~feathers from the muse's wings~

The Next Big Thing

2012-12-17T10:41:00.002-08:00

When my son asked me to join myspace back in 2005, so that I could keep up with the latest on his musical career, I had no idea what I was in for. Since delving into the world of social media, I have met a lot of marvelous folks and have become good friends with many outstanding writers all over the planet. Rosemary Nissen-Wade, whose blog is SnakyPoet, is one of those people. I have contributed many a haiku to her myspace blog, Haiku on Friday, and in a Facebook group she started, Haiku and Things. Actually, I attribute to her the fact that I have continued to hone the skill of writing senryū and now use it as an abbreviated form of journal writing. Among other great things, Rosemary is a poetry powerhouse. I feel a lot of kinship with her because I too consider myself someone who loves poetry and spread its seeds wherever I go.

Rosemary invited me to take part in this "The Next Big Thing" blog chain and asked me to invite a few of my friends. Unfortunately, because most of my friends are seriously busy folks, as of yet, none of them has responded back in the affirmative. So, if any of you readers out there who have a blog, and some big book or literary project that you would like to share about, please contact me. I will send you some questions to answer, and you can then share them on your blog and continue this chain forward by inviting your friends to also take part.

Here are Rosemary's "Next Big Thing," questions and my responses.

Rosemary: What is the working title of your book or project?

Odilia: The title is "The Color of Light"

R: What sparked the book off?

O: I have wanted to do a collection of poems for some of the Orisha and Mexica [Aztec] deities for sometime now. I have been interested in Mexican traditional spiritual practices since I was a girl and have studied what was available since then. In 1997, I was doing research on African Traditional Religions and saw many similarities between the Orishas, deities from the Yoruba traditional religion of Ifa, and the Mexica deities, and wanted to explore these similarities in a book, which includes poetry.

R: How would you describe your project/book/piece of work?

O: It is an exploration of the Orisha and Mexica deities mainly in poetry, but also in an extensive description of the journey of being called to them.

R: How long did it take you to find your own style and voice?

O: I started writing in my early teens. I was never very confident about my writing and didn't really share it until I began taking part in writers' workshops. The first group of writers I worked with in the 80's was Centro Chicano/Latino de Escritores, in the Mission District of San Francisco. Here I was helped my fellow writers to hone my skills and not be afraid to share my writing with an audience.

R: In what ways do you think 'writer you' differs from or has similarities to the everyday you?

O: I really don't see much of separation between the writer and the everyday me. I consider myself an artist/activist, and for me, these two ways of being are inseparable. The artist helps to bring in the spiritual aspects of who I am, and the way I like to walk in the world - with lots of compassion for my fellow human beings. The activist in me is always seeking balance, fairness, and justice. I believe a lot in talking things out instead of acting them out. I wish our leaders would do much more of this, maybe then, we'd have peace instead of so much war and hatred in the world.

R: Who or what makes you pick up that pen or start typing at the keyboard?

O: I have a daily writing practice, no matter where I am or how I am feeling, I write something. It may be a senryū, a longer poem, or if I am lucky, a chapter of my novel. I am always telling my creative writing workshop participants that if one is going to call themselves a writer they must write - and I walk my talk.

R: Imagine someone waved a magic wand and you were only able to write one book in your lifetime and you knew it would be perfect and say exactly what you intended and be understood and appreciated by everyone; what would you write about?

O: That is a difficult question Rosemary. I guess I would have to say that I would write whatever came to me to write about. I believe that my ancestors play a big role in what I am inspired to write and I honor and believe in that.

 
Thanks again Rosemary for all you do in the world to encourage folks to write!

November Senryū 2012

2012-12-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

she stands lakeside | staring at the glass green lake | prays for good journeys |

her mother stares out windows | buscando la luna

people are afraid | the world will end or collapse | we need a big change

underwater moon | looks up through watery clouds | contemplates life

call them terrorists | call them savage non-people | then take their land

parents bury their babies | who've perished in war | and the world weeps

little children | should not die in adult wars | wanting for peace

war is raging | the planet is morphing | into infernos

we pray for people | suffering loss of loved ones | for no reason

blessed rain that still falls | a smile from the ancestors | hugs from a loved one |

