#choka
each morning it speaks 5
in the body’s smaller words 7
rising then it falls 5
soft corrections of itself 7
tides returning without haste 7
sugar drifts in peace 5
leaning toward a calmer shore 7
as the night instructs 5
how to come back to the day 7
with a gentler discipline 7
pressure hums its chords 5
two hands resting on one door 7
opening and closed 5
in the rhythm of the dawn 7
steadying the waking hour 7
heart keeps its counsel 5
green pulse threading through the chart 7
settling as it learns 5
how a month becomes a map 7
of the body unclenching 7
not triumph, not fear 5
just the slow mathematics 7
of easing into the world 7
May 2
May 2, 2026 at 5:43 AM UTC
moments enjoyed when
the house is softly quiet
no sounds to be heard
yet this stillness speaks to me
calming my spirit
removing agitation
sleeping nightly deep
becoming safely encased
within strong arms of quiet
Oct 14, 2022
Oct 14, 2022 at 8:58 PM UTC
the west embodies
the simplicity of dry
dirt. dust. sweat. bleached bones.
open spaces. strong angles.
weathered skin. pale wood.
abandoned mines. strong contrasts.
scrub brush. deep shadows.
unforgiving lands. ghost towns.
hard light. endless sky.
lighting strikes. wild fires. veiled springs.
dry wells. windswept paint.
tumble weeds. rusty barb wire.
cracked paint. endless roads.
crumbling lonesome wind towers.
canyons grand and slit.
mountains. peaks. vistas. plateaus.
the west is simple
the west is bewildering
a simplicity of dry
May 27, 2022
May 27, 2022 at 12:37 PM UTC
how will it all end
under ukrainian blue
of an ancient land
freedoms are dust on rubble
dreams, hopes, place, and lives
lay shattered among glass shards
only wanting their
country for life and culture
how will it all end
under ukrainian blue
how will it all end
on ukrainian yellow
after countless red
has been spilled upon its soil
death in destruction
has been brought upon its land
scorched, burned, barren lies
a once rich, plentiful land
how will it all end
on ukrainian yellow
by a crazed bald bear
its land brutalized, swallowed
normal life becomes
mass graves, running terrified
its people scattered
among four distant corners
how will it all end
under ukrainian blue
on ukrainian yellow
Apr 1, 2022
Apr 1, 2022 at 5:15 PM UTC
outside wicked things
like manatees and dragonflies
truly lurk about,
tricksters known for much no good,
tickling little toes
walking on little noses
messing with your hair
buzzing all over your ears
splashing faces wet
with forceful tails, wings and fins,
manatees love to sneak
a kiss, so watch out they have
a muzzle that is
abrasive beyond belief,
learned trust not those that
are of restless heart and soul
such as these lively
manatees and dragonflies that
dart endlessly point to point
Feb 12, 2022
Feb 12, 2022 at 9:56 AM UTC
a few days after
graduation i was gone,
many miles away
working a summer career
engraving horseshoes
upon a tourist island,
four years of college
a job in another state
finally back home
eleven years absent,
but this home, this world
and i separately changed
gone were childish dreams
replaced with bills, marriage,
and responsibilities
Dec 11, 2021
Dec 11, 2021 at 10:30 AM UTC
books, papers, journals
too long, too messy, too much
short, simple clean lines
minimalist writing style
in the barest words
using one sheet of paper
longer than ten words
no sentence needs to become
nonessential words
simply are abstract fillers
corrupting the true essence
Sep 24, 2021
Sep 24, 2021 at 9:09 PM UTC
today, august first
in a month september first
not accepting this
ninth month an omen of cold
aptly named as much
beginning of four “ber” months
that time of year when
conversations begin with
brrr, cold enough for you now
Aug 30, 2021
Aug 30, 2021 at 10:15 AM UTC
deep into the night
enjoyment is the stillness,
with a single light
undertake this time to write,
good, bad or so, so
i care not, joy just matters,
known this is not my calling
Aug 6, 2021
Aug 6, 2021 at 9:58 AM UTC
a sun disappears
behind a low horizon
summer solstice ends;
starting tomorrow six months
of shortening days
ending in long winter nights;
cold winds have begun
cutting deep into my bones
a frostbitten nose
ice fingers around my throat;
soon summer is spent
then another year has passed
our final winter draws near
Jun 25, 2021
Jun 25, 2021 at 4:22 PM UTC
achieved the art of
becoming extremely quiet
achieved the art of
never wishing to engage
achieved the art of
wanting to be left alone
achieved the art of
becoming a wallflower
achieved the art of
wanting to be overlooked
achieved the art of
dreaming of things never done
achieved the art of
comfortably holding back
achieved the art of
observation, listening
achieved the art of
living as an introvert
with peace of heart, mind, and soul
Jun 20, 2021
Jun 20, 2021 at 10:31 AM UTC
fleeting time becomes
running late from place to place
dealing with something,
when softy she asked, please, come,
sit awhile with me,
quietly, time simply stopped,
gently holding hands
feeling pained by having time
while hers now is short,
exchanging words while shadows
danced slowly across the floor
Jun 8, 2021
Jun 8, 2021 at 6:16 PM UTC
Listen: believe me,
If I knew how to rise up
And overcome them
You would see the shadows crawl
Out of discomfort
For the light bursting, flying,
Exploding forth and
Breaking free of the old bonds
On my now unfettered soul.
