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617 · Oct 2014
A celebration
Ottar Oct 2014
nay, have I the resources nor regrets,
to drop tears, since we have never met,
my rutted dial,
into the foul winds have faced.

many hours my fingers have paced,
                                  upon the keys, when
should I be found upon my knees,
my eyes may as well be dim,
chances of meeting you, slim,
oh but for wonders of tech, and oddities,
have I not caught a social media disease,
if I have want to be anywhere but here,
it is with thee there.

whether coasts west or east or overseas,
York the New and Land of Port,
or some isle somewhere with a dialect so rich,
eight by eight so to speak,
or near the heart of the where I live,
or land on some place in Village Central
you all see right through me, my riddles,
my rhymes, my prose sometimes,

is off the cuff with no shirt sleeves,
tis a rant that is not to rave about,
playing child's games,
some say shame shame,
in this adult world that fills me with Awe
and Wonder, tortured by questions to
which may not have any answer.

yet I celebrate,
each waking hour,
each breath in and especially out,
and when rest takes me low,
my dour moods, make it easy to pout,
yet.

Yet,
I will celebrate,
with music, though sounding like
tin cans and strings, with a few pebbles
thrown in,  I will not sing,
I will celebrate,
with movement but not dance,
for the two flat feet, that slap
like flippers make quite a flap,
I will not dance,
I will celebrate,
with no instrument,
my fingers and my ears, bent and deaf,
are tuned to different spheres,
that are both flat, fingers
lifted too many cold bridge parts,
while the ears heard too many
explosions, and rifle reports, bang, bang
So what do I celebrate...?

Each waking day,
and the dark of night,
every day of work,
until I take my leave,
each sight, eyes see,
about which to write,
not old but older,
a hardy fool and more bolder,
willing to waste money, no contest,
just foolish fortitude,
yet let the celebration begin,
there is no code for when
you get old, for I see myself as young,
another year comes close to closing,
another day births my hope,
my apprenticeship,
may time pass slow,
so I may learn quick,
so celebrate with me one day next
week, don't write me off yet, for
I have no stories in print.
Chuckle softly, smile broadly, we all get older.  This was supposed to be in 55 words or 55 lines or more...
616 · Feb 2015
back by popular demand...
Ottar Feb 2015
It is not like a feeding frenzy,
In the bay boy, by the dock with youbread
by the loaf.

Just add seagulls
and a boat.

It is not like a gang fight, between
The Crows and The Gull,
at a MacDonald's entrance,
with some discarded
contra-
band,
in a Marked and torn paper bag.

Three are always
clad in black and
one dressed in grey..... or white.

It is not like any of that,
It is like standing in a silent room,
There is no clapping, nor thunderous Boom,
of approval, a the speed of sound, and of light,
the white is blinding, the emptiness binding,
on all sides.  Suffocate my self-esteem from miles and miles away,
if Social Media Therapy, is all I got
something has to change, that isn't LIKE me.
See my poem in this poem SMT (Social Media Therapy)
Ottar Apr 2015
echoes
land                                 moving
           somewhere
tied                                  to
              ­                                     morning mist.

morning,
                         she's
string


             that
  

                    nothing
is          two
                   bottles

of linen

               But, whiskey-----
From Stephen Leacock The MarineExcursion of the Knights of Pythias
Posted this too on my Instagram @elverum51  #elverum51
615 · Apr 2013
Everybody needs one
Ottar Apr 2013
Whether you be a dog or cat lover,
You need at least one,

Something to demand attention or hover.
I have shared several cats from birth till now,

I have shared several dogs too,
From birth till today around fifty something,wow.

That's my age, not cats and dogs,  7 cats and 5 of the others,
Felines and canines are best of my friends,

(no offence) Closer than sisters, which I have none, and brothers.
Which I have one. Now back to the cats and dogs.
I do not know if they end up in heaven, I could spout or refute
theologically, but I do know this, how you treat them,
does not go unnoticed by the One who created them, so cute.

If they will be there on the Golden Ways where Diamonds are the norm,
if that is even up for debate, I think I would be
the one turned away from the gate, for missing the point, bad form.
He loves all of creation, and who is He to ask man for his advice?

Look at what we have done lately with fossil fuels and the price of rice!
Man is lost without God, like leaving a dog when you go out the door,
He gave us a beacon, 'cuz we need hope!
They wonder why you left without them and will you be back for sure.
It is not their lack of faith, it is not that they do not trust,
They just don't know if you'll come back!

How is it, God looks our way as we have sinned and fallen short, we are not pure,
But for Jesus, we cannot save ourselves, we need a Saviour,

Everybody needs one, sometimes they have fur, they always watch you
and rejoice, for the day you make the choice, and accept that you are human,

To accept that your best is what is tested, when you own a dog or a cat,
That He uses their eyes to not to watch you but measure your soul,

Angels are around and weave through time, owning a pet is a test, imagine that,
Have I ever sat at His feet like my dog has laid at mine...a price paid, no toll

Ever watch a cat go to the one who dislikes them the most?
Think if He said, He was showing up as Father, Son and Holy Ghost?
Would you go?

