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Oct 2013 · 472
Dare to compare
Ottar Oct 2013
the dreadnought,
has at least six guns
           or six strings,
both are heavier than
this poetry, one is larger
in life, than the poet see?
The other has better curves,
oh, enough of that.

One is a metal machine,
the other a classic acoustic dream,
one from war, the other,
well the other you buy from
a store or some garage sale,
one floats on the ocean,
the other for only a little while.

I am no bard,
that is not hard,
to hear,
stand near,
you are my only hope,
oh beyond the canopy
where stars and wars
are witness to my
profanity,
I swear at
this, one day
I'll be good,
no great, not
grate on all
the nerves that
were collected
on my behalf,
as I have none.

So dare to compare
yourself to me and
I will grant you the
victory, because as
there is no one like
you,
good luck finding
another like me,
why did I give
you the nod,
well your more
different than
me and odd, that
you did not
note, your
the boat
and I am
guitar,
your rusting
and I am a
chick magnet.
So go ahead
dare to compare.


©DWE102013
dreadnought as well as HMS Dreadnought a battleship
dreadnought - basic classic acoustic 6 string guitar
Did you catch my paraphrase reference to Princess Leia's famous line?
Oct 2013 · 572
On Borrowing
Ottar Oct 2013
oh fall is here all the real flowers begin to disappear,
I know what I will do, if it is okay with you,
I will find some fake greenery
borrow a live
stem or two, or three or four
or what the heck a whole bunch more
all real one's from my neighbours garden patch,
and then I will mix and match and call
it mine, put it on display, no one will know
what could they say,
and I will sing under my breath,
"it is a free world after all,
and my imagination is so small"
but I sure know how to borrow!


©DWE102013
tools next, working up to the golf set and by spring the car. LOL  - just kidding
Poetry is wordflowers
For RA
Oct 2013 · 992
The Letter circa 1978
Ottar Oct 2013
the writing was on the wall, no real fuss,
it was like a quiet ocean between us,
dried up after a summers intense heat,
this country is so large, amazing we did meet,

in a small town,
in a cadet corps,
fast friends,
spring time,
was it to be love,  

I left for the army, and she was to finish school,
letters and words of our days and nights
the ink filled the pages of our thoughts and emotions,
perfume on her pages was a magic potion,
drawing me in, keeping me close, in the end was I a fool?

There was a day, months after I had left,
my dog had died, my mom said they had found
the dog under, the neighbours tree, I cried
my voice cracking on the phone, blamed the
connection
and distance, so far from home.

I dragged my upset and a tissue, back to my room,
where waited a letter, it was on my bed and I was
alone, I smelled the fragrance and saw the cursive
hand, opened IT after all nothing could be worse...

In a few short pages she did explain,
that long distance relationships were
a pain, and though I might come home
by plane, it was plain to her that she was
not right for me or rather as she put it,
could I not see, she had fallen out of love
with me.

That relationship ended and I cried more tears,
I think my naivete was preyed upon by fears,
that I would never find another quite like her,
and wonder what would've happened if ever?
and was she my soul mate who ripped into me
with angry words of hate, that I had left her
for a career.

Such is a soldier's life, she was not meant to
be this army man's wife, or betrothed,
nineteen I felt going on sixteen once more,
and it all started with two words,
Dear Darrell, the first time in all her
letters she had started with my name,
she had much to say my tears stained the pages,
and she signed it Goodbye Chantelle

I may have wrote
back, an angry
mess that I was
in, but I knew it
mattered not, it
was over in
September of 1978.


©DWE102013

I am thankful there was no Facebook in those days...
1978, surprisingly fell in love with someone other than the above, in 1984, and next year it will be 29 years together and 28 married.
Ottar Oct 2013
little warmth
sky is clear
stoke the hearth
sit right here
humans are sparse,
                    partial to birds and mice,
on the street, fear
kicks your ****
sickness everywhere,
even in the healthy
so please be aware
we have no wealth see
but learn to love
one another,
sisters and brothers
when we are sober
we have a family
pact, watch each
others back,
not just when, we
say goodbye
and keep your eye
off what is in here,
it might be worth
what is needed,
when needed, for me.

yeah we curse we swear
at everyone everywhere
LOUDLY,
but know it is not for show,
we sometimes don't know
if we can stop.

©DWE102013
as told to me at a bus stop...loudly by a guy with a shopping cart full of "his stuff"
Oct 2013 · 400
In(sect)spiration
Ottar Oct 2013
I like the rain,
when it falls
                           somewhere           else,
I like the cold
morning air,
                               from under my quilt or when
                            dressed in my jacket with my toque on,
I like the leaves,
who paints them each night,
                                               a different colour to my delight,
There is a mystery,
I know not the answer
to,
                                     maybe you do,
                                      it is about mosquitoes...

they fly sort of right now,
trying to break and enter some how,
                                                          in­to my house after me,
                                                            t­hey are thirsting see...

even as the sun is about to set,
it isn't really warm, cool is a better bet,


The mosquitoes don't know it is fall
they have blood sense and no common sense is all,

Do they know when it is fall?
do they have any common sense at all?
When will I see then end to these blood thirsty hordes?


©DWE102013
yup two mosquitoes were on my balcony window, looking for a weakness.
Oct 2013 · 874
most
Ottar Oct 2013
thinking about all of it lately,
when is the next day like the last
payday,
when is the next day like the last
kiss
we shared,
when is the next day like the day
most feared,
No where to go,
No where to sleep,
No where to eat,
No drink,
No one to love me,
most feared see?
no pillars to support
life as needed,
oh but I am not being clear,
Another fear,
using big words,
so there are biological needs
So insecure about personal safety,
so shy to ask a friend to be a friend,
(and don't bring up the f - word (family) or SI)
respectfully don't address my self-esteem,
when it and I are in the same room,
lastly actually realize there is creativity,
in the moment, but look at me, do you see
any of it, mostly tell the truth to me,
I will accept the facts you find.
If I am not available I am looking inside,
so knock most loudly, if I am not present
or aware.

