Play Me
In all the nights you dance with me… Continue reading Play Me
Author: Will Pennington
My life bleeds from the pen in blood-red ink staining paper with great swathes of sorrow and towering pillars of joy. I live passionate in this life, laughing and crying, not knowing what lies ahead, remembering what lies past. I capture emotions with the lens of my mind and send them pounding through my veins to plant themselves in my heart where they fill me and inform me and identify me. When I take up pen and write, I liberate my emotions to take me…and shake me and drain me ‘til all that’s left is a sentimental memory of a time, a place, a love; a loss, a tear, a smile.
Joy is half of me, sorrow is half of me, continually emptied, continually refilled from a ream of life lived well, from an inkwell of life lived full. My pen writes of you when I write of me. Our stories are the same, our words the same, our ink the same. When you read my words, you read my life. Cry with me, laugh with me, as I do when I write of me, as I do when I write of you. When you read my words, you read your life.
I am half of you, you are half of me, we flow from the same inkwell. Cry with me, laugh with me.
On Writing & Killing
Deleting words I’ve written is heart-wrenching. Continue reading On Writing & Killing
Sunrise Dreams
Photo taken in 2002 while I was deployed to Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, with Patrol Squadron Four. Continue reading Sunrise Dreams
Canvas Dreams
Sweet dreams, Campers 🙂 Continue reading Canvas Dreams
Apollo 8
Bright orb of night sky Drawing mind of man from birth Handmaid of our dreams Apollo 8 returned to Earth on this date in 1968. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders were the first humans to view Earth in her entirety from space, and see the dark side of the moon. They and the command module were recovered in the Pacific Ocean near … Continue reading Apollo 8
Agape
Bearing gift of love Rising spirits’ lofty dream Dove ascends with sun Continue reading Agape
Haiku – Merry Christmas
Unto you this day Angels we have heard on high Tidings of great joy Merry Christmas, Writers ❤ Continue reading Haiku – Merry Christmas
On Love and Self
There are stages of love as well as grief. I suspect more people know the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Few people understand that love has stages as well: infatuation, passion, routine (or restless), partnership, companionship. If grief comes about through loss of loved one, where does love come in? Love comes with loss of self, meaning love causes self to become … Continue reading On Love and Self
A’rest At Sea
Nighttime. Lights out. Darkened ship. Sitting on a bollard in the catwalk. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Miles below, ships of exploration and discovery, of war and peace, ships of commerce and pleasure, luxury and poverty, abandoned to the deep by the souls that manned them, destroyed by wind and wave and battle. Men and women, just like me, a’rest at sea. From tools of … Continue reading A’rest At Sea
Winter Thoughts
Sipping strong hot coffee while peering through the window; Scraggly hair and sleep filled eyes; Dreams still fading in the fog. Leafless trees hibernate storing energy for Spring; Dormant grass hangs on to green; Bird feeders full of diners Lack of cover lets me see the pruning that’s still needed; Clipping off the life impeding; Trim the wood that won’t bear fruit. Continue reading Winter Thoughts
A Sailor’s Favorite Bar
The Sailor has a favorite bar, in every port of call, A favorite girl too, slender, stout, or tall; I’m no exception to the rule, immemorial in its time, Not so very particular, though her beauty be sublime; My favorite port of call, my favorite among the dozens, Rota Spain and sweet Susanna, and all her pretty cousins; Black hair my green-eyed beauty, and tiny … Continue reading A Sailor’s Favorite Bar
Thank The Living Souls
And lost souls, too We mustn’t forget them Sun marches across the sky Leaves behind another day Poppies waving gently In red dotted field Poppy red, dead red Black soil, sweet soil The wagon rolls on Boots reversed in stirrups Taps and gun salute Widow hugs the flag Somewhere, sometime, Someone remembers them The silver drop cleanses Refreshes them to mind Memory returns an image … Continue reading Thank The Living Souls
Who Teaches the Eagle to Fly?