Life by God, is more than what you see with your two eyes,
For it starts with awe of the beauty and the wonder in complexity,
then the Unseen, goes way beyond simplicity!

Everybody needs time, which God bends to His will, my
point is this, we are the pinnacle of His art, yet we fight Him
from the start, Everybody needs one moment in time,
and it is different for all and each, gut check, heart check.

Go through life with zest and vigour, instead of pantomime.
Actions may speak louder than words, other than those few,
"Lord forgive me, for what I have done, I have sinned and
nailed your Son to a tree on Calvary."

Everybody needs the One,
Jesus His Son.
Ottar Jul 2013
You have a dream, we all have dreams, dreams are needed not just wanted,
career changes, leaving for the good, what to do, thoughts of what if leave me haunted,
new directions a fresh start recharge the batteries and jump start the heart,
old dream dashed, no where to turn, no where to go, have I the heart to restart.

April Fools day, stepping out and up into the clouds of rain and night falling,
no room in the shelter,
hollow spot for our tent,
all the rain you know where it went,
next night the tornado train went
up the valley, questions were we supposed to go, on, what was our calling?

Sights to see, did we find something to refresh our minds,
nice people, amazing landscapes, (tunnels of rhododendrons)
did we leave anything behind, (except wishes for complete success)
and did we gain beyond the pain of heavy packs, and the daily hiking grind,
but we did not go all the way North to Maine but we did go beyond,
the empty path of the rest of that Long Trail remains forever out of reach,
until we hold hands, remembering,
knowing that it may be considered incomplete,
together, no regrets, no need to repeat.


©DWE072013
Left the military 1989, hiked the first 131 miles (212km) of the Appalachian Trail.
DWE, TLE and 2 year old ADE
613 · Mar 2015
Learning Curve
Ottar Mar 2015
Run a hand along the arc and wooden edge and a splinter
leaves the grain
sharp, is the pain
marked by a drop of blood.

Pedalling fast two feet, two circular wheels
no hands, straight faced delivery,
no guts, no glory,  youth and temerity,
gravel bits where rubber meets the road.

Trembling hand, no two, follow softly,
the rolling of the satin surface, accepting,
pressing for more, hands directing hands
where to press in to the curve, yearning
becomes burning, so much to this learning
                                                        ­     curves.
Ottar Mar 2014
walking goes better with one foot in front of the other,
left, right, left, right or right, left, right, left it is about
the cadence after all.

breathing goes better by blowing out to make room,
bad air out, fresh air in, bad air out, fresh air in, bad air out
it is about sequence and consequence, do you believe?

living takes your breath away at times,
walking is not always possible when you are on your knees,
gripped by disease, missing limbs but still embrace life,
frozen in a catatonic state not wanting to move for fear
for fear, for fear grips mens prostate, and
takes women's rooted relationships away
glean what life means from the women, men
when you have a job and no place to live,
when you have friends and they have a couch to give,
for a week or two, and the lessons you have learned
from the life you have lived, that has broken you
busted you in two, your ideals don't match up with success,
what a truism of altruism, give it all away and you will get,
patience now it has not happened yet...and you wonder if it
ever will.

Stay away from bureaucracy, become an entrepeneur,
gain a skill that will always put food on the table,
run with your ideas when you are able, and remember
there is no finish line, you just run the race.
For Peter, my son
613 · Apr 2013
Deprivation
Ottar Apr 2013
Sleep I come, wait for me to drift.
Let me drift and gently land as far
away from my insane day, the gift
of escape.

Sleep I need to escape I plead; no, not
to fall again and startle awake, crying out
and draw the unwanted immersion, caught  
in the net of  the bete noire.

Softly, sweetly sleep we are falling off the edge
and waving to the conscious world,  off the ledge
as my eyelids flutter, while right, awake, and wrong
all stutter behind my eyes.

I can still feel the beast and name it Insomnia,
pulling at my nerves, stimulating tension where,
it is not welcome, pull me deeper sleep, let us
find that soft lit pit.

I desire so...to drift.

No not the dark cave with the bright lights of
the beast Insomnia, not again or again, the fall that I
awake from just before I in a landing where sleep awaits,
and have mercy,
of the early 3:47 am, sitting straight up in bed,
as I though I had heard a noise.

Please quiet my mind and let me drift...

"It is 5:19 in the morning... on Wednesday the 24th of April and
here is your traffic update....
"
613 · Jul 2013
To gether
Ottar Jul 2013
To my right, West stands the sun, no wait it is sinking slowly to the lowly horizon,
To my left , South East, the moon, becomes more as the sun is less, best keep my eyes on,
this.
I have both in the same sky, the other part of the planet has no day or no night, light
I am greedy and I am selfish, I want to keep them both, for more than these few nights,
a wish.
To early to tell if my wish will find the well and a bottom dry or filled with water,
Even if I am right or if I am wrong, I will give back freely not because, I oughta,
for you.


