Arias carry me along the sea
a thought drifted on timber inspirations
and ripples of mistakes
no muse to show the way
—-no trail in the endless deep
—-unaware of the drink, the drift
leading still beneath the sun
a projection of bare foot
longing for the stories
sunsets never told.
We reach for the sun
yet our boughs burn before its touch
hundreds withering at the notion
of honestly having our desires.
Only in shadows do we dance
chasing love out of our hands
chasing ourselves into
another winter’s night.
Where you touched me–silk,
the milk of our desire,
yoked yearning from the ilk:
heart–they called it fire–
the infinity of which might host
ashen fractions of the passion, sired
by a touch, a look unseen by most
unbound by sea or land–
the knowing when I sleep
you breathe beside this silent hand,
and I am no stranger, too far, too deep.
Breathing in, breathing
Life like summer rain falling
into heart’s desire.
Supple crest,
Your song at midnight moon
dancing in the starlight
to Owl eyes
watching
predatory notions of existence
concealed in civility
the hands know not
the texture of your moment
for the breaths
they force between us.
1869 Carbon print of Lord Tennyson, by Julia Margaret Cameron.
For this week’s quote, a sensual tidbit from the master poet of old, Alfred, Lord Tennyson…
“Half the night I waste in sighs,
Half in dreams I sorrow after
The delight of early skies;
In a wakeful dose I sorrow
For the hand, the lips, the eyes,
For the meeting of the morrow,
The delight of happy laughter,
The delight of low replies.”
~Alfred Lord Tennyson
Today, and to start off this week, as I find myself in something more of a reflective mood, I leave you with a few quotes from someone I personally admire very much: the Dalai Lama. May you all have a wonderful week to come!
“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.”
“We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.”
“Peace does not come through prayer, we human beings must create peace.”
Eyes open to the brink
I stand
Broken upon the edge
And though the sky is beating down
You are still above me
Always looking down.
Stretching for the dreams
Beyond your clouds
I burned within the strain
This arrogance has wrought,
And as the fire surged
I took it for desire
Obsession blinds
Focus the mind, focus the soul
Too late
All crumbling down,
The earth races
The sky screams
And I am tumbling through
This dear embrace
To something far more real.
Bated breaths beget
the faintest smiles–
Caresses on the back
Coax featherlight illuminations
of rasping heat
Winding in the darkest places
of the Mind.
Illusory Ecstasy
Lies locked behind
the Pleasures of the Soul.
Such devious ruminations
on the Nature of Expectation.
My latest contribution to the wonderful One Shot Poetry Wednesdays! Once you’ve had a look, check out some of the other One Shot Poets, as well– they’re a skilled bunch of poets, looking to form a community and support one another. Enjoy!
“No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.” ~Frederick Douglass
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” ~Benjamin Franklin
“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.” ~Nelson Mandela
The Waking Den 