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TABLE OF CONTENTS

XX:2 June, 2005

LYNX  
A Journal for Linking Poets   
 
   
 

SYMBIOTIC
POETRY:
 
THE DIVE by hortensia anderson & suhni bell

MODEL T by Carlos Colón & Marlene Mountain

BETWEEN by Conrad DiDiodato & Karina Klesko

SKINNY DIPPING by suhni bell, sheila windsor, cindy tebo, & marlene  mountain

RUBY.COM by Owen Bullock & Catherine Mair

OWNING IT by Owen Bullock & Catherine Mair

FORMATTING by Catherine Mair & Owen Bullock

DEEP IN PINK by Terri Lee Grell & Jane Reichhold

COOL, GRAY MORNING by Jeanne Jorgensen & Marlene Mountain

LENGTHENING DAYS by Elaine K., Ella Wagemakers, & Zhanna P. Rader 

INVISIBLE BUT HONEST by Marlene Mountain & Francine Porad

ORIENT EXPRESS by Manuela Miga & Vasile  Moldovan

SENSE REPLENISH by Sheila E. Murphyv & Dan Waber

UNTITLED by Patricia Prime & Catherine Mair

FREE EMOTICONS by Francine Porad & Marlene Mountain

LAW AND ORDER by Francine Porad & Marlene Mountain

IN THE MOMENT by Marlene Mountain & Francine Porad

HATS & SCARVES by Patricia Prime & Catherine Mair

GIBBOUS MOON by Alexis K. Rotella & Carlos Colón

OLD HOUND ASLEEP by Grant Savage & Betty Warrington-Kearsley

FOREST OF DREAMS by
Sheila Windsor, Larry Kimmel, Ron Moss, &
Hortensia Anderson 

GRAPHICS by

John M. Bennett & Jim Leftwich

John M. Bennett & Scott Helmes

   


THE DIVE
hortensia anderson
suhni bell

how far do our feelings take their
colour from the dive underground?
- Virginia Woolf

as you broke thru the glass bricks i began to bleed

going numb i reach for you first

that first touch tracing pain's path before easing

torn pages from our screams

thru clenched teeth we survive to tell each other even more

and in the telling, time flows again into the stillness

tonight she reminds me the spaces between words are where we dance

and made flesh i follow the curves

this odd silence so white-hot our tears spill and hiss

 

outside the lines & over the edge

from the black ash we draw signs

slow drips across the canvas

between open legs the crowning and birth cry

 



MODEL T
Carlos Colon
Marlene Mountain

'model t' i crank my shoulder out of socket

farther than catholic bingo mr virtue's gambling ventures*

first stone cast through her reflection 'days of rage' **

out of the fire into the frying pan 'our' iraqis and afghans

daybreak the snap of a bacon strip

add a semicolon a pleasant yet popular two-moments haiku

 

enough rain to float a pond

murder case cable news viewers updated by leaks and bounds #

a pact of lies in the world until a pack of irises

west nile virus a headless blue jay in my front yard

a baseball statistic batted down one mascot

summarized in a pie chart the career of soupy sales

'as long as it takes' a war deadline with depth ##

labor day paint project a tub of spackle covers the dropcloth

enamored by a 'geico' gecko an adman's woman

paradingthroughmyphonelineblackantsblackantsblackants

in the tangled morning glories more of them

nursing home jigsaw puzzle the celebrity's eyes missing

 

birthday party the call button unanswered

finally back the computer with 1 thing fixed leaves fall 1 x 1

halloween season a pumpkin patch on my arm

only green onions left in the garden 'no pain no gain'

worst kind of rerun california wildfires

two soldiers killed was that today yesterday or tomorrow

b a l a n c e d

&

a   i

f         r

first snow in a dark hollow melted and warm across the road

ankle-deep in my own wallow

one little cow sits in a cage it falls over then there were two ++

new year's eve reading myself into double-vision

ah the moon in real time no matter 'corporapetions' ignore it

a path beaten by neocons hail to the chief cheney

belated christmas gift one more well-intentioned book of spamku

whew only bills to answer from the mailbox

handwritten letter the flourish at the end of your name

can you hear the respelling of matriarchy

'bee' champion the one-syllable shriek toward the judges

* former drug tsar william bennett
** chicago, oct. 8-12, 1969
# inspired by marlene mountain's link 19mm from 'ninety-nine bottles'
## current secretary of defense rumsfeld
+ "balanced and fair" = fox news slogan
++ results of mad cow disease

