Month: January 2026

Words & Music

“Embracing Calliope — the muse of poetry and song.”

Original DDE™ art: “Words & Music” by: rob kistner © 1/27/26

—-<§>—-

my heart lives
where meaning and feeling
are lovers

where sound turns visible
where notes cast their own shadows

where words have wings
and drift across the mindscape

where poetry emerges—
not explaining
but listening hard enough
for meaning to trust it

curiosity pauses
just long enough to hear
as a spark ignites—
and cold logic loosens jurisdiction

uncertainty murmurs…
courage counters…
creation converts diction…
imagination leans in—
crisply attentive

then music enters

a pulse vibrating beneath language
an ecstatic breath—
but strong and steady

vibrant tonal harmonics
can open wide visions—
visions beyond the logical plane
visions traversing the heartscape

they teach the body electric
how to remember joy…
how to comfort sorrow…
how to embrace truth…
how to align with the laylines
of the universe— alive

pulling tempo and rhythm
from the prime temporal pulse

here
where sound becomes color

where a chord opens a door
and language steps through
naked and barefoot—
seeking balance and place

music breathes—
a pulse under life’s ribs
a gravity that tilts expectation

here
rhythm teaches time to bend—
a bass line steadies the spine
and that poetry
becomes lyric
that kindles a light

that loosens the knot of time
freeing logic—
spilling letters

vowels glow like embers
consonants strike sparks
and silence is never empty—
it’s only waiting

fantasy isn’t escape here
it’s fuel

I walk inside imagined weather—
storms of harmony…
cascading chorus…
volatile verse…
rivers of rhyme…
seeking clearings of grace

seeking the spirit of Calliope—
the beautiful song
the commanding word

here
the mystery sharpens
not fades

here
living with this peculiar heart
means everything—

here
everything is tuned
to joyful wonder—
to transcendent discovery

here
the magic of poetry and song
swing open the crystal gates
to the supereal realm of beauty—
beauty at the beat of life

and the beat
of that special heart
thumps and thrums to
that same solid tempo

<~>

rob kistner © 1/27/26

Poetry at: dVerse

In Dreams

Original DDE™ art: “In Dreams — I & II” by: rob kistner © 1/27/26

—-<§>—-

I feel the rise
lifting at will
ceiling thinning into sky
then blowing away

I am leaving—
leaving the weight of sleep
without resistance
as if permission has always been

below me the room remains
wholly intact
and there am I
still sleeping soundly—
body folded carefully—
entrusted for safekeeping
while I travel beyond

I actually see myself
feel myself—
airborne and weightless
in flight—
rolling
spinning
flipping
somersaulting in the sky

flight that carries no fear
only an exciting lightness
as rooftops drift beneath me

then I’m over treetops
streets loosening their grip

then the city lights
falling away—
then the entire global earth
comes breathtakingly in view
further and further away

the distance—
exhilarating
and somehow
fulfilling…
a relief

I am not escaping danger
but escaping confinement
escaping restriction

the unnamed weight of staying
gravity disguised as restraint—
the familiar calling
asking me to remain
to be smaller

from above
everything makes sense—
…paths visible
…choices gentler
…even mistakes reduced to puzzles
puzzles to be solved—
a map of learning

all seen from a distance
that distance
becoming ever greater

eventually I grow concerned
feeling uncertain I can return
that I can descend again

suddenly
the feeling of falling—
but any fear subsides—
I feel joy

I am carrying sky inside me
returning to the body below
safely
I know—
changed
but intact

knowing this release exists
knowing I can fly—
and can do so when needed again…

Original DDE™ art: “Dream Flying” by: rob kistner © 1/27/26

…a great feeling of calm
a sensation of warmth blankets me
as I drift again into quiet

I am back
deeply satisfied
and quite safe—

…I experienced this amazing
nocturnal journey
quite frequently through childhood

but the magic was stripped away
by the pressures of adulthood

but I still remember it—
vividly!