all these things I give thanks for | everyday of my life

put the world back | together it is splitting | in so many ways

words watercolor | the day is gray-blue infused | concealed is worry

world is scarier | best to pretend you're tougher | than the worst monsters

she remembers | that she forgets then forgets | she remembers

estranged from her mind | sees a new world distorted | everything is lost

her mind's taken | intermittent vacations | from reality

today's a clear day | just a bit of confusion | of memories

take it or leave it | what you see is what you get | the door won't hit me |

and then on the way out | I decide to come back in

a moment of truth | flicked away in a heart beat | that fast it's a lie

too truths are painful | no comparing oppression | personal hurt hurts

sleep walking pequeñita | falls into strong arms | needing her comfort

her three-year-old voice | sings a bright lyrical song | filled with a new day

twisted logic trips | the wire wrapped around lies | truth bursts from darkness

can you believe in | what people speak or depend on | what your heart says

little one predicts | rain today the sky opens | and sheds her blessings

she paints with words | the world she envisions | for future generations

my blue Chicago | steel strong and long memoried | divided we fall

a day to sleepwalk | dreams of miracles | to wish back what will happen

houses were ripped | swept into a raging ocean | their roots left dangling

we pray with our ancestors | offer them delights | sing long into night

sad poems of their passing | joyful songs of their bright lives

the day of little angels | that come back to sleep | cradled in our arms ❋

October Senryū

2012-11-03T10:30:00.001-07:00

the big city lights | knocked out by nature's right cross | do not shine this night

last dark clouds parted | double rainbows embraced sky | they welcomed the sun

wind howls in voices | of those who are coming | earthside for a visit

gray banks of rainclouds | gather more force at sunset | make ready the sky |

to spill its charred dark bellies | while wild wind mouths are wailing

she unbraids her hair | night tresses shot with silver | lets day fall away

she unbraids the stress | of the day by hugging her | loved ones young and bright

she reaches in | takes her mother's heart in hand | restarts the love beating

let's wash off the night | eight hours is a long time | traveling dreamtime

life changes | in one day a whole world turns | over load

one of our strongest | a warrior was called home | hearts ache his absence

she cuts her hair | to release memories | of long ago pain

legacy | all our love and passion | demanding justice

truth | warriors speak in their walk | in their actions

visits home on-line | writes stories channeled | by ghosts becoming spirits

the only upside | of arguing with someone | is when they forget

instead of high-heels | She put on her stand-up shoes | knowing that she's strong

life was happier | in the back when | no one really remembers

we try to live up | to the worlds we believe in | not the lies we're fed

dancers time their moves | a writer's words dance too | music the rhapsody

a day reminding | winter's swiftly on the way | falls sure footed heels

use your computer | for a heating pad | to fire up ideas

sometimes you argue | all that heat becomes exhaust | then you hope for peace

people are puzzles | whole worlds in and of themselves | try to understand

I celebrate | the peoples survival | in hate's face

it's a mistake when | you only care about you | forget others

inexplicable loves | you can't force away | that can't be unbound

her face to the sky | a rose seeking sun's light | giving thanks for life

children buried in bodies | of grown folk pretending | life's not precious

in rivers of lies | truth floats on fallen leaves | drifting free

she seeks revenge | for a love promised taken | all she finds is sorrow

she is triumphant | her refusal to vanish wins | despite his venom |

his years of abuse | her heavy veil is lifted

September Senryū

2012-10-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

O orange harvest moon | why do you bring such longing | for him or winter

our rights slip through hands | people shake their heads resigned | we lift our voices
| shouting you can't take our rights | they are not yours to swindle

people don't want to suffer | though wanting is fear | of not having

but they don't get it | less is more doesn't compute | in our "buy" culture

no more star gazing | purple skies too full of moon| on yesterdays gone

nothing can stop her | only she can brake herself | re-imagine life

first day of falling | into another season | reasons to stand sure

the two who are | one lives in Aiye | other in Orun |

both sacred twins journeyed | to market no'ne stayed home

her face always in books | or screen blue back lit | you'll find her there lost |

in a world of words seeking | illusive as butterflies

she was born spirit line | a "mistake" that got left in | strong

our words not a ruse | poetry as lies to be used | to get ahead

a tsunami cloud | resembled a mountain range | covered in new snow |

hovered on the edge | of my childhood lake

if a writer falls | in love with you | you'll never be forgotten

a pastel party | going down up in heaven | as Spirits rejoice

resist urges | to vote for the lesser of | evils who are twins

fear is a liar | bullies win through our silence | the truth shall prevail

I can not pretend | that monsters do not exist | they live among us

leaves unravel spring | summer's a lush coat of green | fall life's teeth chew through |

