we do not
need revelation–
what will be
should be un
known, a mystery, like night
skies, like orbiting—
if we hold
the stars, the cosmos,
constant in
awe, we have
already seen both the be
ginning and the end
A shadorma chain for Colleen’s tanka Tuesday. The theme, picked by Sally Cronin, is the night sky.
Today is World Water Day.
“World Water Day is observed annually on March 22 to raise awareness about the vital importance of water to safeguarding human security and maintaining the health of the planet’s ecosystems. This year’s theme, “Water and Climate Change,” highlights the urgent importance of strengthening water security and establishing access to a sustainable water supply in the face of changing climate conditions worldwide” Read more here .
come climb out
of the lonely dark–
wander deep
blue rivers–
listen to ancient secrets
of water and light
raise me up
with words with singing
shout me out
pull me free
of the faceless gravity
escapeless vortex
return me
to a calmer sea
gentle winds
to nourish
star skies opening wing-filled
luminosity
give to me
a landing some place
solid ground
to answer
when I call from where I wait
undestinated
I once had an idea to do my own set of collage Tarot cards. I started with zero, The Fool, which I’ve done a number of times since. Over the years I’ve also done a few others–The Tower, the Ace of Cups. This moment in time seems to me to call out for The Star, the beacon of renewal, hope, and faith that follows the disintegrating Tower in the Tarot deck.
My windows face east, and in the clear early mornings I can see Venus. The other day, next to her, the half moon shone large and bright over the silhouettes of the buildings across the subway tracks, both anchor and comfort in a world increasingly restricted and isolated.
Linked to dVerse OLN, hosted by Grace.
I hold out
my hands and wait for
the moon to
fill them—I
close my eyes to balance on
the edge of the light
I render
myself, quiet the
quivering,
awaken
the colors beyond darkness–
depths turned inside out
Shadorma for Colleen’s #Tanka Tuesday words, give and shake. Photos are of last night’s full moon as seen from the sidewalk in front of where I live.
Also linking to OLN at dVerse, hosted by Grace.
open the
sky, wash the air with
colors, sing
the wind far
and over the veiled secrets
hidden and exposed
written in
the patterns of land,
dancing on
particles
of distilled light, taking all
and then returning
voyagers
on boundless oceans
flowing be
yond, unfurled,
spinning with spirits, flying–
exploding like stars
I was revising a poem (perhaps posted before–my record-keeping is spotty at best) into shadorma form for Colleen’s #tankaTuesday choice-of-words to go with Sue Vincent’s photo prompt, above, when Laura’s dVerse poetics prompt appeared, with its list of -less words. “Boundless” seemed to reflect more the poem’s intent than my original “endless” (and I like the repetition of the b sounds), and there, also, was the title I needed–“weightless”.
And the spirits, if not the Force, still seem to be with me…
I’ve shown the process of my painting–first I did pure color, then I washed it out by running it under the faucet and letting it dry. I then added some subtle iridescence with a bit more color.
Children grow
wings, flying high, far–
in the wake
we wait for
yesterday to catch up with
what they have become
Sunriseset–
the pattern of days
opening
and closing,
the inside of the circle
empties and refills
Repeating
our footsteps, echoed,
mirrored, but
not the same–
the outlines rearranging
beginning to end
Sunriseset–
the pattern of days
opening
and closing,
the inside of the circle
empties and refills
Image by enriquelopezgarre from Pixabay
For Colleen’s #tankaTuesday photo prompt, above, selected by Linda Lee Lyberg. I’ve been looking at the image, trying to decide if it was a sunrise or a sunset in order to focus my words. This made me think of the iconic song from Fiddler on the Roof, “Sunrise Sunset”. Frank’s prompt at dVerse, to compose something in imitation of something else, made me think about trying to capture the essence of the song in a shadorma chain that also reflected the artwork.
Fiddler on the Roof resonates more than ever in these times, when so many are homeless, driven from their literal and spiritual homes by money, politics, war, ignorance, power and greed, when so many are left abandoned, wandering or imprisoned. A world that offers few peoples and places that will welcome refugees and attempt to heal the empty spaces, few places that are not afraid of strangers, of humans who are not exactly like them.
This scene in the play never fails to move me: in dark times, there is still a place to come together in hope, to light a candle, to dream.
An antidote to my poem posted on The Ekprastic Review today.
consider
the reckless places
hidden in
hearts, shining
like newborn constellations
exploding the dark–
pulled apart
by merciless force,
undefined
gravities–
adrift in the orbits
of recurrent night—
what creates
these seas of hope?–light
ships sailing
on longing–
circumnavigations of
storms searching for ports
A shadorma chain for Colleen’s #TankaTuesday words, grace and style, inspired by Amaya at dVerse, who asked us to think about birth.
I’m definitely a storm searching for a port at the moment, so I’ll be around irregularly for awhile, but I won’t completely disappear.
