Touch of Love

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Touch of Love

~

a quarter century ago
in the shadow of the tall ships
nestled inter-coastal
on the outer banks of Beaufort
our passion burst to flame

we bound that flashpoint moment
in a promise of forever
and a band of abalone
I found there in that sunset
on the Carolina sands

as ever-precious
as the diamond ring
that now encircles in its stead
that pearled bit of shell
immortalized our pledge

even to this day
it rests next to your heart
where it falls true and warm
on links of purest gold
my constant touch of love

~ ~ ~

rob kistner © 2011



Click below to read more poetry at dVerse:

Open Link Night #233

Yet

  • inspired by the first day I met my wife in 1987…

     

    Yet

    ~

    had she not appeared in that clearing
    so lost

    had she not crossed my threshold
    on that september day

    had not her voice
    drifted like silk on a summer breeze
    to wrap sheer and sweet
    around my heart

    had not I been drawn
    like a 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 © 2012

  • Ballo diVita

     

    Ballo diVita

    •

    he
    a master of time and space
    she
    so young and trusting

    he
    a wizard of colors and words
    dazzled her with danger and dreams
    she
    a nubile daughter of nature
    anointed him with exotic pleasures

    he
    replaced the sun in her sky
    with a fire he conjured and kept
    she
    warmed herself in its heat
    came to his bed at its setting

    they
    the left foot and the right foot poised
    to step forth in creativity’s dance
    to whirl and glide persistent and true
    in the measure and balance of love

    • • •

    rob kistner © 2011

    Words of the Wizard

    …I wrote this in response to prompt #6 at Writer’s Island, the prompt is “Unforgettable”



    “The Wizard of Westwood”
    John Wooden 1910-2010

    Words of the Wizard

    •

    John Wooden has,
    on this 4th day of June,
    in the year 2010
    left this mortal realm
    after 99 years
    of untiring service
    impeccable wisdom
    and great love

    a man of balance
    and spiritual depth
    such as John
    comes so seldom
    it must be seriously considered
    that this world
    has lost
    one of its special angels

    and that the warmth
    and the stability
    of humankind
    may in fact
    suffer consequence

    I shed not a tear
    for John
    he needs no pity
    it is for the rest of us
    that I heartily cry

    the following
    are the immortal words
    of a great and profoundly humble man

    gather close
    and hear

    •

    a mentor is someone
    who can give correction
    without causing resentment

    ability is a poor man’s wealth

    adversity is the state
    in which man
    most easily becomes
    acquainted with himself
    being especially free of admirers then

    be more concerned
    with your character
    than your reputation
    because your character
    is what you really are
    while your reputation
    is merely what others
    think you are

    be prepared
    and be honest

    it is amazing
    how much can be accomplished
    if no one cares
    who gets the credit

    although there is no progress
    without change
    not all change is progress

    consider the rights of others
    before your own feelings
    and the feelings of others
    before your own rights

    do not let what you cannot do
    interfere with what you can do

    don’t measure yourself
    by what you have accomplished
    but by what you should have accomplished
    with your ability

    failure is not fatal
    but failure to change
    might be

    ability may get you to the top
    but it takes character
    to keep you there

    listen
    if you want to be heard

    never make excuses
    your friends don’t need them
    and your foes won’t believe them

    failing to plan
    is planning to fail

    if you don’t have time
    to do it right
    when will you have time
    to do it over

    there is nothing stronger
    than gentleness

    the true test
    of a man’s character
    is what he does
    when no one is watching

    if you’re not making mistakes
    then you’re not doing anything
    I’m positive that a doer
    makes mistakes

    it isn’t what you do
    but how you do it

    it’s not so important
    who starts the game
    but who finishes it

    don’t let yesterday
    take up too much of today
    make every day
    your masterpiece

    it’s the little details
    that are vital
    little things
    make big things happen

    it’s what you learn
    after you know it all
    that counts

    players with fight
    never lose a game
    they just run out of time

    material possessions
    winning scores
    and great reputations
    are meaningless
    in the eyes of the lord
    because he knows
    what we really are
    and that is all that matters

    never mistake activity
    for achievement

    success comes from knowing
    that you did your best
    to become the best
    that you are capable
    of becoming

    success is never final
    failure is never fatal
    It’s courage that counts

    success
    is peace of mind
    which is a direct result
    of self-satisfaction
    in knowing
    you did your best
    to become the best
    you are capable
    of becoming

    talent is god given
    be humble
    fame is man-given
    be grateful
    conceit is self-given
    be careful

    the main ingredient
    of stardom
    is the rest of the team

    the worst thing
    about new books
    is that they keep us
    from reading the old ones

    there are many things
    that are essential
    to arriving
    at true peace of mind
    and one of the most important
    is faith
    which cannot be acquired
    without prayer

    things turn out best
    for the people
    who make the best
    of the way things turn out

    what you are
    as a person
    is far more important
    that what you are
    as a basketball player

    young people need models
    not critics

    you can’t let praise
    or criticism
    get to you
    It’s a weakness
    to get caught up
    in either one

    you can’t live
    a perfect day
    without doing something
    for someone
    who will never
    be able
    to repay you