White Black Right Wrong Open Closed No shades No middle No question Authority Teacher Godhead Worship Easy target Unformed Uninformed Malleable Acolyte Foot soldier Abuse of trust Position Agenda Tyranny Infiltrate Calculate Indoctrinate Subjugate Annihilate Who teaches the eagle to fly? Continue reading Who Teaches the Eagle to Fly?
Where Does the Eagle Stand?
Bit by bit Clipped, ripped, lopped One limb, Then another And another And another. Ten branches To prune is to shape New growth Twenty-seven leaves X marks the spot Old Scratch Insinuating Subverting Bending willows Against the wind Opposites repel Hammer forms Sickle cuts Devil’s tongue Slick salesman Sells lemons Buys souls Slick illusion Grand delusion Where does the Eagle stand? Continue reading Where Does the Eagle Stand?
Live Your Life Like A Leaf
It’s that time of year! Originally posted July 6th, 2014 A leaf is a thing, That brings joy to my heart, Vibrant green, With points like a star, She hangs from the limb, waving at me, O, pretty leaf, what do you see? So live your life like a leaf, Just hangin’ around, And when your time comes, Just leap for the ground, A flying … Continue reading Live Your Life Like A Leaf
I Flew From You Last Night
First posted in October 2014. I flew from you last night, Reluctant, bound to her despite The dimming of the light That lies, and die vows of troth and love. Joy hastened sweep of hand, Relentless, bound to her demand And damning of the band That lies, and die vows of troth and love. Miles increase my desire, Reliant, bound to her cold ire … Continue reading I Flew From You Last Night
Progress
Deerhide moccasins (Hobnailed boots tread native path) Slip quietly away Continue reading Progress
Calm in Tempest
Washington morning Marble dreams in cloudless sky Calm before the storm Continue reading Calm in Tempest
Forest Magic
One day while in Maine I went for a hike on a sunny September day. I had often driven by the head of the trail but always had some other plan. But this day my goal was to trek to the end of the trail that captured my heart. Called Little Moose Pond, the trail wound on and I soon found my breath coming hard. … Continue reading Forest Magic
Susanna
After we parted Having said our goodbyes With breaking heart And taste of metal In my mouth I walked Unaware of everything but you Through the afternoon Into evening Nighttime breeze cool On my wet face Never noticing The sun had set When I looked up and Through the blur There you were The first one I saw The first one I loved My Cassiopeia … Continue reading Susanna
Primeval
No trace left behind As footworn path slips away Forest echoes past Continue reading Primeval
Mental
Lonely and alone You are seeking to atone For sin not yet borne Continue reading Mental
Frames
Black or white or blue Observed without reference Unframed, unafraid Continue reading Frames
Peace
Pond grass bends in breeze, Contentment rippling water, Minnows nip my toes Web image from pexels.com Continue reading Peace
Serenity
177 Over 88
Blackest before dawn Off the cuff, tally the score Dead men tell no tales Continue reading 177 Over 88
Moms, All of Them
Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, Margery Lucille Gillard, and to all the moms– neighborhood, church, school, little league, Air Force–who raised me. I am a little piece of each of you. Continue reading Moms, All of Them
Olongapo
Draft opening of chapter one of my novel, Olongapo. Black and White On the other side of the brown river the gray town trembles in a dull watercolor of shimmering heat waves. He’s crossed this bridge dozens of times and though the view never changes, it feels like he’s seeing it for the first time. Smog, dirt, and dust mix in a loose conglomeration … Continue reading Olongapo
Tell Me
Touch me Touch me Thrill my soul Thrill my soul Sing a song upon my tongue Whisper words into my lungs Fill my longing heart with the romance of your dreams Sing the words you yearn to share Sing the words and take me to the place you cry your tears. Give me Give me Hear my plea Hear my plea Hum my song upon … Continue reading Tell Me
Huis Ter Heide
My family invaded Holland in June, 1964. I have heard that The Beatles invaded America that year, too, but I had no idea who they were and probably would not have cared had I known. At four years old, I cared only for the ice cream freezer in the lobby of the old hotel we took rooms in, the cheese-man and his horse, the walk-in … Continue reading Huis Ter Heide
Patience
The truest test of patience is waiting for the pizza to arrive… (it’s here 🙂 ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ Continue reading Patience
Lamao Limay – Unfinished
(The 2nd and 3rd lines of each stanza are read rapidly.) Smiles are bright on brown faces I have known, eyes crinkled against the sun; Home is a shack with thatch for a roof and a barrel that caches the rain as it runs; An old woman sifts rice in the shade of acacia as her husband and sons fish from a boat not far … Continue reading Lamao Limay – Unfinished
Aaaaaargghhhh, Matey. Write Tight or I’ll Keelhaul Ye.
