You are a distant dream
that when in thought,
twists my stomach into knots.
I can still see your eyes
as they twinkled at night,
under the sky's starlight.
And still feel your skin
brushed up against mine,
as we laid together entwined.
You are a deafening scream
that brings a shock,
to everything I had forgot.
I can still hear your voice
and the love it rejoiced,
while I still had a choice.
And still smell your scent
on the last day we left,
with an old life to reinvent.
You are a distant sea
that kisses the shores
I rest upon no more.
I can still taste the air
and the grapes we had shared,
when the summer was bare.
And still it all swells
whispering of it's tales,
as I struggle these spells.
You are a distant dream
who always returns to me
and robs me of my sleep,
while I try to break free
and come at peace
with all of the love that once loved me.
crampon cleats tickle her bedrock
far below the frosty powder dusting;
released where her majestic peak
parted yester night’s obstinate clouds.
the alpine atmosphere
first chilled and then plummeted
as the starlight glistened;
illuminated ice crystals sparkled
like diamonds in the rough.
I am overwhelmed
by the peaceful aura
surrounding me.
watching how
"these"
footprints
mark the snow
...arousing
a lucid,
stirring awareness
of my existence;
...inciting
a conscious moment,
extraordinarily deepening
the realization of being.
since I am new to HP and do not want to wear out my welcome, I am going to pause for a bit right here.
This is a piece about climbing a snow and ice packed, 12.000 foot dormant volcano in the cascade mountains of the Pacific Northwest. The original is about a week old "Beyond the Telegraph Road" published on the front page my personal "Word Whisperer" poetry site found here @ : http://harlonrivers.blogspot.com/ with pictures of the ascent not allowed here. It is 42 lines and after publishing a piece here that is 48 lines with little reaction, that may not be the best thing to do here. Much of my writing is in that range of length and even beyond so it may be too long for here. I need to take the time to read more here 1st to get to know other writers by being a reader, so I will pause here to say thanks and find out which way the wind blows...
Wandering silently
though the wilderness woods,
far and away from the potholes
of well beaten pathways
The soft breeze slowly moves
the shadows cast in the moonlit night
past the thorny stems of time.
Wildlife paths illuminated by starlight
adorn the alluring wooded trail
Secluded pathways foraged by natural instinct,
ancestral prudence and intuition
Each shadow drawn willingly
into a deeper enlightening journey
As if synchronicity united hearts
learning to speak minds
The depths of undaunting transparency
are rendezvous with awakening breath
Looking back at life withdrawn in discontent;
exhaling shameless freedom without regret
Lost in perpetual motion, found in heart
Separate souls illuminated by the moon
stood alone yearning for healing connection
Ardor of hope shines an inward light
as moonlight slumbers while passion blushes radience
The night has a thousand coquettish eyes
shining on practical mysticism
The laughing owls of midnight
Echo their illusions of crystal clear reverie
Moved by swirling tempest breezes
showering down from high endeavors
where treetops pierce the stars
Wisps of the sleeping sky unfurl
stardust teardrops drunk by earth’s sod
Nocturnal Cricket’s rhythmus acoustical wings
are very quietly chirping a bashful courting song
Laughter rings out blissfully
like the joy of a heavenly child
Nature sways with a gentle motion
Her leafy arms groan and moan the silent toil
as she holds up the weight of the celestial light
Moonlight moves across the shadows
of love born beneath her branches.
Two shadows embrace as one
emerging rapturously from the sleepy wilderness
Reborn as naked as the free
enlightened by the enchanting forest...
under the enchanting allure of a full,
blossoming, spring moon...
...............................................................
Go ahead! Make a wish!
And make it grand as can be.
Don't be afraid, for all wishes come true
When you wish under the Dragonfly Tree.
It is never too soon! It's never too late.
To make a fine wish. Don't hesitate.
Set your wild wisp of wonderment free,
And wish as grand as a wish can be!
Wish for the stardust. Wish for the sky.
Wish for that fire of life in your eye!
Wish for the music of children at play.
Wish for the magic that comes Christmas day.
Wish for the secret song sung by the breeze,
Or lasso the east wind as it sweeps through the trees.
Wish for the wonderment painting the night sky,
Or catch the first shooting star wandering by.
Go on! Take that chance,
As those lingering fireflies dance
Through this wonder of starlight and sea.
For everyone knows how a wish grows and grows
When it's wished under the Dragonfly Tree.
Copyright © 2011 Richard D. Remler
...............................................................
"From wonder into wonder existence opens."
-Lao Tzu
...............................................................