©DWE102013
Maslow might like this too
Oct 2013 · 1.1k
Jake
Ottar Oct 2013
rain pelted and fell from the sky,
glancing often as no one went by,
four wheels rolled by often,
the rain did little to soften,
the rumble, the thrum, sounded like thunder
but it was the noise of the "Jake" brake under
the hood.

so many big wheels lifting up spray,
mudflaps did not get in the way,
of the geysers, of oily mud, and water
too slick to stop in such short order,
tons of weight, need to wait after the halt
their turn so, you hear the thunder waltz
into the air as "Jake" doesn't stand still
until he has sung his bass notes.
                                             By rote.

Still no pedestrians, too wet even for a
well structured umbrella but the
skid of brakes is seldom heard,
not a word except by "Jake"

Thanks for the brake, "Jake"


©DWE102013
Please remember to give yourself a little more space and take 5 mph or 10 km off your travelling speed,
and truckers remember everyone else is smaller than you, drive careful too.
This is a PSP. Public Service Poetry.
Ottar Oct 2013
make a big deal out of no deal,
stand still, life of a spinning wheel,
strands of fiber bind u.s. together.
united by the process stated and
our heritage is a product of the lessor,
from this day forth, or Fourth,
of the seventh or the Seventh Amendment,
so who has 20 bucks?
I am lookin' for 6 or 314 million jurors, (Americans need only apply)
If you were all talkin'
and if'n they would listen,
till the sweat glistens on their brows,
in that dawns early light,
I betcha they might not get it right
but here is to hopin' your open
the next time I...write a poem.
This my second non-bi-partisan geopolitical statement, no party has provided financial inducement, I am after all Canadian and have nothing to gain or lose, except my mind.
Oct 2013 · 726
Peachy
Ottar Oct 2013
Petals of a flower
hold so much power,
as they remind me all
of your delicate peel.

Vibrant colour, sedate life
awesome wonder, with knife
in my hand to begin my cut,
an incision, "pick me, pick me",

a voice cries from the table as
the juice runs to drip and has
my attention, deaf to the others,
the babbling sisters and brothers,

To stop me too late,
my appetite to sate,
as I reach for just one more.
                     Just one more peachy moment or bite.

©DWE102013
Now you all like peaches, right?
Oct 2013 · 300
Time or My Mind
Ottar Oct 2013
Peeking from my window blind
waiting,
in my defense I am peeking out
again,
to make sure I am not caught
unaware.

The shadows move while the trees
stand
still, long enough for me to catch
only
a glimpse of the threat that I alone am
facing.

The end of my life the end of my days
when
I will longer be peeking out of this place,
time,
wasting away slower than my mind, as it
is diseased.


©DWE102013
Sep 2013 · 320
It is not a dream
Ottar Sep 2013
breath at the speed that trees bow low,
tears disguised as bullets from clouds,
sting, when they find their mark,
the air so damp it cries to be wrung out,
all this calls me to my bed and
I wrap my arms
around the gentle soul, that I love,
                                                        it is not a dream I am home.


©DWE30092013
Sep 2013 · 736
Brittle Soul
Ottar Sep 2013
waiting for years it seems
quiet observer,
with grandiose dreams,
bridled fervor,
impatiently as life streams
without a
life preserver,
have my saviours sailed
the other way,
being time, success, and
bank account balance,
when the battle was spiritual
warfare. I was fighting the wrong fight
the wrong enemy, feel good gone bad.
emotionally had,
con anarchist,
picked my name from a list and worked
me over and over till my brittle soul
was lost in finding closure.


©DWE092013
But not eternally
Sep 2013 · 445
Genius
Ottar Sep 2013
tear at your skin
until you get in
and fix the thin
excuse for being
human.

Self loath if you must,
but how can you trust,
the thoughts and ******,
that what you guess
to be real.

all humans have flesh,
daily life is a test,
and how you pass,
is sleeping and waking
then opening your eyes
take your next breath.

Be ******* yourself
sure, but let no one
else concur, remember
though, curing concrete
only gets harder with
water, even tears.

So maybe just maybe learn
from life and dance, be limber
to absorb the punches,
the mockery of your artistry,
light a fire to your life,
as there is no match to you.

Other than the passion you always knew
you had.  Confident not sentimental,
beautiful and experimental, your picture
in the dictionary under GENIUS.


©DWE092013
Sep 2013 · 481
The Fog
Ottar Sep 2013
The foggy embrace,
hid the face of the mountain
while the raindrops became
teardrops hidden from sight
running down in a hurry and
collected at the toe of the *****,
washing grains of sand and time,
away to the river, older than the
trees that held onto the fog forcing
the embrace without arms but
branches and needles pointing
skyward and leaving a
why word about the fog.


©DWE092013
Why hide the face of the mountain man,
when rain and tears are all across the land
and wind winds the way through the trees,
here the laughter, contagious mockery
a disease...
Ottar Sep 2013
Shut the doors and throw away the key,
if it was that easy see?,
Close up shop and send 'em all home,
will they take to the streets and roam,
like zombies?
Out of work,
no job,
because a couple of people, don't see eye
to eye, must be fun to have so much liberty,
but no money.

I know I won't ever get it so don't be mad at
me, is it a crisis or a case of mistaken identity?
As it seems to be happening or in the news
regularly, every election or every year, hey
talk I'll listen, and maybe you will feel better
                                                           and
                                                            see
                                                          the answer
                                                          real clear.
"Oh, say can you see... "
Common man needs common sense
solutions,
not political fences, verbal jousting
and pollution, of the facts.
Sep 2013 · 282
Gifts
Ottar Sep 2013
His voice, smoky and warm
her hands soft and comfortable
in his hand.

Her tears, wet and salty,
his cupped palm catching them
and her laughter.

They were the final gifts
to one another on goodbye,
hands together and
sharing laughter,
smoky tears...
            fears were washed away.


©DWE092013
Sep 2013 · 728
Life in the square foot
Ottar Sep 2013
Grow up!
Reach Out!
Become aware,
                      of your surroundings,
Go ahead share,
                          your daily doings,
but first find a spot,
one square foot, not
in the center of a
busy Boulevard,
twelve inches on
all four sides with some or all of both feet inside,
and look down at the ground all around,
then raise your eyes and discover the surprises that
wait at waist level near and far, then take a risk and look
at the distant distance, the haughty horizon
so far away and appear so tall, feel smaller?