masticating to the bone | winter the long sleep waiting

there are many Septembers | on the eleventh | we remember those |

who died for the empire | who died for the lies

she wants it to rain | in ropes falling from blank skies | to cool the harsh day

ancestor maíz | corn in every color | grows seven feet tall

we break easily | sometimes there's no other way | to end the madness |

we leave reality | head towards a way to be healed

she could have been his | in an eye-blink eternity | star-crossed lovers |

oceans that could never merge | what beauty trying

she tells her mother | I hope you won't forget me | she forgets what's said |

daughter cries for all the loss | then in her childhood and now

workers the backbone | bring food from fields to tables | build envisioned worlds |

mothers raise nations of us | fathers the finishing touch

medicine stories | passed on in blood memory | in ancestors' voices

what is unseen | is later unearthed by light | shed on the darkness

With Wings To Fly

2012-09-15T20:15:00.001-07:00

With Wings To Fly

A woman

with wings

to fly

she does not know

why

she can not

seem to

extend them

to take to air

all around

seems stagnant

she fails

in all heaviness

to remember

when she

enabled another

was clipped

to the point

she forgot her name

was shrouded

left with only

a thin line of mesh

her eyes to see

only him

she was grounded

but finally one day

an eagle flew over

freefalling

calling

Quetzalli

is that really you

what's happened

what’s happened

what's become of you

your beautiful wings shorn

restricted flight

throw off those chains

set yourself free

take to the air

no more despair

in small steps

she began

to forgive herself

to remember who she was

not who she'd become

everyday more feathers grew

first in little nubs then in sprouts

as if by magic

her wings bloomed anew

her muscles retrained

after many crash landings and falls

Quetzalli took to air

stronger in every way

never to be grounded

again

Vuelo Imposible

note: Quetzalli

Pronunciation

IPA: /ketsalli/

Etymology

quetza "to stand up" + -lli

Noun

quetzalli
A quetzal feather. Something precious.

August Senryū

2012-09-05T00:25:00.001-07:00

August Senryū

once in a blue moon | moon grows so round she falls | kisses the earth hard

once in a blue moon | people see their reflection | in watery eyes

once in a blue moon | those we love are far from home | they feel us with them

once in a blue moon | we write about love | from the depths of our true hearts

stay grounded to earth | envisioning beauty | then learn to walk right

we hear the rabbits | call from the fields harvest | eating green lettuce

the buttery moon | swells to the size of summer | pregnant with plenty

green corn moon | maiden of new harvest | calls to the autumn

spears and arrows | some cut with precision | others with beauty

the depths of zero | call from the throats of flowers | from were all things bloom

love is a salve | it heals wounds deeper than canyons | smooths jagged edges

there's no scarcity of love | its renewable | why then jealousy

remembering | one of the best days of life | you being born ♥

sacred places | cathedrals marking home lands | birthed by mother earth

inundated | in a sea of paperwork | she floats to the top

miracles happen | believe it and you'll see | your life's the beginning

lives rearranged | estrangement at close distance | still linked at the heart

Purple on turquoise | yoga mat a great place | to sing with a cicada

a morning without | sunshine and rain's false promise | envelops the day

an immense boulder | grief overshadows the light | blame a losing game

we will continue | to be 'other' and proudly | we know our worth

know silence | retreat into its depths | listen

mind realignment | ability to see | beyond the edges

fruits of summer bloom | a harvest of gold goodness | jewels in my bowl

a night to reclaim | streets from police the hoodlums | abstract differences

a dart to the heart | stark its poison entering | shadows of sorrow

a child inside | an adult's body sometimes | cries for affection

the worst sorcery | jealousy and envy | followed by gossip

lilly sword beauty | emblem in a life of strife | until victory

mandala moon | time when all things may ripen | rising from the mist

gone home to the light | brilliant and shiny at birth | journey worth taking

Arrows

2012-08-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Arrows

her words arrows

straight and to the point

sometimes piercing hearts

her words are arrows

not meant to wound or offend

aimed at seeking the truth

her words sharpened shafts

shot into the dark to shed

light rather than heat

arrows can be words

lined up in people's defense

aimed at injustice

words can be empty

fake like rubber bullets

that still seek to maim

words can kill movements

of people trying to heal

centuries of lies

words words word arrows

a way to say basta ya!

