Photo Credit: Will Pennington I shape my memories after the fact to fit the narrative I desire Why waste time looking back at moments I’d rather forget when Present wears the face of Future I keep my Past in the dark unsuspecting of my intent The moment I exist is Present, but Past is its new reality, each moment pushing Past, which is but a … Continue reading Present is Prologue, Let the Past Die
From the prompt: Drunk on Promises They said She was smart She had a beautiful heart Had The world at Her feet Dream big Little darlin’ And when You feel the heat Remember You got a world Of promises In a jar She was drunk On promises And gin When she died Far from home All alone In a car Continue reading Drunk on Promises
On the Road with My Old Man Looking ahead beyond the highs and lows I just now realize I don’t have far to go Now that I know what to look for and see There ain’t much more can up and surprise me Rocks in my path have mostly crumbled away But nothing is smooth in this life anyway I’m taking my next step on … Continue reading On the Road with My Old Man
Riddled through with eyes Dogs my furtive footsteps Creeps my sweating skin Turns me round and around Though, unseen, I think, by any, Or, maybe seen, perhaps, Yet does my anxious mind See shadows in the dark Concealment is my friend My prison too, at that Hidden from prying eyes But nervous of surprise Too fearful to confront Lest give away the deed If blackmail … Continue reading Guilty
Shadows hover above me grasping at my heels swiftly pulling me into an unfamiliar sky; wailing at the light that blinds I’m unwilling to abide while slapped then cradled until my cries subside; fear and wonder fill my head as I leave the world to which I’m tied slate clean and pure as snow and casting the first stone at fate; by the time you’re … Continue reading All Love is Colorblind
I am excited! excited! excited! honored, humbled, and – did I say excited? – that my poem, Perfection, arranged for piano by composer and pianist Margin Alexander, will be presented in concert February 27th in New York City alongside works by fourteen other international poets. I can’t be there in person but I provided a recording of myself speaking the poem. I’ll join the concert … Continue reading “Raining Words On the Piano”
Each stroke sends passion flying. An exuberance of current with the drop drop drop of joy splashing into the river that greets and flows goodbye. A spray of elation brings shivers under goosebumps and a warming embrace. The back burns hot and skin turns red but the driving force is strong. The final thrust is yet to come, but come it will, spent in a … Continue reading The Timeless Echo
Mortally wounded Lashing out Harsh is the fight Harsh tongues Harsh eyes Harsh lights Harsh sounds The call of the eagle is muted By the death cry of the hyena. Continue reading Death Throes of Civilization
I don’t fill the room I’m in, my presence slips quite thin between the walls, behind a chair, outside in the air; the vacuum I exist between pushes me both ways, to pop the empty bubble, to see what isn’t there. Is there a name for the space between two slabs of concrete block? That’s the way it’s always been, I’m a shadow drowned in … Continue reading I Don’t Fill The Room I’m In
When it snows, lips closed, eyes shut tight, seeing you, behind the mist, you’re so smooth, slip away, beating breast, burning up, snow-capped peak, kiss your lips, let it go, push away, catching flakes, on your tongue, melting snow, on your cheek, wipe away, tired me Continue reading Snow-Capped
Green, green of eye, with strangled cry and knuckled mouth, chasm-echoed tricks of thought, devil-filled, of shadows in the dark Behold the crack of heart’s desire, where love is thwarted, thinking he, she seeks another, one not he, but he his brother He must fly at risk of thunder from fool well-versed in blunder, bethought a man, beheld a cripple weak of heart and branded … Continue reading Gentle Dove of Sweetly Cooing Breast
What is in a kiss, William? What do you mean, Susanna? What do you feel when you kiss me? Oh… I feel the sensual moisture of your mouth; the Tender bumping of your nose; the Tickle of your eyebrows, and the Tingle in my toes; I feel the texture of your lips, and the Curve of Cupid’s bow; I feel the softness of your cheeks; … Continue reading What do you feel when you kiss me?
