Submissions by maryanns (ravenwing)
POEMS AND SHORT STORIES
Poet Introduction
I am a writer; that should be enough.
UPBEAT INSPIRATIONAL POEM
Published
14th Mar 2013 2:46pm
14th Mar 2013 2:46pm
I Come By It Naturally
We always blamed Daddy for me wanderin’ feet
ramblin’ around and springtime retreat
the places I’ve lived and always I’m seekin’
a new place to go on the rest of me spree…
We’ve come to think lately we might be unfair
just to lay blame on Daddy’s career
for Grandpa John Coulter, he went over there
deserted his Mary and daughters, the pair…
John had a profession, for he was in pharmacy
and so he started a nice little family
how do I say this, John nipped on his remedy
when his wife didn’t like it, he went away…
And where did you...
ramblin’ around and springtime retreat
the places I’ve lived and always I’m seekin’
a new place to go on the rest of me spree…
We’ve come to think lately we might be unfair
just to lay blame on Daddy’s career
for Grandpa John Coulter, he went over there
deserted his Mary and daughters, the pair…
John had a profession, for he was in pharmacy
and so he started a nice little family
how do I say this, John nipped on his remedy
when his wife didn’t like it, he went away…
And where did you...
839 reads
16 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
10th Mar 2013 2:39pm
10th Mar 2013 2:39pm
Outside the Fence
Standing outside the fence, I stare at this beautiful house
manicured lawns stretch straight across a lush expanse
of peaceful grass, drawing my eyes to the apex
of power in this place…
New details slowly become evident around these two feet
of captured viewing space, too distant to see an office
or towering figures pulling strings, I zero in on
elegant wrought iron…
Entwined with tines of fine designer fence they’ve placed
cheap metal poles and rusting wire to keep them safe
from us, normal average Americans just visiting
their fortified...
manicured lawns stretch straight across a lush expanse
of peaceful grass, drawing my eyes to the apex
of power in this place…
New details slowly become evident around these two feet
of captured viewing space, too distant to see an office
or towering figures pulling strings, I zero in on
elegant wrought iron…
Entwined with tines of fine designer fence they’ve placed
cheap metal poles and rusting wire to keep them safe
from us, normal average Americans just visiting
their fortified...
962 reads
15 Comments
UPBEAT INSPIRATIONAL POEM
Published
8th Mar 2013 00:14am
8th Mar 2013 00:14am
Play Misty for Me (haiku)
Come away with me
once more to the rainforest
on a cloudy day
From a hidden beach
through a forest dark and deep
mysteries are revealed
Gently take my hand
for the path is slick and steep
though I know the way
Spare young fairy ferns
who know nothing of footpaths
through ancient forests
Just follow my lead
traverse tangled twists and turns
on damp stepping stones
Avoid devils club
green inviting leaves that sting
lush, but do not touch
Stop and rest awhile
on spacious carpets of moss...
once more to the rainforest
on a cloudy day
From a hidden beach
through a forest dark and deep
mysteries are revealed
Gently take my hand
for the path is slick and steep
though I know the way
Spare young fairy ferns
who know nothing of footpaths
through ancient forests
Just follow my lead
traverse tangled twists and turns
on damp stepping stones
Avoid devils club
green inviting leaves that sting
lush, but do not touch
Stop and rest awhile
on spacious carpets of moss...
921 reads
18 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
4th Mar 2013 7:03pm
4th Mar 2013 7:03pm
Divided to Death
Scratch your mark in the dust
on protected walls of sandstone and lime
you are human, prove your existence
carved in cryptic cuts and sketches
bounding antelope and muscular beast
left behind as your trace of passage
staking your claim to the ages.
Leave your tracks on the path
fossil footprints walking desolate plains
you are humanity, emerging at birth
long strides overtake lesser species
buried in cairns near rivers and streams
exacting a price wherever you pass
wandering your new born earth.
Build your home in the wind...
on protected walls of sandstone and lime
you are human, prove your existence
carved in cryptic cuts and sketches
bounding antelope and muscular beast
left behind as your trace of passage
staking your claim to the ages.
Leave your tracks on the path
fossil footprints walking desolate plains
you are humanity, emerging at birth
long strides overtake lesser species
buried in cairns near rivers and streams
exacting a price wherever you pass
wandering your new born earth.