 

 


BETWEEN
Conrad DiDiodato
Karina Klesko

between earth and sky,
alone, swaying to me,
my child's first steps

emerging silence
a sudden clap of thunder

this chrysalis moon
lighting the night –
a fledgling heart

a leaf cups the wind –
sound flutters
from cloud to cloud

caught in a backwater –
day moon

teetering. . . .
my grandson's  first steps –
a jet echoes in my ear




SKINNY DIPPING
suhni bell
sheila windsor
cindy tebo
marlene  mountain

1sb      skinny dipping a full moon competes  with Perseids

2sw       fireworks the sprinters legged it

3ct      'paraskavedekatriaphobia'a burst of laughter around the 7th syllable

4mm        nobody understands me an exciting day

5sb      transgendered at the free clinic  so many forms to fill out

6sw       a full and frank exchange  of silence

7ct      downtown new madrid home of the 'it's our fault'  t-shirts

8mm      stolen car striped on the road a pretty red

9sb       under  construction the inukshuk trembles

10mm      rain only in the tracks where a  backhoe didn't go to the spring

11ct      from a.m. to p.m. a change in the  cicada clocks

12sw       helicopters whir another fifty plucked from a warming  globe

13sb       night deposit bird splatter where the kigos

14mm       late summer  into early fall before early winter until late march

15ct       out of heaven's  cannery the sardine clouds

16sw      more chlorine than a swimming pool the  pre-packed salad


notes:
2sw olympic games/drugs test
3ct  paraskavedekatriaphobia is a fear of Friday the 13th
9sb freestanding rock  sculptures along canadian highways made by inuit natives
16sw report in  'the ecologist' - august '04 - prepared salad is 'treated' with chlorine  and the bag filled with carbon dioxide to keep the produce 'fresh' until  opened

august 2004 

 

 

 

RUBY.COM
Owen Bullock
Catherine Mair

on the wine cork
something
dot com


she offered him
a way to carry his poems
an empty carton

lies on the floor
between two easy chairs


the cardboard now
the bottles have gone

a submarine
wouldn’t make it through
this living room


back porch
a luminous
ruby button

 


 

OWNING IT
Owen Bullock
Catherine Mair


petals are brighter
oranges
more electric

the taste
grows into her
she lets the dream


it s over-cast
a virus lingers
but what a life!

a sylph
she might blow away
I buy her a soft
blue handkerchief
for their wedding day


we are so young now
& camp oven potatoes
& of course wine
& a cough
& the feeling we own it!


a bonfire in a gully
boys chasing
with fistfuls of new mown grass
the old dog raiding
fish and chips

 


John M. Bennett & Jim Leftwich

 

 

 

FORMATTING
Catherine Mair
Owen Bullock

i.

neptune s necklace
smithereens
how intensely michael paints:
outside unseasonal
hail pops

wanting to get
to the paints
obligations
litter the floor

journalist
balancing
questions
& notebook

 

ii.

you came into my world
in jpg format
I hope you print
clear


westerly
clouds of dust
inside the thrum
of a floor sander

before the paint’s dry
begin another
the phone rings
on both lines

television set
the fine balance
of contemporary art


          iii.

Zorro again
to pass the
pause


Lone Ranger’s
fairisle jersey
hobby horse
ray gun
& bike helmet

a collection of artifacts
or an empty shed
the dream
& dichotomy . . .


iv.

adding it up
on a form letter
after deductions
13 total
with love

they all want
to paint poetry
the revolution
has come

 

DEEP IN PINK
Terri Lee Grell
Jane Reichhold

ambrosia tongue deep in the pink conch shell

blowing on one end clear tones all around

breeze from behind whistling boys bone white bikini

on her shapely hips jealous-green eyes

falling to her knees the red silk kimono

fastened in place by blood-gorged lips

opened by heat the morning sun enters with him

only moments before the chill up her spine

parting cold on pearly teeth her sad smile

he swears it was only heavy breathing not yes yes yes

whispers white among the rocks at high tide

drifting out to sea his fishing pole her hair

a heart-shaped shell in a sea-green glow

tender to the touch her hidden stretch marks

lifelines hum a colorless love song

holding my tongue in the abandoned mineshaft

black sweat work of naked men

golddigger at the salt lick a sudden urge

the sound of water

daubed on paper white-out corrects copy

dear Jesse stop please read stop my lips stop

expletive deleted part of a woman's body

 