I bared my heart When you closed yours I’d hoped to make amends For all the times I stood by you You stood apart from me For all the words You didn’t say I heard those words so plain For all the love You didn’t share I shared my heart alone It’s a curious way To be in love When love has passed you by … Continue reading It’s Curious
Walked I now upon concrete path in town, Crisscrossed here and there with poles of brown, Wires black, and stacks that belched like clowns; Buildings dark and squat gave good Earth an ugly frown; People passed, eyes avert, unsmiling, looking down; I felt no joy on the concrete path in town. Upon hard bench I sat, no music thrilled the air, No child’s laugh or … Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore, Part V
From windswept shore I climbed to rocky perch, Crowned like giant stairs to steepled church, Solid and immovable, no waver, without lurch; Pitching boat ‘mid rolling waves, fragile as the birch, I feared for frail men, how perilous the search; When calmed the wind, I climbed from rocky perch. Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore, Part IV
Away the wood, I walked on Granite Shore Pounding waves, like knuckles rapped upon a door Lobster boat, weather-worn in winds that tore And red-faced men, like fishermen of yore Whose raw ripped flesh labored evermore To work the sea that swept the granite shore Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore, Part III
I stopped to ponder my neighbor in green, Who, eyes near closed in dreamlike sheen, Lay ankles crossed and head on arm a’lean; He snorted, half asleep in his pastoral scene, Then snapped halfhearted at black fly on wing; I chuckled then and left my neighbor in green. Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore, Part II
I walked through a wood one summer’s day, Afternoon light dappled a forest glade; Lily pad in green-black pond and on it lay A frog whose languid croak appeared to say, As he scratched white belly in sun’s warm ray, I shall not move on this hot summer’s day. Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore, Part I
Our dance had a close but never an end, Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat V
The first night of our dance, consumed with desire, Continue reading On Love and Moonsweat IV
The thrill of our touch, our first “sort-of” kiss, Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat III
The magical night of our meeting… Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat II
Sweet dreams, Campers 🙂 Continue reading Canvas Dreams
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
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
Washington morning Marble dreams in cloudless sky Calm before the storm Continue reading Calm in Tempest
Lonely and alone You are seeking to atone For sin not yet borne Continue reading Mental
(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
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
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
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
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
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
I walked through a wood one summer’s day, Afternoon light dappled a forest glade; Lily pad in green-black pond and on it lay A frog whose languid croak appeared to say, As he scratched white belly in sun’s warm ray, I shall not move on this hot summer’s day. I stopped to ponder my neighbor in green, Who, eyes near closed in dreamlike sheen, Lay … Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore – A Poem
I tried to take rubbings of his tattoos-the hula girl, the palm trees, the sailing ship, the crossed cannons, the anchor. The hula girl danced for me when he flexed his forearm. He never told me where he’d got them. He was in the war when he was eighteen, and he was an old man when he came home at twenty. His ships pulled into … Continue reading Tattoos – A Poem
Winter’s flamboyance Snowfall’s crystal miracle Diamonds on my tongue Image via Google Images Continue reading Snowfall – Haiku Poetry
Sniffling sky, tired, gray Wind, whipping trees tear at clouds Another Kleenex Continue reading Ill Wind – Haiku
Urban din recedes in anticipation of approaching quiet; homeward bound vacationers whish south in reluctant pursuit. Tires clack-clack on expansion joints as Molly Pitcher offers a garden of rest. “Push on, push on,” cried ancestors in covered wagons as winter’s snows crept near. But here, now, summer falls away in flittering drops of leaves and Autumn’s temperatures bring relief from insects, heat, and labor. … Continue reading Canvas Song – Poetry: Haibun
Curled up in ringlets Electric parts of you, Shoulder length distractions Thoughts are all askew, Hope for sleep abandoned Your pillow’s made for two, Nose to nose connection Our favored point of view. Random touches, random whispers, Fingers playing finders keepers, Hidden fragrance in your smile, Let me breathe you for a while. Chastened by your virtue Encouraged by your sighs Midnight flame rekindled My … Continue reading Curled Up In You
From my amniotic nest I emerge untainted into the cold metallic light and harsh steel voices disconnected from the comforting lullabies that whispered through my forming bones; with the cast of a stone I become a changeling and tremble wailing before those who will taint me with their jealous love and solemn oaths. Some things we learn and some we’re taught, others are innate; defenseless … Continue reading Cast the First Stone
🙂 This should be hummed to a happy tune 🙂 (but I didn’t need to tell you that ❤ ) When I was a young boy, I wished for the world When I grew up I found such a beautiful girl She loved me and I loved her And our love made the world a wonderful blur Around and around and around we danced Oh, … Continue reading She Loves Me and I Love Her
Love arrives breathing, warming love that develops, pulses from your heart, love beating keeping time, love’s symphony surrounds us, Love. Love before death, soothing love that envelops, light dimming in your eyes, love cherished and remembered, love’s eyes closed forever, Love. Continue reading Love, Ten Times Over
I wish I could ride a skipping stone far and far across the sea And skip ashore that distant land where flew the dreams I’d dreamed I’d follow my dreams to where she lay dreaming my dreams of her And wake her from deep slumber and gather her into me To tell her how I’d longed for her but feared she were a dream A … Continue reading Skipping Stones
Stephen McGuinness makes me happy humans were given the gift of words and thought. To read more of Stephen’s work, please visit poetry with a small p. “Quiet confounds me. I search through a Clam-tight mind To find something, A thing, a piece, a collection Of words, to explain, To describe, to myself Most of all, what, If anything, is going on. Hush rushes, quietly, Through … Continue reading Writing While Walking, by Stephen McGuinness
Have you ever wondered why a blog goes silent? I get worried when bloggers I particularly love have not posted in a while. I become concerned when I try to visit their site to see if I’ve missed a new post and the site doesn’t come up. Such is the case with Victoria. I’ve followed her blog for several years and find her posts, especially her … Continue reading Wherefore Art Thou?
What is the color of my skin when you are hidden beyond the horizon? What is the color of your skin when my heart swells with joy at the sight of you? What is the color of your touch when I clasp your hand in mine? What is the color of my touch when we embrace? What is the color of my mind when you … Continue reading The Color of Her Skin – Poetry by Will
I wondered for a moment if she were kneeling, perhaps stocking the shelves, she barely peeked over the bar, but her Spanish green eyes were bright when she smiled and she told me she didn’t live far; she reached to my shoulders in her bare feet, not much higher in heels, and from my towering perch I never mentioned the few stray, white hairs she couldn’t … Continue reading My Spanish Love
Flowered, freckled skin, Pink fleshy pulp; Salivating senses Anticipate pink flesh; Your fresh scent, Erogenous, Raising hairs along my neck; Alive, electric, eager Shocks jolt my tongue-tip Tasting your pleasing juice. Flesh-pulp rivulets drown my chin; Cheeks aflush with pleasure. Strawberries tease my taste buds. Reposted from 2015 Continue reading Flowered, Freckled Skin
Writers Envy 