©DWE072013
Hope you get your moon back real soon!
612 · Oct 2013
maybe I missed 'the mark'
Ottar Oct 2013
how to write poetry?
And rea(d), And rea(d),
Observe beauty,
write the life you see,
with honest integrity,
Vulnerability with
the woe in me,
out in the open,
Typing,
Writing,
Sketching,
Etching,
Carving NOT,
a niche,
Every word
written here,
is a piece of me,
the letters and words and sounds
are not tattoos,
but decorated, ornamented me,
piercings
and truth be told,
Let me know if
I am on the Button.

Veneer with oils and salt saline,
surface warming to a sheen,
Sun also rises too break the
morning,
fabric shapes change
like billows stoking a fire,
until the fuel is spent,
the grip seems to not let go,
to join the day,
stay euphoria stay,
slowly fading away,
Sun still rising into a cloudless sky,
parting,
is to greet the day,
richer for the moments of play.

©DWE102013
or did I miss the mark
612 · Mar 2015
Rain Running (Ottava Rima)
Ottar Mar 2015
Clouds close off the sky as droplets fall from high
Traffic doesn't slow down as my foot falls pound
Wind lifts dried dead leaves, trees wave goodbye
Timing is right as raindrops stop before the ground
Roadway is still wet, spots cover my "four eyes"  
No pain in the knees easy pace arms move up and down
Sadness has caught me, running even at my shoulder
Sweating from the exertion the warmth is turning colder
ab
ab
ab
cc
611 · Feb 2015
Rainbows and Happy Places
Ottar Feb 2015
Colours.
The Arc is a contrast to
the stark, overcast sky.

There are,
two end and there
are two sides.

Meeting
means to
collide.

Box
emptied of vacation
memories, blossoms
of plastic, frozen faces.

Broad smiles, hid the
lies behind the lines
and teeth, bits of sand,
those once were hot,
Between the ugly toes,
grains now discarded,
But no more enjoyed, the
mind is blind to the litter.
                  what was toyed, with
blackmailed emotional *** of gold.

The Colour
has drained away,
rummaging in this, in the dark
is too damaging, with gritty fingers,
on delicate nerve tissue, softly,
please, mind the
Grey matter.
611 · Aug 2013
Blood
Ottar Aug 2013
the blanket of air, caught on the tree tops,
the coyote calls of victory echoed, with
repeated howls and barks, they owned
that moment this night.

Blood was spilled, stomachs filled, the pack
would hunt all night till the sunlight would
make them rest.

the blade had only one purpose in his hand
demand the cash and away he ran, not before
he made a point of piercing any resistance,
leaving piercing cries for help into the night,
lifeblood ran out of one, while
the other ran out, blood pounding
at his temples as his Converse flats
                                      pounded the ground.

Echoing
under the blanket of cold air
trapped in the tree tops,
this night.

suddenly sirens cut into the cold,
the blanketed air with red flashes
and roaring screams, as the coyotes
crossed the road near where the
knife was stuck in a heart heavy
chest, with no air cold or warm.

the coyotes were safe from harm,
the man ran and ran, no knife in
his hand, as the paramedics, worked
hard to save a life right in front of his
children and wife, the call of the blood
was too strong,
the blanket of air got colder
                              got darker
                              got covered in blood.
611 · May 2013
They had a riot
Ottar May 2013
And forgot they were people too,
so when one guy stood up said "stop"
they blamed their numb brains,
those numbskulls.

Choose your fuel carefully you fool,
actions speak louder than words and
everyone who is anyone, listened,
was it 29 to 1, how odd?

There is no excuse, only shame,
admit your fault accept the blame,
and move on.  Oh the one,

He is a hero, but I don't think
he will ever be the same,
but we know who to blame,
all this for a game in a hockey rink.

Oh puck.
610 · Apr 2015
Early Early Morn
Ottar Apr 2015
I stir in the soft glow, in the room, and traffic is a slight ocean's wave, in sound,

I put my hand upon my chest, this ceiling isn't mine, the fixture here is round?

When I roll over, you are there, face hidden by your hair,

Pillow grasped with hands still bunched, have a hunch

We loved last night under, the moonlight, cloud light , no light

If I remember anything, ... umm I must get dressed and take my things

I must leave without saying goodbye, or get the stare from sleepy eyes,

That could **** even me, with the air thick with thrill, from the eve before,

No, I must leave sleep and you, to walk the dog who is scratching at the door,

for sure before I leave, this early early morn.
Aubade - I am a morning person...5:19 A.M  I am awakened
610 · Apr 2013
Poet's Justice of The Piece
Ottar Apr 2013
There is no reason without rhyme,
There is prose that is purrfect,
most every time.

Imagined reality
read silently,
memorized
diligently,
Slammed publicly.