In the dark
for the shimmer of your eyes,
flashing bloody blue
in the subtle clatter of night.
For the echo of your wild laugh.
The thunder of your heart.
I sniff the air,
for scents disappearing
like the wind dancing away just out of embrace.
I look for you amidst the deeper dark,
the blades of grass,
and the soft rain of starlight.
I hunt for you.
For you blood.
And my fangs are bared,
catching the glimmer of
the swollen moon.
I hear your feet
skipping off the stones.
I imagine your sleek fingers carefully bending stalks,
delicately plucking petals
so that I might continue to follow after you
elusive but not vanishing,
escaping but in slow ballet.
I hunt for you,
my memories of you
which slip through my fingers,
like shadows fading into the dark.
I look at the Earth
to notice a dandelion
with it's sagging muted yellow mane,
bent in an unnatural way.
Then I look up at the moon.
It's full.
Where the sky is as blue as CG special tinting reality to a sharpened point.
The seas are. As warm as the womb.AMNIOTIC shock when I dive in.
I can smell beauty in the cool trade winds. My god made paradise here
Carried it away to parts unknown.
My god.
My lover set me free many years ago but I never returned to her tender
Arms. I had forgotten her charms even while laying in her four post bed and running my hands slowly over silken skin. The thrill was gone.
She is forgiving
She looks at me with eyes that glisten.
In the starlight. But time is not my ally.
Soon I think she will deny me.
A lover scorned.
AWAKENING
Sleep and slumber, dreams of wonder... weaving,
morning’s vacuum broke the spell
Pitted pillow, note of parting... leaving,
“from your friend, a fond farewell”
Sunrise throbbing, twilight aching... grieving,
daydreams, flashbacks, nightmares knell
Pale phantasms, visions sneaking... thieving,
plot to fill the empty shell
12 DELIRIA
1st Delirium: COLLAPSES
Fractured sky bolts, billows bursting... rumbling,
heavens tighten, turn the vise
Horsemen saddle shafts of lightning... tumbling,
jagged highways must suffice
Ruptured skyways, hailstones crackling... crumbling,
naked pearls of paradise
Toxic tongues of laughter stinging... stumbling,
ocean buckets choked with ice
Droplets drumming, thunder muzzled... mumbling,
washed out whispers pay the price
Smothered blazes, cinders smoking... humbling,
ashes shaped in sacrifice
2nd Delirium: DECENTS
Asphalt alleys, ashen faces... frowning,
blowing bubbles, chewing gum
Drinking ale from tavern tankards... downing,
moonlit beads of painted rum
Stony stars and sea misshapen... drowning,
humble rivers’ rhythms hum
Apparitions aspirating... clowning,
diamonds dying , minstrels strum
Incandescent candles conquered... crowning,
vacant vapours, cold and numb
3rd Delirium: FATES
Tempest turmoil, tapered turrets... holding,
dungeons, dragons, chains and racks
Wheels of fortune, Tarot temptress... molding,
Hangmen, Towers, One Eyed Jacks
Sand dune castles, cryptic candles... folding,
warping walls of liquid wax
Idols colder, combed and coddled... scolding,
hide in fissures, peek through cracks
4th Delirium: LOST SOULS
Sunken cities, pilgrims peering... gawking,
squinting eyeballs, blazing sun
Janus facing, shepherds chasing... stalking,
friends embrace before they shun
Tearooms steaming, tumult teeming... talking,
lovers listen, poets pun
Broken stones unanchored, quaking... rocking,
slipping, falling, one by one
Beaten pathways, footsteps marking... mocking,
wedged in webs which spiders spun
Circus shelters, big tops tumbling... locking,
people pacing, soon they’re none
Numbered exits, zeros numbing... knocking,
midnight daylight’s days undone
Moon blood shackles, shivers shaming... shocking,
starlight striders streaking, stun
Hushed but harried hermits waiting... walking,
restless rainbows on the run
Pixies, elves, and echoes bouncing... balking,
fading fast when dawn’s begun
Bantum butterflies are flitting... flocking
sometimes conquered, overrun
Hocus pokus, seers focus... squawking,
voodoo wavered, witchcraft won
5th Delirium: INTROSPECTION
Sundown furnace, fires fading... coughing,
dusky dew drops drain the air
Empty chalice, sipped in silence... quaffing,
thirsting shadows unaware
Looking glass and lattice scorning... scoffing,
local loser gapes and stares
Faces covered, dancing naked... doffing,
peering inside, hope despairs
6th Delirium: THE VOID
Tales of taboos, mystic mythos... missing,
windows shuttered, bolted door
Kindled candles, tongues and anvils... hissing,