Then wait there till the sun is gone and
watch the stars appear one by one and
soon groups and bunches, light the night
does the moonlight make you think on
how it all started, your hunches, might
be yours, hang on to what is right for you,
might be a mistake, maybe genius,
keep breathing or you
maybe missing oxygen like venous
blood flow from your feet which are
now rooted in the one square foot
you stand with your two feet,
life in the square foot is where
you start, start small,
with large amounts of wonder
see the lightening, wind and thunder,
be filled with awe,
like a thirsty cup dusty with time
and emptiness, parched to experience
anything outside the ordinary
inside a square foot of life.

Then walk away plant a seed,
and just remember to tend the
growth from time to time,
the beauty of life in the square foot.

©DWE092013
Ottar Sep 2013
air colder than it is heavy
heaviness attached to memories
of shinny games played
with friends playing like
stars players of the day.

The names changed but the
friends didn't, the rivalries,
were more than East to West,
but who was seen as the best
on ice or roadway on that day
in our surreal play.

Ball, sticks and net,
the best game yet,
on suburb roads, icy or clear,
competition was intense, no fear,
like losing once,
to win again another time, the next night.

It wasn't about victory or loss,
it took skill and staring across,
at your opponent, to make him
look away and maybe give in,
before the game began.

street lights and stars lit our arena
found on Silivia or Olivia
framed in two curbs of concrete
the game was never called on account
of rain or snow or ice, we only
paused for
when some one called,
"Car!",
a goal or to chase the ball shot out of
bounds,                                                       ­ (you shot or touched it
                                                              ­          last it was only fair,
                                                           ­             you chased it down...
                                                         ­              all the way down the street)


Of course we lost our stars
when the parents called them
in for dinner... but even then
we stayed late knowing in the
cold our plate of food would be
warm,

as these memories,
wet jeans and socks, flushed
face, fingers and toes were
sometimes colder than
the frosty distance,
the empty streets,
the orange ball frozen so
it did not bounce,
but always either
made a mark, or
made its mark,

with the echo over
our heads in the
frosty air "Ggoooaaaalllll"
or not so subtle, "he scores!"
and the run back to your
team of friends and celebrate
the celebration seen on TV
on Saturday nights.

addendum:the cracks in the street where the tar repair didn't take,
holds my memories where I can see and touch and reach into them
once again.


©DWE092013
shinny = road hockey  I could only try to list every name we used, but very few may be recognized or if you did you would say they played in the 60's and 70's
Sep 2013 · 941
At this Hour
Ottar Sep 2013
Stars sit in the sky,
planets revolve around them
out of sight of the human eye, at this hour.
Earth revolves around the sun, a star with a name,
that brings heat, warmth, fun, daylight, somewhere at this hour.

We speak of the human condition,
more babies are being born than those that die,
is it me or has all the peaceful air, unspoken promise
left the atmosphere and gone to you know where, at this hour.
Tunneling through the ozone is not the way to get, God in His
artistry with Holy Love the world and creation, to save us, at this hour.

Wait.
Wait a minute.

I have stepped over the line, trying to tell you about the Divine.
I am like a sloth at a speed reading contest when it comes to that.
I am like the only Meercat, kicked out of the family group,
can I get a war whoop of agreement?

You all know where I try to stand,
I make it obvious when ever I can.

So when I am away for a few days,
and may not have any technology to
                                                     play
with to stay in touch, miss me please,
cause I already miss all of you.
I may or may not have my tablet or computer with me, but I don't carry a cellphone, wait you have to own one to carry one.  I will be in the Kootenays, you might figure out where, play where is Darrell, you know the Waldo game with a real human.  I might be writing again after the 01102013, "take your time" they said, "no rush" they said.  That is from one of the other not so harmless dark corners of my mind.
Ottar Sep 2013
This goes way beyond needs or wanting,
wanton
disregard for Marley's testy haunting.
Self-awareness is always daunting.

Corporations are easy to blame,
amassing
billions year after year shame, shame,
fact is they pay their taxes,
well some do, some don't
what about you?

Greed is an expression of Want
                     over              Need,
and want and want
reckless capacity to absorb any
and all of anything at all.
It has to be precious to some one,
it maybe hobbling,
as you go gobbling,
or storing,
spending and buying
or banking on some foreign
shore.

It is the type of activity that spiritually goes
beyond being human and way beyond the humane,
your need for want is filled with disdain,
and objects of your desires,
or alcohol fueled parties,
Arrrr me hearties,
pirate it all away,
keep it all in the lowest hold so
it doesn't have a hold over me.
Come close, what treasure do you seek?


I have it all, well not yet said with tongue in cheek,
I will have ALL in the middle of next week!


©DWE092013
Decide to finish it, I was getting to greedy holding onto, not that is a treasure or a gem.
Not quite the way I wanted but one can't be too greedy
Ottar Sep 2013
the voice that sings loudest,
is often found in the back,
                                            of my mind,
somewhere behind my pillow,
as I am weeping under a willow,
                                                       in some state called Dream.

Dream the state that was founded on free roaming,
                                                        ­    free water,
                                                          ­  free travel,
to and from Consciousness (another state, Con founded)
                                                        ­   free chills,
                                                         ­  free thrills,
                                                        ­    free falls,
                                                          ­  free to be,
                                                            f­ree or not
                                                            f­ree to be
                      (remove the last three frees)
Tumbling forward,
tumbling down,
surreal clown,
without makeup,
standing over me
with scissors and paper,
while cutting out
little dogs and little cats,
letting them rain
down on me,
down on me,

somebody wake me please,
I am allergic to,
paper.


©DWE092013
to be
or not
to be
Sep 2013 · 686
The Skinny
Ottar Sep 2013
Born in a prairie town, at the Grace
of God and Hospital as fall had already
given over to winter.

Falling flakes, landing, sticking here north of North,
South of the Pole, South of the North West Territories.
North of the rest of Alberta, mostly.

I was not born with a witty tongue or ink flowing freely.
For schools and teachers removed most if not all,
so it seemed.  So, if you are a writer, write!