All for the
thoughts dangerous,
courting and marriage,
two human souls,
between like strangers.
"Slammed publicly."  I know you know -Poetry Slam
610 · Oct 2015
Falling...then Landing
Ottar Oct 2015
It is not the stripping
of what the day wore

It is not, that no one
thing can be done, if
one sleeps more

it is the mind
won't shut down
and startles awake

a physical earthquake which
shocks the shuttered eyes open
and a mouth gasping for air to
pay off the lungs or the heart

will beat loudly all parties close at hand as the
head explodes, once...
and again.
Something from my IG @elverum51
609 · May 2015
They Grow Up
Ottar May 2015
all your problems in life grow up,
maybe not to overwhelm,
but to look you in the eye,
don't blink,
don't bat an eye lash,
steel yourself, because no one else can,
your inner workings
so small and so young
at one time,
the grow up and take a stand
they are your spine,
they are your heart,
they are your mind,
these are not the fleshy parts,
they are the
physical manifestations of your soul,
and it wants to roll.  About time.
608 · Oct 2013
Rust Stains
Ottar Oct 2013
sign that says stop
intersect forebode,
to wait until clear,
the air,
the fear,
the sky,
eyes, of those tears,
but what if becomes
cannot stop,
throwing pieces
off like they don't
belong and won't
stick around long
enough to be
reattached to rusted
vestige that used to
be human,
now rust stains
down the face,
empty carcass
after the fracas,
of living like there
was no tomorrow,
came
true.


©DWE102013
606 · Apr 2015
On Crossing
Ottar Apr 2015
if one day,

I am away,

worry not.

if in two or

three days,

there are

no words,

no write,

I am all right.

if a week

becomes

two and s t r e t c h e s

the ache…

to a month

or two in

you.

I have gone

across

the Rainbow Bridge,

to the Other side,

with no regrets

save not knowing

you, as one of this

Warriors conquests.
Pens or swords
blood or words
claims to shame
likeable fame
read and read
write and write
can you hear
your heart pounding
in your chest
to get out of
the lax-a-daisy
you have become,
get fierce,
in word
and deed,
sheath your
pen in some
one else's skin
and let the ink
stain behind.
605 · Jan 2013
Life Preserves
Ottar Jan 2013
I stand because I cannot sit by.
I cannot stand to watch what I look at.
I watch and cannot see what is really there.
See?
I stare at my fantasy without reality.  Events unfold and stories told, through
characters merely imagined, to keep that part of me from wintering through everyday
of my life, like a single dried-up and curled-in leaf still attached to a nearly empty tree.
Feel?
That cold creeping closer and in as age frosts my rough-hewn surface, an exterior not
even my mother could love, anymore, anymore.  The veins and arteries act as they have
been treated, neglected and broken down, they leak and it is more than, just slightly salty water,
drip, drip...drip.
Hear?
Am I listening to life around me, those voices are more than noises and sounds, they are filled with
words, which echo and rebound that taste of meanings that I must really take care to understand.  It is
not all about me, as I am not talking about the voices, the all-important voices, in my head.
Taste? Smell?
Oh Comfort, to find comfort from with-in rather than with-out, when none other will, fill that palate we all share and the air we all share, that I  breathe.  My blindness has a cure, my insensitivity can be repaired, and my hearing could pass any test, but I must get past the stench of my selfish failures and the textured memories of the stale-dated repast.
This is about the lethargy.  It may seem harsh to some.
603 · Dec 2013
Stars, War and Waste
Ottar Dec 2013
walked on the milky way this morning,
all the stars sparkled under my feet,
the dog walked on dogstars and I the rest,
there are more of them than you think.

great grey blue bird flew out from under the giant,
it had nested there until the shadow loomed over head
had he not moved to defend the three of us, we'd be dead,
giant did not fall but stopped moving at all, it had run out of leash
and sixty feet tall and the heron flew peacefully away

bottle of *****, spiced *** half full, left at the DQ drive thru, overnight
more proof that 40 proof alcohol does not freeze to ice,
no one around to claim ownership so I took it to the bushes and
gave it a tip slowly to watch the dark, bronze liquid, water the roots of
the now drunken shrubs.



©DWE122013
603 · Jul 2013
Layers
Ottar Jul 2013
it starts with one
sometimes,
no it does not stop, unfinished,
then another is
added,
that is now two, colours or media
background
three takes some time and becomes four then
five has some texture
or a hint of glint, ummmm, six
or is it the other
way around,
finally the focal
point
is placed, the same process, not just for show,
but the mystery
my friends,
lies in the layers,
(and in my prayers,)
for the artist,
life is a test,
if you miss it,
okay,
or interpret it
off and away,
she will stand
             under.
masks
help
her seem
normal
to the
madding
crowd,
layers she has
but is there
how many, try to count
till you can
find who
she is, so
meek and so
mild,
created creative
one of and not
the only, God's
child.
I know you will dream,
I pray they are sweet,
falling and landing
on feathers down soft,
no shadows a chasing,
no regrets on waking,
the moment is yours for the taking,
need a hand?
603 · May 2014
Sweetness
Ottar May 2014
the sugar is going to my head,
coursing through me
laying still impossible on my bed,
impatience easy to see,

hands tap with the beat
of a heart, wanting to meet,
feet dance under the sheet
in the restless, summer to be, heat