loosed are fireworks

July Senryū

2012-08-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

July Senryū

to say I'm leaving | when destination's unknown | takes lots of courage

paintbrushes bloom | in a prairie kissing sky | on fire

latch onto words | that lie crumpled in corners | raise them from the dead

a day of mourning | for all those that were taken | for all that seems lost

no greater loss | a mother losing a child | our worst nightmare

we want to belong | acknowledged and loved | even in our solitude

rubber bullets then | become lead piercing thick skin | death by lethal hate

they appointed stones | imbued them with their power | to represent them

if time stands still | and it's not the end of days | then what follows?

her larkspur a deep blue sea | a feast for the eyes | a tide of July

oh blackberry moon | of middle summer | bless us with full blooms

borders | lines drawn in sand and in words | cuts that leave deep scars

las fronteras | líneas dibujadas en la arena y en palabras | cortes que dejan cicatrices profundas

sometimes trying | too hard to win that brass ring | better to just live

meditating | on those things that can be changed | what love gives rise to

life's emotions | and the stillness of no | attachments

our elder's memories | remind us to remember | to pass them along

words have the power | to sink or save a nation | use with care

blood type required | truly strong and unafraid | for a love mission ♥

everyone's land | is to be respected | is owned by no one

people are not fooled | they vote with their hearts and then | the lie becomes truth

we come to the drum | humbled for we know beauty | we crave the power

c/s

June Senryū

2012-07-31T00:23:00.001-07:00

thoughts rushing rivers | illusive as butterflies | defy capture

words simmer under | suffering in silence | while waiting to heal

those distant cousins | stars that beam down through night clouds | telling us they're home

when money is speech | poor people must raise their voices | to be heard

she forgets | everything that just happened | all is forgotten

my father you're loved | no time or space changes heart's | mind over matters ♥

so shifty shadowed | luck a trick of light | it's all in the perception

mixture of light | rain seeds and earth birthing | new life possibilities

water is a jewel | when it is all gone | when the faucets have gone dry |

we panic in its absence | scurrying like little ants

love your life | give thanks for all that blesses you | even the smallest gifts

her iceberg heart thawed | to lakes icy cold and blue | edged in lupine

her hands made of stars | her smile brightest sunshine | her skirt swaying tides

water lifeblood of the people | birthright of earth's children

to dissolve past hurts | a thousand hugs and much love | the will to let go

a thin line of red | peaks out from behind the clouds | births this day's sunrise

my mother's face | in the mirror amazes | me gazing at her

oh rose moon | a time for picking strawberries | fine like red wine

¡Ban This!

2012-07-31T00:16:00.000-07:00

¡Ban This!

disgust

lurks in corners

of your mouths when you look

at our children who you don’t want

to grow

into people

strong in their soul’s searching ~

for those truths you twist into lies

our strength

is in knowing

that we were not born yours

to do with us as you will, no

we’re free

we, descendants

of Teotihuacán ~

of Toltecs, of Chichén Itzá,

Aztlán

the place you fear

we might want to reclaim ~

our ancestral home, occupied

by you

who erase truths

that can not be silenced

by boxing up or burning books ~

words live

we remember

them, our love, our stories ~

history, cannot be erased

not banned

because their life,

their truths and beauty beat

brightly in our yoyolo, hearts

always

always ~

we a people

of hope and of struggle

we never give up, being us

living

living.

So ban our books

put out a gag order ~

yes, they charred our codices in

fire

burned our tongues mute

but never our minds ~ to

envision the future, your fall

from grace

This poem appears in ¡Ban This! The BSP Anthology of Xican@ Literature

(Broken Sword Publication LLC 2012) edited by Santino Rivera. Tlazo!

