threegoodwords – Page 5 – three good words

August 15, 2015August 15, 2015

time again

a hot flash of recognition
clear as cold milk
taken out with child’s hands
drunk in icy gulps
like music
to the blood-orange birth
of another cycle
laced with hazy blue
and grey and white
back when a year was
endless days x 365 = time
and time and time.

that and that and that
was always there
yet with life so busy
and things to be done
the snows drifted higher
the canyons deeper
until a sudden jab of desert heat
lays all bare
and time opens wide
from past to present, future
where here and here
and here again
hidden treasures abound

brilliant bracelets and flashing crowns
proof of glory once owned
for an eternal moment
now displayed in silent halls
of days and time remembered
fragments dismembered
to memory:

when was this kingdom lost
or rather, was it ever won?
as sovereign
how and why resign the sceptre
refuse the ring
and hide the crown?
what madness is this?
truly, one wonders.

alas, the scrolls unfurl
more and more
crystals cusping
over thresholds ancient-old
descending into time and time
and time again
singing spring
to once-known winter
calling fall
ruby-red and golden
to tales of summer
high and blazing
twice known
thrice remembered
twined to one.

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015

rise and rise

two seconds, three
understanding blooms
palpitations rise and rise and rise

a hot red slab of anger, pain
veined white with amusement, wry
scorched perfectly on each side
with blood red coals of feeling
soot black with melancholy

then
after all pretence is dropped
leaving just heartfelt desire
to know, see
to really understand:

a sudden why
splits the tree of reason
with a jab of irrational light
a bolt of hot heart electric
that goes deep
deeper still
all the way down

cracking open marbled stone below
that lay hidden
under deep roots of denial
possibly, probably
lying low in the undisturbed slumber
of the long ignored
disrupted by a blessed moment
of clear harsh uncompromising
sight.

sometimes the mistake was made
too long ago to be rectified
sometimes youth means
being hopelessly hopelessly blind
to the silly slyness
that is life.

August 12, 2015August 12, 2015

summer, evening

under the dawn-dusk sky
clumps of water are shot
spray high
foam white
descending in a liquid rush
crashing, splashing
into whisking green waves
grey blue black
flashing sharply on the crest
reminiscent of an ocean.

ghostly
bulbs of light
waver below
like subs rising, worlds sinking
flashing mutely in the lively dark
almost holy

while the young sit, stand
untouched
drinking once-sacred cups
raised in honour
to an ancient god
silently slipping between living bodies
blessing few
anointing all.

July 20, 2015

07/04

July Fourth and they were all in New Jersey at a grand cook-out in Inez’ parent’s back yard. Inez had invited everyone, and almost all had come: Chloë and someone new by the name of Will (Nicolas was hi-sto-ry, oh, you wouldn’t believe), Clarissa with her Greg, who had recently been promoted to ‘the love of her life’ (though she still wasn’t sure if he wasn’t seeing someone else ‘on the sly’), Olivieri with Rachel (calm and content as always) and Matisen alone. He’d decided Inez had to have some hot cousin he could chat up and talk into God-knew-what, Lana didn’t even want to know.

By the look of it he was succeeding very well with a certain Isabella, it was depressing really. Never mind all that, there was her, Lana with Timothy, Timothy who had his arm around her whenever he could. There were tables and chairs set up in small groups, children racing around, the Santa Cruz talking and laughing animatedly, merengue cascading out of the enormous stereo on the veranda, one whole side of the garden an enormous smorgasbord of delicious food. The sky was wonderfully blue, the parade worth seeing, and everyone happy to have a day off to celebrate.

Lana was already on her third margarita, her fingers still sticky from the fantastic barbecue, not that she was complaining, Inez’ family really knew their food. She was anyway laughing at Inez, who couldn’t stop grumbling about another suitor her family had set her up with, this time a certain Ramón. He seemed quite nice, not bad-looking either, but Inez ‘so didn’t care’, though she remained polite. They all meandered from table to table, listened in to wild stories about the Santa Cruz’ life in New Jersey, laughing with everyone, and generally had a really good time. Every now and then Timothy would pull Lana close and kiss her lips, always gently with a hint of more, making Inez’ mother wink at Lana and then give her daughter a telling look that made Inez sigh and roll her eyes.

July Fourth and it turned out to be one of the few days in a long while where Lana was just happy to be where she was, with her friends and Timothy, her surrogate family. July Fourth and for a few hours Lana was just happy to be alive.

July 5, 2015July 5, 2015