<~>

rob kistner © 1/27/26

Poetry at: dVerse

Oh What Fun


Original DDE™ art: “So… Where?” by: rob kistner © 1/26/26

—-<§>—-

vacation dictates
we highlight the best sights

from meaningful browsing
boisterous planning ignites

focus broadens
destinations widen
doubt loosens jurisdiction

imagination sparks flare
heating conversation

conflict murmurs
budget counters
logic gains diction—

final itinerary
resolves destinations

family agrees—
some frustrations

vacation fixation
challenges relaxation

<~>

rob kistner © 1/23/26

Poetry at: dVerse

 

Jumpin’ Gelotology

Original DDE™ art: “Wild Laughter #2” by: rob kistner © 1/23/26

—-<§>—-

wild laughter breaks the grip of seriousness
and people start saying what they want t’say
time expands into bubbles of outrageousness
rising and drifting, then bursting away

the voice forgets manners — the body says yes
shoulders shake loose old history’s hold
sorrow releases its grip in the mess
and silence leans closer — curious — bold

this sound gathers chaos, twists up the face
in a warmth that tingles like satin on skin
echoes that soften the edges of space
opening a door so that joy can rush in

when finally it fades something lasting remains
the foolishness of gravity come unquietly true—
being here despite losses — eschewing the strains
is a shared miracle — enjoyed rockingly with you

<~>

rob kistner © 1/23/26

Poetry at: dVerse

Joy

Original DDE™ art: “Ecstatic” by: rob kistner © 1/23/26

—-<§>—-

Joy arrives without knocking

a small beautiful bird
chirping merrily on the sill
not asking what you lost
or what aches you carry

it is the lift in breath
when morning light
finds a clean edge on the world

the laugh that escapes
unexpectedly
not asking permission

joy is not boisterous

it hums
it steadies the hands
loosens the jaw

teaches the heart
a gentler tempo

it shows up while washing a cup
in the smell of rain
in the sudden kindness of memory
that chooses mercy over regret

it throws wide its arms
in realizing that you are loved

joy does not promise forever

it asks only this:
be here now
notice
stand still
breath fully
and let yourself be glad

<~>

rob kistner © 1/23/26

Poetry at: dVerse

Losing Traction

The final line from each stanza from Billy Collins’ “Fortgetfulness”

Original DDE™ art: “Losing Traction” by: rob kistner © 1/22/26

—-<§>—-

forgetting begins as a kindness — you’d soon like to go away
a soft eraser rubbed lightly at the edge of every day
names loosening their grip on familiar faces
home and car keys laid down in too many odd ball places
a sentence abandoned — unlanded… unfinishd slack
staring blankly in the street — where’d I park the vehicle
days filled with ghosts of almost’s – that’ never go away
the mind-glitching pause… not empty — just off track
whose memories are slippery-slidin — slick as a girkin pickle
who have even forgotten how to swim… and how to ride a bicycle

its thoughts widening slowly, not like loss — but like distance
like a field once crossed — now unrecognized from a hill
visions that once drove us — now just no longer will
stories repeated absent-mindedly until we’re not certain why
details thinning — leaving only vague facts without feeling
recall how her voice sounded — not how much she knows
the instincts remembering before the mind goes
step by careful step — less recollection each time
the future left swinging open like a door that should close
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those

for whom even the names of their children get blurred
dates soften into seasons — seasons into light
the past is a handful of tones and textures — a lil’ bit’a fright
a dark lamp in a window — title of that song you just heard
something important you were meant to carry
but set down ‘cause it was heavy — fearing it’d fall
language itself grows hesitant — syllables stumble n’stall
meaning drifting ahead without effective explanation
like somebody in a flashback you don’t recognize at all
whose name begins with an “L” — as far as you can recall

no need to feel remorse — say wha… oh yes — of course
no need to hold back — no need to retrieve the “what for”
the mind’s traveling lighter than it ever has before
floating free of lists — passwords — no anniversaries
carried by an instinct older than most memories
older than fears that once made you shiver
forgetting is not failure — it’s peace… why deny it
not erasure — not loss — it’s chaos  now made quiet
no resistance or regret — gone… every sliver
it has floated away — down a dark mythological river

