a Christmas gift

Muffle out the mean tweets
Mute the offensive comments
Cleanse the eyes from viral hate
Stay off social media, it's not too late

Listen to bird songs & buzzing bees
As winter storm brings deep freeze
Breathe in fresh pines & scented candles
Curl into the warmth of the blankets & carol



Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Meet the Bar With Gift Rhymes, Hosted by Bjorn Rudberg.
My last post for the year!   Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!!!!

last quarter moon

maple trees are
white-coated as clouds

while strings of christmas
lights sway to chilly wind

windows are darkening
their frames

the room becomes soft
pixel-dusted by starlight

i lean in  
our eyes

catch the moon tide, 
glowing

& you turn, keening to your 
darkness

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrilled hosted by Lillian.  This is a 44 word post, with the given word, glow.  Join us for our last week of hosting before our 2 week holiday break.  Thanks for the visit.

December days

i don't measure the days
     white-ashed clouds & snow
piles up my garden
     & ghosts the nights of faded ink
instead i marvel at every

sunrise, hint of savage pink
     crowing gloriously of spring songs
& beat of your nectarine heart
     in the wild abandon of the dance
     
     

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - OpenLinkNight - Join us for our last OLN for 2019.    Thanks for your visits and comments.

Wings

you stride with your walking stick
left to right, left to right, along corners
up the stairs & alleys
along subway doors

i can't imagine what you may not see-
not this winter season full of greys 
but the magic of spring
you
young gazelle, 
raising your face to raindrops

i know you believe in angels 
though
you see, i see not one, not two but many
hands, including myself 
reining you from falling onto the tracks
guiding you along
wishing you nothing but good
tidings 
along your journey 

white hawk on tree

silent sentinel on the watch-

my morning, a gift-

Posted for dVerse OpenLinkNight.   Happy Thanksgiving to our US friends!  Thanks for joining in when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.

November morning

i shiver
my skin grows out from darkness
ghostly pale silvery moonglow turns
lightning hues of rose lavender blades

a blossoming of perfume
petals unfold, fingers of clouds & stardust
a beauty unimaginable
at the crack of dawn

i rise
raindew on my eyelids




Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille.  This is a 44 word post with the given word - CRACK. Thanks for your visit.

notes to myself

be 

 the bluebird swelling with songs as sun rises

 the tide storm dancing with kelp

 the pearl drops on fallen maple leaves

 the electric guitar strings of wind's murmurings

 the light keeper in darkest of nights 

be 

 madly in love with life

 unapologetically, myself 

Grace@Everyday Amazing

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille, hosted by Kim Russell.  This is a 44 word post with the given word - KEEP.  

the moon, the sole witness

Her eyelashes are heavy by restless nights.   The backpack strains her shoulders as she nears the destination.

She walks faster now, knowing the path towards the forest trees with giant roots climbing out of boulders.   The shadows are draping every crevice.   This is the barrenness of harvest or pestilence.   She almost lost her bearings.

You can't stop now (voice in her head).

She steps into the clearing of stones.   (Only the wind hears his whispers).   Taking out a black case from her bag, she reaches for the knife.   His knife, bold & black, pressing familiar on her palm.     

There is no hesitation - she plunges the knife & breaks the case.   Small bones and dust caved into tunnel beneath.   The ancient trees will bury the remnants of her broken promises - finally. 

After a long exhale, she retreats, growing smaller as a candle light.                

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Prosery, hosted by Bjorn Rudberg.    This is a word post less than 144 with the given line:  This is the barrenness of harvest or pestilence from All Hallows by Louise Gluck. 

autumn musings

Who braided the hair of the weeping

willow tree & left a shoe?

Sky is brilliant shade of blue
as maple leaves shimmer in red and gold

The sun moves slow as red & black

woollybear caterpillar on a dead leaf  

Why did the crab apple tree bind  

itself with sea glass?

The forest floor is soft book 

of needled pines and misplaced leaves

A river running low
smelling of dead fish, caught in the tides

Do you know what the earth meditates 
upon in autumn?

My skin itches from pollen, tea bags
and unanswered questions

Photo by Grace@Everyday Amazing 

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - The questions as a Poetry - Hosted by Laura Bloomsbury.