you are so sweet,

alone knowing this,
alone there will be no...
alone is a confession

you are not an obsession
you are not the end all and be all,
you are every waking moment
                         a positive torrent,
of sweet,
sweet, moments strung together,
until the sun sets here,
then the fear
of being alone, to make it through,
your sugar rush,
sweetness.
602 · Jul 2015
The Grey Age
Ottar Jul 2015
the dog she frolics like a lamb,
open mouth
smile ear to ear,
the dry grass pokes her pads,
her nose scents the air,

she chases me, there is joy,
in both our hearts,

grey blur glides by
my legs, without looking back,
her years have not slowed
her down, her ears pulled
back with her speed,

she chases me, fierce heart,
fire brand spirit sprinting,

she runs circles, does laps

she tucks her haunches under
and she silently thunders
by lightening fast,
pure joy despite her chaotic past,

oh in my dreams, she will live
forever, and despite what
some say spiritually,
the will in me says she will
wait for me on the far side
of the Rainbow Bridge

and we then run, her nose
leads the way, to play
and a day, to discover
freely
eternity.
My dog today. Old but not too old, yet.
602 · May 2013
My Front Door
Ottar May 2013
Fern the fern liked everything light green,
She liked the shade and was never mean,
The mixed basket, Rachel Equality loved every colour,
Different shades of every one and size, larger to smaller,
she likes to hang with them all,
"Snowflake's" white petals were loved by fuzzy bumble bees,
it was a pollen, the attraction,
though we do not know what her name stems from.
Characters, in the order they appear, Fern, as her self, Mixed Hanging Basket, please be aware and understand there are multiple personalities at play, and Snowflake, whose real name was asked to remain hidden due to the nature of her chosen field of occupation, it is a ***** job etc.
601 · Jul 2013
Okay...?
Ottar Jul 2013
When I close my eyes,
                                      what do I see,
from the darkness comes your face, and
trees reaching out reaching up, then
the last words I read in some Book somewhere,
the weight
of
them takes me to my knees,
where I find you waiting,
in the coolness, and all this time I have
acted and thought I was alone.

Does my life have to empty out and lay on the
ground for me to realize how precious, i t  i s
how fast it goes by, how little time we are given...
eyes heavy am I falling down to the ground
then to dreaming.

A young child on a swing,
sees a bird with a broken wing,
runs to get a shoe box, some grassy bedding,
calling for his mother, while crying,

please be okay, please okay, please

he cups his hands carefully carrying
the bird, pecking, into the box now nesting,
quietly he walks while his hands are bleeding,
calling for his mother while crying,

it will be okay, it will be okay

Up the stairs,
puts the box
down with care,
opening the door,
entering with his
treasure, quietly
sleeping,
but he can't find his mother
anywhere,
suddenly the box gets heavier,
as a
cat jumps
on, the box
in his hands
strikes him strange
as they don't own
a cat...
imagine that.

mom make it okay,
mom make the cat go away,
mom why didn't you stay...
mom?


©DWE072013
601 · Oct 2014
After and Before
Ottar Oct 2014
After each sunrise to sunset,
is a blink of a bright eye,

Before each moonrise to moonset
is a blink of a night eye,

each night that, there is no moon
                 to rise
                  or set
darkness buries deep, in dark hearts,
never has a day come without the sun,
                to rise
                 or set,
which would be, the darkest, darkness yet.

Do you
feel fear, rise
or do you know
about glory's light,
where is your hope, set
                                     yes, Glory's Light!
601 · Nov 2013
IT, is not
Ottar Nov 2013
It is not your face we need but your heart
shaped words, it is not that you write of love,
but you write with it.

It is not that we only are satisfied with seeing
only your hand in the quietude of, and still,
for a moment, it is not
we only think you have one, but two and
the other is holding the camera, so still.

It is not that poetry is done easily, it is that scrapping of
the dross from the surface, let's us glimpse what is beneath,
it is not pure,
it may be molten,
it is not sure,
it is far from frozen.

Oh that dross isn't a loss it is the ugly, happy, sad, crazy, lazy, beautiful,
maddening, inspiring, the list is endless, no need to defend this, this dross never
goes away from the impure state, but leaves an essence in the write.

In time, it is not
for us to judge,
but with a friendly nudge,
and a hand shake,
so that that face unseen
is close enough to greet,
and that smile to be seen
how sweet,
IT, is.



©DWE112013

Recognize I pulled with respect and honest praise of your writes.  Hey N   L        , for you one let's meet, I'll buy the coffee, you provide the city, sooner than later as my boots are wearing out.  I just have a few details to work out...

made a change...
601 · Jan 2014
The Anger
Ottar Jan 2014
she has conversations from all sides,
                                            besides,
they happen in her head, in the brain,
                                             no strain,
                    no one to argue or have a conflict,
                            she does not have to restrict,
what she says
         that way,
problem solving and solution finding, not binding, brilliant
but without knowing it,
if you say something against it,
she may wonder did I say all that out loud,
her face will fall but that is not all, she will burn with Anger,
until she settles,
the internal battle
in her own way
she doesn't want her way,
she wants the voices to go away.
And take Aunty Anger with them.