Begun: 11/1/89 

 

 

 

COOL, GRAY MORNING
Jeanne Jorgensen
Marlene Mountain

cool, grey morning tonight the 'Oscars' a melee of haute couture

a white carpet in the way to the mailbox

sometimes just waking up is enough a long, warm bath an extra

checking account never so low down & dirty

bladder support implant all of her mysterious ailments since

backwards each dusk toward spring

 

the subtitles flew by and with them half the 'sundance' film

first grandchild's twinkling blue eyes such joy

spun left & right & extreme right the security of 'social security'

four Mounted Policemen ambushed a nation weeps

middle-east future back to square one of neolithic women

single mom her single daughter now pregnant

swollen daffodil buds on hold glasses and cups washed

oh, for a good sleep . . .  less pain

late for court michael jackson in pajama bottoms & blazer

on the frozen ground pigeons peck at seeds

atlanta jailbird on the lam whose next hairs are numbered

we mail out sympathy cards signed with love

 

despite the sorrow, forthcoming marriage of our youngest son

'honeymoon' to impeachment my desire

Mr. Peterson moved onto 'death row' hard to fathom his smile

an act of congress to make a further fool of itself *

ah, for the life of a chickadee fluff up to warm in dense spruces

muddy dandelions pieces of an ancient puzzle

the poles are shifting will mariners navigate by the stars again?

scattered everything beneath the rusty roof

Good Friday the ache of a broken heart as she watches it snow

he might have doubles like saddam the pope

Parkinson's disease wears out body and soul she borrows my stick

anti-stem cell relief the control-women's-bodies bunch

 

two hours of barefooted sun drizzles back to a slippery slope

addicted to morphine so what . . . he's dying

a thumb in the grave a thumb with the desire of april green

12 primulas in bloom still winter outside

this that the other i don't even want to learn what i know

notes in my diary maybe today they will call

 

 * the 'dirty tricks' use of terri schiavo for political gains

february 27-march 31 2005

 

 

 

LENGTHENING DAYS
Elaine K. (New Zealand)
Ella Wagemakers (The Netherlands)
Zhanna p. Rader (USA)

last heavy snowfall –
behind the plough
a crop of crows                              e.k.

lengthening days –
early worms break ground           e.w.

wet dirt
where I planted grass –
small blue butterflies                     z.r.

cows squelch in the mud
by the trough                                 e.k.

past the horses
under the noonday sun –
a new potato field                         e.w.

in the meadow
children running barefoot             z.r. 

 

 

John M. Bennett & Scott Helmes

 

 

 

INVISIBLE BUT HONEST
Marlene Mountain
Francine Porad

invisible but honest daylily roots topped with solstice

watercolors drying table chairs carpet a bouquet

wind takes out the power in rooms i should know by heart

Christmas afternoon tree hung with raindrops

the infamous bc/ad calender an april birth five years before

WA governor-elect leads 130 votes out of 3 million

 

all Ukraine exit polls give Yushchenko a major lead sympathy?

tsunami i understand 'nature nature'

do I look ashen? jaundiced? Jay says: you look like Mommy to me

the feel of love an actor within 'queer as folk'

a challenge met and mastered astronauts journey to the moon

dependent on computers even those without

Thailand against a scenic backdrop stacked bodies

on the black market stolen health

exchanging germs and kisses storm of confetti 2005!

needed since 'forever' his mud-deep backhoe

picture-perfect vegetables ready for Farmers' Market

warm spell suspicious clothes on the line

 

a pirated cd in the mail 'libana' clears the air of closed doors

diagnosis vaso vagal his opinions suck

old buddy yak-yak a right-wing nominee forced on the world

decisions reversed Mac back to the factory

a 1-800 number on hold so long i forgot who i called and why

guessing game: will it freeze? will it snow?

almost barefoot the inside and the outside of a window

long-winded when the word yes will do

the creek ruined by silt a curve in the cliff toward a cement bridge

freeway support arch homeless men huddle for warmth

the big picture red and blue mix purple artless the good old usa

hopefully my paintings have taken a quantum leap

joyous swirls the photographer vocally admires ink spots in motion

mid-january behind my eyes the feel of daisies

quickly typed: It's Bpbbi's job to sneci yje stocks, jer plesdure

tenncare dumped agency systems crashed by the scared

fearless 'Aviator' followed by paparazzi down the red carpet

a cold snap covers the ground

Dec 25, 2004-Jan 17, 2005

 

