Foraging ~~

 Grace is hosting Open Link in the dVerse poets Pub ~~~ Anything Goes!

Ismael Nery    circa 1931

in the kitchen window

a small plant

leans toward light

its leaves thinned

translucent

yet still it reaches

i water the plant

watch the soil darken

whisper into silence

as if silence remembers

Hopper's Art

"Well, I have a very simple method of painting" 

"Gas" ~~~ Edward Hopper

he stands alone at the pumps

sentinel in half light

one hand on hose ~~

other itching for a cigarette 

[ he promised her he would stop ]

sun has slipped low enough to

gray-blue-tinge tree edges ~~

the country road unraveling

into hush of approaching darkness 

does he think of her?

hair full of summer lightness

a voice that used to remind him ~~

"come home early for pie"

or does he not think at all

satisfied with the rhythm

of solitary duty ~~ 

pump the gas

sweep the floor

lock up

sleep

 

Hear Me Roar!

 Time for Poetics in the dVerse Pub ~  Lisa is hosting and requests we write poems using sculpture as inspiration!    [ my fave Las Vegas place to sit and reflect ]

Marco Cochrane’s “Bliss Dance” is a 40-foot stainless-steel, mesh-skinned figure captured in a moment of uninhibited confidence, a transplant from the Burning Man festival that made a brief stop at the Great Lawn at San Francisco's Treasure Island before being purchased by MGM Resorts International. An arm extends out to balance a soft back kick, giving the nude form a full-bodied gesture of elegance and empowerment! 

Original poem, published in 2021, in Red.

Hear Me Roar

lecherous looks from men

on sidewalks / in classrooms / airports

i turn my head / tune them out

i don't need catcalls / low-pitched moans

under-the-breath whistles / vulgar gestures

i sing the music / in my mind

celebrate / at the very edge of my soul

stride / with unwavering grace

too big to ignore

hey guys / i've heard it all before

beyond the noise / beneath the skin

ancient blood hums / with untamed song

i am iron / wrapped in velvet skin

soft as petals / sharp as thorns

not just a voice / but an anthem

a thunder stitched / from silence and scars

my worth not measured / by your gaze

my power not granted / by your praise

reborn / untamed / unbowed

a force of nature / wild and wise

Endings

Time for Poetics ~ Melissa is hosting in the Poets Pub ~ time for us to focus on interpreting one of the lovely images she has shared.

Red leaves against a concrete wall

Andrew Ridley

—when skies are hanged and oceans drowned,
the single secret will still be man    e e cummings

remnants of red linger

whisper of summer's breath

fighting against the chill

against the letting go

a bright vine curling

here autumn settles

its last burst of beauty

bold and bare 

Under the Sun

Tuesday Poetics at the dVerse Poets Pub ~~ Melissa is hosting and introduces us to the art of Le Pho. Pho was born in Vietnam in 1907. My poem blends ekphrasis [poems that describe or tell a story about the artwork]  and a theme [women.] 

 Le Pho ~ "Two Ladies"

Two young women, their voices a low murmur

their laughter rising like cranes into the sky

lifting each other from the weight of the day

lovely with soft hands not yet hardened

they look to the future and wonder

how the world might stretch them

how the lines of their lives might pull them apart

one believes in cycles ~ the moon's steady pull

the other sees farther ~ eyes lit with the fire of ideas

would they somehow meet again

in another life, another city

on bustling streets loud with shoppers

would they still be 'sisters in spirit'   

**  they would meet again ~  older, wiser, lovely still

sharing memories, tales of their lives 

 friends in sync, always

 

Carney Life

 

De is hosting Quadrille Monday in the dVerse Poets Pub ~~ and it's all about LIGHT

She dances under a carnival tent

draped in tulle, this beauty burning bright

smoke curls, phantom wisps, obscure her face

the Ferris wheel turns and plays its shadow game

glittering midway lights twirl in perfect sync

while I stand entranced, and mysteries freely flow

Going Going Gone

 Tuesday in dVerse Poets Pub means it's time for Poetics!! Melissa shares several of René Magritte's paintings, inspiration for us as we compose our poems. 

Magritte got the name for this painting from his poet friend Louis Scutenaire who often helped him find names for his paintings. In this case, the name Golconda refers to a city in India, which was the seat for two different kingdoms from the 14th to 17th centuries.

Golconda ~ 1953

in city streets

these figures swarm

each face a mask

each soul a form

behind facade 

of wealth's embrace

deep longing

 for a quiet place

in midst of chaos

they search for more

outshine the neighbor

settle a score

in the rush

to rise above

losing sight

of all they love

Ekphrastic + Haibun

Self-portrait with family by P.Konchalovsky 1917

1917 ~ amidst the backdrop of historical upheaval, societal shifts and war, a family of four stands poised, ready for a self-portrait, their moment frozen in time. The mother, adorned in blue velvet exudes a quiet strength. The father wears a stern expression softened by paternal pride. He is a 'man of the cloth' ~ exempt from the horrors of war ~ a stoic figure brimming with wisdom garnered from a life shaped by ministering to his congregation. The daughter, a bow at the end of her long braid, embodies both innocence and curiosity, her youthful spirit yearns to explore the world beyond the confines of tradition. The son, a smaller version of his father, carries an air of responsibility that belies his tender age, already learning the ways of the world from this patriarch. Together they symbolize the unity that sustains them ~ create a touching testament to the enduring bond of a family ~ ready to face the winds of change.

lo, the winds of war

men know not what they have wrought

life in the trenches

We are enticed with art in the dVerse Poets Pub ... three lovely paintings. Poems describing a work of art are called ekphrastic poetry.

Time Is On His Side

Mish is hosting Open link night in dverse Poets Pub!!

Published in September, 2013 ~ Brian Miller was the  first comment ~ how time flies!

the boy:

math anxiety strikes
renders him helpless
squirming, he knows it's
proper etiquette to leave a tip
struggles to appear grown up
body language has betrayed him  
~ out of his element

the porter:

unable to halt the smile
spreading across his face
 he knows twenty years of saving tips 
put two sons through college
patient and compassionate
no need to prove himself 
~ at ease in his element