The well maybe deep, dry, unused
                                      and abused, even forgotten and in disrepair.

So if, NO!
     so when you can decide to write again,
     you will and tell all, those nay slayers,
     teachers who shape you so that you have
     no tools to cope with life, tell them all
     that the flood of words about spring out
     of you, some body best build, yet another
     ark.

Now where was I?
I'll get back to you with the other part,
one day, right now trying to restart.
My heart.


©DWE092013
Sep 2013 · 475
Putting Out Fires
Ottar Sep 2013
Everything is dry, but not in the House.
Still there are hot spots that need water,
a lot of crystal clear solution.
Not the emotional pollution.

Tarry substance, oozes from a heart
that has a cauldron just below,
it is not what is devoured,
but what comes away digested and imparts.

Black acid like fire burns and ignites,
goes around and excites,
while leaving all in flames,
spot fires building higher,
all that can be done is putting out fire.

Putting out fires.

It is all on fire.

©DWE092013
You see there was this day...
Sep 2013 · 562
In Pursuit (10w) X 2
Ottar Sep 2013
Stalking flies like they
were treasured prizes, was the feline.

Following the perp without being overt,
          weaving fleeing, rookie eyes.


©DWE092013
Had these sitting around dusted them off, maybe could have let them age...
Sep 2013 · 771
Here
Ottar Sep 2013
Fall is here
shortening of days,
chocolate chip cookie moments,
with socks
long
enough
to keep
your knees warm,
dampness out,
fireplace friendly
chair,
comfort needed, fueled
by cold,
yet to,
           winter here.
Warmed milk too, please.
Ottar Sep 2013
She walked a
slow march,
feet in blocks
of, heavy booted,
cinder.  It was like
she was stepping
on the bottom
and drowning
in her own life,
no air bubbles,
coming to the surface,
for anyone
looking for
signs of life.

But know, one was.

                                                           ­                 The gray wet mass,
                                                           ­                  in the gutter,
                                                         ­                    the dog and I about
                                                           ­                   to walk by the
                                                             ­                 road ****,
                                                           ­                   the injured rabbit
                                                                ­              raised a head
                                                            ­                  front legs tried to
                                                                ­              drag itself in the
                                                             ­                 pouring rain across
                                                          ­                    the very boulevard
                                                       ­                       that taught hard
                                                            ­                  the lesson, in the
                                                                ­              early morning rain.
                                                           ­                   
                                                                ­              The spine was snapped.
                                                        ­                      The beauty and the ugly
                                                            ­                  was showing through,
                                                        ­                      pale white foot bones,
                                                          ­                    where fur once was.
                                                            ­                  
                                                                ­              I had a towel and held her
                                                             ­                 close, my dog was beside,
                                                         ­                     herself to get near, to the
                                                             ­                 gray wet mass, with eyes
                                                            ­                  wide with trust, not fear,
                                                           ­                   sorry friend rabbit,
                                                         ­                     where are Pooh,
                                                           ­                                        Piglet,
                                                         ­                                          Tigger,
                                                         ­                                           Owl,
                 ­                                                                 ­                  Eyore,
                                        ­                                      as I am no match for
                                                             ­                 Christopher Robin,
                                                          ­                    and your injuries are
                                                             ­                 too real, so rest a while,
                                                          ­                    I am right here, when
                                                            ­                  you are able or want
                                                                ­              to go,
                                                                ­              let me know,
                                                                ­                       or show,
                                                           ­                                           me where
                                                           ­                   rabbits go to eat the grass
                                                           ­                   that is always green,
                                                          ­                                  and always grows.

                                                         ­                                                                 ­                
                                                                ­                                                                 ­           Her fingers unsteady
                                                        ­                                                                 ­                   till she grips the
                                                                ­                                                                 ­           pencil crayon
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                 lightly with a heavy
                                                           ­                                                                 ­                heart, does the colour
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                 flow both ways, onto
                                                            ­                                                                 ­               the paper and into
                                                            ­                                                                 ­                her face, her smile,
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                  in a way nobody
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                  knows ,
                                                               ­                                                                 ­             in a way nobody
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                  sees,
                                                           ­                                                                 ­                 unless you look
                                                            ­                                                                 ­                beyond the mask.
                                                           ­                                                                 ­                                                
                ­                                                                 ­                                                         The Picture?
                                                                ­                                                                 ­                                                                 ­                                     
                                  ­                                                                 ­                                           It is a ribbon, and
                                                                ­                                                                 ­             vine with thorns a
                                                               ­                                                                 ­              rugged cross, four  
                                                                ­                                                                 ­             yellow roses too.
                                                            ­                                                                 ­                                             
                   ­                                                                 ­                                                          There are few,
                                                                ­                                                                 ­             too few things
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                   that speak of true
                                                            ­                                                                 ­                 friendship than
                                                            ­                                                                 ­                 yellow roses.
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                                                 
                                                                ­                                                                 ­             There are few
                                                                ­                                                                 ­             too few friends,
                                                        ­                                                                 ­                     who remain.
                                                         ­                                                                 ­                     Yellow roses
                                                           ­                                                                 ­                    all around, petals
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                     sprinkled on the
                                                             ­                                                                 ­                  ground as she
                                                                ­                                                                 ­               details the green,
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                     leaves, the brown
                                                           ­                                                                 ­                    as rugged as the
                                                             ­                                                                 ­                  rocky earth,
                                                          ­                                                                 ­                     so she would never
                                                                ­                                                                 ­                be alone, there
                                                           ­                                                                 ­                     is no friend,
                                                         ­                                                                 ­                       none truer on
                          a wet stormy Sunday morning where three strays, all let me know, how to love.
RIP Bugs 22092013,
Three excerpts of frantic writes today, tried to tie them together.
The ending could be tricky to read. "the how to love" is part of the third excerpt and sums up all three

From the first one "But know, one was" could equal "But no one was."
Ottar Sep 2013
Have I missed any or many?
I name cities and countries,
while somebody somewhere
loads a magazine,
not an e-zine
but a holder of those things with peoples names on them,
not city names
not country names
people
people people
real people
who may or may not have fame
who may or may not be famous
they are like your uncle or your dad,
they are like your aunt or your mom
they are your brother and your sister
from the blood stained shirt tail relations
you never had a chance to meet.