©DWE012014
In empathy
600 · Apr 2014
Enthusi...asm
Ottar Apr 2014
The chasm
from one side
to another,

and the cosmic gap,
of Who in the heavens,
it is filled with...

not with a new position,
not backing the underdog to
the final of the Final Four,

not at the first sign of life,
inside, your girlfriend, wife, or lover,

enthusiasm...

filled with God.

Go with God, and be filled, to over flowing...
even a cracked cup or vessel, like you or me
even more than accuracy of Bessel, to measure space,

God knows you, with enthusiasm,
                             no chasm,
can separate...you...from His love,
                 look up to find His face.
En Theos
600 · Apr 2015
Th3 Audi3nc3 of On3
Ottar Apr 2015
I
thought when
I first wrote

Poetry
it was
the release of

Woe
in me,
but for awhile

I
see my
style and who

I
write for
my audience of

One,

but,

Bullies,
pull the woolies
over eyes that sheepishly
turn away, look away, look away,

I had a teacher once who that
thought by giving me D's and
E's in English and jokingly
add in front of the class...

"Hey Elverum you got one
of your two initials, wanna
hazard a guess?"

When I was in
the Army,
had an MWO,
who was nick
named the Wicked
Witch of the West,
as his features
made you feel
like Dorothy, in
the Land of Oz
and because "there's no place like home"
                       "there's no place like home"
                       "there's no place like home"

So
it is
with sad attention

I
see there
is a bully

Here,
here, said
the judge, jury

So
there should
be, because poetry

Is
not about
the freedom of

Expression,
through speech,
it is about

Grading
and wizardry
and being numero

Uno
a legend
in his own

Mind
my manners
mind my tongue

Words
that are
spit like salvo's

Not
marshmallow's with
hard hearted centres

Poetry
is meant
to be read

If
I ask
for your critique

Would
you send
me a bill

Or
just your
ill will, toxins

Instill
your commanding
presence on the

Young
and the
new, who dare

To
bad mouth
you, your just

One,
how does
it feel to

be
so alone
like the sound

of
one hand
clapping as you

dashed
another soul
to the rocks

below
the belt
with svelte wit

But
alas, I
only write for

An
audience of
one, you ain't

IT.
MWO - Master Warrant Officer
In quotes from the Wizard of Oz
there are many of  those who give honest critiques, but please
Write poetry if you are the poet you believe yourself to be.
People will critique here, that is part of being an open site,
people will comment here that is part of being an open site,
you can wear it, or throw it back, the number of poems someone
does does not necessarily make them a poet, it means they send
a warning, it means they may care, it means they are getting paid
to fill the feed, so in that one be aware, it means they are retired
and want to spend it here, whether they are in Arizona, or a cheap
flat in Pittsburgh (sorry Pittsburgh Poets), did you invite the critique
or offer them a cheek, or are they just an angry one, with so much
baggage tied to once was a vital career, and being an open site they
bully every one here?  Sadly not everyone who writes poetry is a poet,
and not every poet, writes poetry every time, so keep writing and let
the words fall where they may, read out loud the sounds of the words,
to they take the shape of your heart, make your soul visible, burn the
crucible hotter than the edge of the lake, called the Abyss, who ******
in his corn flakes anyway?
600 · Nov 2013
Ravens
Ottar Nov 2013
Bright black
bright mind
talk like a parrot
has talent to share it
knows how to have fun
in new fallen snow
               and bright sun
roll down the ***** once
and again,
roll down the ***** steady to
standing to roll again
playfully
slowly to
roll until the bottom is
found
smart as a whip,
able to strip the dead to the bones
catch him playing once
fine
but
then
nevermore.
596 · Apr 2015
A Critique A Review
Ottar Apr 2015
How do you do?
I am here for you.

Simple for me to say,
I am a container of dismay

After Thursday.

What is good poetry,
what is a good poet,
(s)he is a teller of stories in verse,
s(he) makes music out of sounds,
(s)he explores tension and boundaries,
s(he) undresses your sensibilities,
(s)he has a heart tapped into broken vessels,
s(he) can cry while in the midst of a write,
(s)he writes poetry for others, almost always from the self
s(he) can write love with a thousand different metaphors,
           but chooses not so to do.
(s)he loves language, maybe more than self, has as many
      books as dust on the shelf.
s(he) is a quiet observer, with no remorse for putting into
          words what the sky says to the child, what the man
          hears from the Earth, what a woman knows about
           birth and the pains of life as well, that no man would
          survive and too the wisdom found as one walks along
          the garden path.
(s)he knows that poetry is readily available, simply by being
     vulnerable and sometimes obtuse.
596 · Sep 2013
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?
593 · Mar 2013
Flood of 69
Ottar Mar 2013
The Trail Creek,
could not hold
the flow of
a million million
drops of rain.

The bank let loose and a Gulch became a river,
basements of homes and stores became indoor pools but
not one resident was close to foolish enough to go in and swim.

The streets became
a river of
a muddy coffee
coloured toxic feared
enemy, that had
no weakness but
time.

