maybe seven

 

typewriter jasmine-mariedottumblrdotcom

no point
in playing it safe
no art
in not daring

look over the edge
all the way down
see it, feel it
know what’s waiting there

it might scare
one or two off the page
maybe more

madness, mayhem
insight, wisdom?
this is not peek-a-boo
not looking
doesn’t mean it’s not there

*

five senses
six, maybe seven
if you count memory
imagination

yes, think
feel
inner, outer skin

taste
touch
scent

trace and trace
the worlds without, within

sound
sight
detail

perception
understanding
defining real

.

 

© 2015 threegoodwords

a heartbeat of peace

iced coffee amyjohnsonsphotodotcom

tweedle dee
tweedle dum
tweedle what the

seriously, was that necessary?
i was just walking here
in search for tea (or coffee)
accosting unsuspecting women in scrubs

yes, i’m kind o’ lost
you have that cardboard cup
where’s the next [insert name here]

startled, staring
one look and she knows
i’m harmless, stranded
someone dusted away the road
as in: sans wi-fi
there is no use for my phone

coffee, yes, or tea
one way or the other
it’s equal to me
all i really want is a bit of rest
a hot drink, a bite to eat
a small space for me

a smile, a turn
see that light?
the third one?
yes, right there
a nod, a smile
thank you, goodbye
but silently i’m going quite spare
thirsty and hungry
so in need for a chair

yet on it goes
down sidewalks, filling
past corners, spilling
with cars and humans, all
walking, walking
no time for stopping
until I reach the door, walk in and

exhale

sit down, look out and see
all the people, once more
all the haste
tick-tock!
all the pushing, running
one dare not be late
late!

and so when standing in line i wonder:
why not dare and be late?
just once, for the sake of joie-de-vivre
happiness
quietude
inner peace
the everyday art of just letting life be

but no
all these people
falling down rabbit holes
mile high and eerie – ma’am?
oh, soon it’s me
wait, let’s see
:eat me: :drink me:
a bit of this, some of that
all combined to
ah yes, this (?)
it seems to be both coffee and tea

i’m adventurous, i’ll try it
choose it and buy it
take the cup and walk over to a free seat
sit back and eat a little
drink a little and rest
exhale once more
and enjoy this heartbeat of peace
this small space
just for me.

© 2015 threegoodwords

the letter

white gloves and fan pen 3 candle frenchkissedonflickr sunlight amedrentar nickfeuntesatflickr

…yours ever, &c
an abrupt ending
opening words
pouring out in a sudden wave –
what madness is this?
to deny, to refuse
to insist on such needless things
as countenance, propriety
We must know our place…
but what is that
in the face of something so divine
as genuine, true, complete feeling?
they may be young, yes,
but not, to his mind, daft beyond decree
there was truth in this
and beauty beyond what any mortal could reach.

quick, quick
cut paper on surface
pen scratching ink
curves, loops, dashes
written in haste
soaked with feeling
demands, pleas
hoping, not jesting
trying to appease
papers waxed closed
an address written, posted
there, there
it is done
it is written
she must understand
the truth, the beauty
of such spontaneous overflow of feeling.

yet the torment begins
the second the envelope is sealed, posted
that torturous patience
of long hours waiting
for all to be read, understood
and hopefully, hopefully
answered, agreed
to continue the private, silent communication
where all the tools given are ink, paper
memory, imagination
and far too much feeling recollected in tranquility.

*

and thus it arrives
the letter
hastily opened, outside, far
hidden away from the curious
the nosy
young feet walking
young hands turning pages, paper
touched by others, close, known
young eyes reading, re-reading
reading once more
You must… You cannot…
half daze, half delirium, all delight
searching in every word
all the fields of meaning
until a call demands obedience
there are duties, all and one,
that must be followed.

and there it is, a clock chimes
it is time to visit
the one to whom communication
is deemed legitimate
not, in fact, the other
whose words lay pressed lightly
tightly against the young breast.

but no, alas
no one stands waiting
there is no need to play the proper lady
there is time yet to sit in plush seats, reading
what none must know
those felt words written
mapping what lies only
between a you, a me,
and countless yours ever, &c
that most intimate of privacy
daring thoughts, heartfelt feelings
quiet wishes, hidden dreams

I can… I will… I must…
hand-written
as if spoken from mouth to ear
now held and seen, repeated
in most natural light
falling through windows, glowing in trees
until the sun sets to darkness
brightened by the warmth of a flame

a night, a silence
filled with hope for the morrow
heartbeats young, doubting, certain
waiting with joy and fear
mixed to one sensation
true, beautiful, free.

© 2015 threegoodwords

 

:blank:

pencil 3

grasping, grasping
but there’s nothing
not even thin air

you can write about thin air
high up in the himalayas
the crisp cold shackling all
the masks needed
simply to survive
to where earth touches sky
so no, not even thin air
not that at all.

nothing, really
emptiness
words, words
where are the words
that form, congeal
to one sentence
one phrase
that one moment
vowel, consonant
that opens doors
to new spaces
new ways
to live, be, see, perceive…

but what are lists to this
out and out grey
where silence doesn’t live
but holds all reigns
to sensation, reason…

though it may be
just a matter of timidity,
the smaller brother to that
icy little feeling, cowardice

for how spell out everything
and break through that wall
that holds everything in,
that hesitates, just when
the words want to be written

no, it won’t do at all.

© 2015 threegoodwords

 

clarity

once upon a time

where do you draw the line?

now that your reading’s done
and you’re aware of lives
lived by codes outside and beyond
everything you know

the accepted nastiness lingering
behind the famed glory
the casual cruelty accepted
behind the ingenious order
praised since time untold

and yet, there is such a thing as reception

that old question
how much is too much
and what of honesty?
what of that which happened
often, far too often
and must be thought of
retold

clearly, without softening
without any lenses blurred
sharp contours of thought
and feeling

of all those grey areas in between
painful, upsetting
without clear lines from A to B

but that’s what it’s really about
or not?

exploring the edges
diving down into darker depths
drawing out the essence of storytelling
finding new ways to reach
what we all strive for

clarity.

© 2015 threegoodwords

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