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Jan 2018 · 395
Over-exposed
Richard Grahn Jan 2018
over-exposed…
what i look like
when i get out of bed
What can I say, I just got a new camera. Now I'm into photogenic jokes.
Dec 2017 · 275
Scoop
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
two lovers:
a second bowl
of ice cream
Dec 2017 · 402
Etched
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
In the window
Etched there in frost
ɘyd booӘ
Dec 2017 · 430
Winter Charms
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
i see you
in the snowflakes
dancing
We had a light snow-shower today. One of the flakes landed in my mouth, a tiny, chilly inspiration pill.
Dec 2017 · 232
Celestial Stumble
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
flirting with angels
dancing with the divine
shoes untied
Dec 2017 · 249
Growth (6w)
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
deep inside...
enlightenment's seed
sends roots
Dec 2017 · 212
Deeper (Haibun)
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
I just got out of a session with my counselor. We’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks but she’s already digging some buried stuff out of me. I was on the verge of tears as we talked about the demise of my last relationship. Just scratching the surface I fear. Obviously, I’m not so over it yet. The question may be, have I ever gotten over the loss of any relationship? Mom? Dad? Grandparents? Lovers? My dog? My cat? Oh yes, my cat! She's good.

yes, you left me...
standing here with
scars
Dec 2017 · 275
Space Cadet (Haibun)
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
Lying back in a bed of grass on a warm summer evening, there is no moon or clouds. There are no trees, no bushes and no structures in the periphery. Little twinkles of heavenly light, rain down from all directions, breathing life into the midnight sky. All around the whispering glow of the Milky Way gently teases the soul like some grand Pied Piper on a mission from God.

The soil beneath the grass is cool. The air is still. A meteor flashes across the sky then vanishes into a timeless sea of stars. The earth drops away as Eternity beckons, leading the dreamer into deeper space.

one small step…
tripping through fields of
dark matter
This is inspired by an experience I once had, literally feeling like I was falling into the stars. It was similar to the rush you might get from jumping out of an airplane. There was nothing in my view but stars. There was a moment when I realized we are just floating in space, just another speck in the universe. I was lost in space but I found something as well. The shock of it brought me out of my trance.
Dec 2017 · 369
Somewhere or Bust! (Haibun)
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
Standing at the edge of a pulsing highway, thumb extended, a lighthouse beacon under an early sky, raining hues of blue. A meadowlark stops to chirp, waiting for a ride on the next gentle breeze to somewhere. Grass whispers to the pavement. Gravel crunches under foot. Speeding cars drift slowly by on this never-ending road to nowhere, leaving their noxious gases floating, polluting the stillness of the morning air. Getting from here to there is a gas.

license plates fade
into the horizon...
dusty shoes
This is my first attempt at Haibun. Critique welcome and thanks for reading. Changed the haiku after original posting.
Dec 2017 · 290
Awake
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
daybreak
curtains wide open...
branches still asleep
Dec 2017 · 777
Emergence
Richard Grahn Dec 2017
a caterpillar
takes flight on sweet winds of change...
chrysanthemums bloom
Wrote this thinking about my early years and the many changes taking place at the time.
Nov 2017 · 537
Tidying Up
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
waning sun setting
one leaf clinging to its branch
rake leans against fence
© Copyright 2017 Richard Milton Grahn
All rights reserved.
Nov 2017 · 310
Frozen
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
ice on the pond ~ a mirror facing sky...fishhooks are bare
© Copyright 2017 Richard Milton Grahn
All rights reserved.
Nov 2017 · 300
Procreation
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Gently breathing,
Rock is sleeping
Beneath a tree.

Water seeps,
Roots drink,
Rock sleeps.

A subtle breeze
Tickles leaves,
Rock sleeps.

Whispering softy,
A lullaby.
Rock sleeps.

Roots envelope rock,
Hugging, squeezing.
Rock sleeps.

Hugging tighter,
Reaching in.
Rock sleeps.

Crack!

Rocks are sleeping
Beneath a tree,
Gently breathing.
This is dedicated to Ron who insisted that "you can't write a poem about a rock" or personify a rock. All my poems about rocks are hereby and forevermore dedicated to Ron.
Nov 2017 · 293
Peace (10w)
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Settle
Breathe
Wait
Listen
Reach out
Reach in
Receive...Peace
Nov 2017 · 517
Guiding Light
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Seeking truth,
Taking another step toward God,
Yearning for light.

Following the path,
Making an effort
To do what is right.

Should reason fail
In the darkest night,
What’s left to do but to

Trust in the journey,
Stepping each step
Without regret?

The destination lies
Just ahead,
Shrouded in mystery.

The meaning of it all
Defies understanding,
Requires much more than just believing.

To the end of days,
Getting closer to God
Is this moment’s most important task.

Caring and sharing,
Feeling for others,
Listening to

That piercing voice
From above and within.
Watching for

A chance to assist
Another in need of that
Guiding light to Eternal Love.
Nov 2017 · 231
Nuts
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Blue sky, cold outside
Squirrels rummage fallen leaves
Pass the nutcracker
Nov 2017 · 207
Truth
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
wondering
falling into space
seeking truth
Nov 2017 · 170
Circles
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
A tiny seed in a mighty sea
chases the light
to find fertile soil,
to breathe in the air and
make a new life.

The ocean currents carry it on
to a deserted isle,
depositing it there
on a barren shore.