An apartment building fell as the Columbia River swelled,
eroded and took the ransom till it flowed down stream and
was rumoured to have crashed into a transom of the old bridge.

So many memories swept away down stream, many more, could
not resist to power of the water to remove and ruin, words and images,
by force, and in time, dirt and sediment remained everywhere, after the flood.

Tears replaced rain,
in time water,
all of it,
was drained away,
peoples lives strained.

To a ten
year old boy
this was big!
And as the
Columbia was growing
larger each day
parks disappeared as
the danger neared
I sang, "rain,
rain, go away
we have had
enough, there is
no where to play.


The flood of
nineteen sixty-nine,
was a vivid a
disaster you will,
ever find, but still
the City survives.
1948 and 2012 and (maybe 2013) floods have also occurred, even though they redid the creek and culverts and reinforced it all.   There may be other years with floods but these ones stand out in my
memory
593 · May 2014
Stylin'
Ottar May 2014
The dog, she sleeps,
the fish, he keeps
                           me within reach of the fishbowl,
three pellets twice a day and the Beta does not have
to lay a beating down, on my weary and worn crown,
of hair requiring a cut real soon, I'd do it my self but
then I'd look like a baboon, so don't ape me on
                                                  or it might spawn,
ill advised humour, from my son's, an Aveda
professional hair stylist, point of view,
"don't go out in public like that" and "tell them it wasn't me"
and "stop using a fishbowl to cut your hair for free"
Joe the Beta is fine, no fish or hair stylist were harmed in the making of this, as well no benefit was derived for mentioning, either Joe or my son the hairstylist.
593 · Mar 2014
give and take and give...
Ottar Mar 2014
solo
so low,
some do,
well, ...alone.
Not for sake alone,
go to the meaning of life.
take what you earn and share,
take what you own and wear,
there is no time to spare,
give freely as you have received,
give freely and do not deceive,
blame is not a game,
to be played with so much passion,
                                as to fashion,
fingers pointing in all directions,
away from the center, get some back bone,

of all the nerve...
if life is a maze,
spending it, amazed or amazing?
how to say it with OUT using the words,
the beginning of life is...,
the meaning of life is...,
the gloaming of life...,
through and through,
are connected one strand,
A.N.D-D.N.A,
through and through,
one nerve felt by
everyone under the sun,
so to the past,
so to the present,
so will the future,
need ...
I am not about to give away the meaning of life,
you can take or give your best guess, no spoilers,
hints have been dropped, don't step too close,
you may glow in the dark, there is a state of...
that we are all part of, okay I have said too much,
made it to easy...pieces
Ottar Nov 2013
It was black, just black
          before the attack
                                  by everything I feared
                                   my lips in the mirror
trembled and quivered
as snakes found their
                                  way into my mind,
                                   out my ears and into
my home, the spiders
climbed on the outside
                                 of my frame, no need to
                                   bite or spin a web,
I had woven my own trap,
  my floor became ladders
                                         and I was thirty three
                                         feet above anything real,
there was no one to watch
     but alone I saw all eyes
                                        were turned on me,
                                         I started to cry and drown
in my tears but then the
worst happened and I frowned
                                                   as I was comforted by a clown
                                                   who put his hand on my shoulder
             and said "don't worry, you'll be a year
older next time, there will be much more to fear."
Like Clowns...
Okay so this is too late for the East Coast
589 · Feb 2015
Walking Jay
Ottar Feb 2015
Feet* and paired Wings,
Today that is what, so brings
US
To this, where cha-ching,
The rights to which cling,
LIKE
Static, we gave our mothers,
When Sisters and Brothers,
BIG
Like houses fell with furry on
Us, with sibling rivalry, luvin'
LARGE
Hands saying stop, pointing
To the crosswalk, anointing
SAFE
Places to cross the roadway,
Rather than be a walking jay,
TICK-
Ed and ticketed, by some loud
Constable, unstable and proud,
THAT
with you now, a notch on his belt,
Quota made for the month, melts
YOUR
Resolve to have a good day, red
Cheeks on display, like those dead
MEMORIES,
Of how your Brother or Sister always
Won the battle of wills, and turn away,
SHUNNING
Your existence to even compete,
Participation failure so complete,
BECAUSE
They were younger, too true,
And bigger, better than you.
...Walking Jay
Look both ways in life before crossing anyone.
589 · Mar 2015
tradition (cinquan)
Ottar Mar 2015
father
to the sons in
short a legacy of
stubborn racism disavowed left
behind
My father was a racist, and one night at the dinner table, he would not relent, I was in grade 11 and my brother was in grade 8, had had enough
he went on a racist tangent, as he had before and my brother and I left the table and said we would not eat at the dinner table until it stopped.  We took our plates to the living room.  From that night on for many nights my dad seldom spoke of anything, but sadly in the long run, he did not change, we did return to the table and have conversations that became acceptable.
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
586 · Jun 2014
Traveling (daydream)
Ottar Jun 2014
stars that blink, those that flash,
do they wink, do they dash,

on steeled wings, secreted cache,
where they bring, people stashed,

to far away places, water goes splash,
sunburnt faces, no credit, pay cash,

save each week, don't spend on trash,
don't dip or sneak, the trip will crash,

before you get on the plane,
let alone, run across the hot
and sandy of the beaches of Maui
"For Our flight to Maui, today we will be cruising at 33,000 feet and
the weather is to get to a high of 96 degrees today with the off shores breezes coming from the South West at 10 knots..."  "Darrell, Darrell"
"Huh???"
"Time to go and bring the umbrella, it is pouring"
"But did I miss the plane?"
"...?"