 

 


ORIENT EXPRESS
Manuela Miga
Vasile  Moldovan

what abundant sleet!                    Ce lapovita!
Buying greetings postcards             Cumpar ilustratele
for the New Year.                                 pentru Anul Nou.

many carts full with fir trees                 Carute pline cu brazi
are invading the whole city                   invadeaza  orasul

my first attempt                 Prima-ncercare
origami- a helmet               de origami - un coif
with only one ear.        cu o ureche.

the hunters are coming back             Vanatorii se intorc
happy, bearing full rucksacks.            cu ranitele pline,

hastily put out                           Foc stins in graba -
fire-over the red leaves          peste frunzele rosii
the light of the moon.                 lumina lunii.

towards home listening to      Catre casa ascultand
love tales of once upon a time.      vechi povesti de dragoste

in the withered weeds                   Ieburi uscate -
the sudden call of the quail         chemerea prepelitei
splitting the thick fog.                      despicand ceate

at the edge of the road side                La marginea drumului
a grave without cross and name.     un mormant fara nume.

Orient Express –                      Orient Expres -
the pond's waters are rippling                apa elesteului
in successive waves.                           valuri-valuri

sunk in dream, the little girl         Cufundata-n vis, fata
is ruffling her fair curls.             desfacandu-si buclele.

dandelion fluffs                                        Puf de papadii
on the wings of the spring wind..            pe-aripile vantului
where is it going?                oare, incotro?

waiting for my beloved guests           Asteptand musafirii
I am dusting my bookcase                  sterg biblioteca de praf.

the postman is ringing –        Suna postasul -
the last letter to my lover              scrisoarea de dragoste
is being returned.                      e returnata.

she rushes up to water          Se repede sa ude
the lilies a second time.             crinii a doua oara.

melting icicles –                   Turturi picurand -
in the slough is shivering                  in baltoaca tremura
the solitary moon.                        singura luna.

silence weighing hard over                 Tacere apasatoare
universe.                                         peste lumea broastelor

she decides to paint                         Pictand cu verde
in light green one of the walls              unul dintre peretii
of her bedroom.                              dormitorului.

suddenly stopping to write                   Oprindu-ma brusc din scris
I start to make soap bubbles.                fac baloane de sapun.

after the sunset          Pe inserate
going out for lilac stealing...   la furat de liliac -
tomorrow - Wemrn's Day.*           ziua femeii.

New shoes are screeching            Scartait de pantofi noi  
on the cracked pavement...      pe caldaramul uscat.

*Romanian Mother’s Day is on March 8th
Translated from the Romanian by the authors.

   [Sorry my web program does not offer the "hats and helmets" of the Romanian language. jr]

 

 

 

 

SENSE REPLENISH
Sheila E. Murphy
Dan Waber

                   don't say this   sense of sight                         
                  is want    for tulips                       
        bloomed    once                     

 pens     replenish
blank pages     after factual       
April sun uncorks    primary color potion  

                        when    now                              
                     dissolves in    visible from                        
                       our distance to    here these likenesses              

 daily rituals are    an act of                 
breath that's    faith not           
poured    forth         

                              look at me    as though silence                       
                       and lather    equaled fuel                       
                          slowly      rinse                                  

  your    purple   
socks speak    floral reason      
           to the kitten    supplicants thus rise

          morning    drizzled              
            two hours    to bathe                   
                      we are gods    earth under sky                      

       inside the beams   contraindications rise to
dance swirlish    the surface         
    spins    evidence

            in the steamheat    one grows accustomed    
          billows rise     to factual                
                wasted    detail                       

   coverlets deep      in                           
    yesness comes     the meantime          
let tomorrow turn    woodwind                

                           my    camera                       
                      eyes open     ready poised                   
                      in your arms    to gather all                          

                      this is why    amended verbiage offers
so little    return on
          lost     investment

 

 

 

 

UNTITLED
Patricia Prime
Catherine Mair

on the immaculate lawn one twig

Anzac morning - the day lilies still closed

stiff breeze - horizontal flags

all the way up the street not one face at a window

against the wall of a house, two wagon wheels

facing west the shrubs wind burnt

on the cherry tree a shriveled leaf

bird droppings mark the new haiku boulder

river bank, a brass band rehearses

'pooper scooper' - jogger & dog

"Walk on!" the command from an old lady

replica *kauri dam - an empty bag of pineapple lumps

the sails of a windmill turn steadily

linked by a cobweb two letter boxes

a jigsaw of firewood stacked against a bungalow

too early for the drums & marches

a cavalcade passes over the bridge

* kauri - native tree much prized for its timber

 

