Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
12.0k · Aug 2019
Reader
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
silent library
those unspoken words on shelves
I ache to voice them
783 · Jul 2019
Dragonfly
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
Where do you hie, Dragonfly
In this clear blue sky?
Whom do you espy
With your multitudinous eye?

Who’s your prey today
Amidst the woodland spray?
In your watery youth, it was larvae,
Now the whole forest's your breakfast tray.

But are there dragonflies among us,
That you chance meet on street or bus?
Who are never heard to cuss
Or even raise a fuss.

Beware his iridescent charm.
He means to do you harm.
When he extends his slender arm,
There's much cause for alarm

There’s tell-tale signs for his breed,
Oft rumors of treacherous deed.
But he'll remain aloft to mislead,
Then swoop with blinding speed.

Proceed with care.
Beware his debonair,
For in the sunfilled glare,
You may have no prayer!
753 · Nov 2019
Fashion Fads
allanbrunmier Nov 2019
for sure
haute couture
but soup du jour?
Is high fashion just today's latest fad?
716 · Oct 2019
Morning Love
allanbrunmier Oct 2019
your love awoke me like morning
silently quietly persistently

it slowly warmed me
from head to toe, to and fro

it pushed me into day
from a reluctant night

it brought me sight
gently into light

you have birthed my joy
714 · Jul 2019
Ignore the Void
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
Foolish to seek feeling from the great beyond
Explore as you might this murky pond
It’s only the tadpole next to you who can respond
686 · Dec 2021
Camus Inspiration
allanbrunmier Dec 2021
life seems tasteless
as yesterday’s donut
all greetings are heartless
devoid of empathy

hard to find meaning in a universe of stones
there’s no pulse on the moon
why chase answers in physics or math
if all is relative, where’s the truth

is the life of a beetle
less important than mine
at what level is self
from the viewpoint of quarks

and yet deep within
I have a desire to understand
I yearn for sensitivity
And requited love
592 · Oct 2019
Summer Rain
allanbrunmier Oct 2019
it’s as if the sun is sleeping
its fearful tears are leaping
the sound of staccato weeping
591 · Aug 2019
Seasonal
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
summer laughter sings
until winter brings its chill
icy silence forms
486 · Nov 2019
Vital Questions
allanbrunmier Nov 2019
was it, is it
worth it
456 · Jul 2019
Lost in the Woods
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
Why did I stray from familiar path
There was safety in the light
Now darkness has overtook
Predators lurk in the night

Deep into the woods I’ve roamed
Amidst the rustling trees
Attuned to every chirping sound
How sinister the sudden breeze

In foolish disregard I drifted
In pursuit of wanton dreams
Do I hear a siren’s call
Or is it a victim’s screams

Oh I wish I could return
To the sanity of day
Filled with loves and likes
Not this pernicious grey

I must burst through the darkened grove
Free my mind of fear
Re-attach myself to the core of you
Enfold in your courageous sphere
447 · Nov 2019
Night Sky
allanbrunmier Nov 2019
stars all glittering
dwarfing imagination
we don’t even spark
444 · Oct 2019
Reflection
allanbrunmier Oct 2019
Mirror, where has youth fled
Is it hiding in this wrinkled head
408 · Nov 2019
Cloudburst
allanbrunmier Nov 2019
While the sun is daying
trees are swaying
now, clouds are greying

doesn’t heaven ever sleep
has the sky begun to weep
tears started to leap

wow, the gods are really sobbing
they have my emotions throbbing
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
The setting moon leaked silver into the languid sea
The sailor lay below in the murky deep
Far from the glimmering light
He who could fix any boat lay with those no one could heal
His parents Dee and Beep wept with sorrow
As did his wife Tina at the marina edge

But the day will come when white clouds and blue sky
Will kiss the sunlit sea and their dogs Brady and Otis
Will romp in the joyous surf with the sailor’s beloved Farley dog
And they’ll know the sailor and Farley will forever move with the ocean tide
And forever live in their hearts

A sailor can’t leave footprints in the sea
But Gary left his on the home shore of friends and family
All our lives are traced in water
But some are etched in loving memory
I
I wrote 1st time in 50 years for my friend Gary and for wife Tina, his parents Dee and Beep and even for Gary's departed dog Farley. Gary sadly died suddenly from unsuspected colon cancer stage IV at the age of 48. Gary was a merchant sailor and later tug boat engineer. He could fix anything afloat. © 4 years ago, Allan E Brunmier
379 · Nov 2019
Forest Music
allanbrunmier Nov 2019
the sound of dripping
after a mid-morning rain
trees now awaken
375 · Jul 2019
I Remember You
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
In the shallow of my sadness
At the outer edge of madness
I remember you

I see you laughing in the rain
You’re forever singing in my brain
I remember you

Can’t forget the warm texture of your skin
You invade whatever mood I’m in
I remember you

