The sound of its strings
echo my heart
from the rich low resonance that brings
sustained memories of years long past
to the joyful treble
and midrange strumming
that mark my fleeting nimble passions
and all the humming day to day
love you offer.

When I play my guitar,
I play you.

When I play my guitar,
I hold you,
I may fret you, I may pick you,
but I play you
over and over
until the aging ear
of this heart
will no longer hear.

Third_and_Long? After reading this poem, apparently, "That's what she said!"

I especially liked the "in places you didn't know you had" line.

G.

Anny, I didn't know you were a professional Tarot Card Reader and Clairvoyant. How interesting! Is this short account based on an actual experience you had? If so, you captured the moment so well. If not, you came up with a very touching story that may well bear expanding. Nicely done! G.

Hey Anny, I guess the James' Gang reference may require a bit of a "google" search for folks in England, but something tells me you may be familiar with that aspect of American history. Thanks for the comment. G.

This is reminescent of Byron (and that is a pretty cool thing). The contrast you present between the inner turmoil and Nature's turmoil, separated by the protective glass, if quite a splendid thing, and the blending of melancholy with the promise of a better tomorrow is romantic in the best tradition. Good job. I congratulate you on getting this posted.
G.

You took my breath away.
You stole my heart.
You swept me off my feet.

You rode into town like the James' Gang:
Jesse, Frank, the whole crew
All wrapped up in only you.

You left in a gallop.
Your duster flapping in the wind
with anaerobic saddlebags holding the goods.

In aortic panic, I lay there
watching you seek the horizon
as you waved your broom high in the air
like a Winchester.

These programs are run by a tree of public servants. At the bottom of the tree are the mindless bureaucrats who daily rubber-stamp such actions and idle away their days with private conversations of their favorite football teams or personal relationships. The upper branches of the tree are equally mindless bureaucrats who earn salaries well in excess of $100,000 a year and could care less about the "public" or being a "servant" to what is right and proper.

Volunteer Little League coaches serve the public better than the entire "kickback-encrusted" Federal Government.

Thank you for spreading the news about this travesty.

G.

This is an exceptional poem...it's like Frost blended with Brautigan in a way neither guy would imagine possible. G.

When Suzy Falls is just a trickle
the quiet issue of her voice
nickels and dimes its way along
and tickles the underside
of just the larger stones.

When Suzy Falls is running fast
the power of her motion
washes my soul and drains
my bones.

When Suzy falls, you see,
the sheer, the sleek, the smooth, the in, the out,
I always hope she falls on me.

Hello Mig. I don't know exactly where to begin. Your imagery is striking and bold, and the wording is so tight and powerful. The idea of "thoughts composing dreams that define an abstract soul" is so damn good, and the way you combine darkness and the imagined color and sliver of light makes me think of how Rembrant mastered using light and dark contrast. I like this. Now I have to search this forum for more of your work.

G.

Fallout shelter? Tomb? Thick walls? Bunker?

I thought these words represented some very nice emotional imagery, but the sustained metaphor of failed irrigation is truly masterful.

Again, I wish I had written that! Really cool thought merged with really cool expression and form...that is poetry!

G.

A line from Wallace Stevens comes to mind as I ponder this sad but very humorous tale about the stark difference between reality and fiction:

"Fictive things, wink as they will, wink most when widows wince."

I'm sure you winced more than once during this bizarre encounter. May that Prince Charming one day appear just as handsome in reality as your mental image of him.

Annyjo,

I agree completely with pandora39. This is a lovely sentiment and a skillfully crafted verse. I too see your talent...as you said about my poem, the pain is so evident, but your poetic expression creates a soothing halo above it. I hope you feel this too.

G.

When you laugh
it is like
the whole world
woke up early
on Christmas morning
and found neat stuff
under the tree.

Annyjo,

Thank you, but that pain was eliminated greatly by the act of putting the emotions into words and expressing them. The loss of a dearly loved one is a tough thing that so many people face. It took me many years and three tours of duty in Iraq to finally shed the burden of pain, but I did it and now seek nothing but happiness for however many years I have left. Thank goodness there are wonderful people in the world and wonderful guitars to fill my days.