you never had a chance to see their beauty,
        never had a chance to laugh with them,
                   had a glimpse of their genius ripped away before it was discovered,
                           a momentary embrace and see whose tears ran down the face faster as you said goodbye
                           a moment is all it took to be in the wrong place at a time that was beyond their control
                              moments knowing or not knowing just screaming hoping it was helping
                                               know this, they were innocents
                                                       ­   this they did not wish to happen,
                                                         ­         they did not wish to go without saying goodbye,
                                                        ­                   did not know if injured they would live

to those that lived, you are loved
to those that died, you are loved and will be missed
to those who knew them more than any of us, courage, empathy have mine, all of it I just need
to know how to get it out of my heart and my head and some address to send it to, in a tear
                                                            ­                                                                 ­ stained package,

to those who cannot stop crying and need the lights on to sleep or cannot sleep alone without
touching someone,
                                I stand under a moonlit sky I don't believe in magic or the magical
                                                         ­          I am praying for the miraculous or a miracle,
                                                        ­            but none of the words are more than a whisper
                                                         ­           I lift my hands and breath them to the clouds.
                                                         ­           Find the jet stream, much comfort is needed,
                                                         ­           swiftly fly
                                                             ­       softly land
                                                            ­        sure to comfort
                                                         ­           Spirit of God.
Sep 2013 · 2.5k
Reasonable Abstinence
Ottar Sep 2013
I will not taste of your deepness red,
until the dark thoughts in my head,
don't darken the shadows and
dare to scare my dog, to whimper
while running away, further into the night.

I will not taste of your brew,
beer, rice and hops and you
all that is nice of your dark or
golden riches, until the waves
of the gray matter brain move
in a positive rhythm and groove
so I don't crush the can or
bust the bottle glass to pieces.

I will not taste of your sweetness white,
for I am easily transparent in my plight,
nothing in your fruity delights will
remove the soured palate I have for life,
so stay far away, for I am alone,
until there is peace for what I only
                                     can atone,
if I can figure out where it all went wrong.
Sep 2013 · 569
With sprinkles...please
Ottar Sep 2013
Roll with the punches,... but what if they come in bunches?
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag,... and smile, smile, smile?
When life throws you a curve ball,... hit it out of the park?
When life gets tough the tough,... get going?

Oh I have all of that, can I have some sprinkles on top, please?
Sep 2013 · 556
Fall
Ottar Sep 2013
By the time you read these dots and dashes,
Most parts of the world will have those splashes,
of colour
that excite me and ignite a change
of a season,
for this reason the weather rearranges,
our calendars,
outdoor events move inside, lightening flashes,
go before thunderous sounds and crashes.

Uprooting and harvest, closure and clothing
changes, rain boots and umbrellas do the thing,
to keep us somewhat drier,
jacket on in the chill of morning,
jacket off and begin,
the humid commute home, people warming
and sit by the home fire,
with their feet up, yet summer mourning...
                                                     ­                  .
                                                               ­        .
                                                               ­        falls
                                             on the deaf ears of relentless change...
and weather warning
First day of fall Sunday September 22, 2013 1:44 PM PT
Sep 2013 · 422
There is no poetry
Ottar Sep 2013
There is no poetry,
                                that does not taste, sweet as the human spirit.
There is no poetry,
                                that does not dig and root at life, as if fearless.

There is no poetry,
                                that can move me, to not like music.
There is no poetry,
                                that can move me, to not want to dance.
There is no poetry,
                                that stops me, from the music I dance to,
there is no poetry,
                                that silences the music in me, that makes
                                me move in my seat at a
                                local coffee shop (okay, it may be the caffeine),
there is no poetry,
                               in plain view as when I skip down the
                               grocery store aisles.

There is no poetry,
                               only shared human kindness that restores a shaken soul.
There is no poetry,
                               that can say love better than an act of unconditional love.

There is no poetry,
                               that has not already been said,
                               that has not already been lived,
                               that has already been lost,
                                                                           like the one, you are about to create and write and share.
                                                                                                    So that others may live your experiences.



©DWE092013
There is no poetry, in some peoples view, help them to see.
Sep 2013 · 234
Queen of my Night
Ottar Sep 2013
If I may, if I might, be near you,
                this night and stand guard,
just let me hold your hand,
just let me hold you close,
and
if
not
just let me hold your stars.


©DWE092013
Sep 2013 · 426
deus ex machina
Ottar Sep 2013
Lie down and stay she does,
where you want, is where she was,
if it wasn't for her fur you might
              call her a cur.

Say the word bedtime and turn off a light, go to walk away,
she will beat you to your bed, your pillow, for a back-scratch, say,
didn't you just launder those as she make happy noises with her
          mouth open wide, looking up at you from her back.

You know you love her she is your dog at that,
loyal and duty bound to defend you in combat,
so surprise her with a kitten who will become a cat.


©DWE092013
God From Machine, God in the Machine, or as some have tried Ghosts in the Machine, A literary device: when a plot becomes too complicated, the author introduces some element that no one would have anticipated.
Sep 2013 · 1.5k
I am the owner
Ottar Sep 2013
Look at a toe,
your own toe, look pick one and stare,
Your toe is nice,
your toe is neat, they make the foot complete
But each toe,
has his or her own personality,
a poem about toes beyond banality,
times  ten
toe jewelry,
toe jam, toe spacers,
pointed toed shoes
without laces, to which
your toes
make faces,
a grimace here, a corn there,
and blistering anger comes to a head,
nail polish, and remover,
a different colour every other day
to sooth her,
toes trap sock lint,
but whatever your toe state is,
whatever you dress them in
or how often
you walk them undressed
(your toes I mean)
I must admit all of your
toes are much prettier
much more handsome,
more idyllic
than mine,
I am the owner
of the ugly toes.


