Senryu The demon was stirred and he shot his flames at you Leaving a scarred heart Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved
Daily Haiku – Sun. August 22, 2021
Category: Hope
Threads of Life
Threads of Life
Threads of life woven closely Connecting us to others In such beautiful patterns Of rich color and texture At times they’re stretched to breaking Or bound together in strength When a thread comes to an end We cling tightly to our own Or perhaps latch on to others To weave a new design Coordinated creations Connecting colorful strands Hoping it will become strong And remain unknotted The design harmonious in basic simplicity Sometimes it is rough and frayed Or intricate and complex When pulled from its given form It might distort or lose shape It will be what it will be But not for want of trying Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Sanaa is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight and has asked us to look at Korean Poetry, in particular the form called Kasa. It calls for four couplets of seven syllables per line. You can read more about if at the D'verse.com page. This was the first time I attempted this form and I got carried away with the length and ended up with eleven couplets! Oh well. Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
Fly Free
Fly Free
Would that I might fly the nest south to be a snowbird escaping winter’s cold and bask in sunshine sprinkling her diamonds on crystal waters Where gentle breezes ruffle feathers and I might preen in the warmth of her fire Would that I be free from this frigid prison and flap my wings freely with my flock Shedding my wintry grey garb for colors of the sea and sand and sky Then, when earth is ready to waken Would that I return to for its rebirth Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Sarah is hosting D'Verse Poets and has prompted us with the story of Persephone. My interpretation is that of someone trapped, away from sunlight and a desire to be free from her confines. Poetics: Persephone.
Risky Business
Risky Business
In the world of love I lived in a time of famine Closed to receive Focused only on raising a child In years of wilderness When nothing would grow in barren fields Unfed, undernourished, unwanted Until Stars aligned and the sun kissed the earth Not once, but twice I stared at two suitors Tall, handsome, he must have made a mistake And quirky, funny, we talked until dawn Now I, fed and watered, must choose What is the risk and reward? I will not know Until I do Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Tricia Sankey is guest host tonight at D'Verse Poets and has prompted us with the word Risk. Image by Photocurry from Pixabay
Message
Message
In dreams black lions stare as you gape in wonder Irrational thoughts prevail in your heart But your mind senses a foreboding of what might come It is speaking to you Listen! Bury your head in the sand no longer Step back, step aside Empty the mind of untruths and broken promises collected over time Take off the blinders See the world for what it is Not the one you have chosen to live in Come back from the wilderness “Do or do not, there is no try.” You no longer have to live in a prison of your own making Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Mish is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight and has prompted us with lines from famous movies. From the many she suggested, I chose the following to include in my poem. “Do or do not, there is no try.” – Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980 Image by efes from Pixabay
Where Are You Langston Hughes?
Where Are You Langston Hughes?
It is in these moments that I look for you I struggle desperately trying to understand what is going on around me I am confused and I am hurt The pain I feel at the atrocities I witness leave me gasping for air I need you to help me You have seen much worse in your life You have suffered the hatred cast upon you and lived with the bigotry When I am with you in Harlem I am comforted Looking deep into your knowing eyes and down to your soul You have honed the skill of forgiveness Which I do not have and unsure if I ever will You live in this ugly world You face your critics and the racists yet you are never fazed Showing those who would do you harm that you are always the better person Please teach me how to use my words as you did Wrapping up the hatred and indifference in poetic verse I want to learn from the strength you found by sharing with the world how to rise up above this horror By knowing your worth in times of adversity That we might also feel your pain and soothe our own Show me, I beg you I want to understand I must be released I too, am America Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Laura Bloomsbury is hosting D’Verse Poets tonight and has prompted us to choose a favorite poet and either write about him or her or write to them directly in the first person. One of my favorite poets is Langston Hughes. A Harlem Renaissance poet of the 1920s whose poetry resonates with me on so many levels. The last line of my poem is from his poem "I, too" Read about him at the Poetry Foundation
Mosaic Culture
Mosaic Culture
My perfect world is a mosaic Where each piece connects the other in beauty There are shades of earth Deep brown and pitch black to clay and sandy soil Sky connecting clouds of white crimson, rosy pink and graphite Sometimes golden and sun-kissed Trees with outstretched arms In greens, reds and yellows Oceans holding everything in place With blue-green reflections of its inhabitants A rainbow of ebony, mahogany, ginger and cinnamon with alabaster and ivory delightfully blended in hues of cafe au lait and mocha Eyes of sapphire and cognac pewter, graphite and terra-cotta Sensual colors of eyes and skin Bleeding the same color red and crying identical crystal tears Wishing to live in harmony with each other as it should be Copyright © 2020 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Sarah is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight and she has prompted us to share a poem that we have recently read and use it to inspire us to write one. One of my favorite poets is Langston Hughes. I did not grow up with his poetry but I have come to love it. I was inspired by his poem Harlem Sweeties where his use of descriptive color is so beautiful and mesmerizing to read. It captured me immediately. Image by Holger Schué from Pixabay
Now is the Time
Now is the Time
One more blue-black bruise on society One too many The beast has been unleashed Voices heard Strength in numbers taking to the streets Waking the silent Unmasking the blind A united voice heard by deaf ears Heads previously buried in the sand resurrected A time of change Power in the hands of the peaceful oppressed The dark days are numbered One man’s breath choked from his body Yet his words I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe will live in infamy and be carried on wings of soaring birds His voice stolen but we speak for him, for all Now is the time Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing © In response to Sue Vincent's Weekly Write/Photo #Blacklivesmatter
Smile
Smile
Waking to his smile A cherished gift The frown no longer there lifting her challenged spirits Giving hope the malaise has gone forever Whatever ailed his heart and hardened it with ice Had robbed his face of its charm The twisted agony of pronounced pain consuming his body and mind Filling it with anger and despair Leaving a legacy of suffering Shutting out the one who loved him most and lived his trauma But now, just for a while She takes that smile and forgets all else A contagious reaction of joy and hope that will carry her on a cloud until it doesn’t Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing © Mish is hosting D'Verse Poets Open Link Night Word Prompts Challenge - Word of the Day Pronounced - RDP Legacy - FOWC Image by ambroo from Pixabay