To Know Thy Master

Master poet, come share my words.
Feel the emotion I have bled into them.
Fellow wordsmith, you will appreciate
the shades of meaning, mild inflection,
the story within this poetic tale.
Master poet, you have cast aside
what took my heart and soul to create.
What is the value in an image?
What of the delicate peals of haiku?
Can you not see the truth in my words?
Fellow poet, I read today a story
that must have been the best mediocracy,
a simple history that failed to move me.
No geometry, no bright moon, no musical tune.
No passion to be found.
I thought you were the master
And I was the apt pupil.
Now I see that we both know nothing.

Homecoming

Among the books
Among the pages
Thoughts of wisdom
Words of sages
Enlightened senses
Ideas flow
Hidden from prying eyes,
These pages know
What I am thinking.

White space before me
My moments are jumbled

Black pen
Ink like blood
Darkly scrawling
Across these pages
My words are humble
As I carve them
Into this paperflesh.

Voices in my head
Voices in the room?
Are they waiting
To hear my thoughts?
Are they waiting to see me
On these pages
Or to ridicule me
Or to tell me
That I am one of them?

My voice is alive on this paper
Yet remains blotted in life
Perhaps this is a homecoming of sorts,
But I find no solace here.
This homecoming is not for me.

Untitled Poem

I want to play with words -
Twist them, fold them like origami.
I want to take them to their breaking point
So I can see
If they mean anything.

Home

The wind is whispering through

The sweetgum  tree.

Sunlight awash, warming us.

The rickety buildings,

Weathered by time,

Stand proudly.

Apples fall in the meadow nearby,

One or two still hanging on for life.

Scuppernong grapes sprout from vines

That defy the season.

Leaves have begun to fall,

Drifting in their hypnotic dance-

Rustle, rustle, sway, sway…

And the horses are talking about

The impending winter…

But now we warm ourselves

In this glorious sun,

Feel tall grass between naked toes

And know that a place like this is home.