Build your home in the wind...
#TruthOfLife
#redemption
#philosophical
979 reads
12 Comments
SELF POEM
Published
1st Mar 2013 7:28pm
1st Mar 2013 7:28pm
Passe', as Rainbows Fade
Tra-la-la
dancing on the head of a pin
Cinderella trips, glass slippers
slip from dainty feet
shattering on polished marble
of the ballroom floor.
What was it for
a crushing pulse of ecstasy
dressed in streams of crinoline
anticipating luxuries
amid the rise and fall of waves
lapping at her door.
Sea level shift
lifts dancers off their feet
at first it slakes a fiery thirst
disenchanted debutants
disrupting mighty continents
matter shakes apart.
Too many parts
shiny crystal slipper shards
grind...
dancing on the head of a pin
Cinderella trips, glass slippers
slip from dainty feet
shattering on polished marble
of the ballroom floor.
What was it for
a crushing pulse of ecstasy
dressed in streams of crinoline
anticipating luxuries
amid the rise and fall of waves
lapping at her door.
Sea level shift
lifts dancers off their feet
at first it slakes a fiery thirst
disenchanted debutants
disrupting mighty continents
matter shakes apart.
Too many parts
shiny crystal slipper shards
grind...
793 reads
6 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
19th Feb 2013 3:31pm
19th Feb 2013 3:31pm
Running the Gauntlet
Shaggy brothers, you stand by the roadside
we can barely read your cardboard signs;
“will work for food – got kids at home.”
I’d guess you know what we’re thinking,
we can’t stop and give you money in traffic.
And down the road there’s another fellow
and then there’s a woman with a child
waving her sign that says “we need food.”
She’s got a bigger sign than yours, standing
and holding her little girl’s hand in gravel
on a shoulder of the off ramp to Target.
Like running a gauntlet from here to Sears,
how can we pass you by, yet how do we...
we can barely read your cardboard signs;
“will work for food – got kids at home.”
I’d guess you know what we’re thinking,
we can’t stop and give you money in traffic.
And down the road there’s another fellow
and then there’s a woman with a child
waving her sign that says “we need food.”
She’s got a bigger sign than yours, standing
and holding her little girl’s hand in gravel
on a shoulder of the off ramp to Target.
Like running a gauntlet from here to Sears,
how can we pass you by, yet how do we...
805 reads
8 Comments
SELF POEM
Published
16th Feb 2013 7:23pm
16th Feb 2013 7:23pm
Waiting for a Lift
When you lose your voice
time spins slowly down
to drown in shallow ponds
dwindling in the sun.
Clouds row in lazy circles
round cold and icy toes
entrapped amid the mildew
whispering to ghosts.
Afterthoughts evolve in fog
where has the joy gone;
goose feathers fill the void
sleep soars overhead.
Taste the bitter pill of loss
the folding up of tents;
obstacles bar the staircase
back to where we met.
Recalling shining rainbows
renewing self and soul;
myself an...
time spins slowly down
to drown in shallow ponds
dwindling in the sun.
Clouds row in lazy circles
round cold and icy toes
entrapped amid the mildew
whispering to ghosts.
Afterthoughts evolve in fog
where has the joy gone;
goose feathers fill the void
sleep soars overhead.
Taste the bitter pill of loss
the folding up of tents;
obstacles bar the staircase
back to where we met.
Recalling shining rainbows
renewing self and soul;
myself an...
829 reads
11 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
10th Feb 2013 7:08pm
10th Feb 2013 7:08pm
Apple for the Teacher
An apple
a day kept the vet away
all last winter. Green
grannies taste the best.
Don’t bite
off more than the piece
I offered you. Fingers
take a long time to heal.
Carrots
on the other hand, crunch
nicely when bitten off
snip-snap with big teeth.
Your feet
are called hooves, horse;
pick um up, put um down
close to mine, but not on.
My feet
are too small to stand on
by a big boy who weighs
over nine hundred pounds.
You know
where apples...
a day kept the vet away
all last winter. Green
grannies taste the best.
Don’t bite
off more than the piece
I offered you. Fingers
take a long time to heal.
Carrots
on the other hand, crunch
nicely when bitten off
snip-snap with big teeth.