heavy hammers, echoes roar
Dark deceivers, raven charmers... kissing,
draging demons from the shore
Hopeless hollows filled with doubters... dissing
standing empty - nevermore
7th Delirium: SEARCHING
Martyred monks haunt runic ruins ... waiting,
banging broken bells below
Vaulted hallways, voided voices... grating,
churning Chinese chimes aglow
Granite graveyards, spectres spooking... skating,
blackened bushes, roses grow
Midget dwarfs seek mutant migrants... mating,
packing parcels, ice and snow
8th Delirium: NIGHTTIME
Throbbing drumheads, fingers blazing... steaming,
coins of copper, beggars plea
Rusty residues of resin... streaming,
opal amber filigree
Orphan shades in shallow shadows... teeming,
steeping twigs in twilight tea
Cloister doorsteps, Prophets gaming... scheming,
tracing tracks of destiny
Blacksmiths blanching, horseshoes glowing... gleaming,
partially sheathed in black debris
Phantoms feigning, nightmares scathing... screaming,
dusty dreamers drifting free
9th Delerium: EMPTYNESS
Water wheels in wastelands... turning,
drowning relics in the slum
Rumpled rags of fashioned burlap... burning,
lit by bandits blind and dumb
Pastured prisons, ponies bridled ... yearning,
forest fairies under thumb
Sounds inside of cauldrons coughing... churning,
blaring bugles, tattooed drum
10th Delirium: ALIENATION
Rain unravelling, wistfully weeping... falling,
treacle trickling, fickle sky
Mushrooms sprinkled, visions sprouting... sprawling,
seagulls drowning, dolphins die
Rabble gasping, spirits broken... crawling,
lonely lonesome swallows cry
Babbling brooks and breakers ebbing... bawling
puppies paddle, puppets sigh
People passing ripple past me... calling,
rainbow colours, collars high
Chaos seething, lepers looting... stalling,
stealing stallions on the sly
Pencils pausing, scholars scrambling... scrawling,
scratching scribbles, asking why
11th Delirium: JETSAM
Silver sails sway pallid pirates... prowling,
Jolly Rogers, wind and sound
Parrots perching, tattered feathers... fouling,
tethered talons, tied and bound
Shipwrecked foghorns, trumpets stranded... howling,
spiral springs of time unwound
Magic moonlight, shimmers shaking... scowling,
burnt out matchsticks washed aground
Prairie wolfs, coyotes calling... yowling,
witching hours, midnight hounds
Tightrope walkers, grizzlies grunting... growling,
seeking islands, lost and found
12th Delirium: RELIEF
Slumber shattered, vapours captive... haunting,
chained in mirrors, breaking free
Scarlet skylines, daylight dawning... daunting,
rivers rushing to the sea
Silence softens, sandmen whisper... wanting,
piercing rafters, turning keys
Shadows shudder, notions fluster... flaunting,
moonbeam bullets meant for me
Mind in migraine, meadows trembling... taunting,
sparrows speak in harmony
REAWAKENING
Pitter patter, teardrops paling... pearling,
salting scarves in secret drawers
Mist amongst us, smoke rings rising... curling,
climbing from the ocean floors
See-saw circles, senses swerving... swirling,
swept away with silver oars
Courtyard jesters, sceptres twisting... twirling,
push the past to foreign shores
Passing pangs of passions heaving... hurling,
burning bridges, closing doors
Roses wither, icons waning... whirling,
time decays and time restores
stripes of dawn sift through the grey departing night,
and in my home, behind those rays of dust,
furniture warms.
the freedom i love will soon be claimed by an incessant morning phone.
my heart numbs, longs for the kindness, constant kindness of the night
the music of my pulse already starts to fade,
a weight sets in, invisible grimace of so many trailing thoughts unraveled now,
to bear until the darkness-swilling reach of soul can span again...
would i fly at brightened glass in fractured urges,
bolstered yet adrift in any day's torrential memes?
rage at seeming machination's constant interruption of my highest rarity of living well?
or smile at the herdlike expectation's threat to condescend,
and at least scour remnants of the search undone... throughout the day
insufferable choice of final future origins
the mail arrives,
my forehead stops to wonder at the door,
and at that pang of hunger
running, overrun, the mind churns night in such sweet shadow shifts!
to fall, legless and dissolve into the rising light..
as if a Noh play were being heckled through to end by gaudy ads
to jolt us bridgeless from that subtle world
and wander long on lethe banks of noisome blare.
