Archive for the ‘dark’ Category

Spared

 
Spared

how I do long
for the damp dreary days
of deep december
when my fallen face
of melancholy
is commonplace
when no one intrudes
to question what’s the matter
because all around
are caught up in the blues

oh if only
you could find it
in your heart
to forgive
this sadly lost
and broken man
who much too late
understands he was a fool
and in his sorrow
understands why you refuse

but how [...]

Vanished

 
Vanished

and he saw them leaving
and he opened his mouth in farewell
but only dust escaped
and broken dreams
and a spoiled promise
from long ago
left too long on the shelf
so he raised his hand
to gesture a wave
but he was rigid
and could not
and they did not hear him
and they did not see him
for he had already vanished
• • •
rob kistner [...]

Junebug

 
Junebug

how impertinent
moth and junebug
what’s with all this buzzing chatter
you’re bump and thump and all a’clatter
worrying with the frontporch light
steaming on this august night
such racket over a minor matter
while here below you
my heart breaks in silence
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
• linked at Magpie Tales and OSI

The Mask

 
The Mask

when donned the mask
the transformation
smoulders forth the other
the fantasy
on wings of dreams
she is she
and too
the other
unleashed at light of passion’s moon
manifest at your request
sustained this night
at her delight
she is your isis
she is your venus
she is your every longing loosed
she brings everything in life you miss
bestowed with aphrodite’s kiss
but as you burn you should know [...]

Sea Song

• this poem linked at Writer’s Island and One Single Impression

 
Sea Song

sad she comes
everyday
to these empty shores
on wings of memory
to serenade this sea
a song of longing
bowed on strings
of a broken heart
mournful for the one
lost to these silent fathoms
her tears
steady as the mists
relentless swept away
by these cold
indifferent waves
only they
know where her lover lies
so everyday she comes
taunted [...]

The Sync

 
The Sync

connection
to make contact
searching for the sync
the heart of the matter
in this solitary journey
from womb to tomb
a stranger
on the bus of days
seeking distraction
chatting them up
to suppress
the voice of isolation
immersed in the small talk
of love
and accomplishment
to drown
the incessant murmur
of alienation
the chant of abandonment
ever there to remind
that we board alone
to make our way
toward an enigmatic destination
clinging
to a [...]

Scorched

 
Scorched

the landscape
losing its gild
mottles
in gunmetal grays
fractured storm clouds
churn
in huddling menace
brightened breezes
that sizzled in the aspens
build
buffeted by the angry front
thrashing
into brittling winds
the world
tumbles towards darkness
my heart
shudders in deep shadow
mourning love’s devastation
scorching words
bite and sting
where they sizzle still
blistering my careless tongue
would that it rain
drown the lands
that I might
turn my face to the sky
flood my foolish mouth
charred by [...]

Unfazed

This poem was sparked by the incredible power of our earth, as exhibited most recently by the devastating tornadoes that swept through the American Southeast, and with deep reverence and sympathy for those who suffered as a result. I admire greatly your courage and will to live.
…written for Day #29, NaPoMo 2011…

 
Unfazed

we live
by its [...]

Deep Indigo

…written for Day #7, NaPoMo 2011…

Deep Indigo

he wakes
unbidden by alarm
lingers in the darkness
warm neath the blankets
fumbling for the lamp
follows moments of procrastination
before he lifts himself upright
slides feet into slippers
to rise ever so stiffly
from the comfort of bed
pulling on his robe
he ambles to the kitchen
takes a cup from the shelf
pours chamomile tea
brewed ready each morning
by the [...]

La Nature du Feu

…per this week’s prompt at Big Tent Poetry, this is a gentle rewrite of a poem of mine
originally published in the 2010 RWP Anthology…

 
La Nature du Feu
The Nature of Fire
A Poem Using Three Lines from Norman Dubie’s “Of Politics & Art”
(the borrowed lines are italicized)

here
on the farthest point of the peninsula
an office building is burning
ignited [...]

The Mourning

The Mourning

the hollow wallow
aglow in the spotlight’s heat
to boast odes of praise for him
in death
who had few words of warmth for him
in life
while those who love him
pay true tribute
with searing tears
of silent grief
• • •
rob kistner © 2011

Wedges

 
Wedges

he was slicing wedges
prepping for the night crew
when the stranger entered
walked quietly to the bar
it happened fast
no one saw him draw
the shot traumatized the patrons
no one saw his face
he vanished into the evening
before anyone comprehended
the frail thread of life
severed in a heartbeat
• • •
rob kistner © 3/1/11
…written for Magpie Tales

Mocked

Mocked

darkness surrounds me
rain continues this pre-dawn
life is damp and chill
out there inspiration mocks
refusing still to visit
• • •
rob kistner © 2011

Panther

• this is the final in a series of edits of a poem I first drafted in 1997
it was born of my contempt for the barbarous act of caging wild animals in a zoo •
this final edit inspired by prompt #24 at Writer’s Island,
prompt #23 at We Write Poems,
and prompt #74 at Carry on Tuesday.

…a [...]

Moonfall

…I might find it interesting to believe that we are not alone in this universe within universes. I believe ‘others’ are observing us, and are concerned by our behavior. Called many things through the ages, such as “travelers”, “those that are”, “angles”, among others: I believe they have been here, and perhaps some [...]