Thanks for the visit.

autumn burn

autumn leaves
darkening eyes, wind-curled blades 

on pathway, fallen from
maple trees

one by one
i tread with gratefulness 

i'll (always) remember how you 
torch the sky with brilliant orange hues

your rust-yellow fingers  
quivering with fire & sundust

my eyes are blinded 
by beauty

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille, hosted by De Jackson.   This is 44 word post with the given word, Quiver.  I have been spending time outdoors, enjoying our beautiful but short autumn season.   See you in the poetry trail.

scattered needles//subway//

your silence is bell
ringing rust in my ears
swarming buzzing 
                             bees
my sunken eyes, lost pages
of a book
i stumble, fumble, 
                              mumble

i hold my lighter 
but i can't see my feet
the cut on my right hand
a growing fire
i am falling, 
                   falling
faster than autumn leaves

your silence is drug
drowning my veins in darkness
do i dance with dirty needles
in all my days
until i, i 
                   that nobody 
become a sterile sheet
you pass by on the street  
               -somebody, help me-



Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - OpenLinkNight - A first hand experience watching a young man in the subway train, addicted, high with drugs, in our regular commute.      After our ride, someone reported him for help.   

Ode to an avocado

dressed with lemon,
garlic, olive oil & mustard-
a chef's delight

but i like you best
bare
sliced open under rough snake
skin
velvet ripe & creamy
belly

drizzled with sugar
& cold milk,
bowled dessert
of indolent summer days

plump smooth,
slivers of ambrosia      
your taste is only rivaled
by my other childhood memory-

cloistered nuns
making candied purple yams
stirring over
& over
flaming giant pan until
rough fibers turn sin-
fully lush
as nectar oil
decadent food 
for gods  
hand-bottled for sale in market -

pear-shaped
your green womb
wraps me tight like seed
coconut-shaped
pining for tropical sun-
   

Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - An oldie but good poem for today's Poetics by guest host, Lisa Fox (Jade Li).   Join us for a food-inspired prompt at 3pm EST.

Picture credit:   here

the heat of autumn

the music you stir
is knifing sweet as apple cider
you sing the words
with guitar strings cool as rose-ribbed lamp

if only they knew
you are flint that fires me up
striking at core, waking 
at first light, your name

on my lips, sudden rainfall
as if world leans away from 
scream of darkness 
to deep dive of blue kiss - 

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - MTB - Metaphorically Speaking - hosted by Bjorn Rudberg.  Title and poem inspired by Jane Hirsefield, The Heat of Autumn.

autumn dusk

as leaves turn
to autumn rust

my white roses bloom 
where once the soil was arid

extinct of fallen green apples  
(now) i hear buzzing bees, wild rabbits 

& flight of geese  
i watch as wrinkled sky quickly turns, 

swallows amber light, 
hungry as coyote

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille, hosted by Linda Lee Lyberg.  The word to be included for this 44 post is Extinction. Thanks for the visit.

Note:  I actually saw a pair of coyotes in the common park. The community is aware of this and all the signs are up to be careful with walking early morning or at night especially with pets.    This is the reality of urban living now, co-existing with these wild creatures peacefully. 

Smoke and mirrors

your words are smoke
elegantly cursive, seductive
at first sight.  your shadow
is gilded by moon-silver
and burning lies are painted 
festive sparklers to match your coat

you play with time, but time needs no coat 
to reveal your true desires under smoke
like curtains daggered to sides, faint
outline of you, plain to see, rusted
stripped away as when one holds shiver-
ing hands of a dying loved one.   shadows

grow from your eyes, spilling roses-
you drop your mask, unbuttoning coat     
showing me your mirror.   I am silver
by guilt, but here are words buried broke
awaiting light & forgiveness
and above all, love in all its colors




Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - OpenLinkNight.  Title inspired by our past poetics on this theme.  Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.

a bottle of summer

you prescribed me
walk by maple trees
slow dance by creek

look, the sun is holding
a ladle of soup
to ward off the blues

of autumn-
color the flowers
fiery red, marmalade gold- sum-

mer pulses, caught in your canvas-
scent of fresh geraniums 
with burn of your kiss