Thanks again,
G.

Loving braunschweiger as I do, this caught my eye, and I am so glad it did. What a great poetic statement to equate out-of-the-ordinary foods with affection.

Also, your poem "Within" had super imagery that struck me as all good poetry does with the thought "I wish I had written that!"

G.

Forever sat in silent darkness
and promised herself
she'd try to do better.
Fifteen years before she smiled
both inside and out
at the words "For as long as you both shall live."

She was Forever, and she took it personally.

When she came home one night and wondered,
Where was he? she thought of her friend
Betrayal who lived down the street.

She was Forever and quickly found resolve.

He came home through the door
of broken promises with a nicely wrapped package
of fallen love.
It was tied with a pretty bow of insincerity,
and he offered it with cold confidence.

She was Forever, and she enjoyed presents.

She sat in silent darkness
holding her gift
and promised herself
she'd try to do better.

After all, she was Forever,
and she'd given her word.

goldenhinde, that is one extremely nicely constructed poem. I tip my hat to you. You capture the deepest emotion with a calm tone that is so much better than the overly emotional and plaintiff cries for love. Again, good job. G.

Firing cruise missiles into a soveriegn country is an "act of war." That is an undeniable fact. You can't treat other countries like schoolyard bullies no matter how brutal the dictator may be. The idea that we are first going to "send a message" was ridiculous given the rules of warfare. The next postion by our government is that we want to turn the tide of battle in Syria's civil war. That too is ridiculous since we open a couple of problematic doors:

Russia and Iran support Assad.
The aftermath of a rebel victory will likely be the same as in Egypt, Lybia, and Tunisia...chaos in which Islamic fanatics flourish.

What are the true objectives here? If obama, kerry, mccain, and the other fools know, they are not telling. That is not how America is supposed to work. If they don't know, we are certainly wise to abandon this foolhardy plan.

Returning to the schoolyard bully idea. That is how Amerian politics now work, and it is a true shame. We have political non-leaders all crying "afoul" whenever anything doesn't go their way. They are like the schoolyard whiners. The juvenile nature of world politics is frightening when one considers that countless innocent people are being killed to support these idiots.

War? Hell no. More US police action? Hell no. Save face? That is idiotic even to consider. We should never kill anyone simply to save face.

Sadly, this will unfold as it will. May we all pray (those who do that) for wisdom to prevail.

McCain? Obama? Kerry? Assad? Putin? All peas from the same pod.

By the way, I am a Vietnam Era Vet with three tours in the Iraqi Theater too so I have a pretty good understanding of how terrible this all is.

G.

Firing cruise missiles into a soveriegn country is an "act of war." That is an undeniable fact. You can't treat other countries like schoolyard bullies no matter how brutal the dictator may be. The idea that we are first going to "send a message" was ridiculous given the rules of warfare. The next postion by our government is that we want to turn the tide of battle in Syria's civil war. That too is ridiculous since we open a couple of problematic doors:

Russia and Iran support Assad.
The aftermath of a rebel victory will likely be the same as in Egypt, Lybia, and Tunisia...chaos in which Islamic fanatics flourish.

What are the true objectives here? If obama, kerry, mccain, and the other fools know, they are not telling. That is not how America is supposed to work. If they don't know, we are certainly wise to abandon this foolhardy plan.

Returning to the schoolyard bully idea. That is how Amerian politics now work, and it is a true shame. We have political non-leaders all crying "afoul" whenever anything doesn't go their way. They are like the schoolyard whiners. The juvenile nature of world politics is frightening when one considers that countless innocent people are being killed to support these idiots.

War? Hell no. More US police action? Hell no. Save face? That is idiotic even to consider. We should never kill anyone simply to save face.

Sadly, this will unfold as it will. May we all pray (those who do that) for wisdom to prevail.

McCain? Obama? Kerry? Assad? Putin? All peas from the same pod.

By the way, I am a Vietnam Era Vet with three tours in the Iraqi Theater too so I have a pretty good understanding of how terrible this all is.

G.