©DWE092013
Some toe thoughts. So toe the line, bet you can't wait till I pick another body part to ...
Sep 2013 · 389
Journey
Ottar Sep 2013
walk down that trail
matters not left right
or
straight ahead

it is one that makes you
sniff the air
bend down and grab
the soil in your hand

your heart skips a beat
as you step on the one
all else is void of any
thing
that this path has

you hold back your engine
as it wants your feet to race,
you decide to pace,
knowing full well

it is not always the
destination
but the
journey

into the sunset or into the moon rise,
toward the sound of water falling or crashing,
after a faint voice that you can only hear
maybe, calling for help or cheering you on, dear
so journey on
don't wait for me,
so journey on I'll pray for thee,
remember the trail called you
not me

after all I am on
the path that is for me
if I could only know
by looking through the brush
if I would know if I would see
which way you
go
and that you would be all right
with or without being in my sight
because
you are as special to me
as anyone could be, for we have shared
each
others poetry.



©DWE092013
Sep 2013 · 817
A Falcon Falls, I am Sad
Ottar Sep 2013
I think of caramel apples this time of year,
I think of Thanksgiving in October, oh dear,
I think of seasonal gestures and try to wear
nostalgia,
I think of pumpkin spiced pie, and sage too,
I am so busy I will forget to think of you,
I ******* hot coffee, sometimes burn a lip,
If I eat at a restaurant, I always leave a tip,
for nostalgia,
I keep something near my heart and others
in my head just behind my eye,
I love the fall of the leaves crisp and then crumble,
to top the grass and tumble in the chilling air.

My mom always said it best,
But my dad said he'd "Break our legs if we did
drugs"
My mom always said" that you be sure to be safe,
and just don't",
Today they, the temptations, are here and there and
everywhere,
I am not judging, but I am not budging either,  
For anyone who loved her, I am sorry for your loss.

how did fifteen year  old A...
why did fifteen year old ...d...
when did fifteen year old  ...r...
who was with fifteen year old ...i...
what was fifteen year old          ...a...
where was fifteen year old         ...n...
why was there no help for           ...a...

I cannot finish my questions as they keep pouring out
of me and everyone of them is tear stained,
so recently a Falcon fell, and I am sad,
                        no judgement, not mad,
trying to understand
trying to make sense,
each of mine were
fifteen once, and nostalgia
wells up in me,
knowing that could have been
me, getting a call or a knock on the
door, then the wind leaving your
lungs, and you can't hear anymore,
for all of your screaming,
and tears scald as they run down your face,
one you loved for too short a time, is now gone.

©DWE092013
My kids, they are adults now 20, 23, 27
15 year old dies of a ****** overdose, no I did not know her or the family
Ottar Sep 2013
Continue...

The sky broken up by steel lines, are they still there?
The peace shattered and shattered and shattered, and
                                                                   no glass falls.
            Tears, droplets red, as well as, instead.

Take away the senses leaves a dry taste in the mouth.
The weak are the insensitive, and numb and seen it all
                                                                                 before.

       Robocop gets beat up by the Transformers.

No not the ones attached to the poles attached to those wires,
but the ones attached to arms and legs and make arms and
                                                                                  the mouth,
                                           MOVE!

While soft shoe, dancing across the house floor without looking down,
          so if there is a trip and stumble don't let your face grow a frown,
                                                                                                   permanent
                     not like a one act clown embezzling emotions.


From the crowd.
For the future.
Stitch the hole, with a suture
twenty hundred pounds of laundry,
washed twelve loads of  linens in the
wash-house, now all is quiet as a mouse,
all are stained
all are pained
all too many
down the drain
when will we ever
learn
when will we ever
learn

I know it is not a solution, but lets start giving everyone a gun
and stop making bullets
I did not write this to dishonor anyone who has had a loved one die after being shot in a random act of violence, I wrote this as I am disgusted at the political currency founded and minted in innocent deaths
Ottar Sep 2013
Starts with a plan,
You need a street,
volunteers with care,
You need chalk and artists
volunteers who, give time to share,
too make it complete!

Every artist bends,
and begins to work,
some kneel some stand,
there is a demand,
on every body,
fingers coated in chalk dust,
as the asphalt grinds away,
minutes become hours.
measured by smaller and smaller,
morceaux de craie
a chill is in the air, yet
warmth is around each artist,
as they work the asphalt.

Centennial Square artists of chalk
beautiful works to be seen, and the kids,
could work with chalk; was the talk.

Government Street, quite a beat,
to walk and see artists' heart,
and love for what they can do,
put on display for you and you too,
as you enter
to the center
of the Bay Centre!

You, on your way to or from work, walking by,
you who want to see something different downtown,
you who have friends in Victoria from anywhere,
you who may want to do this next time, next year,
let the chalk do the talking!

©DWE092013
Thanks to John and his corps of Volunteers, this is our first chalk festival. Never have we felt more welcome, to any event, we have been to many, you encouraged us, provided for us (Amazing Sponsors), we felt welcome and will be back, next year!
Ottar Sep 2013
It starts with eyes watching the forecast,
             watching the fog or clouds mass,
              overhead.

The muscles, the glutes they hurt when,
                   you do anything or nothing,
                    oh well.

If you sit if you kneel with your weight on
                   your heels, watch how you
                   place your bare hand or any
                   knuckle, asphalt with texture ... bites.


On to creating she
began day two, the
centerpiece was done
now a border to do,
twelve
peach and gold salmons
swimming in an asphalt blue
as blue as the ocean nearby.

The artist chooses some red, some peach,
some gold, some defining black, and
two types of blue to her art she stays true.

This cat had found
"the purr-fect spot"
people ooowed and
people aaawed again
and again over her,
but try as she might,
she could not wait any
longer,
only if her will was
stronger,
she ate a fish, anyway,
right to the bones.

She is done, the artist I mean,
f i f t e e n   h o u r s, bent and
contorted, leaning and standing,
oh and the painting well...
purr-fect of course, we will be
back next year, with many more
artists as the Festival will grow,
thanks to the great job by all
volunteers

Can you see the slight
smile on her cat face,
the glint in those eyes,
like she owns the place,
she is content to stay the night,
by morning she is off to appraise,
better grounds for catching fish!


©DWE092013
The fish is in the bottom corner of the piece of chalk art, however when the cat cut resized etc,
she made sure it was edited to hide her true appetite, check my face book page real soon for more.
See if you notice any differences in the photo on my HP home page
the bruises on her knees have started to show, and her hands and fingers
will take a day or two more to be heading back to normal.