 

 

 


FREE EMOTICONS
Francine Porad
Marlene Mountain

free emoticons for your e-mail I click on the grouchy puss

in and of itself nothing ruled in nothing ruled out

too well-informed wouldn't know so much without eavesdropping

definitions for us of japanese terms good grief

Prince Harry's unseemly costume Nazi symbols should be banned

two impeachments if only

 

professionals review mother nature nasty snow & cold a wicked wind

art exhibit a homeless man really looks

a 'geico' ad derides the cave people though godless and unmarried

he says 'I'm certain' which means he is not

i love war [sic] it'll last forever after my 12-year-old josh is drafted

touted by Endless Vacations Pigeon Forge, TN

lucky to stay in a ragged nest not a bit like those well-off crows

breaking the prison mindset as well as the fast

not rain anymore white prints travel from their gray cat through dusk

colorless or black background for a colorful logo

almost breathless after two or three two- or three-breath haiku

no fee poetry reading open to the public

 

my daughter asks for a receipt when she pays back funds I advanced

the buddy system kicks in rice defeats boxer

face swollen & scarred Yushchenko takes oath of office in Ukraine

ill himself she's ill too

bleeding finally stops that know-it-all lab technician's blunt needle

down the road some green to fix the road

heading for Bachelor Mountain with eldest son to visit youngest son

60th year of auschwitz un's very 1st recognition

support Wiesenthal Center people can still give living testimony

a healthly respect for winter flat scared of rumsfeld

full moon alert tonight are the planets aligned in my favor?

early coffee five for website proofing good luck mm

 

agassi vs federer the australian open way too many miles ahead

for every competition a winner and a loser

small african clan three strings a hand -shaped cardboard a music

Maid-Pro's new team hums as they clean

warm snap while it lasted nothing warmed to the notion

sundeck gardening goodbye to dead leaves

Jan 17-27, 2005

 

 

 

John M. Bennett & Jim Leftwich

 

 

 

 

 

LAW AND ORDER
Francine Porad
 Marlene Mountain
 

 the drama of law and order each HSA* Meeting minute planned

almost a moment too soon the crow

if you have any questions please don't hesitate to call me

tv ad 'supplies are limited' a big evergreen to dc

Group Health supports golden agers first on the list for flu shots

in swirls of cold the shed door bangs undecided


free to go somewhere close farther if so inclined empty clothes

big bonus trying his wings as a Hollywood agent

you got the money honey bush/dick got the time to impeach

 the o-shaped mouth voodoo doll personalized

a magical stream of light through the window never opened

thirty acres Botanical Gardens in Christmas glitter

are you washed in the blood in the soul-cleansing blood of the lamb **

 insurgents dead poetry crooned to an ailing Siamese

 old haiku out of style in japan with no way to know a pleasant guess

 look at this! summer bronze set off by white middies

 the red in my life squeezed from 'nature nature' into a tube

 round table set for ten one small poinsettia centerpiece


picture-perfect golf course weeping willows sway with the wind

dioxin confirmed the opposition leader opposed

bride: a stripper/former lesbian/pregnant with another man's child

 in front of a microphone the drought

  'tag it and bag it' danger looms for Social Security

first snow a deficit that lasts forever

gossip 'good kids' allowed to listen taught never to correct

snatched a fetus from her womb in missouri

 although protected by parents a bewildered glance from Santa's lap

at risk for severe pain at risk with celebrex

this morning's lineup of pills plus two Mandarin oranges in segments

a poem or two a day


lost in the shuffle of seasons black plastic over a garden to come

geraniums in bloom still predictions of a severe winter

beyond the warming kitchen the thermometer alone at dawn

 teary eyes above the nose mask

   will they be loved again soldiers less than themselves

greeting air a kiss to the left kiss to the right


* Haiku Society of America
** excerpt from a Protestant hymn

 Nov 29-Dec 24, 2004

 

 

 

IN THE MOMENT
Marlene Mountain
Francine Porad

in the moment late monthly bills to pay in a moment

vacation condo five clocks set accurately

shaped like icicles and stuck to the frozen eaves

needles of pine seedlings poke through snow

after one and a half 'sundance' films the sun matures

dark inky sky aglow with stars

 

