For dVerse Poets Pub where Sarahsouthwest is hosting quadrilles. Our inspiration for this edition is “swift”
Poetry and Madness
My thoughts flit and dive
like starlings and swifts
always aflight, with glimpses
of exquisite confusion
My mind buzzing
like cicadas in summer
with memories of magic
afire with scraps of poetry
and madness
a fevered rhythm of need
as the sun swiftly sets
word count 44
Til next time ~stay trippy hippies ~JP
For Paula’s February Love Me where we’re posting something we’re loving every day of February. Today I’m loving upbeat music. Specifically my “Bright and Perky” playlist and the song, “Brighter than the Sun” by Colbie Caillat.
Also for First Line Lyric Thursday, I’m selecting a line from a song and using it as the first line of a poem. This week’s entry is from “Brighter than the Sun” see the video after the poem. Chosen line: “Who am I to tell Fate where it’s supposed to go?”
Fated
Who am I to tell Fate where it’s supposed to go?
To foreswear love’s right to bloom and grow?
A heart that was broken when Fate intervened
does not question the underlying need
to mend all that was battered and torn
to bind the bruised, haggard soul forlorn
with empty heart and wearied soul
you found me then and brought me home
more joy found than we ever hoped to know
who am I to tell Fate where it’s supposed to go?
Til next time ~stay wild moon child ~JP
For Tuesday’s Poetics where Mish is hosting, asks us. “Writing from a perspective other than our own is a great challenge. We’ve had some very interesting prompts over the years where we have climbed out of our comfort zones to look through a new lens. That has usually involved looking through the eyes of another person. I’d like to float a little further into the unknown and suggest we take the perspective of a color. (or “colour’ as we spell it in Canada)”
Amber Hues
Cattle in stark relief exposed
black silhouettes juxtaposed
against my gentle winter hue
would you notice if I were blue
perhaps shade of summer green
but all unnoticed I remain unseen
Wait for the waxing pink moon
as amber buds begin to bloom
I am not some lifeless tone
but fragile glass and precious stone,
like the shine in lovers’ eyes
I am fading sunset’s golden prize
Til next time ~stay wild moon child ~JP
Red Rose in Pahrump, Nevada — on the way to Death Valley 62 miles west of Las Vegas — deep desert.
For Sunday Stills our monthly color challenge for February is *insert drum roll* Rosy Red.
Of all the beauties in life
none are quite so grand
as the rose that bloom
in the desert sands
Speaking of unlikely rosy reds — this Claret Cup cactus definitely catches the eye. These buds open to resemble a wine glass filled with …. yep claret.
For some exotic rosy reds, how about these Ti plants from the Dole Plantation Gardens, Oahu Hawaii
For a little more exotic goodness how about these red beauties. Actually, I prefer them in their roasted form. Yep those are “coffee cherries” the fruit from which coffee beans come to make that magical potion known throughout the civilized world as COFFEE. Yes, I’m a bit of an enthusiast. This tour through the Kauai Coffee Plantation came with free, unlimited tastings of their many, many, many varietals and flavors. Superhubs blames this excusion for my new found love of “flavored” coffees, says it has corrupted my pallet. Hey, you can’t say I’ve had too much coffee, you don’t know me that well, maybe I LIKE twitching! OK, maybe a decaf macchiato, with a few chocolate covered peaberries (mutant coffee bean).
A bit more exotic rosy red flamboyance, this adult macaw, flying wild and free …. well sort of, in Pahrump, Nevada. He, his mate and a smaller mated pair are frequently seen out and about in the desert where they are part of a cage free sanctuary.
And finally because no post about Red would be complete without mention of my beloved Zion, this huge beauty from Kolob Canyons (aka the backside of Zion) this beloved and (so far as I can tell) un-named behemoth is viewed here from Taylor Creek Trail.
