Freefall
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Poetry
Freefall
•
today
I slipped beneath
the waves
caught in a cloudy
slow
free-fall
no bottom in sight
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Coward
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 15 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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Coward
on the senseless Boston Marathon bombing
•
coward
to kill this way
anonymously
cold as a viper’s stare
what could have happened
for you to lose your heart
to forfeit your soul
to abandon your humanity
so completely
human life as arbitrary
as landfall of a wind-blown leaf
the victims of your faceless rage
as random as that leaf
you shock us
you repulse us
but you will not
frighten us
you will not hold us captive
we will live our lives
with even more passion
we outnumber you
today we were a new parent
a lost friend found
a healer
a teacher
a laugh over dinner
an overdue book returned
an overdue dream realized
and what were you
a coward
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Hot Water
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 14 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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Hot Water
memories of falling in love
•
waiting for the water to get hot
hearing it resonate
ringing the stainless steel of the sink
I’m caught in a brief daydream
it’s 1987
I am standing over another sink
a girl I recently met
I offered to do the dishes
so out of character
but I wanted to impress
she invited me over for dinner
great meal
great evening
great face
great smile
though several decades
since I’d been a teenager in love
but I am smitten
I remember the feeling
almost giddy
as I plunge into the suds
searching for another plate
we are deep in conversation
I remember
I love talking with her
love hearing her laugh
love her velvet skin
love her great green eyes
love her
it’s true
I’ve fallen in love
like some school kid
and at my age
but the feeling is intoxicating
how nice it would be again
for even just one day
to feel that new
that innocent
that energized
that taken by another
her voice calls from the other room
lifts me from my reverie
I am still at her house
but it’s now our house
has been for many years
her skin is not quite velvet any longer
but her smile
still captivating
I’m still soothed by her voice
still love spending time with her
even now
how much time do we have left
certainly enough to finish these dishes
and the water is finally hot
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Life is Duality
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under mystery, NaPoWriMo 2013, philosophy, Poetry, spirituality, wisdom
Day 13 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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Life Is Duality
on catching a glimpse of the Great Mysery
•
I sometimes get very dark
my emotions get brittle and heavy
- an anger at life swells
every time I dig deep enough
be it on my own
or in a counseling session
I find two constants
they are things I cannot change
but they have left a most indelible mark
one unfolded over a horrendous period of early years
one happened in a horrible flash during my mid-life
both so horrific they changed forever my humanity
try as I do their darkness still surfaces
and my inner light gets smothered
– but I will never stop facing them down
when I feel them getting a chilled grip on my essence
that is what life is
keeping the good fight
and embracing with love and gratitude
the beauty we have also been given
and we have been given so much so amazing
life is duality –
life is balance —
the keeping of it —
and the regaining of it when it’s lost…
if you have lived long enough
is DOES get lost at times – often very lost
but life is an awesome opportunity
an experience of the profound and mysterious
the mystery we are not meant to solve
but rather to celebrate with grace and wonder
peace to all this Friday night
may love touch all of our lives
for love is the gateway to the great mystery
as one of our last great modern prophets, John said —
love is all you need
and in the end
the love you take is equal to the love you make…
so find your lover and make love
with great freedom, abandon, gratitude,
and the energy of the spheres…!!! 