Sunriver casts its spell by day two plotting a return

prosecutor with 9 kids vs an accused pedophile

lurid stories on NYPD Blue, Law & Order and CSI Miami

surrounded by tanks another false freedom

giddy wine-drinking sweethearts my date? my grandson

I envy his him and me by the house on a flat plane

subdivision pens, sticks and brushes record construction

decades of iris overthrown the leafless poplars

as I recall no problem with sex just not often enough

encore a chance to boo dubya tonight

resort golf course closed even without the usual frost cover

light rain about the size of it

 

not a shadow of doubt the groundhog didn't waste its time

Indian legend close friends Owl and Raven

just people capture lead around massacre just people

divided road ahead policemen waiting

well-established daylilies well-established root tangle

time to 'RAM your ROM' computer catch-up

part of the problem the ancient refrigerator [a winter kigo]

cell phone hums 'Can you hear me now?'

local rottweilers bark loose again mid-month closes in

tax forms for the first draft I use a pencil

a jumble of numbers in the checkbook our moon still with us

my parents' graves cold more keenly felt

 

found headstone: Husband, Dad, Granddad, Great-granddad, Uncle

the pope lingers with a new language of garble

how to turn the dream vision from bygone years into a painting

'the new normal' then post-the new normal then neo-

Academy Award movies one after another all day in my nightgown

seems forever how long a war seems

Jan 28-Feb 10, 2005

 

 

 

HATS & SCARVES
Patricia Prime
Catherine Mair

we don crotched hats to brave the wind

tree surgeon - he gauges the tree's size

show home - I admire the master bedroom

left behind in still water, the punga log

climbing the bank, a man with his bucket of pebbles

winding up to the diving ledge - worn track

stalks of toi-toi twisted by the gale

Casey splashes - her owner's fretful call

halfway - the swish of a horse's tail

earth compactor 's teeth clogged with clay

360 degree turn of the digger - the workman waves

tangle of roots in piles of sub-soil - our old farm


 

 


GIBBOUS MOON
Alexis K. Rotella
Carlos Colón

Slowly the crickets
saw away
the gibbous moon.  

Girl Scout Jamboree
a plague of cooties. 
  

After Hurricane
Isabel –
a morning glory.     

Rural carrier
creaking the flag up.* 
 

Vietnam vet –
all day
on the park bench.    

My jacket for you
over the poop-stained stoop.
 

Cop cooing
over
the beagle pup.

Out there the clouds
the crushing clouds. 

In the shaman's
fridge –
gefilte fish.       

vaudeville revival
the black-faced minstrel
hooked offstage.     

In the Gay Parade
a mermaid.   

Thanksgiving freeze
I wrap the pipes
in plastic.           

Tofu - the shape
of a turkey.           

Rockettes
giving each other
a leg up.      
        

Ex can-can dancer –
her drawerful of fishnet.   

Modern-day apostle
his signboard
at the intersection.
      

Fork in the road –
I eat my Dixie Cup.     

From a package
of plastic spoons
a Mars rover. 
    

Look a flying saucer
with a cup.           

Oriental figurine
beheaded
by the cat.   
          

The cleaning lady's bucket
complete with glue.     

Jack and Jill
tumbling, tumbling . . .
beyond the pail.     

First day of spring –
my husband sleeps.    
Easter week

three naked dandelions
in the front yard.   
       

The muse on my locket
tarnishing.                  

Mudbug Festival
a drop of sweat
on my crawfish. 
    

Tuna salad –
mercury sandwich.    

New moon –
corpse among
the sand crabs.  
 

All night I lie awake –
thinking of my funeral. 

The right side
of my pillow -
where did it go? 

Left right left –
I register independent.  

Morning walk
crape myrtle blossoms
in my wet hair       

Huckleberry Highway
taking me home.        

Key in the lock
no longer fits -
secret hideaway.  
  

Husband out of work –
relatives not phoning.  

Booming economy
the scattered
craters.       
      

Sending George Bush
a muzzle.                     