Look up Victoria International Chalk Festival for more, Facebook page, my Facebook Timeline etc. etc.
Ottar Sep 2013
Color or colour compacted into a stick,
In the fingers of an artist, quick a slow trick,
can be performed, art before your eyes,
as the asphalt roadway takes on a disguise.

As the sun moves above the fog,
the warming begins and hours logged,
step by step each artist to their own pace,
they begin to add color, yes colour to the place.

Finger soft flesh chalked, bent knees, dusty clothes, holding
chalk stick court for public eyes, conducting the dust, loading
each shade onto the black tempura space to be a master piece,
there is planning, layout, maybe blocking and she says, "PLEASE!,
pass me the knee pads, asphalt is so ******* the bent knees."

The hours pass and fog drifts away, looks like a blue sky,
will be here for the day and overnight, no threat to erase, nigh,
day one is done, look forward to day two, maybe some rain late,
in the afternoon, oh no chances for thunder and lightening are great.

Performance art done with heart,
all know from the start, any water,
will wash away, the efforts, the hours,
that beauty was on display, while made.

No tears were spilled, and the glow of perspiration was contained,
This cat for tonight is the empress of her domain, Government St, Victoria BC



©DWE092013
Victoria BC Sept 14 & 15, 2013
Drop by my facebook page to see who I was with and what she did!
See my main hello poetry page, black and white does not do the orange tabby, or calico, any justice
Sep 2013 · 1.2k
raw edge
Ottar Sep 2013
I can't give the raw edge,
Of Life,
a chance in words,
flies away like birds,
it is not mine,
to give.

like the amazon queen,
who ****** for her ****,
(they sleep for now)
they both crawl or limp
out from behind the bustop
I can see the scars from her battles,
starting with the nose on her face,
working down her arms,
and even her legs,
he is an intense pair of eyes,
Address *mean street
on repeat,
as his looks are like darts,
avoid eye contact, or there
might be only two sounds

he is porter, drags the bags for the both,
they are looking for a home, as the hint,
of cool morning dew tears, is fall, then winter
Will chase at their heels, and his role as protector,
will be tested against a cold-hearted enemy,
in the open, they are on the hunt for a shelter
to run the business, where he is lord, master, lover,
And ****.

every day this merciful summer,
it has been a different stop, bus or not
every night under stars pinpoints,
Not Needle Marks,
but the Personal Crack Pipe,
needs cleaning before the next use,
like removing makeup from her skin,
just to put it on again,
And off,
And on,
as he banks the money,
for commodities Street market loss or gain
after all what is the price of crack *******?

The raw cost,
In the raw, her business attire,
The raw edge,
I have not lived, not mine to give.

©DWE092013
*see "up the creek ...." Apr 3
"Two sounds" reference, you know, his fist hitting anyone's face and that face hitting the ground.
Sep 2013 · 655
Cutting My Teeth
Ottar Sep 2013
Living a stellar life is easy,
grab some boredom and hang on,
gripping the life out of it.

Being an active parent of three kids,
all growed up, and mostly on their own,
well not quite, some day... a change.

What is there left to discover,
reacquaint myself with my lover,
pour my soul into my muse.

So turn myself inside out,
upside down, and cut my
teeth
doing verse
don't rehearse,
one day I'll edit,

but that shadow of doubt,
but that shadow of fear,
creeps in to the corner of
the room, is it the edit or
the boogeyman, but
I'll continue to cut my teeth
as to chew through this
I need a whole set.


©DWE092013
Secret #1: My muse, my inspiration, my idea machine, my frame of reference; the Bible.
Secret #2: I have not yet learned to love and embrace the editing aspect of my writing, oh sure
                   a comma here a typo there, but to edit 50,000 words while adding another 70,000! oh oh
Secret #3: "cutting my teeth" per the Urban Dictionary means: "To acquire wisdom; to learn the ways of the world(of poetry). (I added the words in brackets)
Sep 2013 · 361
They are Everywhere
Ottar Sep 2013
Oh it is fall,
it is near fall,
the next street corner has fall all over it,
the crisp brown leaves, carpet the ground.

Silken threads,
with drops of dew,
fill the spaces, attached too even, the imagination,
there is no vacancy at all, but arachnid fascination.

They are everywhere


©DWE092013
Ottar Sep 2013
Seasonal construction
Path of destruction and rebuild,
Traffic crazy, in the car ahead,
Face yelling at a speaker phone,
Zig-zag path like the road owner,
3:05 late so a five o'clock date,
And a seagull sits right on the line,
Patient Mockery so sublime,
The seagull "walks the line"
Waiting can be a hating game,
That would be a vacation shame,
shame,
Shame.
So now the seagull is not alone on the line.


©DWE092013
So did   do right?  No personal pronouns?
Sep 2013 · 1.2k
Heights
Ottar Sep 2013
The heights of men
        match their lows,
The heights of God
        nobody knows.

I climb the stairs,
to get higher,
awkward ones that
I am aware, I
no longer aspire,
I say the words,
but they are already
dead to me.

Dizzy...
It all moves
while I sway,
                      no stability.

The heights of men
        match their lows,
The heights of God
        nobody knows.
Someone once said space goes out there and out there and never comes back.

On the edge,
the precipice,
                I am not afraid of heights, I am not afraid, I am not,
               but that landing!

Only if I was an astronaut, but as my aspirations are,
beneath my feet.

Trod on
like stairs,
eroded and
incomplete
like this

©DWE092013
Please note that this note is merely that, take note.
This is what my poems are when I am sick, unwell, malade, SNEEZE!
Sep 2013 · 508
Was
Ottar Sep 2013
Was
A man died, I don't know him,                                                             ­            he was married to a co-worker
                         I may have met                                                              ­           her or I may have
                   walked by her desk                                                             ­            and saw her name plate.

He was riding his bike, the day                                                              ­           before today. Yesterday. Can we go back to yesterday, in 2001,                                                            ­                  I know, I know...

That was a day when people                                                           ­                   were talking or packing or getting ready for the next day.                                                             ­                 There weather checks, I bet.