at times i stroll this nowhere stranding here, pretend, and gaze from hiding,
between a wincing coffee swill
imagined easeful face of signs,
"easy as a gentle summer wind..."
tolerant to all, to blow a "selfless" stillness into me
to wave, and smile --breathe a blanket on acuter truths
with which i meet the day enwrapped.
but quietly i wait... for Time to die:
an hourglass to shatter in the instant of eternity!
and birthe anew each 3 am, create anew--
those kisses, frozen birds of static bliss become
a moulded wax to shape the plenum love as roaming peace,
darkness-rest to calm a pointless labor,
abate the drift into an unwalled corner's only inward exit--
as whisper hands can cradle nescience
such, that grains become a world,
in which invented seas are sweeter than the toxic real
whose bitterness a cherishing of death unveils awry,
or right as winter dust.
i yearn in flight and add to fullness,
find fullness once again
to hover equipoised at love's encrusted center,
where pain gives way to peace i cannot have.
if i would have this other 'purest' love,
and for instance find the meaning once again in wartime's bated negligence--
as in a perfect silence wind can brush the lips with all of life's aroma--
and as a gentle fire smouldered long,
at Spring, ignites within the splay of tender leaves--
so archetypal solitude of being beings manifolded one, i may fulfillment find...
i may go find myself alone now,
or swagger to an ancient drinking song,
or fall into those evening arms,
to find abated also, idols of the heart in each
for what the greater heart amends...
all for yearning better worlds
the pain has sent me reeling prone--
curling at complacent murmurs,
coos of love to torment all without
wherein i wallow, fallen from all heights,
absurd escape, removed---surrounded still
by so-called metalove, abject phantasmal swoon
i grit my teeth against,
as heaving sand would send the shore to sea and drown nostalgia evermore,
as only total extrication serves to quell an everpresence such as this,
ringing in the twilit dew,
or starlight whirl--
or inverse in a heedless curse--
horizons cease in this expanse
surging at the birth and death of things
......................................................................
I fear I've solved a mystery,
A something that I could not see,
A secret locked so very deep
It hid itself from me,
A something now I fear I know,
That was a mystery not so long ago.
And now I understand it fair,
That secret something lurking there.
You are the one I love,
More than all the stars above.
There is not much I'd rather do
Than share my simple life with you.
To hold your tender hand in mine,
To see your glowing smile shine.
And to know that when you're close to me,
You set me free.
You are my one desire,
You set my simple heart on fire.
Each day, just like the day before,
I find I only love you more.
You make me want to be
A better man than simply me.
A man that bears the love you share,
And who, until now, stood unaware.
The man worthy enough to steal your heart.
The man who'd give his all, and more.
A man who's life you've touched so deep
He understands what life is for.
If it were not for you
My days would have no gentle fire.
The stars of evening's twilight shine
Might just as well retire.
Oh, they may surely shine tonight,
And share their gentle evening light,
But they pale and wane for want, it's true,
When they are all compared to you.
You are my serenade,
That spark within a flame,
My gentle summer shade
Each time you call my name.
The way your soft eyes glow,
Shine like your gentle kiss.
Soft as the Christmas snow,
I never can resist.
You are the one I love .
It is only you that I adore.
My fire, my gentle dove.
You've claimed my heart, and more.
You silhouette my night,
As moonlight whispers through,
And in the dawning light,
I'll go on loving you.
You make this life complete.
You find the best in me.
There's nothing quite as sweet,
As your gentle touch can be.
When rainbows cross our sky,
And April showers fall,
And lightning passes by,
You'll shine above them all.
As our starlight wanes away,
And our dawn is breaking through,
I can hear the fool in me pray,
May I share my life with you?
Is it so hard to ask today?
I can hear my soul debate.
May I steal your gentle heart away?
Or am I too late?
Copyright © 2012 Richard D. Remler
....................................................................................
"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be
a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live
without you."
-A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
.....................................................................................
i know it's a terrible poem,
worthy of the furnace, and
one of my least favorites
just another sickeningly saccharin
and redundantly pointless penning
my humble apologies
I remember you my ageless,
unyielding friend...
You come in the night
all dead leaves and limbo
resting between my chest-plate
and spine.
You are the quiet messiah
who turns blood into sap
and frees humanity from reason
by preaching the solemn sermons from the Lowly Book
I know you precede the Rust
of the limbs and of the trunk
as certain as entropy
So, then, I should also know of your leaving,
where I imagine cupped and dirty hands
will part my teeth
pluck and plant them between my ribs
to sprout as ivory tangles that capture the starlight,
etched with the names and faces of those that I have loved
rooting me to an earth without time
to a place without you.