    • • •

    words by: John Wooden 1910 – 2010
    opening by: rob kistner © 2010

    • To learn more about John, please click here

    NaPoWriMo #28

    This is my twenty-eighth post for National Poetry Month 2010
    • one free verse poem
    • one tanka


    ____________________________________

    • inspired by day 28 of National Poetry Month

    ____________________________________


     

    Not Spring

    •

    the moment of not-spring
    has no bold herald
    save a passing notation
    on one’s calendar

    easily missed

    there is not a disruption
    in the earth’s crust

    there is no disturbance
    in the air

    the planets
    do not misalign

    the moment of not-spring
    is a non-moment
    as can be the moment of not-love

    it can pass by unnoticed
    no disruption
    no disturbance

    but the realization
    of not-love
    is a storm
    more fierce
    than even the worst
    of spring’s fury

    it can break the earth
    wide open

    leave one gasping
    for the next breath

    as all the stars
    fall from heaven

    • • •

     

    ____________________________________

     

    Sweet Recall

    •

    fresh-placed flower scent

    feel of soft grass under knee

    memories still grip

    more and more are sweet recall

    hard tears turning to soft smiles

    • • •


    • poem and tanka by: rob kistner © 2010

    ____________________________________

    …check out the offerings at readwritepoem

    NaPoWriMo #25 – part 2: Fissures

    This is part 2 of my twenty fifth post for National Poetry Month 2010

    …this piece that follows was inspired by prompt #113 at One Single Impression

    ____________________________________


     

    Fissures

    •

    life is generous
    with the good and bad
    countless experiences
    joyous and sad

    it would appear
    you’ve had your share
    you’ve garnered wisdom
    learned how to care

    you have known joy
    you’ve tasted pain
    stricken with sorrow
    but smiled again

    there have been hardships
    and there’s been blessings
    helpless frustrations
    moments of guessing

    tears cried for others
    fears of your own
    you’ve not always reaped
    what it is you’ve sown

    you’ve been envied
    but you’ve been loved
    you’ve helped pull through
    been rudely shoved

    rightly praised
    and wrongly treated
    momentarily dazed
    but not defeated

    you’ve been criticized
    words harshly spoken
    you’ve been knocked
    but never broken

    through it all
    you have persisted
    you have endured
    and you’ve resisted

    the easy temptation
    to harbor hate
    never blaming others
    for what is your fate

    you’ve steered clear fissures
    not fallen in cracks
    kept moving forward
    not looking back

    now your facial fissures
    those knowledge tracks
    display those proudly
    when you smile back

    you’ve been a good man
    since your youth
    time is witness
    to this truth

    the testimony
    shines with grace
    it’s etched indelibly
    in your face

    • • •

    rob kistner © 2010


    …photograph by: Mehmet Akin

    NaPoWriMo #21

    This is my twenty-first post for National Poetry Month 2010
    • one free verse poem
    • one short prose

    • one tanka

    ____________________________________

    • inspired by Kristen McHenry’s prompt at read write poem

    ____________________________________




    As I age, my imperfections begin to manifest themselves more and more. I once was young, and handsome, and strong – but that all is waning, and I sometimes feel despair. But the irony here is that, in seeing and feeling more and more acutely, my imperfections, it also eventually shines a light on how fortunate I have been in my life – and the despair often shifts to tearful gratitude… even joy! That is what this poem is about.