Writer's Café

2012-07-19T23:15:00.001-07:00

Becoming Visible

2012-07-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

✿

Becoming Visible

Odilia Galván Rodríguez

no longer invisible

you wish to banish us

back in time

to our quiet place

stooped in fields

in your gardens

kitchens loud

clattered and steam filled

laundry rooms

quietly nurturing

you and yours like our own

children

lucky if left with family

less so if latchkeyed

lonely and locked in

scared to make a sound

lest neighbors call

authorities

living in fear

of offending

of being visible

time and struggle

changed that game

people learned their rights

to fight for what is just

to come out into the light

c/s

Senryū Soliloquy 4

2012-05-14T20:05:00.001-07:00

rescue

reluctant to save

but you do so anyway

to put out fires

prickly

her thick thorny heart

almost impenetrable

what a luscious fruit

reach

mesquite tree branches

she sat in and wrote her life

dark limbed and sturdy

hammock

swings slow in deep air

beds for weary travelers

rainbow safety net

baggage

we carry around

our pasts ~ in suitcases full/

fodder for future

........................

walking his footprints

she sees a flock of seagulls|

sailing over sand

piano

finger percussion

stretched strings rapid staccato

a different drummer

spawning

spontaneous

combustion a thrust from nowhere

birth of chaos

confidence

hard to find edges

of bones that don't fit neatly

where grit meets shyness

qualm

salted wounds circumvent
tides of just jumping right in
truths that are lies

peel

out and down the street

pillaging and pilfering ~

take it off, all off

remedy

blue agave plant

distilled into sweet nectar

dream dancing demise

sparkle

glitter and glisten

in time for fun, and well wishing

season of lights

finish

tarnished rings, shined up

gleaming false teeth all aligned

rhymes of the dozens

pulse

her milky way wrist warm

small veins spider webbed star

patterned after sky

plasma

mainlined mother's milk

silty ions and free

electrons lighting stars

vanity

our human wishes

to shine outside of ourselves

for liberation

exaggeration

magnified by slews

you in magna opera

not knowing you're there

cinnamon

tawny colored sweet

scent of his skin, rusty

rouge sky near sunset

drawer

tucked safe in darkness

her sox talk to her undies

not much in common

sleet

lacy ice pellets

headlong precipitation

in a rush to fall

fade

an old school hairdo

sepia toned photographs

my love for liars

whisper

breaths through hushed mouths

muffled words caught in satin

love-words in their ears

found

never discovered

shiny coins in couch cushions

something lost returned

test

proving the pudding

rested up from besting all ~

others, find answers

clasp

catch, clip or pin me

against your drum of a chest

in those arms of wings

misled

danced with Two Left Feet

then fell for the other guy~

by way of blind alley

wicked

villainous and vile

greedy white collar grifters

graft ~ their drug of choice

justice

it is said justice

is blind ~ but she thinks it is

only for the rich

deep/depth

underwatery

a mythical treasure chest

womb from which life sprung

mistake

no take backs

can be forgiven never

forgotten always

sowing

seeds of self doubt

planted in fallow fields

may yield surprises

surplus

more than enough

to give away instead of hoard

to live simply blessed

walk

parsimonious

with steps ~ painful in bound feet -

silent as a cat's

iffy

dubious drifter

without a doubt borderline >

shifts on a whim

honest

everyday~

following the golden rule

you lie you get lied to

tender

doe-eyed innocent~

not a bad bone embodied

Spring's newly sprouted

newborn

just born blue starbursts

sitting on red rooftops

light rips through darkness

moss

love nourishes us~

after crying...our hearts rest

on lush green carpets

smolder

his mesquite ash eyes

the way they looked into her

their lips when they kissed

vast

her soul unfurled

traversing universes

wide-eyed and unwitting

final

irrevocable ~

our end begins with planting