High but dry the seed comes to rest,
waiting for the rain to fall.
sun beating down,
waiting for the rain to fall.

Clouds come by, hiding the sun.
growing gray, they play in the sky,
flashing, rumbling, dripping…
dripping down on that little seed,
washing it back into the sea.

A tiny seed in a mighty sea
chases the light
to find fertile soil,
to breathe in the air and
make a new life.
Nov 2017 · 237
Get Over It (10w)
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Displace worn memories
Replace them with dreams
Entwined in reality
Nov 2017 · 251
Strawberries and Cream
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Thanks for the strawberries and cream.
Thanks for the simple things you do that
mean so very much to me.

Let me thank you for the time
and the encouraging words,
for the memories,
the meaning,
the laughter
and the healing.

Thanks for the caring
and your bountiful sharing.
Thank you kindly for being kind.
Thank you for your ever-soothing touch
and thank you for the love,
I love you so much.
This one popped out of the oven and was ready to eat five minutes later. Got to get in the mood somehow. ;)
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
listening to that song
earbuds falling out again
pass the Super Glue
Nov 2017 · 250
Circumstance
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Time flows by in waves
Moments on a mighty sea
Shifting in the breeze
Nov 2017 · 272
Awe
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Awe
Spectral dreams.
Tiny seams in time.
Moonlight, rainbows, starry skies.

Wildebeests and cats and frogs.
Rivers flowing, flowers growing.

Raindrops fall through weathered sky.
Daylight breaks, I wonder why.

All I touch and all I see,
The trees believe so why not me?

All I ask to ever be
Is freely growing with the leaves.

Believing in the things I need.
Leaving air for you to breath.
Nov 2017 · 210
Flower
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Listen to this song
Heal the child you left behind
Tell him no more lies
Set his feet on fertile soil

Tend to him with care
Give him brand new memories
Share with him your dreams
Letting daylight make them real

Walk him into night
Plucking nightmares from his soul
Leave the hurt behind
Pick the fruit that leaves him whole
Let your flower bloom and grow
For Ronny and Susan.
Nov 2017 · 590
Autumn’s Deep
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Angels gather in chilly skies,
Floating down to kiss the ground.
Their silent songs are gathered there,
Upon a landscape cold and bare.

Gentle wings on an icy prayer,
Paint the world with frosty dreams.
Cherubs dancing through the air,
Time stands still or so it seems.

Seraphim descend,
Messengers from heaven above.
Blanketing a quiet earth
With peaceful, tender, healing love.

The winds have changed,
Sweet songs remain
But night grows long
As the moonlight wanes

Spirits waltz across the field
As clouds are gently swept away.
Wielding starlight, night remains
An angel’s keep through autumn’s deep.
Nov 2017 · 262
Respite
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
storm clouds dissolving
sunlight kisses clear blue sky
a soft breeze dances
Nov 2017 · 301
Insanity
Richard Grahn Nov 2017
Walking through fields of madness, pretending all is real. Picking blooming flowers of sadness, descending deep into their scent.  Feelings grow in the waving grass. Teardrops flow from the evening sky. Rivers rise. Daylight hides. Just stormy clouds are left inside.

The wishing well is full of coins but still I stand here broke. Broken heart, broken soul, just token pieces left to hold. Chains of rain bind my brain, just thoughts of you in the misty haze…wandering through the cold dark maze, I’m searching here for the light of day.

Insanity might set me free. But I won’t get lost in this endless field. Forgetting you might ease the pain as petals fade in the pouring rain. But I’ll just chase my follies through the autumn leaves, pretending you’re right here with me. Caught in the gusts of a troubled breeze, I’ll bend with the grass till these feelings pass.
Oct 2017 · 259
The Wall
Richard Grahn Oct 2017
Drawing on the concrete wall
Images begin to crawl
Thoughts revolve
Feelings fall
Like raindrops
Singing
Making pictures
Echoes there upon the wall

Chalk and fury
Little flurries
Tempered moments
Passing by
Illusions screaming
Memories leaving
Little scars
Across the wall

Drenched in color
A moving glow
Descends into this
Hallowed hall
Intentions growing
Little meanings
Leaving time
There on the wall

Growing older
Nights are colder
Looking back
Through what has been
Thoughts dissolving
Days gone by
Dreams left sleeping
Seeping deep into the wall
Oct 2017 · 403
005 -- Haiku/Senryu -- Gray
Richard Grahn Oct 2017
twisted in your vines
tasting your sweet grapes of wrath
starlight fades to gray
Oct 2017 · 293
Branches
Richard Grahn Oct 2017
Treasured friend, reach out your arms
And lift me up into your boughs
Share with me a memory
Here beneath the wispy clouds

Cradle me with tender sprigs and
Rock me gently in the breeze
Caress my soul with autumn dreams
And let me rest here in your peace
Richard Grahn Oct 2017
Blossoms in the wind
Meadows rich with fragrant gifts
Gentle lamplight flows
Oct 2017 · 345
Treasure
Richard Grahn Oct 2017
Treasure all these moments
Simply let them bloom and grow
Loose them into starlight where
Our love so freely flows
Richard Grahn Oct 2017
Delving into night
Fingers waltz the page of days
Hours slip away
Yes, the last line has 4 syllables. Not intentional but "hours" is, apparently, a single syllable even if it sounds like two when I say it.
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