Red River

I run through heart of the land, muddy, brackish, moving birch canoes, from dawn to dusk.    


i hang a red dress 
its folds billowing spiritual dance 

along grainy shores  
forked by roots of ancient trees 
i burn sagebrush

and i

count the years passing
of voices forever silenced 
stolen sisters, missing daughters-

only heartbeat of river remains-

I crawl with broken bones, washing away blood, footprints, sun-scarred skin under dark moon.   

Based on BBC's Red River Women

Each year, dozens of Canadian Aboriginal women are murdered or disappear never to be seen again. Some end up in a river that runs through the heart of Winnipeg.

Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - Poetics:  The River, hosted by guest host, Paul Dear.   And Happy World Poetry Day!   Thanks for the visit ~

My philosophy of thoughts

Artist:   James R. Eads

I carefully tuck in a box
the heirlooms of my grandmother
& mother:
South sea pearl brooch
& words of wisdom:  
Invest in education,
& work hard

Moon is a pied piper, calling dreams awake & follow his music.

I believe in positive thoughts
& attracting enriching events
& life-embracing experiences
while accepting my fears
& disappointments

My hands are potter's hands, shaping clay to cups, cups to pots, pots to urns.       

I am mindful of my thoughts
where they drift
like fallen autumn leaves
where they pool & sink
on dead end street
where they echo & resound 
the future that is yet to be

Black raven swoops her hungry claws on dead baby bird, balled white as pearl.  


Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - What is your philosophy?  

Thanks for the visit ~

What I found after more than halfway on my journey

Artist:  Cecilia Levy

I love the tropical sun on my arms,
ice-cream & walking to be alone with my thoughts-

Restless water under the bridge folds & refolds the face of the moon.

I line up the words in my head, neatly stacked-

Catapult, sting, deadly intentions- which one will jump first off the wall?    

I am a needle, finding my thread & safety hooks 
      & beads of blessings

Cup is half-full, awaiting for this girl's heart, to turn it upside down.  

But look closer, I am a thread unfurling 
      I am a sapling rising, fingers wet with summer rain -

      


My Word List:   sun, ice-cream, bridge, cup is half-full, words,  rain

Posted for D'verse Poets Pub -  Sharing a bit of myself ~ Thanks to Marina for hosting ~

Thanks for the visit ~

Umbra

At night, she wakes up caught in red threads, forgetting 
where, who she is, as sky dissolves. 


In the mirror
Two faces of moon stare back
Mercury rises
Flock of geese has arrived
Who bounded her heart to garnet stone? 


The sea swallowed her garden of carnations, tea-
cups, even her words, in one gulp.  



Notes:    There is a form called haibun which is a combination of prose with haiku.             For this writing exercise, I combined American Sentence (20 syllables, structured into two lines instead of one straight line) with Tanka (unstructured with a total of 31  syllables).   

Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - Hosted by Brian Miller ~  We are writing and breaking poetry forms!

Falling Apart by

Brooke Shaden

October rust

Painting by Brad Kunkle

I am restless tonight while shadows are obsessed with shape of the lamp.

The moon wears raven mask and comes into my room with glass of water.

She sits and reads the book while I bury my emptiness in a lacquered box.

Language arrives with new set of colours - wheat, rust and nest of bones.  

Posted for Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - 55 Words
and Poets United - Thanks for the visit ~

Of storms

In storm's eye, houses fell as if they are matchsticks, burnt black, thinned of fire.

Wolfgang Stiller

Streets awashed with debris, smelled of pissed fear & dead fish with blameless eyes.  

She walks with her nose covered by towel, damp of tears and meal prayers.     

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Your words a flint, hungry for air, reaches for my lips petalled of rain.


Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - First 3 lines are about the plight of the people in the Philippines after the storm. My thoughts and prayers are with them.   

Thanks for the visit ~