I am crushed by the shape of what is missing.
I remember being here before in the quiet—
carrying the weight of rust and neglect—
encased in the void of a vanished world,
bleak as unturned steel.
The house I served is lost to the grounds,
demolished, bitter, left to its own decay,
reduced to a whisper of distant awe.
The beams that once carried warmth within
can no longer support their mangled frame.
Yet this brass still drags my resolve to belong,
heavy as a foundation of bricks and stones,
insisting that survival is something to endure.
We believe life’s splendor must be clear of stain,
but absence is a shadow you cannot ignore.
You are gone—you have been gone for years—
still your presence lingers, a voice in the woods;
louder than the machines that tore you apart.
Through the lingering stench of diesel and turned earth,
Memory is an artisan, bringing forth
from shadow to light,
crafting its art from discarded planks.
I turn the key one more time in the dark—
And the phantom door opens.
The dark room is a canvas of hidden shades.
Vibrations from veins in the sky thrill as they fade.
My reflection catches a sudden, wide smile,
Awe-struck by an ambience so raw and frightful.
My heart skips; the pulse is electrified.
Pulsating sparks strike sharp like hidden teeth,
Illuminating bare floorboards and weary bones.
Unfettered liberty shocks like the first brush of lips.
A current travels all the way down my spine.
I marvel at this ecstasy, this fire’s heat.
Life's force takes hold when abandon grasps and tears.
Reluctance surrenders to endeavors of splendor.
Stark white strobes strike—the dark is vanquished,
Leaving the room to shake in the heavy wake.
Sky
cobalt
shines sublime,
morphed crystal face
of glowing dawn’s gem.
Colored cloud slivers streak
through flushed face of horizon,
holding within hued frame the hills,
turning to blue curves in mounting mist.
Cascading streams mirror sapphire skies,
pearls glisten on their surging flow,
jade carpet covers bland banks
with trees in verdant rows,
paint picturesque scene.
Nature’s splendor
crafting charm,
enthralls
me.
On dawn’s crystal face
mauve clouds frame tinged horizon,
etched with hued hill curves.
Silver streams mirror sapphire sky,
emerald trees embellish their jade banks.
Nature’s splendor charms me.
I walked around our farm’s “block” one day,
Each side of which is a country mile.
Noticing details along my way;
Sights, sounds, smells, and feelings made me smile.
Cows in a pasture gently grazing;
Some glanced at me but not with alarm.
Now horses who at me were gazing;
Sensing, I felt, I meant them no harm.
I strode past a wood, hiding a deer;
Watched two squirrels clatter up a tree;
Crossed a bridge above water so clear;
Passed some hives but not one buzzing bee.
I smelled freshly cut hay in the field;
Farmer’s crops help him pay his lender.
Pondering the joys my walk did yield;
Loving this simple country splendor.
I considered a gem today
A gem that I will one day own
A gem that brought such splendor
A delight that I had never known
I considered a gem today
A gem that I intend to keep
A gem that brought such beauty
A brilliance that caused my heart to leap
I considered a gem today
A gem that I desire to hold
A gem that brought such happiness
A joy that laid bare my soul
soft trills of birdsong
drift through the warmth of rose skies ~
splendor of springtime
Lost and floundering in an unwholesome fog,
time stood still as if in a freeze-framed mental log;
roiling clouds swirled and hovered beneath the sun,
tangerine streaks sketched on the horizon.
Amazing was this view, and it calmed my fear.
Watching in slow motion, all became so clear;
it was the scribbling of an angel child,
one whose imagination ran wild.
Melting heavenly crayons were streaked and blotched;
they began to take on depth as I stood and watched.
Oh, how they lit up the landscape so!
I love this child, don't want him to go!
Simplicity's wonder all aglow in style,
I think I shall stay here and just watch for a while.
Perhaps there's a lesson here for me,
if I open my eyes to beauty.
“The somber sun sets to rise again with
the grandeur of sanguinity” - Poet
Sinking beauty of sadness I revel
as scarlet sunset takes away my day.
Joy of twilight time last rays unravel
in pensive painting of life in decay.
In the darkest of nights the stars shine bright,
silver dust spreads tinsel tinge on sorrow.
Rustle of dull leaves makes tune of delight,
teardrop dew sparkles in barren meadow.
In vale of woe sparkling stream of tear flows,
beauty cascades with happy memory.
If grief finds shared niche as wrecking storm blows,
sadness morphs into humane hearts’ beauty.
Despair of dark forest wraps mind’s recess,
streaks of sunlight show splendor of sadness.
In
spring sky
clouds sail slow
in formless fleet.
On its silk shadow
dew-crowned garden showers
plush sheen on bloomed rose petals.
Fine fragrance floats in breeze bracing
lush jade calm canvas of meadow’s wave,
butterflies weave joy for my spellbound heart.
Dawn raises night’s ebony shroud
Drawn out is the grey screen of cloud
Sunburst rays descend with tinged flair
Dispersed sequins spread hues in air
Bright pearls of dew sparkle and glow
Light up luster of my meadow
Spring drives color spectrum to dart
Zing of joy I feel in my heart
Color the night in softly lit light
Moon and stars, glowing gently
Piercing the dark – oh, such a sight
Singing to the drifting winds, the seas
Quiet, the glow - soothing as twilight
Who reveals the story of God’s splendor
You are the balance of black and white
The realization that God is so alive
The gentle grasp of pleasure that ignites
The purest peace filling up my insides
You are the rousing splendor that excites
You, realization of purest splendor!
A thornbush, crowned by a rose
A spiny cactus, become ‘Queen of the Night’ ...
Atop fraught frames, shines glorious splendor
Heaven's treasures ~ man ought not surrender
The brook murmurs as it flows on the plateau,
across the draping emerald forest spread out opulent,
splashes on the curved contours of the lowland
as flicking cascade of the soaring swan flock in flight.
It meanders on the jagged swathe clad with ferns,
sprinkles with exuberance the splatter of pearls.
It glides with sigh through the drizzle of rain,
warbles in musical whisper with the ripple of air.
Flying over the crystal water that wheezes as it flows,
the returning robins chirp the springtime song.
As in the boughs of trees the new leaves rustle,
beguiled butterflies flitter around the flowers.
The shimmering night sky above the silhouetted canopy,
wears bejwelled crown shining with the twinkle of stars,
silver tinsels trickle through the moonbeam film,
in a trance I’m charmed by the splendor of nature.
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