clatter in the potting shed
soon will come new growth
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Mud Shoes
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Author: Rob Kistner
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Bakelite Blitz
~ examples of Bakelite (early plastic) items –
refined it’s known simply as plastic
wonderful new possibilities were foreseen
life would be more convenient with plastic
heavy packaging and storage containers
made lighter to handle with plastic
food medical clothing and more industries
would all benefit from this plastic
in the enthusiam over this amazing material
chasing miracles we imagined from plastic
no one bothered ask how we would dispose
of the many things we’d make from plastic
dismayed we’re thinking it’s not so fantastic
that our world’s becoming buried in plastic
“The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is 617,000 square miles!
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
There They Are
*Famous quote in 1967’s “The Graduate”. Mr. Robinson speaking to graduate Ben Braddock, “One word, plastic! There is a great future in plastic.” …Perhaps then, but now the future is buried in plastic!
“The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is 617,000 square miles!
see them
there they are
dwelling in their shrines of excess
lairs of self-indulgence
altars to waste
their temples of foolish disregard
for our precious planet
observe them hoist themselves
to command positions
in gluttonous drive-time dinosaurs
dreaded treaded behemoths
that bully across the face
of our strained and crippled planet
devouring resources
like a herd
of metallic mastodons
a relentless forage
of fragile fossil fuel
to suck dry
the paleozoic nectar
300 million years
in the making
a fraction of that
to plunder and deplete
with frivolous toys
of self-extinction
that spew forth
poisonous discharge
fouling the choking atmosphere
watch them
see them
there they are
they worship convenience
they shun the conscientious
they create their chemical concoctions
they create their plastics
their plastic bags
their plastic bottles
their plastic packages
their plastic values
disposable and deadly
that offer only moments of convenience
but decades upon decades of destruction
killing the beautiful
the birds, beasts, and fishes
that roam free this planet
struggling to live in balance
with arrogant careless humans
who clog, poison, and pummel
the frail ecosystem
meant for all living things
shoving earth closer
ever closer
to the brink of no return
to satisfy a toxic desire
for bigger, faster, easier
the ever more lazy
hungry to feed a caustic ego
to assert perceived dominion
the special
the spoiled
the outrageously dangerous
watch them
see them there
they are —
you and I
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Arms Of My Angel
This song by Sarah McLachlan, “In The Arms Of An Angel” always makes me break down. She was my son, Aaron Robert Kistner’s favorite vocalist. He listened to her “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” album all the time. He said she had the most beautiful voice on earth. Hearing this song takes me deep into memories of my sweet angel. My son Aaron died in his 18th year, just prior to entering college to study music. He was a very handsome, kind, and gentle young man – and a fabulous singer. I miss him so, everyday. My arms ache to hold him close just once more. Here is a poem I condensed today, from a much longer version I wrote immediately following his tragic death in a horrible auto accident.
the one I cherish most since your passing.
A simple snapshot,
taken at the airport,
upon your return
from having run the New York City Marathon.
A gentle, triumphant smile,
eyes beaming behind those “way cool” shades,
jacket sleeves rolled in casual hip-ness,
bag thrown so carefree over your shoulder,
medal dangling proudly from your strong neck.
The victor: gentle, cool, hip, carefree, proud, and strong,
— fiercely handsome!
How profound this captured moment proved to be.
Taken just before the finish line of your 18 years,
it said it all.
Your race is run,
your bag is packed,
your reward’s in hand.
Fly my sweet angel – fly!
rob kistner © 2019
For more tears at dVerse:
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Hour of the Dragon
distorts our vision
blinding us to reality
when facts annoy
and fiction comforts
when we’re copulating
with false gods
of greed and power
on forsaken altars
of fear and prejudice
then the hour of the dragon
is at hand
rob kistner © 2019
The hideous Orange liar-breathing dragon of DC.
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Chat With A Tree
Yo, humans, can we talk? You know, you guys used to be pretty cool. You were on a roll there for a while. But lately, I have watched your recent generations going backwards in some unfortunate ways. Some of your powerful nations seem to be coming apart at the seams. It’s as though your wisdom is evaporating. You are tending toward stupidity, not getting smarter. I’ve seen you make mistakes over the centuries, but really! You used to find a way to work it out, to be more tolerant.
What I have been observing in recent times, is you moving to a cold, isolated existence, disconnected from each other. Hell, you are disconnecting from everything! In this fascination you have with technology, you have begun serving the machine. You are so enamored with the virtual world, you have lost sight of the natural world. All your video games, and really violent video game. It is as though you are fascinated with perfecting violence, like you are in some bizarre race to ruination?
You are becoming aliens in this amazing eden, that so many have been helping create for you all, for many millenniums now. My fellow trees and I have invested our existence in providing oxygen for you, and cleaning toxins from your air. But I see you crippling the natural world, misshaping it, scarring it – you are killing it, and each other. Come on you guys, all my rooted friends, big and small, and all our animal buddies – we care about you! Give us a break! Pull your heads out of your collective butts!