Artist:   Beverly Dyer

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Hosted by Michelle Beauchamp (Mish).  We are featuring the beautiful art work by Beverly Dyer.   Her sites:  https://artprescription.com/  
ETSY shop     

footsteps on the hill

We hike on man-made hill, overlooking the city.   The sky is muted blue-grey, with caramel  warmth of the noon day sun.   On this day, we are grateful for many things - one is a free Monday, instead of going to work.   We talk about what we really love to do and toil away our hours without regard for money - arts, writing, reading, craft and gardening.   How we would enjoy our days, dotted with activities that fill us, as homemade banana bread and hot coffee and chocolate.   Still, we are thankful for the steady jobs that we have, and that allows us to pursue with passion the "other stuff".  Around us, the leaves of the maple trees are showing rust - a sign that summer is ending. We sweat it out, up the steep slope, our footsteps crunching the pebbles.

birds and bees feast
on crab apples on ground- red
autumn wind is rising

Grace @ EverydayAmazing

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Haibun Monday, hosted by Frank J.  Tassone.   Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.  Happy Labour Day!

ice deep

encase me in your belly
down
deep 
basin of the lake

in stillness
hear sounds of
giant turtle, salamander,
turkey vulture-
gathering of burnt
corn, feathers,
bear skin

that crisp orange-yellow
of setting sun
doesn't ripple-melt me

i sleep
in the tranquility of ever-
                                      green 

  My photos of Lake Crawford, Milton, Ontario.
An Iroquoian village lived near this lake over 600 years ago.

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub  - Quadrille,hosted by Lillian.  This is a 44 word post with the given word - tranquility.   

Notes about Lake Crawford:  Meromictic Lake

The heart of the park is the eponymous meromictic lake: Crawford Lake. Do you know what makes this lake a rarity? The lake is deeper than its surface area, so the lowest levels of water are very rarely disturbed, and little oxygen reaches the lowest levels. It’s the unique qualities of a meromictic lake that led to an exciting discovery—where science unveiled local history. Researchers and scientists found ancient corn pollen deep in the sediment of the lake. The presence of corn meant settlements, and thus this began the research, which concluded, that First Nations groups settled in this area over six hundred years ago.

canvas

come dusk, you cross stitch your words 
into canvas, musing if gold threads 
can appear from air.  you marvel 
at frayed hues of butterfly, black wings
of crows, perched on street lines- 
you wait as moon grazes the night sky

imagine- sketching your face in sky
with bonsai trees & feathers, words
buzzing in your ears, squiggly lines
twirling in sand dunes, what threads
can capture, hold this  - your wings
are edging you to unknown - a marvel

of stars & beyond, a marvel
of abyss, uncharted dark sky
you capture what you see, wings
clipped, broken, then free as words
you don't need a map to spool threads
what you need is space, no lines

as you paint on walls, out of lines
where boats tug wispy clouds, a marvel
to catch on shorelines without threads -
now, you are running breathless, sky
is grey, with need to plump out words
bigger than your canvas, your wings

wandering bring me hope, my wings
one day, will unfurl, wriggle past lines
of square boxes, marry words
with panache and spice, I'll marvel
at tiny beetles under sky-
all the hands that nurture, pulling threads

apart, until threads become lines
inking wings and forests, a marvel
to see -sky of birds, my body of words




Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Sestina, Poetry Form, hosted by Victoria Slotto.   This is a my first work-in-progress sestina, so any feedback is appreciated.   This follows the pattern:

1. A,B,C,D,E,F
2. F,A,E,B,D,C
3. C,F,D,A,B,E
4. E,C,B,F,A,D
5. D,E,A,C,F,B
6. B,D,F, E,C,A
7. BE, DC, FA (The envoi of three lines with BDF midline and ECA as the end lines.) Note: The Poetry Foundation gives this variation on the envoi: FB, AD, EC. Use either one.

watching_protest march_

raindrops drip-drop-drip 
on roof as i eat  
words in safety of my home

but i know that smell-
streets crackling-exploding-burning 
with tension-    
                       firestorm

from afar

i wish you energy 
as you walk and let your
                        voices be your drum-
beats, blistering thunder-
claps across
                        mutinous         sky




Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille, a poem of 44 words, with the word, VOICE.   My poem is in support of the protest marches happening in other countries like Hong Kong and Russia.

