Archive for the ‘regret’ Category
Sea Song
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Poetry, art, beauty, courage, dark, love, memories, mystery, nature, prayer, regret, tragedy
• 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 [...]
Scorched
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Poetry, art, collage, dark, regret
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 [...]
Deep Indigo
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, NaPoMo 2011, Poetry, dark, introspection, joy, love, memories, mystery, regret, tragedy, wisdom
…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 [...]
Lucid 5:00 AM
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, NAPOWRIMO 2011, NaPoMo 2011, Poetry, introspection, irony, memories, mystery, regret, wisdom
…written for Day #1, NaPoMo 2011…
Lucid 5:00 AM
•
at pre-dawn five am — I see…
all my faults and failures
the importance of forgiveness
precisely why I love my wife
the perfect way to let her know
the miracle of my children
how to be a better father
the power of friendship
the value in being true
how blessed I truly am
the insignificance of [...]
Limitless
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Image, Poetry, art, courage, gratitude, homage, joy, memories, music, mystery, photo, regret, tragedy, whimsy, wisdom, wonder
…limitless talent, unfathomable spirit…
Limitless
•
• written for Writer’s Island
La Nature du Feu
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Poetry, dark, nature, photo, regret, tragedy, wisdom
…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 [...]
Panther
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Haiku, Image, Poetry, beauty, courage, dark, horror, love, memories, mystery, nature, photo, regret, tragedy
• 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 [...]
Over The Edge
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Image, Poetry, dark, humor, humor noir, love, mystery, nature, photo, regret, rhyme, tragedy, whimsy, wonder
This piece is offered in response to visual prompt Mag 33 at Magpie Tales seen at bottom of post,
also prompt 22 at Writer’s Island,
and prompt #135 at One Single Impression.
Over The Edge
•
From down there, down there,
it’s coming from down there.
From where — down there?
Yes Sis, I swear!
That horrible smell
that’s filling the air,
the one that’s most [...]
The Taste
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Haiku, Poetry, courage, dark, haibun, horror, love, memories, mystery, prose, regret, sensuality, tragedy
This type of poem is known as a haibun, and combines prose with haiku. It is offered in response to the September 20th prompt at Big Tent Poetry.
The Taste
•
It was an embrace I’d wished had been endless, at our tearful farewell – your body supple and warm, pulsing with life.
lips lush as cognac
open softly to [...]
Final Sentinel
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Image, Poetry, dark, horror, nature, regret, tragedy
…this piece is in response to the 20th prompt of 2010 on Writer’s Island,
prompt #232 at Sunday Scribblings,
and prompt #133 at One Single Impression…
Final Sentinel
•
I watched
as generations
moved forward
as civilization
painstakingly
progressed
set foothold
knowledge
unfolded
slowly
I observed
the millenniums
of human endeavor
as they awakened
to self-reliance
less dependent
on hive mentality
mastering machines
eliminating conflict
striving for truth
ever evolving
I saw
nature
the world
reshaped
tempered
resilient
proud
I stand tall
thrust skyward
closer to heaven
than any living thing
a [...]
Mother-less
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Poetry, art, courage, dark, horror, memories, mystery, photo, photorendering, rant, regret, tragedy, wisdom
This piece is offered in response to prompt Mag 31 at Magpie Tales
Mother-less
(bastard’s lament)
•
undesired
discarded
thrown away
though whole
sound
and useful
no matter
labeled mistake
misbegotten
unfortunate
shown the back
outside
looking in
left behind
alone
by the side
of life’s road
to endure
the harsh weather
of abandonment
tried
convicted
sentenced for life
to suffer confusion
shame
the sorrow
of the unwanted
condemned
guilty only
of the crime
of inconvenience
• • •
rob kistner © 2010
You & Me
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Image, Poetry, art, beauty, courage, dark, gratitude, horror, joy, love, mystery, photo, photorendering, regret, rhyme, tragedy, whimsy, wisdom, wonder
…I offer this piece in response to prompt #69 at Carry On Tuesday,
and prompt #18 at We Write Poems,
also the September 6th prompt at Big Tent Poetry,
and the September 8th prompt at Three Word Wednesday…
You &Me
(a poetic quadratych)
•
The Secret
what I said was
don’t touch
go away
leave me be
while inside
I cried out
draw near
stay with me
you are light
you are [...]
The Box
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Image, Short Story, action, beauty, courage, dark, dark drama, love, love story, memories, mystery, photo, regret, sensuality, suspense, tragedy, wonder
This piece is offered in response to prompt Mag 29 at Magpie Tales,
and the August 25th prompt at Three Word Wednesday,
and prompt #18 at Writer’s Island.
The Box
…a short story of intrigue…
•
“What do you mean Taylor,” Gwen inquired, the strain obvious in her weary voice. “Who exactly is going to confront Dylan… and why?”
Her voice trailed [...]
Wilt
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Free Verse, Image, Poetry, beauty, nature, photo, regret
This piece is offered in response to the August 16th prompt at Big Tent Poetry.
Wilt
•
curtains hang limp
at the front room windows
through which no breeze
has blown for days
only the sound of tires
crackling like slow-torn velcro
as cars roll sluggish
past our porch
tugging the molten tar patches
of our sizzled street
watering the roses
I see the gerbera daisies droop
panting in their [...]
Old Man’s Prayer
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Image, Poetry, art, courage, dark, love, memories, mystery, philosophy, photo, prayer, regret, rhyme, tragedy, wisdom, wonder
…this piece is in response to the 16th prompt of 2010 on Writer’s Island,
and visual prompt Mag 27 at Magpie Tales (see image at bottom),
also offered for prompt 129 at One Single Impression,
and for prompt 228 at Sunday Scribblings….
Old Man’s Prayer
•
successful as a younger man
the grind became my home
and I a conduit of worry
could I [...]
