"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment." - John F. Kennedy

Thanks for finding me. This is a fairly random sampling of my poetic rumblings beginning in the mid-70s to present day. Not definitive or complete, just things that struck me again for one reason or another on revisiting. There are a couple of previously published collections here which might be good places to start if you are diving in blind from the precipice.

Try the collections MEET THE BEATS or GLIMMERING RAY DUET (both archived in June 2008 in the menu below right) for starters if you are so inclined...

As of 2016, I will be publishing my song lyrics on a seperate page from the more poetic scribblings here. Pieces that first appeared here and then later were arranged for music will remain here in their original form but may appear edited on the lyric page. Check out the links section for the original song blog.
Showing posts with label past relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label past relationships. Show all posts

Friday, January 27, 2012

Graphic Art

Where did she come from?
Out of some ether
Some chemical solution
From a stone ground image
A tanned, golden-hooped memory,
From a past brimmed with conflicting emotion
Lost chances
Grabbed and misguided solutions.
Years gone by
Loves, life and time showing its hand.

We met, back then,
at her instigation
In spite of my usual hesitation
And we laughed and talked and held on tightly
If for such a delectable though fleeting moment
and she ran her hand thru my hair
She told me that I was passion incarnate
Not using that last word specifically
But in my nostalgia thru the years
It has had a nice ring to it.

The important fact is that the word that proceeded it
Was all hers as it rang in my ears for over a quarter of a century.

Are we that much closer to death?
Indeed, and she has never looked better
All mom's good genes
In those denims of her own
Strutting confidence and vulnerability
The latter just hinted at, perhaps for fun
She seems imbued with so much of the former.

Secure in her beauty
Her world
Her laughter ringing out over plates
Of spicy Thai fare
Her eyes dimming the beauty of the usual phalanx
Of Asian lookers
And her mane, a luxurious net casting about
Pulling in glances of our persistent busboys
Every one sneaking frequent peeks
Ready to please
And me?
I have her attention for this glorious moment
This dear friend
Long lost but never far from my memory
My short, sweet litany of those who mattered
Who somehow found it in their grace and power
To love me.
Faulty, fallible, fumbling, foolish me.
And like a handful of others
Her mirrored glances,
Caring touches
Soft kisses
Perfect words
Filled me with a glimmer of reflection
Of someone I could strive to be
Someone
Worthy of their affections.

Feels good.
Finally. At home in my own skin.

~ for SV, Big Bear City, 12/4/06

First published in my blog on MySpace.com/v32unes

Saturday, January 8, 2011

THE GHOST OF US (REVISITED)

The Ghost of us it haunts me still
When we’re together or apart
It shadows me against my will
The Ghost of us lives in my heart

No matter what I try to do
It rattles chains that sound your name
I wake and think of only you
The Ghost of us inside my brain

It pulls away and then returns
It tears apart then gathers trust
It grants a kiss for three it’s spurned
It tempts with bliss, this Ghost of us.

And no matter how I might
Try to forget, distract my mind
It keeps me up all through the night
This Ghost I cannot leave behind

No matter how you treated me
And found another in my stead
I close my eyes and all I see
This Ghost of us inside my head

It laughs and loves and teaches things
It compliments and raises toasts
It’s flowers, food, and sex and wings
It is a most seductive ghost

A rose, a song, some poetry
A glance, some secret confidence
A smile, a touch, a hand on knee
This Ghost of us is all we miss

The Ghost of us it haunts me still
When we’re together or apart
It shadows me against my will
The Ghost of us who owns my heart

Though I forgive I can’t forget
and every time the Ghost arrives
I pray that peace will find me yet
But until then the Ghost survives

So still this Ghost it preys on me
Whenever its foul games commence
It nibbles at my flesh in need
And never will be recompensed.


- David Crosby once wrote a song called, "Song No Words (Tree With No Leaves)" and while that song is more beautiful and hopeful and sounds like a summer drive near Muir Woods, the title suddenly seems naked and exposed and sad, like I felt when I wrote this. Most of the above is from 2007, the last few stanzas revitalized after a particularly stale bit of retrospection in early 2011. This one is for the Boris in all of us.