Tag: love

Winter Tales (Midnight Snowfall / Winter / December Memories)

…here are three winter tales of beauty and love

Midnight Snowfall

____

in moonlit forest

midnight’s snowfall shimmers
through the boughs
of old growth

deep and still

as if spread by star clusters

it blankets
our high-mountain meadow
in crystal down

this night
fell quiet and crisp

a great white owl
echoes
through frosted cedar

lover and beloved

we entwine
‘neath winter’s window

with dreams
and one another

we sleep

in gentle slumber
we traverse
time
and space

adrift
in random wonder

we breathe
the ebb and flow
of nocturne

but I’ve awakened
in a winter
long ago

you
by firelight

warm and soft
in my arms

the night
that first we kissed

____

rob kistner © 2008

____________________________

Winter

(haiku)

____

coarse lands cloaked in white

lakes bejeweled in crystal

winter’s dressing hand

____

rob kistner © 2008

____________________________

December Memories

____

cold cheeks pressed in soft embrace
nestled warm in sweater’s plush
full hearts brim in fond delight
drawn close in loving gather

room awash in gentle glow
heady scent of fresh-cut noble
standing tall this winter night
resplendent in its cloak of yule

tender lilt of celtic song
sweet fragrances of promised treats
the pleasing snap of kindled log
spirits soothed by season’s hearth

ribbon’d papers flash multi-hues
gifts bestowed one at a time
each in turn a treasured moment
joyous laughter shared by all

round and round the kindred circle
we celebrate unveiled affection
nurtured by each act of love
precious times with family

____

rob kistner © 2008

IMG_8595

____________________________

photo at top entitled: “Moonlit Snow”

collage above: “Winter Night Journey”

Through Time & Space

 

…the following is an excerpt from a science fiction novel I’m writing

 

• • •

 

Through Time & Space

•

“I have watched
golden fire clouds,
hanging in pale green skies,
over the azure seas of Toluras”

“I have seen the copper leaves
of the parmus fronds
flashing from indigo mountains
in the crystal mists of Gemin.”

“I have beheld exquisite beauty
in my rich, full life
but none so beautiful
as your eyes tonight”

Artheo whispers these bewitching words, his breath warm on the tender lobe of my ear. Searching the depth of my eyes, plumbing my very soul, he presses his lips softly to mine, and with gentle passion — bids me farewell with a kiss.

The exchange of poetry, at times of high emotion, is a longstanding tradition on our planet – and my lover’s words were especially moving as we parted tonight.

This intimate moment now three hours past; I linger in the bittersweetness, still tasting his lips, smelling his hair, feeling the heat of his body – I ache for him.

But here I stand on the aft deck of the Thadius, hurtling through space, gazing into star-clustered blackness, cherishing the pleasures of our parting embrace.

A sudden chill shocks me sober. I’ve been here, done this, precisely this in every detail. But I know that is not possible. It is my first time aboard this particular ship.

I am gripped by foreboding. I shiver as I watch the sapphire-jade orb that holds my fascination, grow smaller, being slowly swallowed by the eternal night of space. It continues to recede, its form becoming softer, less clearly defined in the carbon-composite observation bubble, as zero-g frost clouds and obscures this breathtaking view of this lush planet, our home planet – Gemin.

Some now on board will not again see this precious sight for fifteen years, if they are counted among the fortunate who do return.

We race, exceeding light-squared, toward a distant call for help, an unknown destiny, in the far reaches of uncharted space — with no idea what we will encounter. The call made it certain that no good lay ahead for those aboard who now rush to respond to the enigmatic distress signal.

I am Sephias, on an ecological research mission, to return home in a year’s time. My team and I disembark at Topiarus, the first stop on this voyage.

Although I am off-ship before we reach the origin of the urgent summons — I am nonetheless distraught. It is the anxiety of separation. It is also the result of the intense stress that permeates the crew who are going the distance, to the edge of space, to answer the cry for help. The pressure is palpable, contagious — I feel it to my core. It terrifies me.
Continue reading Through Time & Space

Poems of the heart…

 

Following here you will find a whimsical poem entitled “Heartbreaker”, and humorous haiku entitled “The Color of Love”, each inspired by this Kyknoord illustration, which is offered as a visual prompt at “readwritepoem”.