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Nightfall
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 12 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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Nightfall
on nightmare situations
•
it’s nightfall
the darkness now descends
the hand of grief extends
terror is knocking at the door
it’s nightfall
words of sorrow stain my lips
slip through my fingertips
and scatter ‘cross the floor
it’s nightfall
the shadows hide my tears
but I am haunted by my fears
I am broken evermore
it’s nightfall
dark waves of misery
are rising like the sea
I am stranded on the shore
it’s nightfall
I am lost I am alone
confusion grips me to the bone
horror chills me to my core
out of the nightfall
I hear you call my name
I have finally gone insane
it is the end for me I’m sure
again I hear you call
then I know what this must mean
this has all been just a dream
I have simply been asleep
albeit very very deep
soon my eyes will open
once this nightmare’s spell is broken
soon the sun will rise once more
at least I pray that’s what’s in store
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Talking To The Wind
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 11 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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Talking To The Wind
on being open and vulnerable
•
talking
to the angry wind
finds you conversing
only with yourself
telling
the hardened stone
your hidden secrets
keeps them untold
sharing
with the lofty tree
your broken dreams
you hurt alone
you need connection
with a pulsing heart
tender flesh
with blood and bone
a battled brother
a seasoned sister
someone to hear you
to feel to see
to dry your tears
to call your shit
if that is how
it needs to be
someone who’s there
someone to care
but only if you
if you care too
only if you live
outside your self
where you can be found
and heard and felt
where you can feel
where you’re vulnerable
where you are real
with much to lose
if you do this
then you can love
if you put yourself
out there for love
then all your secrets
your broken dreams
all your precious stories
will find a home
a healing place
to be touched and held
to feel pleasure
to balance pain
but first
are you ready
are you willing
have you reached that place
where it’s ok
to lose it all
to find yourself
to find your grace
only out here
on this deeply bruised
and bloodied edge
midst real fear
can you ever be
all you can be
wholly human
truly free
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Stardust Thief
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 10 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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Stardust Thief
on courage
•
ride the moon
like the ferryman’s craft
to the secret place of dreams
ride the moon
like the stardust thief
pilfering the jeweled night sky
ride the moon
to seek the truth
hidden in the folds of time
it sparkles there
just out of reach
waiting for the worthy man
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
No One
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 9 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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No One
on independence
•
if one is not author of the life one lives
it is plagiarized
its essence forged
do not contain me in your truth
I live beyond the lie
do not seek me on the surface
I break deep below the false
do not expect I ignite for you
you are not my flint
do not attempt to chart my course
I search my own horizon
do not summon me to your queue
you are not my piper
the cadence to which I tight step
pulses in my heart alone
I fall in line for no one
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
I shared this poem at dVerse.
The Ache
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 8 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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The Ache
on love’s regret
•
there is a brilliant darkness
of the broken soul
from which springs a well
of melancholy
so deep
and bittersweet
as to stir the tongue
of the brooding poet
to loose a torrent
of sorrowed yearning
so rich with longing
that the hearts
of all who read
will ache
with raw desire
for the one true
and burning love
lost to fate
and all of time
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
…inspired by Mag 163
the visual prompt
at Magpie Tales
seen here
“Woman With a Towel”
Degas 1898
BONUS POEM ALERT
also inspired
by image above
Steam
•
my love
you step from your bath
draped softly in towel
gracefully poised
midst the fog of steam
your skin radiant
a’blush from the heat
your auburn hair
fondles damp ’round your shoulders
embraces your lithe neck
a sensuous vision
igniting a spark in my soul
stirring the passion of my heart
setting fire to my imagination
my love
your are venus
aphrodite
a goddess of desire
and my love
I can see your butt
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
*sorry about this cheeky bit
Scamper
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 7 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
part of my Smalling Down™ series
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Scamper
on hearing a mouse under the bed
•
where do you come from
little guy
you
here
alone
under our bed
what are you doing
waking us
from our sound sleep
what is your intention
what’s under there
that’s so interesting
perhaps a morsel
of snacks-in-bed
maybe a wayward
snip of thread
certainly your intention
is not to hide
not scratch scratch
scratching on the frame
like you are
maybe
it’s just your nervous tick
wow
I get it now
my wife’s annoyance
with my constant leg bounce
but then
there’s her incessant tapping
with her writing pen
marriage is nothing
if not tolerance
but her sister
really
damned hard to believe
she’s from her family
and you
down there
where do you come from
where is your little house
mouse
you’re lucky
you know
you’ve been pardoned
tonight
granted a reprieve
my wife loves critters
critters all
large and small