August moon

Half moon, cradle of shadows and light
Needle our eyes to star-burst night
Thump our chests, mired in hemlock & brine

Half moon, cradle of shadows and light
Draw green corn and grain on our palms
Our eyes are blinded by red summer haze  

Half moon, cradle of shadows and light
May we fish abundantly in lakes 
As tides bow, searching for your fullness 



Posted for dVerse OpenLinkNight - Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.  Thanks for the visit.

summer light

The gravel sand clacks under my shoes
I walk up the uneven road, wildflowers
astray with bees and butterflies sucking 
sweet fragrance under warm sun
Each floating seed, spinwheel 
of cotton dreams, I inhale 
   it all

The city's skyline is haze of grey
Against field of green pines
Chickadees flit, soft brown coats
as I color each falling petal
crinkled purple, pink and yellow
until I am sun-smudged, light 
    as air



Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Purifying the Mind, hosted by Linda Lee Lyberg.  Thanks for the visit.

Grandmother

i could paint you
dainty as lavender
and your cheeks
pearled pink peony

but it wouldn't be a true
snapshot 
unfiltered you
is freckled by sun

with hands
deeply-grooved
by changing sea tides

your words steady
as you crochet 
bedsheet with scent
of earth


Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille, hosted by Mish.  This is a 44 word post, with the given word, FRECKLE.  Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.

Sayuri-san

what lies beneath your lacquered eyes, are you               

hiding a jewel, onyx as pain from                         

hundred lashes of an errant word. you brew                   

your secrets, guard your wide gold sleeves with cane    

has venom tinged your blood to rust, a bane                        

once, your laughter was black raven’s clone        

as you bargain with harvest moon for bones  

rise, dispel this ghostly ritual at night        

press your red hot lips against the limestone                  

unbound your robe & step into moonlight          

Photo credit: Totomai Martinez

Posted for OpenLinkNight - dVerse Poets Pub, hosted by Linda Lee Lyberg - Form is Dizain.  The basic rules for the dizain are that it has one stanza consisting of 10 lines, with 10 syllables per line, and the rhyme scheme is ababbccdcd.

Curse of the roses

My petals eaten
by bugs & mulched
   by slugs
I am still canvas
beneath harsh summer sun
In my singular stubbornness
my one small bud
opens to sun's warmth
framed amidst
tattered & scattered pieces
Snow white crown
- perfect -
Then the frenzy begins
& buzzing
   & buzzing of insects
until petals are dull
leaves blackening to soot
Do I move to another ground?
Throw my pollen
afar, go
where the southern wind
scatters me
Pull up my roots
My rosehip oil is divine
Break this curse &
replant me,
where I can
hear the hummingbirds
& rain
          drops
   & rain
             drops


Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics, Movement hosted by Amaya. Please visit dVerse blog for the full details.   Thank you.

silence is not the answer

If our grandchildren asked of us
Where are the polar bears & lions
And the bison, elephant & caribou
On the plains of red dust
Our leather shoes shiny as sun
What do we say?

If our grandchildren asked of us
Where is the ocean of whales
And mountains with green firs & oak
The blue lake with whooping crane
carefully threading for her catch
What do we say?

We ride along in our new cars 
counting loyalty points, likes & followers
We have no seeds to burrow
only garbage & tons of cheap clothes
We ply away this blue & serene sky
for plastic, smoke & towering condos

If our grandchildren asked of us
Why we are gifting them a dying planet
Will we hear the birdsongs, hoots and grunts
from long lost creatures 
and recall the smell of freshly picked apples?
What do we say?



Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - On Climate Crisis hosted by Anmol (alias HA).

For more information, see link here:  Climate Change, What can you do

Sunshine

you bring the sun
through storms & winter
darkness 

steady me
with an anchor of kelp &
kite of starlight

teach me humility 
in sharing your light to
others

blind not my eyes
with rust of world but
with kindness
soft as child's hands

The Sun by Dale Chihuly

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille & 8th Anniversary.  This is a 44 word post with the given word:   sun.   Join us when the pub doors open after our summer break, at 3pm EST.  Thank you!!!!

