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Open Poetry #43
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1slick_lady
Member Ascendant
since 2000-12-22
Posts 6088
standing on a shadow's lace

0 posted 2008-09-16 03:20 PM



Words

words could never
match my feelings
for they do not express
the true emotions
even spoken
inflection could not
come close
how do you describe
heart beat
or breath
or loss of it
try as I do to write it
with a pen where
the ink disappears
trailing
to
another
place
in
definition of flow
and my own
inability to understand
how a heart
can know fire
but not be
compromised
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within


drowning
I found a liquid language
in conversation
and poured myself freely
letters turned to words
and it was there
I lost my heart
to a friendship held
tenderly in constant
where your air stirs me
in it I breathe
lifting me straight up
and settles beneath my skin
do I deserve this love
no, but I know it within
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


My Dearest Lord Byron,

laying quietly in this loneliness
holding the dark ends of the night
I try to twist the raveled edges
escaping before the light I tiptoe out
wool shawl can not bay this bone cold
for frost came quickly this year
covering silver velvet rolled brown leaves
and I hear my heart crackle under step
crows in their black winter dress
wear laughter tightly over my head
do you remember the meadow doves
the male has hopelessly gone missing
and his white soul mate searches
she cries against the wind inconsolably
I feel as if I am under her feathers
in tears of a song that knows no echo
searching a meadow of my own
truly when we parted I did not realize
it may have been our last farewell
had I only known this ending differently
I would not have been so ladylike reserve
liquidly throwing myself at your feet
pouring out my heart’s true desire
not laying quietly in this loneliness
holding the dark ends of the night

                                           Forever,
                                                   Liz
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Limbs

I hate trees without leaves
they shade our naked knots
way past the gold in rings
for thin limbs shutter in cold
mostly skipped by untouched
unprotected stark and bare
now,
numb, still and silent
nothing to catch the kissing
wind where we once danced
I say, “fly, sing only to me”

Oh, how I miss leaf music
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Wear You


could we be more than what we are
the spaces between cracks on a sidewalk
a shadow made in the play of long and short
where light had been blocked by an object
I shiver when I think of you walking in mine
I should’ve could’ve waited, waited forever
to place your hand to my lips, to my heart
something exists and is always present
more than outside lines traces of a silhouette
bending to places no one else could touch
cast from one forming a simple shade
where time brought brilliant color
and filled in the void with sunset hues
to become something so beautiful
I wear you like an invisible tattoo
where the dye darkens this truth daily
written so clearly upon my life and my heart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Feel You

the wind has whispered you
a thousand times
above the barriers of space
through branches it swiftly slips
as some invisible liquid
seeping across miles
crawling over rock
etching a timeless name
it does not flow around me
it travels through me
to the edges of me completely
and in its whispers
I feel you
I feel you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Days I Wish To Share


how close can far away be
in an aching that can peel the sky
shredding sunshine to clouds
the clap of applause, a clause, because
and days go missing once again
the veil of night is a curtain
that seems to close continuously
stretching out the last long shadow
of a lingering thought of you
where whispers glisten on leaves
that were kissed outside rain windows
dancing on skin I didn’t touch
there were such days in memory
mountains that melted to sand grain
and mundane became a marvel
just beyond fingertips I miss
in days I wish to share
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Breathless Volumes


let me be the prose
of your existence
the letters of
your lifetime conversation
don’t let me be the stop
of poetic verse
let me be the story
that knows no end
how your ink
flows through my veins
write me, write me
let me be your words
I am a verb of choice
with no punctuation
my skin the tablet
of flowing thought
volumes
have been written
and I wait breathlessly
for the next chapter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Know

love without reason
winter out of season
a heart broken
words left unspoken
flight on broken wings
promises with strings
upside down inside out
always feeling doubt
keeping a lip stiff
learned to live with if
ridden with the pain
holding tears between the rain
hid fear in throat choke
watched dreams rise in smoke
held words when I should speak
acted strong when I was weak
pretended I did not bleed
all in the name of need
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Center

midnight
a serenade of darkness
sheer against bare skin
and silence is in the sound
of my heart closely clinging
to a man with smoky hair
as the summer’s heated air
evaporates thickly around me
a voice my soul recognizes
says when I don’t recall asking
tenderly the center word
always
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You And Me

you are poetry in the grass
as wind swirls across it
and I am merely the air
between your breath

"no darkness has ever been deep enough to extinguish my personal knowledge of love"  Anne Rice



© Copyright 2008 Helen Chambers - All Rights Reserved
Margherita
Member Seraphic
since 2003-02-08
Posts 22236
Eternity
1 posted 2008-09-16 03:52 PM


I thought "this is long ... will I have the patience to read through it" ... and then I was so captivated, that in the end I wished it was longer still.

Simply awesome poems, dear Helen! They are universal. How fantastic that there was this man who inspired you to write like this ... he may be missed, but he is blessed, as he blessed you and therefore your readers too.

Love,
Margherita


OwlSA
Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347
Durban, South Africa
2 posted 2008-09-16 04:50 PM


Helen, I am sorry for your pain, but look at what you have done with it!  Such exquisite beauty!  I tiptoed every step with you, listening to your soul swelling and dipping with the grace of a ballerina.  It was like listening to Chopin - each note so achingly significant.

- Owl

Susan Caldwell
Member Rara Avis
since 2002-12-27
Posts 8348
Florida
3 posted 2008-09-16 05:40 PM



I got this far:

"do you remember the meadow doves
the male has hopelessly gone missing
and his white soul mate searches
she cries against the wind inconsolably
I feel as if I am under her feathers
in tears of a song that knows no echo
searching a meadow of my own
truly when we parted I did not realize
it may have been our last farewell
had I only known this ending differently
I would not have been so ladylike reserve
liquidly throwing myself at your feet
pouring out my heart’s true desire
not laying quietly in this loneliness
holding the dark ends of the night"

before I lost my hold.  Yes, that. I recognize the feel of it.  

I'll come back another time for the rest..

very beautiful job...

"too bad ignorance isn't painful"
~Unknown~

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