Look, speaking for us trees, if you humans wipe yourself out, most of us will likely still be standing here, thrusting skyward, reaching closer to heaven than any living things. We have been, and chances are, will remain perpetual survivors. We are historically rooted in perpetuity. We are the constant sentinels, the witnesses to your existence on planet earth. But we don’t want to be witness to your tragedy – we like you guys, in general.
Listen, since I must stand here, watching you for generation after generation, what do say, you let me watch you move forward. Take that cleverness, and your technologies, and clean this mess up. Even if it takes your civilization painstaking progress to turn it around – start. Who cares if the reversal of of your fortunes unfolds slowly – just do it!
I would love to observe millenniums of human endeavor awaken
to real self-awareness of your responsibilty as one of the key stewards of this planet. Become less dependent on blind conformity, on a hive mentality of conflict. Become true masters of your machines. Look up into each others eyes. Stop stumbling around, staring down into your gadgets, like automaton zombies. Use your technologies to genuinely improve your lives. Use it to end hunger, end strife, strive for the light. Evolve as wise beings.
Let me see the natural world reshaped positively by you, tempered with strength, made more productive and resilient – more beautiful. Let me see you find your balance with each other, with all the rest of us. I will stand here, reaching skyward, as long as you don’t screw it up for all of us. Please let me stand here proud, a witness to your eventual glorious triumph!
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Beautiful Being
Image above by Eli Edward Evangelidis
that pooled in the night
deep in the bleak backwoods
of the sad brokenhearted
I hid in the anguish
of the loveless who cowered
in the dark serpent’s shadow
lost in the perverse nightmare
I fed on the grief
of the forgotten who wailed
for their horrific loss
in the ruins of despair
this was my heartscape
black as mid-winter night
a lightless horizon
no glimmer of hope
trusting was toxic
no foothold for love
relations were carnage
scattered lifeless and cold
’til you, beautiful being
eyes brilliant and true
approached from afar
bearing tinder of love
the graceful arrangement
was deftly ignited
and patiently tended
the fire gently stoked
afraid to come forward
I held outside the glow
but your kindness drew me
we stood by love’s blaze
with passion it roared
its light pierced my blackness
its heat warmed my soul
my ice heart was thawed
with you in my life
I am darkness removed
soaring and weightless
radiant and rising
vital and caring
my spirit’s renewed
illuminated wholly
by a new dawn of dreams
Her beautiful being.
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Walking In Paradise
This is a poetic capture of a real-time experience of one of my many 3.5 mile hikes over the years, around beautiful Lost Lake, situated in the high mountain Oregon forests, on the western slope of Mt Hood, in the Cascade Mountains. Truly paradise! I would give everything to be able to make that trek again just once more. But it’s wilderness, and my failed health prevents it from ever happening again. So, when I am blue, I go there still in wonderful memories.
Mt. Hood peak, seen across Lost Lake, in Oregon Cascade range
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 dreamlike
my walking stick is smooth
clutched comfortably
in my right hand
tensions dissipate
soothed
by the audible stir of the wind
in the treetops
wafting down the western Cascade slopes
it invigorates
the steady rhythm of my footsteps
hypnotize
rounding a bend in the trail
brushing through waist-high fern
I crest a knoll
and stop
mesmerized
filtered by the towering woodland canopy
light drifts down dreamlike
settles golden
into the natural cathedral before me
a presence is tangible
a breeze enfolds me
filled with the intoxicating scent
of living earth
an addictive bouquet
of cascade red cedar
douglas fir
ponderosa pine
moss
bark
loam
and ionized mountain air
my spirit rises
my being grows weightless
any sense of self floats away
lifted into oneness
wholeness
bliss
suddenly
I’m startled from my reverie
a young doe
bounds onto the trail ahead
stands proud
pauses in the golden light
she considers me briefly
then disappears
quick as a stolen glance
quiet as passing time
darting my eyes
here then there
in a vain attempt to follow her
I catch a glimpse of silver-blue
reflecting resplendent
where massive tree trunks part
this is the reason for my trek
into this mighty wilderness
I step through the opening
and climb a huge boulder
I sit
pull my legs under me
and lean forward
arms folded
elbows on knees
basking in the energy
just below me
an enchanting tangle of driftwood
floats sculpture-like
unmoving
across the magical mirrored lake
rising spectacular
a chiseled mountain peak
coppered
in the evening sun
I grow very still
listen
gaze
rapt
I become this moment
in touch with my soul
with the eternal
transcendent
alone in pristine
old growth paradise
Huge old growth, Lost Lake Trail, Oregon
rob kistner © 2019
Poetry at: earthweal
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, I was rob’s shih tzu. He misses me every day.