Jan 20, 2021
Jan 20, 2021 at 3:53 PM UTC
One, from time to time,
may feel that love is just like
the butterfly room;
one may like the way
enter into its softness
first, for the tiny,
unfurling wings' touch
fondles tenderly, gently.
But there comes a time,
when one may find that
these wings are made of razors;
circling, whirling one
all over engraved
by both the sin of the flesh
and the crime of heart,
writing into one's
helpless skin, that cannot be
shed ever again.
With engraved letters,
scribing meticulously,
and bathes every page
in the ink of love,
giving birth to the story
of pain, the story of us.
May 23, 2019
May 23, 2019 at 7:12 AM UTC
Play those themes, play on_
Hope, love, faith and charity.
Hope can come and go,
But always returns when lost,
Love is protection,
But destroyed by rejection.
Faith is like the soul,
Invincible and mild,
Charity makes sense,
Actions speak louder than words.
Adorning hearts with virtues.
Nov 11, 2018
Nov 11, 2018 at 7:24 AM UTC
Traveling by the
speed of light just to bend time
and space I came to
cross over unknown
galaxies for reaching your fond
hex-black singularity.
May 24, 2018
May 24, 2018 at 3:14 PM UTC
Day 33, a review:
*Without it, I sit,
And if I'm bored, then I sleep.*
With it, I am up:
I look with wide open eyes,
Eyes that see the world
And all I could be doing.
I step with purpose,
Standing tall and confident.
I wake, take the pill,
Eat my food, drink my coffee,
And drive off to work
With an automatic smile,
And I sing along
To the songs I know by heart.
*Without it, I sit,
And if I must stand, I lean;
Dragging tired feet,
Holding a troubled tummy,
And wishing I'd wake.*
In the end, on these days off,
I find energy:
I discover the reserves
Of serotonin,
Dopamine and endorphins
That my body saved,
Keeping stored for "the future."
My brain slowly learns,
And the fuel to keep going
Isn't out of reach.
So on these days off,
I won't despair or decay.
I used to collapse,
Before I knew my full strength
And what it felt like
To set my mind and finish.
*So help me today,
God, let this Adderall work
To give energy
And to strengthen my body
For this scary four-mile hike.*
~didn't get my refill before leaving for vacation~
May 13, 2018
May 13, 2018 at 11:12 AM UTC
क्यों प्रेम किया
क्यों निभा रहे तुम
बसंत बने
ज़ख्म भर जो रहे
क्या दे सकती
मृत प्रीत मेरी है
नासूर मेरे
विष वमन करें
ये विषपान
सह लोगे क्या तुम
शिव मेरे हो कर
~~रश्मि किरण
Why you loved me
Why you are fulfilling
Like spring
You are healing my wound
What I can offer you
I have my dead love with me
My canker sores
Vomiting poison
Those poisonous drink
Can you sustain within
Becoming my lord Shiva
(English translation of the above poem )
~~ Rashmi Kiran
Feb 18, 2018
Feb 18, 2018 at 6:51 AM UTC
You have soulful eyes
Wondering dreams dancing there
I see them and dare
To get lost in your vision
Your beautiful stare
Our love waltzes the moonlight
Your music flows free
We’re so wrapped up in magic
It’s hard to believe
In the song that we're singing
The stars are aware
Of the dreams we are making
The dreams we believe
They're revealing the sunshine
Leaving the darkness
As we walk through the garden
We're skipping through time
As another dream rises
On the horizon of your eyes
Sep 26, 2017
Sep 26, 2017 at 4:53 PM UTC
Friday night again...
The fountain pen drips and plays.
Staining the pages,
Rearranging the phrases,
It’s lost in the fray,
Contemplating the ages
A mystery steals the day.
Sep 8, 2017
Sep 8, 2017 at 11:32 PM UTC
Starlight is fading
As you surrender your dreams
To warm sun rising
O’er the landscape you're flying
Locked deep in your mind
In the breadth of each moment
Time drifts slowly by...
Here in the sunlight…streaming
Memories are fleeting
But the world is breathing
Your vibrant rainbow
Tosses many reflections
Gleaming in sunlight
Your deep vision remembers
As heaven descends
In the still of the morning
Dancing with daylight
The whole world is unfolding
A melody is growing
Aug 27, 2017
Aug 27, 2017 at 3:37 PM UTC
Yearning for sunlight
In this warm summer daydream
My stem reaches out
From the moist earth around me
Into the sunshine
I reach out for the heavens
Just learning to sprout
In the breath of the morning
Down by the river
With the crisp air around me
I bask in the glow
In the still of the daylight
Warmed by its bright rays
Mesmerized by the dewdrops
I can now cast my shadow
Aug 24, 2017
Aug 24, 2017 at 12:51 AM UTC