Dawn

The waters corral me, quicksand
I am slipping, and not a strand
Nor knot can lift me up, sorrow
Drowns me, beneath bed of yarrow

Then sky clears, danger pressed in cask
Darkness - just a rose with black mask
I toss away this blight, see dawn 
Casting soft light, pale pink and fawn

Port Credit, Mississauga

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - OpenLinkNight, hosted by Mish and Poetry Form, Quatrain, hosted by Frank Hubeny.   Thanks for the visit.

Midsummer

The brightness of the sun
burns my eyes
sandpaper red
I bite on my anxiety
instead of bread
Midsummer comes
ailing me with despair
grey as storm clouds

Dusk came, full of moths
and beetles
I was oppressed by the velvety
gleam of moon
emptiness of the world
and swathes of soft grass
Then the silence of the night
lulled me to sleep

When I woke up,
I was covered by dewdrops,
smell of honeysuckle awakening
the hunger in me


“Darkness came, full of moths and beetles. I was oppressed by the velvety emptiness of the word and swathes of soft grass. Then the fumes of the night put me to sleep” (As I walked out one Midsummer morning)

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Literary Alchemy with Laura Lee, hosted by Laura Bloomsbury.

Yellowness of our days

The color yellow brightens my day.   Brings me sunshine, sunflowers and carefree balloons even when a sudden storm would dampen our bright sunny days.   The child in me is happy, walking with a spring in my step.  

Spring is my favorite season.  And for the first time in a long while, I nurtured perrennial blooms and several herbs like rosemary, basil, thyme, mint-orange, lemon grass and chives.   I love cutting the herbs fresh and adding them in my cooking.   I also learned how to regrow them indoors so my supply does not ran out.  When I eat my herbed-drizzled food, I taste earth's gifts and magic of the sun.   


sky is serving a plate-
daffodils, dandelions
with bluebells & birdsongs


Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Lost and Found - Nature's Magic.  Hosted by Merril D. Smith.

garden of dreams

i don't want to be still & yellow, a thing in blue
light, no, i want to run into the fathomless sky

i hear the heart beats of agile wild cat
beneath city lights, my breathing catches windspell

my mind is a distressed canvas at end of train ride
but by night, i garden words under spell of moonflower

i write down a word or line, let it sit & frolic 
in clouds, climb trees - carrying my cup of yearnings

it may seem like a little thing, but it's no secret-
walking with flowery hat brings out smiles, sudden sunset

Flowering Mindscape

Art by Jackie Hurlbert

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Meet Jackie Hurlbert, hosted by Charmed Chaos, Linda Lee Lyberg.  

the local market

we come here at crack of dawn
with baskets
ready to scoop the freshly
shaved coconuts, tropical fruits,
yams & quail eggs from harvest bins

this is the place
to buy newly caught fish & shells
iced but still moving in the pile
you can ask the vendor
to clean, cut and fillet the fish for you

at the chicken and meat section,
flesh are whole or bigger pieces,
hanging from tenderhooks
still red
tender
from butcher's knife
you can also ask the vendor
to chop, grind, clean the
cuts & even debone the whole chicken-

this is the "dirty" market
under 1 roof,
with each market stall
a unique cornucopia
you can't escape
the smell of sweat, salt & earth
mingling with calls by vendors

to try their sample wares -
from prepared sauces & tins
to simple breakfast fare -
small freshly baked buns
with local coffee - black
strong with aroma of sun


Posted for the dVerse Poets Pub - Market, Market, Hosted by Sarah Connors.

Thanks for the visit.

That memorable trip

She inhaled the sea wind.  The sands were soft on her feet.   Afternoon sun was ebbing away, giving her a tangerine glow  

When I saw her, she was bouyed by the place's serenity.   It is not often that the company is spending money for an out of the city management conference.

"Have a good night, Vangie", I smiled at her.   "Don't forget to set your alarm at 7:00 for breakfast tomorrow."

"Yes, I will".

I was chatting with another guest, when far away an interrupted cry was heard.     We ran to Vangie's room.   She came out, deflated  jellyfish with arms blanket-wrapped.  

"Can you please call the doctor?".    

She had vomitted the "fresh" clams that she bought from the fisherman with a boat that afternoon.   

She missed the day's conference & went home.  She left her sandy collection of sea shells & coral stones.


Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Prosery, hosted by Bjorn Rudberg. This is a flash fiction of 144 words with the line:

 When far away an interrupted cry 

taken from the poem acquainted with the night by Robert Frost.