     

    Chill Winds

    •

    chill winds of time
    rise in dissonance
    seasons of cold rain
    hiss and tick
    my weathered panes

    life’s essence
    slowly slips my being’s grip
    it’s warmth
    ever-fading

    the pall and ache
    wrap firm my bones
    suppress my spirit
    slowly steal my living core

    I despair of rigid form
    drained of vital sap
    drawn and withered
    robbed of flex and grace

    my light of memory dims
    my pool of knowledge clouds

    dear and beloved go
    one by one
    beyond my call
    beyond the joy and chaos
    of this temporal plane

    what remains is sorrowed pain
    and sinking will

    then you call my name
    beckon me to your embrace
    to sooth and comfort my discontent
    to draw me into your love

    I see again that life’s been good
    that we are blessed to have known all this
    and in that moment

    joy

    • • •

     

    ____________________________________


     

    Above It All

    •

    I want to live in a treehouse
    way up high in the branches
    of a big redwood

    several observation platforms
    at different levels
    as you hand-wench yourself
    into the forest canopy

    * optional motorized system

    a three-story treehouse
    huge wrap around porches
    at each level

    the top level
    one big open room

    a place I could write
    work on my art

    where my wife kathy
    could have her fiberart studio
    her big toika loom
    several navajo hand looms
    assembly tables
    all her “found” stuff
    so key to her abstract soft-sculptures

    the roof
    one big deck

    being able to see
    far as the eye could see
    so very liberating
    exhilarating

    riding out big storms
    like flying
    but anchored
    secure

    our treehouse
    would be made of
    anodized aluminum
    stone
    leathers
    and wood
    many woods
    teak, cedar, oak, maple, and walnut
    lots of tempered crystal-clear acrylic

    I’d hand feed the eagles
    the hawks, the osprey
    certainly in my mind

    I’d run guywires
    slide lines
    between tree tops

    we could soar
    through the sun-dappled canopy

    a place high up
    where I could work, live, dance, laugh
    in the nude
    if I wanted

    and make love to my wife
    windows wide open
    the sun and breeze
    free to come and go

    no comments from
    or concerns of
    neighbors

    where I could crank up my jazz

    I want to live in a treehouse
    in our treehouse
    and truly be
    what I’m often accused of being

    removed
    above it all

    • • •

     

    ____________________________________


     

    Jumping

    •

    hunched down leaned forward

    rising with knees soundly gripped

    jumping big horses

    clearing hurdles one by one

    keep him reined but let him run

    • • •


    • poem and tanka by: rob kistner © 2010

    ____________________________________

    …check out the other splendid imperfections at readwritepoem

    So Many Gifts

    NaPoMo poem #29

    This is the twenty ninth and the penultimate of the poems I will write this April, in honor of National Poetry Month, as proclaimed by the Academy of American Poets.

    This poem is a tongue-in-cheek, but well intentioned look at life’s many gifts, inspired by prompt #29 at read write poem.

    • NOTE: these poems will all essentially be early drafts, so edits may occur after their initial posting.

     

    So Many Gifts

    •

    we were granted
    many gifts
    when we arrived
    here in this life

    perhaps the most precious
    is the gift of family

    to endure
    the gift of family
    and any other calamity
    we were bestowed
    the gift of courage
    the gift of patience
    is a part of this

    now when we require
    more reinforcement
    we have the useful
    gift of friends

    should all these gifts
    prove just too much
    there is the gift
    of nature’s beauty

    if we overdose
    on all things tranquil
    the fallback gift
    is our creative spark

    to prevent this gift
    from being wasted
    we have literature
    music and art

    and to preserve
    dark karmic balance
    we’ve been blessed
    with the critique clique

    finally we come
    to this the greatest
    of all the gifts
    that we possess
    and that gift being
    the gift of love

    though we enjoy
    all of these gifts
    life still can be
    quite tough at times

    but don’t despair
    no
    don’t lose hope

    some secret gifts
    have we been granted
    to give us strength
    and keep us going

    the first of these
    our sense of wonder
    and hand in hand
    our sense of awe

    and should all else falter
    there is the failsafe
    the secret weapon
    our sense of humor

    but please take heed
    keep careful watch
    if you lose this latter
    my friend
    you’re screwed

    • • •

    rob kistner © 2009

    ___________________________

    • you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

     

    Our Dreams

    NaPoMo poem #21

    This is twenty first of the poems I will write this April, in honor of National Poetry Month, as proclaimed by the Academy of American Poets.

    This poem is a wedding prayer inspired by the read write poem NaMoWriMo prompt #21, “rite of passage”.

    • NOTE: these poems will all essentially be early drafts, so edits may occur after their initial posting.

     

    Our Dreams

    (a wedding prayer)

    •

    we place our dreams in our open palms
    so the winds of fortune
    will make them soar

    we bless our dreams with the gift of song
    so their chords are sweet
    and their sound is pure

    we bestow our dreams the wings of faith
    so they lift and carry
    to wisdom’s shore

    we unite our dreams this blessed day
    so love will bind them
    forevermore

    • • •

     

    rob kistner © 2009

    ___________________________

    • you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

     

    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