 

Heartbreaker

•

this is a broken heart you see
this broken heart belongs to me
it once was vital whole and strong
‘till one day beauty came along

she reached in and stole my heart
but fickle beauty did depart
she’d found a better heart she said
and left mine hanging by a thread

my heart grew heavy with her farewell
my heart-thread snapped and down it fell
my fragile heart crashed to the ground
pieces shattered all around

I’ve tried hard to make it whole again
but I’m not sure how, and can’t say when
so it’s still a broken heart you see
a broken heart that belongs to me

• • •

 

The Color of Love

A HAIKU

•

May, the month of love

red, the color of love — yikes

I’m touching my heart

• • •

“Heartbreaker” and “The Color of Love” written by: rob kistner © 2008

 

Remembered

 

 

Remembered

•

leaning comfortably
into the curves

wind whipping
through our long hair

we wind our way
into the mountains

into the evening

alive
with 2-wheeled freedom

on the open road

not counting days
not keeping track
just being – free

we glide

feet up
knees tucked

captivated
by the thrill
of the throttle

we rocket

dive from light to shadow
to resurface once more
in the light

again and again

as the sun reveals itself
from time to time

warming us
from between peaks

as it begins to settle
behind the western slope
of the Rockies

four friends

four adventurers

fresh on the heels
of the summer of love

dedicated
to a critical mission

spread the peace
share the love
save our sanity

and above all else
keep the party rolling

we’ve thrown off
the structured mantle of life

to venture
into the random

the unknown

to embrace
the magnificent perfection
of living in
and for
the moment

•

it’s nearly four decades
since those days of freedom

memories have cooled
grown hazy

I take license in their recall
grateful they remain at all

I’m blessed by their refrain
no matter how faint

my days are not so light now

I’m rooted in responsibility

balancing the blessings
and the burdens
of life

sometimes bent
by the yoke of worry

made heavy
by the weight of loss

yet
occasionally

I still feel
the gentle breeze of freedom
stir

as I stand
feet firmly planted

braced against
the changing winds of time
and fate

tonight

adrift in the eternal now
awash in recollection

I smile within
warmed by remembered times
with beloved friends

those days of wonder

falling deeper in reverie’s embrace
I can almost feel that wind
on my face

tossing once more
my youthful mane

almost hear the laughter

see the glow
on the faces of three friends

now far away

I whisper a promise
to my awakened spirit

someday

before it is too late

I will again
pick my feet up

• • •

rob kistner © 2008

 

The Vow

 

The Vow

•

I pledged I’d never leave your side
and whole my vow remains

as the passion of our love spilled forth
we drank deeply in our youth

the fire of our joined bliss
flowed molten from our core

as we made our fervent bond
its blaze grew ever brighter

it kindled dreams that carried us
to family and good fortune

its heat has warmed us in the times
when winds of fate turned cold

through the autumn of our life
its glow held back the chill

and as winter felled its quiet deep
we were drawn close in comfort

nurtured by the ever present
steady flame of love

now it is our time of rest
when worldly worries lift

we are one next to the other
in the embrace of mother earth

I pledged I’d never leave your side
and whole my vow remains

• • •

rob kistner © 2007

 

Sacred

A hike into the Cascade Mountains, in image and verse.

Author’s note: It was a beautiful day for hiking here in Oregon, so I made a trek into the Mt. Hood wilderness — camera in hand, notebook and pen in my shirt pocket. This is my day, shared with you here, in image and verse. The photo is a shot of Lost Lake, through the trees, with Mt. Hood in reflection.

lostlake2.jpg

Sacred

•

my footfalls
drum the root chambers of the old growth

each step cushioned
by centuries of needle-drop
in this ancient forest

enjoying the rise and fall
twist and turn of the trail
I amble

feeling the smoothness of my walking stick
clutched comfortably in my right hand

an audible stir in the treetops

wind
wafting down the western Cascade slopes

invigorating

the steady rhythm of my footsteps

hypnotic

rounding a bend
brushing through waist-high fern
I crest a knoll
and stop

mesmerized

light drifts down dreamlike
filtered by the woodland canopy
settling golden around me

a power
a presence
is tangible

a breeze enfolds me

intoxicating

the scent of living earth
an addictive bouquet
cedar
Douglas fir
Ponderosa pine
moss
bark
loam
and ionized mountain air

my spirit rises
my being – weightless

I float away
lifted into oneness
wholeness

epiphonal

suddenly
I’m startled

a young doe bounds onto the trail
standing proud
golden in the light

she considers me briefly
then disappears
quick as a stolen glance
quiet as passing time

my eyes dart to find her
here then there
in vain

I catch a glimpse
silver-blue
shimmering
where massive trees part

wind-blown mountain water
crisp
clear
it sparkles

Lost Lake
the namesake of this trail
my reason for this trek into wilderness

climbing a boulder at trail’s edge
I sit
pull my legs under me
lean forward
elbows on knees

I face lake-ward
basking in the energy
of this natural cathedral

I become very still
listening
gazing

just being

in rapt wonderment
at the magnificence that surrounds me

this place is my church
this moment is my prayer

I am in touch with my soul

with the eternal

• • •

rob kistner © 2007