Your feet
are called hooves, horse;
pick um up, put um down
close to mine, but not on.
My feet
are too small to stand on
by a big boy who weighs
over nine hundred pounds.
You know
where apples...
978 reads
12 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
4th Feb 2013 7:18pm
4th Feb 2013 7:18pm
Fair Skinned Doll
Your face shines pink and fresh
propped up on mother’s lacy
pillowcase.
Are you lonely in her bedroom
poised there staring upward,
precious?
Pure perfection; you’re dressed
for happier places than this,
patience.
When the morning sun comes in
her windowpane you’ll shine
positively.
She may sweep in, dancing again
around her beautiful boudoir,
pretending…
No, don’t turn away pretty dolly
she wouldn’t want you to cry,
please.
Your face shines pink and fresh
as if very little has changed,...
propped up on mother’s lacy
pillowcase.
Are you lonely in her bedroom
poised there staring upward,
precious?
Pure perfection; you’re dressed
for happier places than this,
patience.
When the morning sun comes in
her windowpane you’ll shine
positively.
She may sweep in, dancing again
around her beautiful boudoir,
pretending…
No, don’t turn away pretty dolly
she wouldn’t want you to cry,
please.
Your face shines pink and fresh
as if very little has changed,...
846 reads
6 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
4th Feb 2013 7:14pm
4th Feb 2013 7:14pm
Envisioning...
Fallow fields falter under snowfall;
deer dig at forage freshly frozen
to a cold and barren plot of ground.
Brown ducks dive beneath the ice;
minnows swarm circling aghast
unwilling to drown in disharmony.
Ravens sit stoically in the treetops
awaiting nothing less than mice
crossing pavement slick with traffic.
Old man winter keeps his boots on
so he can run out all night long
fetching frail unfortunates faltering.
deer dig at forage freshly frozen
to a cold and barren plot of ground.
Brown ducks dive beneath the ice;
minnows swarm circling aghast
unwilling to drown in disharmony.
Ravens sit stoically in the treetops
awaiting nothing less than mice
crossing pavement slick with traffic.
Old man winter keeps his boots on
so he can run out all night long
fetching frail unfortunates faltering.
922 reads
11 Comments
STORY POEM
Published
14th Jan 2013 8:19pm
14th Jan 2013 8:19pm
Raven
Char and I are walking,
we follow old trails down behind the village.
We are telling each other stories,
like songs sung by old men in the longhouse.
Tales from the elders when Raven brought them here
where they would be safe and have berries to eat.
Char sings the ancient stories best,
her voice sends cold shivers through my heart.
Scary tales make me want to run back to the village,
but Char will not turn around.
She says this will be just a short walk
to a bay where she hid a skiff when she came before.
She says we can’t go back,...
we follow old trails down behind the village.
We are telling each other stories,
like songs sung by old men in the longhouse.
Tales from the elders when Raven brought them here
where they would be safe and have berries to eat.
Char sings the ancient stories best,
her voice sends cold shivers through my heart.
Scary tales make me want to run back to the village,
but Char will not turn around.
She says this will be just a short walk
to a bay where she hid a skiff when she came before.
She says we can’t go back,...
890 reads
6 Comments
DARK POEM
Published
10th Jan 2013 7:08pm
10th Jan 2013 7:08pm
The Sea Witch
If I show you all my scars
will you show me all of yours?"
On a cold dark night by firelight
lost beside the roaring sea,
waves roll in as the tide goes out
she said “sit and stay with me.”
“Will you draw me every detail
of the life you lived back then?”
“Fetch me photographs you cherish
just sift through dust and see,
young faces from your attic, please
share fond memories with me.”
“If I tell you of my wanderings
will you tell me what you’ve seen?” ...
will you show me all of yours?"
On a cold dark night by firelight
lost beside the roaring sea,
waves roll in as the tide goes out
she said “sit and stay with me.”
“Will you draw me every detail
of the life you lived back then?”
“Fetch me photographs you cherish
just sift through dust and see,
young faces from your attic, please
share fond memories with me.”
“If I tell you of my wanderings
will you tell me what you’ve seen?” ...
1533 reads
29 Comments
DU Poetry : Submissions by maryanns (ravenwing)