to planting we go

robust

resilient resolve

full-bodied and able

a bouquet thats prime

sturdy

what used to be

before disposable~

upright society

prediction

seen in a mind's eye

or told in ears from far off

possible outcomes

natural

milky moon bath dawn

songs slipping in the shower

hummingbirds smiling

movie

pictures in motion

an elixir for boredom

life in fast forward

rainbow

a prism of light

through precious water flowing

our fading sky snake

rose

essence of beauty

velvety touch of sun's rouge

breath of fresh air

tendril

fiber of beings

love at the end of fingers

our senses rooted

camouflage

there's no hiding

pain knows no concealment /

tears flow in rivers

dovetail

we fit together ~

harmonized so perfectly

until we did not

now long lost to each other

we meet only in our dreams

gardenias

flowers most fragrant

like heaven on rainy days

when angels sing songs

blues

for GSH

the light past midnight

time right after time begins

again minutes flow

like notes of a saxophone

ready to spill its sad story

contrast

the constant this / that

beret instead of hat

rat tat tat - silence

profile

outline of your face

information true or false

a small trace of you

sign

from up in the sky

or posted on a big fence

a guide to action

converge

we intersect

collectively harmonic

in time to the music

tumble

rough and jumble

summersault bumble

melange of misfits

hidden

lurking just under

behind those smiles so sugar

sweet is the new knife

russet

burnt red-orange the leaves

turning the forest fire

summer's almost gone

plummet

a free falling fix

on a wing and a prayer

dive bomb afternoon

usual

suspects leaving clues

falsetto fashionistas

singing out of key

chunky

well heeled boots to walk

from a bad situation ~

possibilities

liability

love gone bad again

grasping for the brass ring

sings we shall overcome

junction

caressed compunction

the place where guilt and doubt join

bones newly knit

brick

sticking with it

even though the towel's thrown in

the plate glass shattered

juice

nectar of heaven

the sun's sweat squeezed from an orange~

fruit condensation

many

conjunctions can't cross

become one in their union

fun when they fit right

fabulous

beyond wildest dreams

shooting stars skid earthward

fast cooling their heels

satisfaction

winsome and winning

something to write home about~

a day with sunshine

swell

a situation

rising proliferation~

a bulge on high seas

genuine

a sunrise sunset

best love can give aching hearts

knowing new days come

bucket

a bird bath

feels rich when there's a shortage~

water to the brim

warmer

those old wool sox

before you get too hot

worn and snugly

nearness

enough to be safely far

away

soothing

a smooth cool hand

measured words to calm the nerves

on fevered forehead

replace

the latest model

it's beginning to look like~

go shopping at home

transient

between here and there

weeds grow under the freeway

a kind of living

denizen

of field and forest

things that scurry cross the ground

aching for asphalt

dreadful

mornings come early

alarm clocks scream through the house

we're out of coffee

mull

chewing it over

ideas spring new flowers/

simmered over wine

windfall

as if he'd fallen

from a tree he sprang on me

now he's my husband

transparent

diaphanous

veil between here and there

sheer white silk chiffon

sinew

cat-gut guitars

strumming out crazy rhythms

down and dirty

thaw

glaciers softening

blue iceberg's beaks peaking

out from meltwater

paste

gooey stick flat

stuff made to catch in place

of flour water

grave

it's not so deep

that hole you've dug for yourself

try laughing instead

train

been on one

deep throated song sung daily

stealing through your town

art

his homemade salsa

her singing in the shower

their lovemaking

hands

delicate appendages

feathery or strong

our sense of touch

fade

only a shadow

of herself, she puzzles~

puts back the pieces

fracas

standing outside

on the sidewalk talkin' smack~

at three in the mornin'