she thinks you’re cute
she thinks you’re funny
she thinks you’re innocent
though you and me
we know better
don’t we
but
you’ve picked the right house
little mouse
the right bed
to be under
to pursue your plunder
you’re safe
…for now
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Speechless
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry, regret
Day 6 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
part of my Smalling Down™ series
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Speechless
on finally reaching the end
•
as he reached the threshold
he hesitated
stopped
breathed in
partially turned
head cocked
breath caught
hand resting on the door
their eyes met
held
each wanting to speak
…silence
she sighed
looked away
he dropped his head
exhaled
pushed open the door
stepped through
walked slowly on
never looking back
it had all been said
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Consumed
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under love, NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 5 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
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Consumed
on being wholly smitten
•
there is a quiet golden
in this evening as it settles
unequaled in its beauty
by even that of precious metals
it embraces vesper’s hour
with a subtle gentle heat
lays down upon the land
like the roll of amber wheat
it dances in the air
strokes your hair aglow in smolders
folds its warmth upon your face
fondles fiery ’round your shoulders
it ignites a special magic
as though dreams are coming true
paints the world in sensual splendor
almost beautiful as you
like a goddess of the sun
in this moment you catch fire
my heart a helpless tinder
now sparked by love’s desire
caught by beauty’s reaching flame
I’m filled with passion’s yearning
my soul is set ablaze
please don’t leave me burning
before I am consumed
quench me with your precious kiss
for if I am to be consumed
I pray it be in bliss
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Here
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Poetry
Day 4 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
part of my Smalling Down™ series
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Here
on seeing a lover return
•
upon seeing the car
coming up the drive
the lover ran to greet
the beloved
you have returned
my beloved
you had gone
so far away
and for so long
no
said the beloved
I never left you
my lover
but you did
I saw you drive away
and here
I see you return
but don’t you know
said the beloved
my love is bigger
than this vehicle
closer
than the distance
of any journey
and it knows
no time
I am always
right here
with you
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Small Decisions
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Poetry
Day 3 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
part of my Smalling Down™ series
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Small Decisions
on making a menu for the grill out
•
my son is up from frisco tomorrow
he just accepted a new position
in the upward spiral of his career
salaries in the bay area boggle my mind
I’ve spent my life entrepreneuraly
renaissance-man
visionary
poet
artist
singer
a self-made man
mostly what I’ve made in 66 years
is mistakes
and lots of them
but one of my rare exceptions
will be here tomorrow ’round 6:00 pm
amazing
how fast life goes by
how seeming small decisions
can have such far-reaching consequence
small misguided decisions
chased through a labyrinth
of questionable correction
can bring a life to a sum total of ruin
to my good fortune
my ruin is only financial
you see
life has a way
even on a barren plane
a flower can bloom
one of my favorite flowers
is comin’ to be grill-man
tomorrow
I’m havin’ burgers
burgers and hickory-molasses beans
with potato salad
and apple turnovers
no steak
can’t afford steak
can only afford the burgers
my life of adventure and conquest
of mystery and mayhem
has been rich with memory
but
has netted little barter-able treasure
however
one of my precious treasures
arrives tomorrow evening
he doesn’t know it yet
but he’s bringin’ the beer
my troves are empty
but my life is rich
with love
with pride
and soon
rich with a grandson
that’s another thing
my tomorrow-evening son’s gonna bring
he and his wonderful wife
but gotta wait until september
at amassing a fortune
I failed
but building a strong family
that features a master grill-man
that’s a wealth immeasurable
sitting here in my small red chair
I feel a fortunate man
I feel a wealthy man
I feel loved
and between love and money
I choose love
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
Truth
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under NaPoWriMo 2013, Poetry
Day 2 “first draft” for NaPoWriMo 2013
part of my Smalling Down™ series
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Truth
the traffic ticket
•
went to court today
first speeding ticket in over 30 years
pristine driving record
no accidents
safe-driver insurance discount
the situation that caused this
this disturbance
in my time space continuum
that put this ripple
on my deep lake of careful
that caused this snag
in my perfect cloth
was a dangerous
unfortunate turn of events
which required I react safely
and wisely
I did that
I received a citation
and not for valor
sometimes truth isn’t truth
intention must be allowed
allowed to play a role
shouldn’t it
of course
that assumes justice
and that can be a damned ‘iffy’ thing
I know precisely what happened
but precisely
what is the truth
about speeding
entering the freeway
found myself driving
in a dangerous situation
trapped in the inside lane
a dead-end lane
by a huge wide-load semi
forcing me too near the berm
car in front
car behind
me
hemmed in
doing near 60
to keep pace
wide-load drifting
in and out of my lane
responsibility meant
driving my way out of trouble
meant accelerating
meant driving fast
saving one’s ass
isn’t speeding
true?
judge opened my eyes
to the truth about truth
truth wears many faces
• • •
rob kistner © 2013