Til next time ~Stay wild moon child ~JP
For Crimson’s Creative Challenge 118
Memories of the Path
Down the path to the river we go
along the trail the fairies know
to visit playful sprites and gnomes
in muddy banks I’ll sink my toes
where the sweet Fae Princess laughs
in splashing waters burbling past
we bow as one when her highness sings
of ancient days of wars and kings
as the chilling water prickles my toes
I hear Daddy’s call “it’s time to go”
Til next time ~stay wild moon child ~JP
First Line Lyric Thursday where I take a line from a song and make it the first line of a poem. Today’s poem is brought to you by Zac Brown Band — Colder Weather — see video at the end of the post
A Gypsy Soul
Got a gypsy soul to blame
my heart was born
to dance and sing
my feet were made to wander
I have sailed the oceans blue
far from meadows’ verdant hues
The path I walk is mine alone
walked for the sanity of my soul
I have climbed red mountains
beneath brilliant azure skies
and I’ve beheld the milky way
with naught but my own two eyes
I was born to wander
far from whence I came
I can’t help but wonder why
Got a gypsy soul to blame
Til next time ~stay wild moon child ~JP
The pine trees all have long since
dropped their load of pollen
the last red leaf of maple
months ago has fallen
landscapes now of purest white
outside it’s wt* degrees farenheit
I have to admit that my first thought when I saw the prompt was *insert dumb look here* so I thought — fallen, fallen like in fallen angel? Yeah I read Jim Butcher, no members of the Fallen here. Let’s just say that from there my thoughts got weirder and weirder (yeah I know, whoda thunk) Anyway, then I got to thinking about petals on the plum tree in our former RV park of residence in Utah. Do you know I do not have a single picture (that I can locate) of those petals once they hit the ground. Hmpf, well I guess I’m just gonna have to wing it. I went down the rabbit hole of photo archive digging and before I knew it, it’s almost dinner time. So you’re stuck with “things that have fallen.”
Flowering plum tree – Virgin, Utah before all the petals had fallen
A heavy coat of florescent yellow pine pollen, there are no scratches, paint peels or rubs on the car, that’s all pollen. Ewww took me weeks to get it out of everything.
Little spontaneous waterfalls here in Zion National Park where fallen rocks, trees, and other debris wash down the canyon until they get stuck and create those beautiful babbling brook sounds.
This was part of a massive rockslide that wiped out a good section of highway going through Zion National Park in Utah a few years ago. To quote the zen master C3PO “it’s possible this asteroid is not entirely stable.”
Waterfall at the entrance to the Temple of Sinewava the rock shelf is worn from water that has fallen over it for centuries. Regrettably the waterfall no longer flows.
And finally, Sterling Castle, Scotland grave yard, tributes to fallen ancestors.
Til next time ~stay wild moon child ~JP
For Crimson’s Creative Challenge # 117
Goodbye Again
Heavy grey clouds today
blocking out the sun
I watch you turn away to go
and the tears begin to come
I happy with the time we share
even when we’re far apart
when I can’t hold you in my arms
I’ll hold you in my heart
Yeah, I’m on a bit of a nostalgic trip today. Man I miss John Denver!
Til next time ~stay wild moon child ~JP
The idea here is I’m taking one line from a song and making it the first line of a poem. I have oodles of “prompts” in my jar, time to use them. This week’s song is “Beautiful Day” by Joshua Radin and the line I’ve chosen is the first line of the song, “Gonna wash the dust off my soul.” Here we go.
Gonna wash the dust off my soul
rise up once again from night’s dark hole
with brilliant colors, the portrait’s drawn
twenty-four hours too quickly gone
this day is mine to live as I will
mine to use for good or for ill
so many days are wrecklessly lost
when hate and anger ignore the cost
with love and light my spirit grows
as I wash the dust off my soul
Linked to dVerse OLN
Gonna wash the dust off my soul
Gonna listen to some rock ‘n’ roll
No cares, come what may
I’m making a beautiful day
Gonna drive my car to the sea
Swim out far cause I believe
That waves will wash the grey away
I’m making a beautiful day
Let me hear you say
Ooh, oh oh, my my
I’m learning to fly
Hey, hey, what’s that you said
Let’s not forget we’re alive
Gonna climb that hill behind my house
See what this place is all about
Cause from above it all, you can’t help but say
It’s gonna be a beautiful day
It’s gonna be a beautiful day
But let me hear you say
Ooh, oh oh, my my
I’m learning to fly
Hey, hey, what’s that you said
Let’s not forget we’re alive
Gonna turn my enemies into friends
What’s broken gets stronger when it mends
When we all come together, this song will play
We’ll sing, it’s a beautiful day
That’s gonna be my beautiful day
Oh oh, my my
I’m learning to fly
Hey, hey, what’s that you said
Let’s not forget we’re alive, that we’re alive
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Joshua Ryan Radin / Kenneth A Pattengale
Beautiful Day lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Til next time ~stay wild moon child ~JP
The Beginning
In the end, no one will know
who we were, what we loved
why we fought, or how we died
In the end all that will matter
is how well we lived today
for each day, every moment
is filled with glorious second chances
to see the beauty in the sublime
no one can change the past
but let us change our futures
make right now … the beginning
Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “the beginning, the end.” Write about the beginning of something and the end of something. Bonus points if your first sentence contains “the end” and your last sentence contains “the beginning.” <– Read that again. Have fun!
Til next time ~Stay trippy hippies ~JP