Unfolding Fate
is cast to wander
in search of what
is not quite clear
step by step
day after day
uncertain fate
unfolds this journey
filled with wonder
with joy and awe
fraught with sadness
with pain and tears
it’s carried me
‘cross boundaries
borders
mass of lands
‘cross time and space
it’s shown me mysteries
marvels
magic
good and evil
the best the least
it’s brought me pleasures
fame and fortune
only to claim them back
with no remorse
I’ve known satisfaction
adulation
a woman’s love
a child’s passing
this journey’s been true
faithful — genuine
only to turn away
and break my heart
it’s been fact
fiction
and contradiction
fantasy
and harshly real
I’ve been ignored
I’ve been betrayed
even honored
as a man of standing
then shunned
to stand alone again
I’ve traveled light
traveled fast
I’ve stumbled burdened
weighed with grief
I’ve lead and followed
lost my way
regained direction
to then lose the path
I’ve walked hand in hand
with fear and death
stared down depression
just to be consumed
then arose again
to venture forth
without a clue my destination
with no regard the fated outcome
nor consideration of my plight
I long ago abandoned worry
having learned it’s of no use
came to realize
despite our difference
at the core
we’re all the same
this realm we entered all alone
and here we’ll leave alone again
but all of this is of no matter
foolish so to dwell upon
of no concern
of no regard
most certainly not worth the measure
in reflection
one sees far too late
it is this journey
that is the treasure
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Summer Song
At last fair summer has arrived, just in time to rescue my sense of humor. The winter rains held stubborn this year. But now the sky is sunny and clear, as is my lifting mood, rocking summer memories in the golden warmth. I’m thankful for this season of plenty.
The seeds push sprouts through the rich warm earth, as nature cycles to this time of birth. New buds pop forth through ready limbs. Mountain streams run fast and clear as nature’s curtain lifts on this magical time of year — as the veil lifts on my sweet recall.
Bird songs echo through the greening trees to serenade my reverie. The heady fragrance of summer carries on the gentle breeze, as the bold hues and rich sounds of this beautiful boisterous season fill my soul to bursting! Joyous is my heartsong!
turns in golden summer sun
red bird softly sings
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Had Not
so lost
had not she crossed my path
on that soft summer day
had not her voice
drifted like silk
on the summer breeze
to wrap sheer and sweet
around my heart
had not I been drawn
like a new bloom
to the morning sun
had not I been captivated
as a hummingbird
by a drop of nectar
crystal on a velvet petal
had not my love come down
soft as a rolling mountain meadow
had not this dream been born
had not my life begun again
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Naked
I want us to be naked
backlit by the golden sun
our bodies radiantly naked
in the soft grass of a mountain meadow
frolicking with you naked
running silvery in a cool spring rain
slick and slippery naked
in the riotous colors of a flower garden
our lips petal plushed and naked
lying in the rolling summer surf
waves breaking upon us naked
walking in an ancient forest deep
awed, spellbound and naked
smiling on a crisp autumn morn
leaves falling ‘round us, naked
curled in sweet peaceful sleep
both breathing gently, naked
in the copper glow of desert redrock
our wild spirits naked
in the frothy roar of a waterfall
standing in the cascade naked
in the wafting of a gentle breeze
we dance and whirl ‘round naked
silhouetted against a sterling moon
our skin a satin sheen and naked
with our secreted souls laid bare
fully exposed and naked
all our dreams and fears revealed
hearts trembling and naked
our every pretense stripped away
finally truly naked
enfolded here in each other’s arms
both vulnerable and naked
we gaze into the vast night sky
we marvel, breathtaken — and naked
I’ll rob the stars from that night sky
to twinkle in your eyes so naked
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Light
cannot vanquish absolute
seek the light of truth
the pitch black of ignorance
wisdom is the light
of wisdom
burning in the pitch black
of ignorance
casts its glow far-reaching
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Seeds
digital collage “Friends” by: rob kistner © 2007
Seeds
I still can feel
the breeze of youth
gently stir my soul
those days remembered
of graceful lightness
when faith in truth
sparked splendid dreams
those days of us
when all we touched
was fresh and new
and the world
was full of wonder
those carefree days
when we were certain
we’d live forever
strength made each day
a great adventure
but not these days
I am bent
by the yoke of sorrow
I am heavy
with the weight of loss
I am haunted
by the ghost of memory
the painful days
when I think of you
these empty days
how can this void be filled
when one so vital is gone
so much wit and wisdom
robbed from this world
kindness and love
lost when you passed
one who understood
the need for giving
in a careless world
darkened by greed
a tender heart
truly unselfish
whose warm embrace
included all
I will not forget
I will remember you
and all those days
that’s how I’ll fill this void
with the seeds of friendship
planted deep
inside my heart
now filled with grief
may they grow
to make the memories
richer and more precious
grow to make me gentler
and more grateful
for the loved ones
still in my life
good-bye my friend
I will not forget
I will tend these seeds
and think of you
I will not forget
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Night Goddess
Image above by Mary Frances
sparking golden in the night
my radiant beauty of energy
my networked power of love
oh alien night goddess
my alluring otherworldly
we’ve sailed the universe
in our skyship of passion
I have watched with you
platinum fire clouds
hanging in pale green skies
over the azure seas of Toluraz
we’ve seen the copper leaves
of the silken parmus fronds
flashing from indigo cliffs
in the crystal mists of Gemin
we’ve swam the blue oceans of Gaia
made love ‘neath its silver moon
scaled its emerald forested mountains
ran with its fantastic beasts
I have beheld exquisite beauty
throughout the cosmos in my life
but nothing nearly so beautiful
as your ebony eyes — tonight
digital artwork “As Tech” – rob kistner © 1996
rob kistner © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.