* after George Swede


 

 

OLD HOUND ASLEEP
Grant Savage
Betty Warrington-Kearsley

1.  old hound asleep
     nose twitches at the touch
     of a red leaf

2.  cool, sunset walk
     a whiff of wood smoke in the air 
                                                        

3.  moon through thin fog
     only the odd porch light
     throws shadows

4.  dawn breaks across the lake
     fishermen push from shore   
                                                               

5.  a load of firewood
     with a few heaves
     the toboggan starts moving                                                                 

6.  snow-ribboned roads
     rush-hour traffic inches along     
                                                         

7.  jungle light
     the yellow stripes of a
     giant swallow-tail

8.  between rainforest peaks
     plateaus gleam with orange pekoe  
                                                    

9.  miscarriage
     he pours himself a stiff rye
     she nurses her tea

10. in the next life they decide
      they'll meet as sea horses                                                                  

11. honeymoon cruise
      they cross the five great oceans
      holding hands

12. on the strip in a new car
      the boys ogle women                                                                        

13. lilacs on her lap
      her wheelchair rolls past
      trailing clouds of scent   
                                                                   

14. haze...the hills
      shape the afternoon

15. fiddleheads
      women think of their waistlines
      picking the first greens   
                                                                   

16. Bluegrass Festival
      a cool breeze across the mike                                                           

17. fields of purple
      Lizzie Arden bottles
      Eau de Provence

18. moon in a pail
      one by one catching leaves                                                            

19. lighting the fire
      flames dance
      on the gleaming hearth   
                                                                   

20. paler day by day
      the redhead's freckles

21. chill in the air
      she dons her faded sweater
      with the flight of geese 
                                                                     

22. frost flowers on the window
      I dial the weather number                                                                

23. if only I had
      last week's lottery ticket
      this week

24. offered posthumously
      his widow accepts his medal     
                                                        

25. time heals
      still I keep her picture
      free of dust

26. polishing wood
      the sun swirls in the grain         
                                                        

27. tulips tighter and tighter
      until the last light
      disappears                               

28. ice cracking up
      the moon scuttles down the river.   
                                                  

29. white of her hips
      just the faintest hint
     of new tan lines

30. growing old together
      heart-throbs same as the day they met     
                                         

31. with her in the shower
      the soap an excuse
      to go places

32. eye to eye they tango
      across the slippery floor     
                                                              

33. shine of her black shoes
      the rhythm of the heels
      and castanets

34. Date Line crossing
      into the western glare of yesterday     
                                            

35. U.S. Customs
      windblown leaves
      queue jumping

36. sweeping the full moon
      the almost bare branches      
                                                            

37. beneath its boughs
      the flower bed fills
      full of pine needles

38. under her double-ring quilt
      obviously ready

39. answering her call
      he cocoons himself
      into his cell-phone

40. a moth's all-consuming passion
      for my favourite sweater                                                                  

41. kissing his photo
      her lover of a lifetime
      buried overseas

42. feet braced on the gunwale
      his dream of yachting ends                                                                

43. force nine gale
      he clings to the lamp post
      outside the old pub

44. throughout the Middle-East
      violence met with violence                                                                

45. butchered camels
      flies buzz around their guts
      in a Cairo market

46. as the conductor enters
      conversation subsides

47. monastery gates
      our tour guide
      slips on a skirt

48. the orange orchids in the fields?
     "Cartago Ladies"

49. we spend all night
      rolling in purple clover
      he, I and the sky

50. a "yes" in the darkness
      then more body language                                                                  

51. waking happy
      from a dream kiss
      sunrise after rain

52. streams of incense carry
      her prayers dawn and dusk  
                                                             

53. last day of his vigil
      an eagle leads him
      to the lower world

54. four nights from Halloween
      the moon already eclipsed  
                                                               

55. purple chrysanthemums
      my white breath
      on their frost

56 where the bulbs were planted
     empty holes and squirrel paw prints 
                                                  

57. in the canal
      the windmill at the bottom
      of the windmill

58. her lover's head in her lap
      cradling the gondolier's song  
                                                           

59. cathedral bells
      the sway of her breasts
      as she gets out of bed                                                                       

60. Taking sanctuary
      the young couple curled at the altar     
                                            

61. street persons smile
      sheltered by a south wall
      crocuses open

62. on the lawn a robin
      listens for his first worm    
                                                                

63. just its head
      where it lurks in the coral
      moray eel

64. thinking of their contretemps
      she searches for his number    
                                                          

65. looking up
      the moon orange as pumpkins
      left in the fields

66. a cardinal gorges
      on bright yew berries

67. anniversary
      I plant a princess gingko
      in her memory

68. I think not about my youth
      but my age and wrinkles                                                                   

69. marking time
      in the Veterans' parade
      poppies and medals

70. no particular key
      she plays the wind chimes                                                                 

71. heading downhill
      breezing along the trail
      scent of plum blossom

72. merganser pair
      he follows her lead

73. jostling for grubs
      mouths wide and squawking|
      featherless starlings