<~>

rob kistner © 1/22/26

Poetry at: dVerse

Painting The Canyon

Original DDE™ art: “Painting The Canyon” by: rob kistner © 1/20/26

—-<§>—-

January leans over the Clackamas
its icy rapids
speaking in bright curt syllables—

silver over cold stone
as it sculps its way west
from deep in the Cascade Mountains

snow quilts the gorge
as layer upon hushed layer
sparkle beneath towering lodgepole
and white western pine—
standing like sentinels

dark spires
in a frozen marbled cathedral
of crisp breath and frost

the sun sinks low
and the canyon ignites—

not in flame
but in fierce color

vermilion
molten gold
violet smoke
cerulean

amber flaring
over the rims of shadow

light skids
across bald glacial boulders
slick as molten pigment
on a wild
unframed canvas

even the tumbling river
catches vivid fire

each ripple a shard
of burning glass

each rapid a brief star
bursting and gone

shadows lengthen—
black and deep charcoal
pencil across pristine snow

the roar of whitewater
seems to soften
as if listening to itself—
as if remembering older winters

for one bright moment
the world becomes an abstract—
knife-cut acrylic edges
that peak and flash
sharp and wind-honed

we stand
stunned in the radiance

untouched
as daylight scatters
like sparks downstream—
glinting golden

until gentle night
gathers them safely
into its coddling hands—
blanketing them in darkness

<~>

rob kistner © 1/20/26

Poetry at: dVerse

Heart’s Confession

”When time and distance stand between”

Original DDE™ art: “Heart’s Confession” by: rob kistner © 1/19/26

—-<§>—-

Mist drifted through the old orchard as Jeremy observed his breaths, each one a heartfelt apology lifting from his chest. He believed memory lived in the soil, that every footstep conjured the past. Tonight he walked barefoot, letting cold earth speak. Near the center row of trees, he buried a jar of confessions, folded slips of regret, folded prayers.

The moon hovered like a listening ear. He knelt and murmured, “bury me with the lies I’ve told”. The sentence floated upward, a fragile moth of sound — carried on his breath. Jeremy felt lighter, as if truth were not a blade but a doorway. Wind threaded the branches, braiding silver through leaves.

He imagined his future self finding this relique, smiling bittersweetly at the memories. Forgiveness, he decided, was a season, not an event — something that ripened slowly. Fruit after frost, waiting to be gathered.

<~>

rob kistner © 1/15/26

Poetry at: dVerse

Thunder Rolls

Original DDE™ art: “Daylight” by: rob kistner © 1/15/26

—-<§>—-

the snap ignites chaos
as it slaps into my hands

closing my fingers tightly to the ball
I secure it deep into my palms
then up — tucking it firmly under my arm
I pull away from the center

a mighty cloud of dust rolls
and I roll
as bodies surge
pads collide
with brutal impact
that rings the ears
and chatters the teeth

guttural grunts erupt
to fill the air
combining with chuffs and growls
in an animal-like cacophony
of intense human effort

after taking the snap
and rapidly deciding my maneuver
I see a wall of humanity
thrashing and closing fast

helmets and shoulder pads
stacked like a barricade
crashing down on me
thrusting towards me as one

 just then — a little daylight
as a seam flickers open in the line
just enough—

I fix my eyes on it
and I explode through
hands gripping firmly the ball
heartbeat pounding in my ears

plant my leading foot
my first violent cut—
a defender stumbles—
falls

second gear—
my legs catch fire
I burn through 2 more tacklers

I veer left
sixty yards stretch out ahead
yard lines blurring beneath my feet
as I burst downfield

crowd noise dissolves into wind
breath sharp
vision narrows focus
as my one arm drives
the other guards the prize

a final shadow looms ahead
it rears up
dives at my knees—

damn
I’m dead—
but…
he’s missed

the end zone rises like a promise

with my lungs
thundering like a locomotive—
my legs pounding like jackhammers—
my mind racing like a rocket—
I cross the goal-line

in that very special moment
the world stops
and for a brief instant
all falls completely silent…
until…

yes! yes!
I’m screaming—
full throat

it’s then the roar washes over me
my arms shoot skyward
still cupping the ball in my right palm
like a steel vice

sweat and joy collide
as I realize
for one perfect moment
speed had become freedom

the world could not catch me

<~>

rob kistner © 1/15/26

Poetry at: dVers

 