My world capsized when you died
I fled but could not hide
You’re so very deep inside
I remember you
363 · Apr 2021
Entropy
allanbrunmier Apr 2021
randomness is key
else universe is a clock
chance disrupts balance
343 · Sep 2019
Boundaries
allanbrunmier Sep 2019
Dare I swing higher than my head
Seek a thrill, avoid the dread
Walk along the perilous edge
Or cower on comfort’s ledge

Shall I let loose laughter like a loon
Or purse it as a reedy tune
Should I sob on heart’s bitter break
Or quell it with chocolate cake

Shall I love with passions full
Or restrict a feeling’s pull
Shall I sail on music swells
Or row tone-dead between buoy bells

Shall I reveal my deepest self
Or tuck it away on a shelf
Shall I wander in the field at large
Or park myself in my home’s garage
342 · Oct 2019
Procrastination
324 · Aug 2019
Consequences
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
please don’t tie my hands
no love, just violent thrusts
be kind, genetics

bless my child

if love begets love
what does violence beget
does a bad seed grow

does hate spawn more hate
is that evolution's role
just steps from jungle

is there balance here
between predator and prey
is the produce mixed

since the birth of man
savagery slow to change
what hope is there

empathy was mine
before that fateful nightmare
is it still alive

bless my child
320 · Sep 2019
Old Tree
allanbrunmier Sep 2019
life outweighs my years
it resides inside like sap
memories drying
314 · Jul 2019
Without Language
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
After birth we’re pure emotion.
Before words are learned,
We’re like an ocean,
Before islands are turned.

Words punctuate our feelings.
They disrupt the current.
They stem innate healings,
Cut short a potential deterrent.

Perhaps it’s best to let loose our rages
Fill our souls with unnamed delights
Try not put them to pages
In bookage minds that demand insights.

Does language enhance our senses,
Or merely subdue instinctual forces?
Do we no longer see natural fences
That block various courses?

Can I actually sing my song
When its’ lyrics are faulty words?
Does it really matter to define right from wrong?
Can I ever fly as free as birds?

Does language separate me from exhilaration?
Does it besot purity of desire?
Does it promote exasperation?
Does it extinguish internal fire?

Alas, it doesn’t matter.
A brain once programmed demands an answer.
It can’t accept a sensual scatter.
It’s a kind of intellectual cancer.
311 · Aug 2019
Waste
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
dewdrops on dead leaves
windblown seeds on rock debris
not everything grows
297 · Jul 2019
Every once in awhile
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
The Painter tires of his daffodil
The Writer’s embarrassed for his timid quill
They yearn for a primeval thrill

They want to be the lion on prowl
To utter a guttural growl
To hear calf’s final howl

They yearn for deadly hunt
To chase the prey in front
Not just perform fictional stunt

Nor go to a zoo and gawk
But stalk like a fearsome hawk
And deliver the final shock

Art’s oft served on a nobler plane
But below this surface lies insane
There’s a wanton lust in pain

Thank god, civilization holds us in check
Many would risk their neck
Their lives would be a total wreck
287 · Jul 2019
Wildfire
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
solitary bird
winging across ashen sky
every nest gone
286 · Aug 2019
Contrast
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
the dark night blinds me
yet I see not in day’s glare
my eye needs shadows
281 · Nov 2019
Destination
allanbrunmier Nov 2019
rivulets run free
flowing into careless streams
the ocean awaits
273 · May 2021
Summer Time
allanbrunmier May 2021
bursts of fluttering
sparrows perk the morning sky
great start summer day
271 · Dec 2019
Risk
allanbrunmier Dec 2019
fly below tree tops, lest hawks espy
but learn to soar before you die
270 · Dec 2021
Big chill
allanbrunmier Dec 2021
wintry fingers probe
numbing low meadow grasslands
creatures huddle close
257 · Feb 2021
Best Day Ever
allanbrunmier Feb 2021
if could capture the setting sun
stop the day from being done
send it back where it begun
I could relive this time of fun
254 · Jul 2019
Shadows
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
I suddenly realize I’m but a shadow
All my sun-filled days are behind me
My world is a world of shadows
It’s now only me not we

Hard to nest when so many trees have died
My forest is thinning
I’m on the wing but can’t stay aflight
Too long a journey from my beginning

I still look for others but to no avail
They are all on the other side of me
A veil separates our worlds
Often yearn for an eternal sea

My memories are fading
Just snatches of recall
Harder to feel past emotions
Yesterdays behind a wall

Is there any reason to slog on
To search for destinations
No longer seek a voice to hear
Let alone have conversations

Let the shadows consume me
Let me enter the dimming light
My days are drawing near
It’s time for the dreamless night
252 · Dec 2019
Surfing
allanbrunmier Dec 2019
waiting for the rip
from the swell that births the wave
embrace its power
249 · Aug 2019
Sunshine Brings Shadows
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
Rose early, fixed me a cup of coffee
Sitting on my back porch
Watching the awakening sun
Filter through the grove
Bringing light and a trace of warmth

Once again miss your sleepy snuggle
And sweet morning kiss
My arms felt especially empty today
Would have been our 40th
Vile cancer took you some 5 years ago