74. our turn to gape
      the Mona Lisa still smiling                                                                 

75. bullring gallery
      matador greats in a row
      and one champion bull   
                                                                  

76. in Monteverde
      proud of their cheese on everything                                                   

77. green tea
      from the shaded mountain slopes
      she gives him her best
                                                                       

78. afterwards they both have
      a chocolate mint

79. she opens the window
      then adds her caresses
      to the cool night air

80. peering between the curtains
      the neighbours' party's over   
                                                           

81. dawn dew
      a spider still plays host
      to last evening's moon                                                                      

82. behind the guide
      crunching leaves through the Black Forest     
                                   

83. a line of Canadas
      at the very end
      a single snow goose

84. from the deck his eyes scan
      the dockyard crowd for hers  
                                                          

85. distinctly green
      made seasick by too long
      on the vibrating bed                                                                          

86. no signs of dormancy
      Douglas firs embrace ice and sleet  
                                                  

87. skating party
      a few turns on the canal
      then off for beaver-tails

88. his five-strand braid swings
      from side to side with each pace   
                                                   

89. steady plod
      a marathoner
      propeller on his cap                                                                          

90. as the Red Baron
      Snoopy in his Sopwith Camel                                                           

91. Remembrance Day
      the sound of the wind
      joined by the Last Post                                                                   

92. the train home for Thanksgiving
      whistling through moonlight        
                                                     

93. beyond the woodlands
      in the poacher's rifle sight
      a few wild turkeys

94. parked near the old growth
      a huge yellow bulldozer                                                                 

95. in full bloom
      even before the leaves come
      forsythia          
                        

96. the first real sunshine
      sprouts halter tops and cut-offs                                                        

97. vernal equinox
      pagans dance in the fields
      for a bumper crop

98. brightness of Easter
      the stained glass brought to life                                                        

99. new front door pane
      dropping in each day
      rainbows splash the floor                                                                  

100. someone rings
        the puppy all paws and claws                                                        

October 3, 2003 - December 8, 2004

 

 

 

 

FOREST OF DREAMS
Sheila Windsor (U.K.)
Larry Kimmel (U.S.)
Ron Moss (Tasmania)
Hortensia Anderson (U.S.)

Part 1 - Little Red Riding Hood

a curl of chimney smoke

at the forest's edge a cottage
ready for the night

cloak of red
the sweep and swish
beneath a rising moon        s.w.

 

crossing the river

she follows the firefly
through murk and mystery

an owl hoots - another snickers
where the firefly was
the glow of a cigarillo        l.k.

 

gnarl of saliva

emerald eyes gleam
in folds of darkness

unleashed from hell
a howl that parts the air
scattering fear                  r.m.

 

her hastening step

a crush of pine needles
releases their resinous scent

twigs reach out to touch
her tumbling blonde hair
and tangle it                           h.a.

 

groan of door

butterfly-stitch
a scream through the shawl

drips a pulp
and grandma's brain hangs
from his grinning jaw             s.w.

 

crime scene tape

"lost in the woods, huh?
anyone see ya?"

coarse laughter
some of Nottingham's finest
snarking donuts from a basket        l.k.

 

 

Part 2 - 'Briar Rose'

spins the wheel

a witch's cackle
penetrates the castle wall

'hush now baby girl'
over distant marsh lands
hangs the mist of fall             s.w.

 

the legend grows

beauty to be roused
from poisoned slumber

child's sword
slays the crimson dragon
in diamonds of fire               r.m.

 

piercing stillness

only silence
broken by the cry of birds

crossing earth and water
the prince has dreams
of a kiss, a rose...                h.a.

 

after the brambles

the creak of a leather jacket
room to room

flies stopped in flight
a pitcher pouring but not pouring|
portraits with closed eyes                l.k.

 

curtain of velvet drift

sunbeams of dust
across leadlight and stone

lips like shaded cherry
meet in a moment of time . . .
she sleeps no more                       r.m.

 

porcelain arms open

as if spellbound again
until just before day

the swirl of waltzes
through silkened space
as they go on their way...            h.a.

 

22/01/'05 to 21/02/'05

 

 

   
   
  Submission  Procedures

Who We Are

Deadline for your collaborative poems for the next issue is

September  1, 2005

  Poems and comments Copyright © Designated Authors 2005.
Page Copyright©  Jane Reichhold 2005.

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