Faye, the Maid’nMuse

Original DDE™ art: “Fairy Aurelian” by: rob kistner © 12/28/25

they say the breathtaking Faye
the Aurelian gilded Maid’nMuse
appears magicallyl
when the sun sheen is on the land
and earth’s glow thins into gold—

when summer exhales
releasing its last warm breath
and the seasons of the year
begin their quiet descent

she is a most sensuous waif
an earthen and lake spirit
who can spritely curl
small as a leaf
yet is wise as the oldest oak

her hair adorn with alder catkins
holds the color of flame
of September’s first fire—
amber at the tips
saffron at the scalp

the shade of a world transitioning
preparing to let go
with grace

Faye’s task is simple
but it is most sacred
as she directs her liege fairy — Hewwo
mistress of color transition

Hewwo — with her gentle fingertips
the size of a morning dew-drop
she very carefully
draws color into the leaves

*Original DDE™ art: “Hewwo25*

russet into the maples
saffron into the birch
wine into the oaks—
stubborn to yield—
thus she embraces her task
with zeal and fervor

every swirl of leaves
is Aurelian’s gentle breath
coaxing them tenderly
into their final dance

she walks with animals
of forest and field
preparing them for the longer nights
as she lays a hush on the land

she softens the sky
into a deeper blue
that promises a winter
without fear

those who glimpse her
feel a sudden peace—
a knowing
that this change is not loss

that endings can be beautiful
if held with a steady hand

Faye is the calm guardian
overseeing all gentle transitions
lovingly and mindfully

she is the keeper of the season
that teaches us all
how to release without regret

and when the last leaf falls
she curls into its hollow
—here she sleeps deeply
until the world again needs
her tender touch

<~>

rob kistner © 1/13/26

Poetry at: dVerse

 

If Only

Original DDE™ art: “If Only” by: rob kistner © 1/13/26

—-<§>—-

regret is the echo that lingers
after a door has closed

not loud
just persistent

a thin whistle of chill wind
through memory’s cracks

it does not accuse
only reminds
replaying moments
revised too late

regret gathers in silences
where words waited unsaid
in courage folded untouched
stored away unused

it settles into storms
mistaken for only weather
into seasons endured
not knowing their duration

yet regret shapes awareness
reveals the outline of choice
it proves something mattered
that a crossroads once held weight

without regret
movement would be reckless
ill considered

steps unmeasured

never a sense
of the true cost
of turning away

<~>

rob kistner © 1/13/26

Poetry at: dVerse

 

The Higher Star

”God forgave me, figured I ought to too” — Johnny Cash

Original DDE™ art: “I Messed Up” by: rob kistner © 1/13/26

—-<§>—-

I chased the higher star
like it should be my witness
my validation

wanted the climb to prove
I was wiser—

that I was better—
that I was correct

even though my apologies
wore polished shoes
they had holes in the souls

I said
forgive me

but built a staircase into the words
so I could stand a step higher
when you looked back

I embraced it as maturity

but it was armor
protecting my ego–
saving my face

it was in fact
a prison—
a prison of arrogance

there were times
I wasn’t sorry—
not for the wound

only for how
it made me look

times I confused clarity
with being right
and mercy
with winning—

quietly

…but winning nonetheless

owning this
hurts more
than any fall from Grace
that ever put me in my place—
exposing my “raw”