My feeling, my reaction to that day,                                                             ­    the next day that was
                   that will never go away,                                                            ­       never ever go away
                                                            ­                                                                
I stopped what I was doing at 6:29                                                             ­  and 7:28 at home this morning.  Without warning                                                          ­                warning, I sat at my desk for 1                                                                ­                                                        minute each today, at 9:59  and 10:28.                                                           ­                                                     To this day, I look at every
HEADLINE and none was as gut                                                              ­        wrenching, shattering my personification of the soul, as that one.                                                            ­  There have been others but
for me that was the first,                                                           ­                                            Was it the last?
Terror build fast.                                                            ­                                                         Changes things.
Fear full                                                             ­                                                                 ­                 Tear full
Names                                                       ­                                                                 ­                           Etched
Tears                                                     ­                                                                 ­                                Pouring
Crying
was I, was all,  IT was an evil, IT was so terrible, was ..., was..., was..., was holding on to me, can I let it                  
                                          ­                                        go?

©DWE09112013
Read across the gap,
Sep 2013 · 639
All because of you
Ottar Sep 2013
my throat is raw, but I am sick,
my head hammers,
like someone fixing a grader blade,
my heart skips a beat or stops...

for what seems like an eternity,
all because of you.

I have a raw throat as I called your name,
all night into the dark,
walking the streets, hoping you would answer,
and all I got was chased by dogs, yelled at by
people, told by the police if I did not go home
they would escort me, they would even supply jewelry,

all because of you,

The tears I shed, and the resulting hammering in
my head, from crying and clawing at the sky,
to grab some fabric, a hem, in the hope you were nearby,
I looked at every point on the compass, you were not to be found,
I looked into the dark shadows for light and only got lost
and walked further in, I knocked on doors of homes, businesses
and churches, got kicked for my troubles
now my lurch has turned into a limp.

When there was no where else to turn,
No other place to go,
When there was no where else to search,
all because of, you,
I looked inside,
And I found You.

Waiting by my heart(h).


©DWE092013
Sep 2013 · 1.2k
I know someone who...
Ottar Sep 2013
I know someone who can say,
"Words on paper, might become vapor, after years and years,
Of the silence, and loneliness while a pool of tears and more tears,
Allow fears to float, high and heavy on my chest,
Almost suffocating me before my next breath."

I know someone who can say,
"I am not only sad, I am not only angry, although I feel that way more than you know,
  as I live two different lives as two different people, the one that is always on show
  to the world, to my friends and to my family, see?, which may be true, but wait!, everyday
  it is more than that is only half of who I am behind masks, to let you think; that I am okay!"

I know someone who can say,
"I have seen intolerance,
  I have seen stigma,
  I have seen ignorance,
  I have seen someone suffer in silence,
  I have seen mental health issues,
    mistaken for an identity,
  I have seen someone who is sick,
                   but been called weak."


I know someone who can say "I suffer from depression,
It is okay.  I will be okay."

©DWE092913
This is for people I don't know who struggle with mental illness, of all kinds, I hope you know people
who are supportive and accepting, help people around to recognize what you go through by saying,
I suffer from depression.
She is learning to accept herself, knowing that she is loved of God, loved and learning to love herself, accept herself.  It is more than sadness when something goes wrong it is when everything is going right and you are  unable to enjoy those moments, you are beyond sadness, everyday.  Start talking people.

Permission has been given to We Are Not Alone Forum, to include this poem for use in their forum, in conjunction with Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries.
Ottar Sep 2013
We are all so small,
        that is all,
bums in chairs, who cares,
warm bodies, with a pulse.

That pulse
where does it originate,
not your heart, that is the noise maker,
your lungs are the breath taker,
where was that pulse founded?

Have I, you confounded?

Your beating heart was known and
loved before you were born, God
knew what he would do before you knew you.

All your cracks are filled with grace,
All your dents, and brokenness,
                               bear witness,
of a loving God that has never left your
side but been there with you to
                       bear, the hurts
                       bear, the sorrow
                      bear it all,
that is all,
why we are small,
if we were only talking about the physical
                   not the physics,
                   a God who is time,
                   a God who is love,
                   a God
who gave you character,
who gave you identity,
so though you are small, and
feel alone or lost in the crowd,
He who gave you individuality,
so you could find and
                                     be a part of a community,
where you fit in,
                            with other assorted parts small
                                                           ­     that is all.


©DWE092013
For my muse, whose pages have not seen enough of me, For God, help me continue to understand
There is no weakness, that can not be undone by God,
Perfect people in a Perfect world would be boring,
Heaven is not the world, and I am perfectly okay with that.

Thankyou Nadia Bolz-Weber for the inspiration. Poetic License taken was mine, hope, you at the Hello Poetry are all fine with that.  Paraphrasing was incidental, any near quotes are accidental.
Ottar Sep 2013
Rest easy, read these heavy words of slumber,
tap your chest to the beat of your heart,
empty out breath even from the deepest parts
the void, will fill itself, with sleep, I hope for your sake.

Scrunch those toes to close, then let them relax and let go,
Half close those toes and let them loose, shake them once and again,
Tense those calves, feet pointed at the ceiling, if you are willing,
Go half way and shake the tension away, from you,
Quads and hamstrings, next remember in pretext, full and halfway,
shake the tension away,,
gluteus maximus
then abdominals
and lower back
and in their turn
chest, those pecs to reflex and relax
latissimus dorsi, my oh my you got your back
shoulders,
hands of fingers, just like the toes,
pretty soon you might doze,
forearms, biceps and triceps too,
neck and face shrug and scrunch,
you don't have the answer,
so pucker your face,
eyes are the last close them once,
eyes are the last close them half,
eyes are the last,

I hope you never read this far,
unless you are awake, after a
night of rest fullness, so if it does
not work, know this, I will sit by
your side so you can unwind,
I have a good year for listening,
on pillow soft words, for you to put
your sleepy heavy head.


Good...night...yawn
Make sure you are not allergic to any of the teas below, you might end up sleepy but
awake at an emergency ward...
did your try a warm tea, mint or green does it for me,
lemon is fine, chamomile, or some kind of herbal or there is one called sleepy time...
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