Even the Navy knows good grammar rules. I pulled this from the Navy Correspondence Manual at work. Continue reading Aaaaaargghhhh, Matey. Write Tight or I’ll Keelhaul Ye.
O, You Winsome Devil You
O, you winsome devil, you Grinning face turned skyward Round about your flaming head Laughing rays around you rise Seeding smiles in your eyes I cannot escape your sight Tho heaved my girth across the sky Your taunting likeness follows Aboil with rage and callow Berating heat upon your face You laugh and turn with me In coy defiance of my dread In darkness is … Continue reading O, You Winsome Devil You
Susanna XII, A Prose Poem
I wonder why, after all this time has passed, I still find the need to write of you. Your voice has faded and your face has dimmed into an outline, but when I concentrate, I see you clearly though for less than the blink of an eye. Not long after we parted and I returned to my own land, I walked past an orange grove … Continue reading Susanna XII, A Prose Poem
Honey
Pressed against glass, face down, born again in the cloud. Another memory retained for…what? “Marianne loves Bobby. 12th Grade. 17 Years old.” That lasted nine months before ending in bruises, abortion, and divorce. Yet, the photos remain, reminders of erstwhile lovers and friends, a past suffused in shade. Sadness the emotion as album pages flutter by, the memories that began in happiness later viewed from … Continue reading Honey
The Telescope
I peered through a telescope, to infinity it seemed, but nothing behind the eye to see, no focusing that way; Day by day I peered, each day the distance shrank, but now behind the eye, a lengthening distance grew; A length of twine unwound, stretched to furthest end, I began to roll it up, seeking the distant end. I turned the telescope, to look behind … Continue reading The Telescope
Hide and Seek, A Poem by Will
I look for you in the white feather that floats from nowhere, the light footfalls that pause when I pause, the whisper over my shoulder while I read; I read your message in the flash across the night sky and breathe your orange blossom fragrance when the nearest orange blossoms are miles away; You hover in shadow, your face like the cover of The Beatles, … Continue reading Hide and Seek, A Poem by Will
No Holds Barred; Poetry by Will
I don’t have the pain of some I know, though Blood flows rather freely from my wounds; Piercing the blister releases the fluid inside as Pressure drains away and brings blessed Relief; no, I tread that rocky, winding path Atop the jagged, knife-edged mountain, the Path that shows me either side at once– Arid on one hand, thick lush vegetation on the Other; occasionally, I … Continue reading No Holds Barred; Poetry by Will
The Filing Cabinet. And a Poem
What began in fellowship of open arms, broad smiles and welcoming words soon fell into routine. The wonder of the inchworm’s humped-back crawl faded as attention drifted elsewhere. Like a prairie dog village, heads sank into oblivious existence as curiosity waned. \ I could not describe the Bavarian village, framed by towering Alpine mountains and last seen as a child, well-enough so you’d know it … Continue reading The Filing Cabinet. And a Poem
Poetry, O Poetry
She’s a tough nut to crack, Nevertheless, I plug away, I plug away Though my key resists the lock no Matter which way I twist and turn and push. I consider the lock and whether my key is Round enough at the edges, if I am Thrilled enough to push on or if my Pocketful of keys is lackadaisical and Lacks the verve to ignore … Continue reading Poetry, O Poetry
Craving – Poetry by Will