I was blind to your pain
because I only saw this
from my side—from my pride

I have finally learned
but you have been burned

I know now
the higher star
is not a place afar—
not a summit

it is the courage
to kneel in the dust
— and say —
without defense

I was wrong

my friend
please forgive me

all my brothers
all my sisters
to whom I’ve been so foolish—

I am so — so sorry

<~>

rob kistner © 1/13/26

Poetry at: dVerse

The Last Time

“All things must pass”  —  George Harrison

Original DDE™ art: “When” by: rob kistner © 1/10/26

—-<§>—-

visit your memories frequently

or you will lose their friendship

and they took a lifetime to gather

<~>

 

I didn’t grasp

the impact of their going

the “never again” of it all

failed to mark it on a calendar

I really hadn’t known to

 

no bell rings

no curtain falls

no clarion calls—

 

it just happens

gradually

 

a quiet crossing

until— already out of sight

 

some I didn’t even see leaving

until they were gone

 

vanished — as into the night

 

I’m doing the thing I love

or the thing I must do

…for passion

…for health

…for safety

the way I always have

 

but now—

quiet grieving

 

muscle memory carrying me

like an old song

one I still know by heart

 

nothing feels different —

and that is the trick of it

the cold surprise

the cruelty

 

at first you don’t know

you don’t realize

 

joy— never announces its exit

strength— never begs apology

intuition— offers no farewell

clarity— bids no adieu

they just slink away

 

something that ignited my joy

or I shared with loved ones

family or friend

or that made my life work

 

gone — no goodbye

never again

 

I’ll reach for it

and find only air—

my hand closing on absence

not there—

but where

 

the tool

that once lived there

not gone dramatically —

it rather — departed unnoticed

frustratingly

 

simply — evaded my touch

escaped my use

now — just echoes

 

like a friend — moved away

leaving no forwarding address

just — gone

 

age keeps its receipts

health makes withdrawals

but I never approved

 

even small losses sting —

tying a shoestring

standing too long

why’d you crossed that room

 

now what was that perfect word

that wonderful song—

it’s gone

 

damn… I remember your face

think I recognize this place—

it’s all so absurd

 

each one

a quiet goodbye—

giving no real notice

 

I wish I had known

I would have tried they stay longer

let the moment linger

pressed it into memory

like a flower

 

but life never warns us

when we touch something sacred

for the final time

 

so…

I honor then now

honor them all

large and small

 

…that unmarked goodbye

…that ordinary miracle

…that friendly smile

…those last bright flames

before the night

closed in—

that unknown final time

 

softly…

stealthily…

without warning

without rhyme

 

<~>

 

rob kistner © 1/10/26

Poetry at: dVerse

 

As Eye See It

Observations touching on awareness…

Original DDE™ art: “As Eye See It” by: rob kistner © 1/8/26

 

—-<§>—-

look for what is hidden

listen for what is silent

embrace the revelation

<~>

 

Awareness arrives before language, a hush that listens.

Breath becomes our first teacher, entering, leaving, never certain.

Consciousness curves around moments, seeing at first dimly.

Doubt flickers, but even doubt is noticed—and considered.

Each sensation announces itself, then bows away.

Form appears solid until probing attention pierces it.

Gaze inward, and the watcher quietly dissolves.

Hesitance needs name things, but awareness feels them first.

I am not the thought, I am the space it crosses to arrive.

Judgment loosens when seeing replaces deciding.

Knowing hums beneath belief, steady and wordless.

Light does not argue with shadow, it reveals.

Memory drifts through like weather, noticed, then not.

Now is not small—it holds everything.

Observer and observed blur at the edges.

Presence asks nothing, yet offers all.

Quiet widens until even silence is heard.

Reaction slows, becoming response, becoming choice.

Self is seen as expandable, not as static.

Time is forgotten when attention deepens.

Understanding blooms without explanation.

Vision clears when control fades.

What remains is simple, awake, sufficient.

X marks no end—only a crossing point.

Yielding reveals a deeper strength.

Zero distance remains between awareness and being.

 

Original DDE™ art: “I To Eye” by: rob kistner © 1/8/26

 

rob kistner © 1/8/26

Poetry at: dVerse