Watching airplanes on near final approach as they come into land at YVR...
586 · Apr 2016
Table Talk
Ottar Apr 2016
When our family still dined in one sitting, together,
"dollars to donuts" subject of school came up, as did weather,

and then back to the topic of school and those
homework assignments, but saying "Bob Elliot "grows

like  ****"" got mom and dad talking about clothes
and shopping south of the border woes

in Spokane, though my dad worked at Hudson Bay
and my mom toiled at Woolworth's, earned her pay,

they wanted "bang for buck" and would not allow
"good money go after bad *******" here and now

with the Canadian dollar almost at par,
and gas was cheaper for our old car,

"South of the 49th" just then,

the phone would ring and one of our friends would ask
if we could go out and play until dark, mom would take us to task

and say as we went out the door, with a slam "best be inside
"before the cows came home"" we were already three strides

from the door though (we didn't live on a farm
and only animal was our pet was a dog, Goldie,) what was the harm

as the sun was staying up later
the homework would be done once daylight was long faded,

and we would get to our beds "as snug as bug in a rug"
the importance of breaking bread together with limited interruptions and intentional communications only with those immediately seated around the TABLE is "fighting a losing battle," I am one to TALK
585 · Mar 2015
Exit Strategy
Ottar Mar 2015
She points at the door, by raising her voice not her arm,
Items scattered on the floor, no longer familiar, lost their charm,
He knew it mattered not, lips would move in the frosty air,
Anything he said would be held against him.
The air grew colder between them.

He put on his coat, the room temperature dropped already more
His hands jingled with the keys, keeping just the ones for his store,
She turned away as he hefted the two heavy bags she had packed,
She said her lawyer would call, he said "I'll be back", voice cracked
" If there is anything ..."

Not a sound
Not a noise
He closed the door
behind him
breathing fresh air
for the first time
And just stood there.
They had no kids, no pets, each a car.
The door open behind him and she said,
"How did it feel this time,
Remember it is your exit strategy
and one time, this door will stay closed and locked."

He began to walk away.
585 · Dec 2014
In no sense
Ottar Dec 2014
cloud bursts in the sky,

raindrops falling from many eyes,

one for one, for all
one four one, fall

victims

voices break and tremble,

though the Earth

might shake and rumble,

as the ground is incised,
again and again, again and again...

and raised caskets to the fill the skies,

enough to black out the sun,

but not of those children, or of their memories.
First version was much longer, had much anger, and may find print another day time or place. Say the title real fast ..innocents
585 · Sep 2013
Day of Travail
Ottar Sep 2013
wanting for to write a simple rhyme
with rhythms that, dance and move
me like butterflies and honey bees
work, the stamen and pollen pistil
until wings be still as, the night air,
day of travail has gone bye bye.
Ottar Nov 2013
Colour is not the point,
like beams of light that
                     do anoint
the hour which I lay flat
and wait for rest, or at
which point in the dark
                                      do I wrest it from a faerie light
or must I wrestle with
a bottle, pills to cause my ills to slip away and let the
pillow absorb my day, my worries, my strain,
where the engine,
has no off switch,
this engine sits on
top of me not purring
not whirring but
running rough shod
through me, I will not
admit to being sleepless, for by the time I write this,
you will all be in the land,
that I am jealous of, see?

Oh colour?
Which pill will I take,
I have different shades
for different days, and Hades,
waits for me as well, for one
of these times I may take too
many, but I am sparse would
not want to be left without any,
so those gates stay shuttered
as I wrap up and shudder,
through another night
where the next days, and days
dawn and I fawn over
my appearance, eyes with
circles dark, pale image stark
in a mirror, to the point, the clown
smiles back at me and asks
to be happy or not to be sad?,
I need sleep so pass a whole bowlful,
of sleep that all of you have too much of,
                              and push and shove
me
with
your
bed time stories,
nursery rhymes,
and lullabies,
in poetry and I will read what I need
                         to let go and let sleep
steep me overnight, when I will wake
                 up and pour into another day,
the literary love you have shown this poets way.
NL, this ones for you.

Also see Sep 8 2013 something I did on Insomniacs etc
584 · Sep 2013
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...
583 · Sep 2013
Two Storms ( two Haiku)
Ottar Sep 2013
Thunderous rain and,
bright jagged shafts of lighted
energy draining.

Shakes uncontrolled,
dog pants walks hears  internal
rebellion not play.


©DWE092013
Summers End (maybe not quite yet)

This day that September washed August and July down the drain, distant
now those warm days of cloudless skies, let me find another, with a sextant.
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