resplendent

in a sea green dress

her lips a coral red ~

heading up the shore

beside

on the night table

next to the bed a small clock

radio blaring

bird food

sunflowers smiling

in a garden planted just

for you to feed on

decoupage

she covered blank walls

with cut-outs of her short life

varnished to shine bright

reach

on tippi toes

only the top of her head

shows in the mirror

razed

everything gone

as if a razor sliced it

from view

bangle

armlets and anklets

tethered to fashion's fancy

jingle all the way

flippant

tongue in cheek showing

no respect for the mores

today's smart alecks

jet lag

fandango feeling

I'm not sure if its today

tequila time-line

silent

snow flakes falling up

drizzle drifts ever sideways ~

butterfly cocoons

rebus

codices and cave paintings

puzzles that subtract~

pictures plus numbers

humility

what makes us human

truly a triumph mastered~

letting others shine

blend

ice and liquid fire

elixir of the gods~

shaken and not stirred

blueberry

indigo nectar

inky juice in a moon pie

color of night sky

kindling

a little fire

set on a moon sparkling night

igniting the dawn

granite

building blocks of life

pyramids can tell a tale~

coarse as crushed ice

paste

mash and blend

leave some pulp in your o.j. ~

tequila sunrise

cactus

spiny bodied

green mean protein machine~

heart's a crush of red

sad

down in the mouth

a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl

lunch on the ground

sonorous

on a white shell~

phone call to my ancestors/

reversed the charges

moon

bellybutton of the sky

under cotton wool/

opalescence

child

s/he who we hold~

inside a nest for nine months/

most dear to our hearts

chide

refused to chastise

mother smiled, then backhanded

doubtful of repeats

hold

in the belly

ships treasures stowed silent

for the journey

baffle

perplexed dyslexic

had no problem reading ~

wrote from right to left

dart

right on a bullseye

a drone drowned in my coffee

it took wrong turn

transform

playing twister

she morphed into spider

all caught in her web

patina

false shine on a dime

skating backwards on a rink~

once on a blue moon

unexpected

a shooting star

first peak of venus at dawn

baby's first smile

jungle

heavy a silence

loud in jade green canopy

Ek Balam's eyes

Marisol

claimed by ocean

and the sun ~ she is a flower ~

smiling gold toothed wide

flittermouse

traverse darkest caves

navigate by radar

bat-winged wonders

ravine

a violent rush of sound

a gorge of a mouth/

slit in a mountain

serene

a blank page

the sway of a willow

in the midst of dreams

different

freak flag flying

nerd genius strange fruit loon/

not this but that

weak

a trick knee gives way

five hundred year old house/

buckles under

haze

purple sky gazes

towards other planets

as she does the dance of veils

bathe

birds and elephants

in dirt and river bottoms\

dancing to get clean

nibble

a gnaw and a peck

rubber neckin' the freeway

roadkill's in season

sit

unwound and chilled

posing for da Vinci

La Gioconda

relax

almost no pulse

something to do once you're done

takes mediation

bachelor

without a mate

no real cohabitation ~

or dates to speak of

creak

stairs sound as she climbs

in her dream the house settles

high pitched rendering

pearl

little blossom moon

it lingers on her finger~

sand turned into gem

table

day in the desert

flat-topped terracotta hill

beautiful vistas

dobro

play me a ditty

on that jangle guitar

make me wish on stars

cone

over the top

two scoops slurp over the side

nose dive to the street

pretend

dress-up box is full~

dragons make their appearance

crash land in the tub

primitive

before unipolar worlds

the empire struck/

foul ball in left field

conch

dancers circle

magical sea trumpet sounds

let the games begin

meat

eyes that only see

body parts and not whole\

living beings

medley

grabbag veggies

my fav music intermixed/

sauteed on turntables

rock/stability

johnny on the spot

able to leap tall feats ~

always there when needed

lose/lost

begin again

oftentimes losing you win

chin up

restore

put some past back in

a model redux\

oh virtual do-over

gift

most thoughtful gesture

a mouthful of red flowers~

to smear on my lips

reprieve

let off the hook
sides of beef's slid like jello~
last meal went stoned cold

safety

refuge from life's storms
good enough to cuddle up
to arms wide open

color

azabache eyes
of the deepest dark mesquite
chaparral headed

appeal

plaster of Paris
pastel paint splattered poems
a peal of laughter

April Senryū

2012-05-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

your night is my day | we still love the same way | sky a thin blue line

water is life | protect y/our birthright | most precious liquid

we don't need your approval | we don't want your yes | your no means nothing

ban and bar our words | but you can not silence us | we buzz in your ears!

