by their transformation as they got a little bit older. Remember to dream visit the sea occasionally. Another poet said ‘Let go of the restrictions of human eyes when you write. Speak to a smile unforgettable and a laugh infectious.’ Which reminded us of children, and how they color outside the lines. Make sure you say it how you want to. Slide down the stairs and destroy the box they try to throw you in. ‘Give yourself to your pen AND your deepest fantasies.’ I took that mantra away with me as I left the writers’s retreat.
Laced with Bald Cypress
my Muse tastes the Big Easy;
A sweet southern heat.
Now together we can all retreat,
and try a brand new poetic style;
I’m so ready to learn and compete.
Exploring New Orleans Canal street
I want to sit with the Muse a while;
Now together we can all retreat.
Hoping the kitties have inky feet,
my nickname resembles logophile;
I’m so ready to learn and compete.
Cannot wait to feel the inspired heat,
whether it is structured or freestyle;
Now together we can all retreat.
Puurrfect poets write, laugh, repeat!
Let’s form a linguistic cuddle pile,
I’m so ready to learn and compete.
Pens and needles stick me to my seat,
tapestry of prose leaves me on trial;
Now together we can all retreat,
I’m so ready to learn and compete.
There’s a corner of eternity
where I’ve built a simple home.
A place that I can go to
when I want to be alone.
A place where winds of
time and space glide gently
through the air.
A place each time I leave,
I’m longing,
wishing I were there.
We deal with many things in life,
so much that brings us down.
We swim through burdens, paddling,
hoping that we will not drown.
I guess we all have to survive,
we have to make our way.
But there is more to life than that,
you have to get away.
Follow your dreams
and wonderous things,
allow your mind to go
to places where your body can’t
and if you do, you’ll know –
that Heaven is inside of you.
You’ll find that you’re still there.
Go find your corner of it,
build your home and rest from care.
Free for all were train reserved seats,
In hotel nor a well-served room,
Elsewhere a crowd that always greets
Us, and we returned to resume
Our fate from the date left in wait,
But of course, the retreat was great.
________________________
Happenings |06.11.2024|vacation
Poet’s note: The festival of light, Diwali, was just over. And as is the custom, many families going on a brief vacation, we too went. How great was our retreat? Here, this sestet throws some light that the festival of light failed to. Most of retreats end in utter déjà vu, but that stops no one.
I do not know what's on your mind
I cannot ask, we are confined
To silence
You maybe want to share and chat
And tell your thoughts
Of this and that
So locked we are in soundless pose
Held secrets of our lone repose
Imagine we could read each thought
Communicate while saying naught
We may become just silent friends
Before the day of silence ends
And would discover, strange but true
That common ground we never knew
Existed
So we'll return to lives adrift
Still strangers with a common gift
To families and lives unknown
As separated souls to home
We will return
In mystery
You will be you
And I will be
Me
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