Sometimes, I wish I had not risen
Just lay in bed with dreams of you
But life screams the futility of that
Rue we had no children
But a few friends remain

Am I becoming more like the silent trees
Less able to speak with others
Lonely citadels to the noise of the day
Half-seeing and half-feeling
If only I could pull up the covers of night
248 · Jul 2019
Drudgery
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
Yonder comes the eastern sun
Dragging me another day
No place to run
I guess I stay

Someone has to work the soil
Plant the cursed seed
Endure the merciless broil
*** the rampant ****

Wish I were another man
Not in this forsaken place
A heartless God devised this plan
Probably die without a trace

I dream of a blue refreshing lake
A sunlit meadow vast
Relief from this persistent ache
Expunging memory of days past

But alas, there’s no escape
Forever squalid in the dirt
Clothed in this dusty drape
My body in tedious hurt
245 · Aug 2019
Sunset in July
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
daylight scorching close
draining last remnant moisture
let’s drink from the night
241 · Aug 2019
Knowledge A Darkly Thing
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
Most think of knowledge as light
But it really thrives at night
When thoughts flow like comet flight

A spark unseen has no meaning
Memory soon after its birth is weaning
The mind is ever cleaning

Only at night can ideas unite
Sometimes in nightmarish fright
They clash to provide insight

An abnormal mixture of bric-a-brac
May upset the normal track
Cause a forgotten flashback

A juxtaposition of random visions
Provides meaningful collisions
Will form constructive revisions

So, submit to the fearful dream
Give in to its varied scheme
You may find life's underlying theme
240 · Oct 2019
Nightmare
allanbrunmier Oct 2019
trapped in dream
can’t dictate theme
often, a silent scream

is this altered reality
flashes of history
hyperbole in mundane potpourri
234 · Aug 2019
Oceanography
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
blue of our planet
birthplace depository
we must fathom
228 · Jul 2019
Critic
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
You shred my words
Thin colors from my brush
You still the flight of soaring birds
While grinding my ego in a crush

What music can I sing
What melodies compose
After your scorpion sting
And heartless blows

If I ignore your sneer
And refuse to listen
Will I lose my fear
And start to glisten

Probably not
I’m so weak
My art is fragile
Not magnifique

I’ll silence my pen
And dry my easel
You win again
My inner weasel
224 · Dec 2019
Heat
allanbrunmier Dec 2019
disturb molecules
let’s get the body moving
it is a cold world
ea
215 · Aug 2019
Dissolution
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
Vile, vile proteins corroding her brain
Synapses misfiring, ego down the drain

Heartbreaking to see her disappear
Bit by bit, especially the last year

Traces of her charm still come and go
Changing but dreadfully slow

First it was, “Where is my coat?”
Then, “How do you use the remote?”

Mood swings from laughter to tears
Eroding into halluncinatory fears

Angry transferences from caregiver to caregiver
What was an emotional ocean, now an unchecked river

No longer wakens with the dawn
Where has this lovely lady gone

We all want her back
But slipping through the proverbial crack

Alas, I know the end is near
Perhaps in this very year

She’s becoming paper thin
A mask over empty skin

I miss her and my fading memory of her
Now mere fragments and a diminishing blur
211 · Aug 2019
The Weight of Me
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
Floating like flotsam in the space-time-continuum,
tethered only by a gossamer sense of self,
how important could I be?
211 · Aug 2019
The Argument
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
All right we had a row
That I won’t disavow
Between me and my lovely frau
God, she had a cow

Over some silly matter
I didn’t say she was getting fatter
At least it wasn’t directly at her
Just mentioned she could use a bigger platter

Get out, you coldhearted *******
Go out again and just get plastered
Too much pride to see a pastor
This marriage's a total disaster

It’s freezing outside
And that’s not just the downside
I know at home she has cried and cried
And I admit that I lied and lied

What has happened to our loving way
Perhaps I can’t ignore any distressful day
Felt compelled to drag it home in full display
Whine about the unjust pay

I swear I’ll turn things around
Focus on the home ground
Remember what once we found
Recreate something profound

Can’t go home with so much anger
Swimming in a sea of languor

A clenched fist can’t find home in a glove
But an open hand can touch fingers of love
204 · Dec 2021
Risk
allanbrunmier Dec 2021
fly below tree tops, lest hawks espy
but learn to soar before you die
202 · Jul 2019
Nocturnal Prayer
allanbrunmier Jul 2019
lonely is the night
darkness separates us all
morning brings new hope
198 · Aug 2019
Brevity..in 10 words
allanbrunmier Aug 2019
Not any choice of word
Can capture song of bird
196 · Dec 2019
Dark Fears
allanbrunmier Dec 2019
shadows lengthening
day dying, as my heart cries
shadows fold in night
196 · Oct 2019
Autumn Travel
allanbrunmier Oct 2019
desiccated leaves
I crunch in my weary steps
sound of journey’s end
193 · Oct 2019
Engulfed
allanbrunmier Oct 2019
love washed over me
an ocean of emotion
providing a shore
Next page