Still, unmarred, nothing spoils the tension of its surface; no disturbance in graceful spreading waves, no waterbugs to dance, entrance, engage the eye, no underneath, no rules exactly scribed to guide the cutting shears; Perfect in shape and thickness, intended as a tool, aged in desperate need, useless as a fool; Spilled upon its surface then, in circles, cuts, and symbols, springs from mind, craving-driven … Continue reading Craving – Poetry by Will
Paris in Pearls, Chapter Seven, by Jackie
Please love the next chapter in Jackie’s Paris in Pearls romance novel ❤ I hadn’t been on a bike in probably twenty years, but as they say you never forget . . . “it’s like riding a bike.” The wind in my face was almost too much to bare; the cold made my eyes water. I hope my eyes don’t freeze. Can that even happen? … Continue reading Paris in Pearls, Chapter Seven, by Jackie
Paris in Pearls, Chapter Six, by Jackie
Please read and enjoy this next chapter in Jackie’s wonderful story of romance in Paris ❤ As I rounded the third flight of stairs to my apartment, a woman, balancing groceries on one knee, stood fidgeting with her keys, trying to unlock her door. “Here, let me help you.” I reached out and took the bags. “Merci, Madame.” She unlocked the door and ushered me … Continue reading Paris in Pearls, Chapter Six, by Jackie
Paris in Pearls, Chapter Five, by Jackie
Please read and enjoy this lovely story by Jackie ❤ The sun peeked through the slates of the closed shutters, glazing the walls of my bedroom with morning light. I threw back the covers, flew to the window and opened the shutters. To my delight, the city lay blanketed in white, like a cotton field back home. A late snow the weather man later called … Continue reading Paris in Pearls, Chapter Five, by Jackie
Love Poem for Yoshi
Briefly here, my love, then gone, I’m left with hollow, aching heart; eleven years are not enough, though every second count; but the bitter wind is cruel that grays us, and preys upon regrets; so many miles we walked together, Yoshi, you and I, I with my head in the clouds and you, running ahead then pausing to look back as … Continue reading Love Poem for Yoshi
Leave Something Behind, up at Vita Brevis
My poem, Leave Something Behind, was published today by Brian Geiger of Vita Brevis. This is my first published poem; I couldn’t be happier 🙂 Please check it out. While you’re there, consider browsing the Vita Brevis site. Brian has added some interesting features including a random poem generator and links to some of the best poetry offered on WordPress. Follow the site to read and support great poetry. Continue reading Leave Something Behind, up at Vita Brevis
Paris in Pearls – Chapter Four. A Novel by Jackie
Please read and enjoy, and follow, this story by Jackie of an independent woman finding herself and taking on the world. Beep, beep, beep, BEEP, BEEP the alarm resounded. Ugh. Make it stop. The bed was comfortable and warm and I didn’t want to get up. Ten more minutes; I’ll just lie here ten more minutes. I sat up and swung my legs over the … Continue reading Paris in Pearls – Chapter Four. A Novel by Jackie
Silence, by blacqbook
Beautiful writing from a beautiful voice. I find myself anxiously awaiting blacqbook’s next work. Please read, enjoy, and follow blacqbook. Continue reading Silence, by blacqbook
Blowing hot and cold — Writing from The Garden of Everyday Delight
This wonderful story from Scotland drew me in, set me in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot tea, and left me smiling in wonder. Please read and enjoy, and follow The Garden of Everyday Delight. The snow has finally arrived to give the land a purifying make-over. Behind the hills, the dawn is a pearly glow, while to the west a band … Continue reading Blowing hot and cold — Writing from The Garden of Everyday Delight