zapote tree | its leaves and fruit everywhere | needed a haircut

eyes of a nation | are now on the Justices | to decide with heart

they live in a past life | under trees they loved | nothing changes there

his life is etched | all over his body | in living colores

her body wanted | to give birth to more babies | instead grew tumors

flowers remind her | of beginnings and endings | of life's sheer beauty

most days she swims in words | the pool deep and blue | looking for meaning

we see the same sky | star maps that glisten | in our faraway eyes

we are star seeds | children of the Milky Way | born brilliant as gems

what the rain knows | about earth's thirst for water | is precious as its drops

terrible to waste | a moment, minds, our planet | on greed

at first, our bodies | fashioned out of corn masa | blessed in gold pollen

creator fashioned the world | in rough draft form | perfectly imperfect

thunder beings walk | around the bahia | blessings for home

she lost her mind | then found it again | in books and music

a morning prayer | for this day's ceremony | for a better life

oil and water war | volcanoes on the verge | time of violent change

when words aren't enough | actions must reflect | wisdom of the ancestors

Today the heat has teeth | not a leaf in motion | blessed be the fan

a day to give thanks | blessings come in all sizes | for new and old friends

mother ocean heals | what ails an aching heart | her waves come in breath

no morning mambos | just a swing in a hammock | healing from a fall

you take a tumble | you're going too far, too fast | now a time-out

she remembered | she forgot the flight she had | to be on

city streets lowdown | sounds of humans living life | on the loudest tones

first day of April | commit one poem a day | daises are in bloom

Time

2012-04-30T19:32:00.002-07:00

Time has no shape, it has no form
Not dates on a calendar to scratch
Time can not be slowed or latched
It is not a straight line to scorn
As we age, and become more worn.
Life is something to live and survive
Live happy as we can and thrive
Time may be a circle we walk
Measured in minutes on the clock
Time, the love of being alive

Honor Song

2012-04-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

To honor you I play a song
With our ancestors listening
At dusk, your dark eyes glistening
Here life is large, nothing is wrong
Very happy you came along
My heart's music is just for you
Love wafted up in notes I blew
Late afternoon or night for jazz
Music, all the best this world has ~
You woman, the best I have too.

Children of Water

2012-04-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

We are all children of water
Born from a river of bright stars
Water, sacred blood from afar
A birthright, no one can alter.
No commodity to proffer,
Life that we all share equally
Not to be taken greedily
More precious than any jewels
We can not waste it like we're fools
Water, survival's necessity

We All Have A Right

2012-04-27T09:32:00.003-07:00

Now by blood she is forever linked
To a nation of people whole
Who ripped from their mother land, their soul,
Endured boundless tortures, each distinct
Humans enslaved, now not extinct
Only through a strong will to survive
Did their descendants live to thrive
Though the hate and fear continues
The people bring forward these issues
We all have a right to be alive!

When Evil Prevails

2012-04-26T11:29:00.001-07:00

Do you think you're a big strong man
With a boot on a child's small chest
Your gun pointing at her head lest
You decide to kill her, and her clan.
Deep hatred, we don't understand
How you, a human, can be so cruel
You are not superior to
This young child who's ready to die
A challenge that makes us ask why
Your people have become evil's tool

Israeli soldier threatening a Palestinian child for protesting.

This could be any soldier anywhere, and any child...
We must stop the wars, stop the hate!

Sabotage of Self

2012-04-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Her endless search for replacements
Of the man she loved is futile
Loved him more than anyone alive
Genuine love has been absent
Since her heart became abstinent
A pack of crows caws its message
Only self love can end your bondage
But she is deaf to good advice
Lives the consequence in silence
Hers, a world of self-sabotage

The Beauty of Life

2012-04-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Delicate petals remind me
Of your tiny toes when you came out
You didn't cry, you did not shout
Perfectly formed, my new baby
Content to be in the world and free
I checked your body, kissed your head
Happy for all the prayers said
Answered in your beautiful eyes
I knew you would grow to be wise
A miracle born, ancestor led

Hommage to Kage Neko

2012-04-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

It is splendid, the feel of you
In my two hands, you never flinch
You trust me that much. In a pinch
I'm there, and you are for me too
Always been like that, when I'm blue
You are the first one smiling up
Or liking me, with that tongue rough
To let me know you are still mine
Despite who comes and goes in time
You at my side is simply enough

Living The Gamut

2012-04-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Oh lapis lazuli night sky
Creator holds our galaxy
In a big star fist so tightly.
We do not stop to question why
Just sit and watch the stars and sigh
We're content, on our home planet
Tiny seeds of a pomegranate
In an infinite galaxy
Trying to live life happily,
Experiencing the whole gamut

Poets of National Poetry Month

2012-04-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

April's, a poem for every sun

To honor National poetry month

A blank page each day to confront

To write down our love, or to have fun

Something that can surely be done

Poets, a special kind of breed

Form word flowers that go to seed

They are songs of hopes and of dreams

Flown on air, so they can be seen

Poets, of good word and deed

The Promise of Moon

2012-04-20T15:38:00.001-07:00

Moon, pregnant with promise of summer
Decides to multiply, divide
Tonight, watching the Spring night sky
There will be at least two lovers,
Blessed because they found each other,
Who'll see the moon as if it were two.
Shawl of sky, so uniquely blue
Wrap your arms around them so sure
May they continue to endure, and
Their love always grow like the moon