A Short & Illustrated Thought #63

“Go home…..

……go home.”

A soft voice

purred.

A face cloth covers

the hall mirror.

Unreflected

shadows pass.

Slowly–

ever so slowly

I turn

To begin again,

having paused,

the long journey

Home.

A Short & Illustrated Thought #62

This path,
this simple path.
Painted by day
Scrubbed by night

An
Inexorable black swell,
pricked by latent light.
Derbied moon
Half lit

Wicked short steps,
Cowed long strides.
Different every time

Manifold shines,
Infinite shadows

But it’s mine.
My short
simple path.
Painted
by just me,

As straight
As a dog’s
Hind leg.

This blessed,
cursed
Journey.

A Short & Illustrated Thought #61

 

How horribly

stripped of fate

I am, as I follow

yesterday’s footsteps.

Towards a Sun that

rises, I know

will set.

To know

nothing of what

falls between,

yesterday’s footsteps.

A Short & Illustrated Thought #60

 

Amongst the corn

telling no secrets

–I’d been warned.

 

Submerged

close to consciousness,

took a breath.

 

From a breeze

etched in green

& white butter

flutter.

 

Passed out

in dirt & dung

& sprung to life,

 

Air, humid hung

brazed & burnt

by a sun.

 

Poorly kept

this furtive; this lemon-drawn

note.  Stooped & overheard—

this cricket-corn.

 

I had been warned.

 

A Short and Illustrated Thought #59

 

The snow falls,

a beautiful & baleful pall

settles outside

my window.

 

Evergreen branches

sag & lightly

sway for a

burgeoning breeze.

 

More to come

they say—not now,

but tonight when

the blizzard blows.

 

Winter weather

–like this,

lays life on pause.

A beautiful, no, gorgeous

 

Funereal silence.

A Short and Illustrated Thought #58

For as long as

a home stands,

it is

never finished.

A Short and Illustrated Thought #57

Winter-washed

Sun, paints a

Naked gray,

Time-worn pallor

On winded &

Rutted snow

 

Knuckle-bent

Rheumatoid

Wracked branches

Glance & grasp

 

A book

Spine unbroken,

less-read.

Petrified moments,

rock-wood dead

 

One less spring,

One less bird-song

sung.

A Short and Illustrated Thought #56

 

Briny, lipid tide

Barnacle-blood

Ripped skin

 

Humid dazed

Baked &

Burned

 

Sun bright &

Blind

Bare foot,

Bare chested

 

Willful & wanton

unmolested youth.

 

No diving.

 

 

A Short and Illustrated Thought #55

 

Mystic authority

Rules the wood

Earthy contrivance

Sets the bud

For ever good

& lesser evil

 

Dank lit light

On autumn dead

Squared between

Fen & moss

 

Brightly bent

 On beggars breath

“Its life we wants,”

 

Its life we get.

A Short and Illustrated Thought #54

Boxes wrapped tight

cellophane pulled with

childish might–

a ribbon for spite.

 

You couldn’t open it

You shouldn’t open it

The date to do-

not quite here.

 

Cat-pawed

Candy canes broken

Cat-pawed bulbs tinkle

& glint.

 

Wooden soldier upright

Former guard of sunshine-sheets

Standing down in cardboard boxes

–day time duty a rare treat.

 

Baby-boy snores rumble the night

dreams Santa’s treacherous sight.

Candle wax dripped & piled

frozen high.

 

Cookie crumbs &

Sour milk

A hieroglyphic note,

 

Dear Santa,

 

I’ve been a good

I could be better,

A few transgressions

But let’s forget.

 

6am

The sun yet risen

Released from night-time

prison.

 

Listen now

Who’s awake?

Mom and Dad?

Sister and brother?

 

Stair-step beat of

Slipper shod feet

Heavy with sleep &

Surreptitious

conceit

 

Anno domini

A blessed year

has passed

Far to fast

 

Metal Santa

One broken ski

Mom to Mom

To me

 

Soon to

My boy

My Min-me

 

Merry Christmas