Small Cracks

Small cracks

I waver on the edge
and ask myself
How deep is it?
this fiord beneath my feet
The crack is narrow
the ice has pushed up
on both sides
The tide
showing of its strength
This seems to be a
habit of mine
Teetering on the edge of
small cracks
Places where others

simply stretch their legs

and walk over

I am such a timid bird

embarrassed that 

with all my strength

I'm not an eagle

soaring off

a real precipice

and

drifting down

into a real

canyon

"ellecee"

Something Missed

I have
missed
something
but what is it
I have
missed?
I have travelled
a long way
to get here
I am sometimes
very tired
I hold up
in quiet places
I walk through
forests
I listen
to birds
I pick up
scents
I think about
the past
all the
empty
abandoned
nests
The fireworks
at dusk
The stars
in the night sky
Flowers
blooming
children
playing
cliches
metaphors
Where is it
hiding?
This thing
I missed
I will only
know
when
I find it
If I
find it
before
it's
to late
to
see

"ellecee"

Reflection

Every day is
a new life
every hour
a second,
third, fourth,
chance
every second
an adventure
so minuscule
we don't
notice
like
the beating
of our hearts
and
each breath
that
we take





"ellecee"

Jigalong Song

We came
to this
place
as adventurers
and
explorers

You felt
on the edge
I felt
I had
returned
to the
womb

We
wrestled
for position
in a place
where
there need be
none

A place
of peace,
solitude,
and ever
present
silence

During quiet
periods
we sat
facing
knee to knee
hand in hand
eyes
closed

Willing
the spirits
to give us
answers
to the
unanswerable

Answers to
old
questions

Where
does love
come from?

Where
does love
 go?

What is
the sound
of loss?

Jigalong song.







"ellecee"




Jigalong Sunset (photo credit)
Jigalong is a remote Australian Indigenous community of approximately 427 people located in Western Australia. 

Meetings

At times of their choosing they
travel to a meeting place
beyond the restrictions of their
every day world

In silence they drift toward
each other and lie quietly
floating and dreaming together
of yet to be discovered
days of wonder

She touches him and her body
comes alive, awakened from a long
self-imposed exile and she marvels
at how her senses
never forget

They are comforted and sated and
filled to the brim with old emotions
made new through this discovery
of a shared vision
intense and personal

They stay in this place for as long
as their minds allow, until the ordinary
world infringes again and returns
them to the duties
of the every day

Except now these gifts remain
just within reach
the body and spirit are
mellowed
from the memory of their meeting
and they rest
in that joy



"ellecee"





A note: These last two poems of mine are really old but when I encounter them again they bring back
memories and a sense of  an endearing history, something special to share again.

Contact

She is the one haunting
and the haunted,
the chalice and the wine,
the lover
and the beloved
the singer and the song

Because he can come to her
only in dreams
she feels their roles merge,
separate, merge again,
their energy moves, mingles,
passes away

A spiral downward into an abyss,
a deep cavern
echoing with the sounds
of joy





"ellecee"

The Couple

They are woven together
no - punched,
hooked,
a rug of many colours
all dark
Misery blended
with misery
until the pattern is
indiscernible,
beautiful;
causing their neighbours
and strangers
to mistake them
for joy





"ellecee"

Lost Poem

Floating
on a sea of unease
the wind rising
stirring my unwritten
words
blowing them
out of my mind
I weep
as I see them
smashed
against the shoal
Fair weather friends





"ellecee"

Too Sweet

I am sickened from

too much sweet

yet I crave it and

rush to Woolies to buy

chocolate and liquorice

by the 100 gram

and eat until I am 

saturated and unsatisfied

silly and sick

confused again

What would suffice?

I wonder

instead of this

vice

"ellecee"

Cement

She likes to lie down

sometimes

with her cheek pressed to cold cement

uncompromising,

worn smooth on the surface

from being trod upon

by so many feet

"ellecee"

What To Do

I've walked this
street one hundred
times before
Breathed deeply
the scent of cherry
blossoms in spring,
the cool fall breeze
has caressed my skin
as fallen leaves rustled
at my feet
Through winter wonderlands
and summer heat, sultry and
moist,
and then I met you
a chance encounter,
you were lost, walking down
the wrong street, looking for
the wrong house, not my house;
You smiled at me, reached out
and touched my arm
Destiny sang, karmic, cosmic
coincidences collided in colours
of every hue
What to do?
What to do?

Post Sally

You have to keep going
that's what everybody says
but what do they know
and what to keep going for?
Budding flowers,  falling leaves,
cantankerous old men, laughing children,
rebuilt houses, home made stew, joints,
dill pickles, apple pie, tequila, beer,
sunsets, beach walking, dreams, sex,
making love, birth, rebirth, etc, etc,
because the alternative
is
what?




"ellecee"

Dance

We used
 to dance
a slow waltz
Moving to the
music with just
enough attention
to be decent
You smelling of
spruce and Old Spice
and I
of
Emarude



"ellecee"

Beloved Gnome

Below the surface of the external
you move,
skillfully gathering treasures for me.

These you push to the surface
at appropriate moments
and I am filled with awe
at your artistry.

I poke about in this grubby
reality
searching for signs of your
being near
A keen desire to possess this
wary spirit dominates me.

But you have disappeared into your
special subterranean world
of wanton fantasy

Silence engulfs me and I wait
willingly, longingly, for the
next
eventuality



"ellecee"

Bag Lady

I could be that bag lady

you know

the one who stands outside

your favourite Greek restaurant

and holds her hand out

and says

"change please"

as you walk through the door

and stand by the bar and order

Greek salad to go and

when you get your food

you pass by her again

on the way out

and you walk home to your studio

and sit down in front of

the TV watching

Saturday night hockey

and you eat the tomatoes first

as usual

and then you go to the fridge

and crack a beer

and 

just for a second

you remember

she touched your sleeve 

on the way out

"Christ" you say

"I'd better get that

jacket cleaned first thing

Monday"

I could be her

I could be that bag lady

you know

for all you see me

"ellecee"

Boys to Men

Boys to men
is history
but when this takes place
is a mystery

When he turns from
toy pistols and tiny cars
and takes up automatic rifles
and sends missiles to the stars

He runs away from girls,
is nervous and blushes
but before very long
he's number one with the rushes

He dreams of power
perhaps money and fame,
he's a little shocked to discover
how it's all such a game

But he plays it well
'cause that's what "men" do
he may never let on
that he's sensitive too

Like the smell of a battlefield
makes him so sick
but a toke or a rum
gets rid of that quick

Falling in love is a
short trip to bliss
But hold onto your head man
you can't live on this

He's got his priorities
lined up in a row
He knows for sure where
he's got to go

Boys to men
is history
But when this takes place
is a mystery





"ellecee"

Night Street

Behind and beneath the
kaleidoscope of city lights
the homeless sleep on
cardboard mattresses and
cover themselves with
yesterday's news

I speed by their outposts
enclosed in a yellow cab
and admire the dramatic beauty
of reflected light




"ellecee"

He & Thee

He's a pixie, fast and nimble

She's a fairy

she makes him tremble

She touches him

and sparks ignite

You see them as

falling stars

at night

"ellecee"

Old Fashioned Letters

Letters
delivered to boxes
known yet unknown

Beginnings on smooth white paper
she touches with her fingertips
wishing it were his shoulder blade
fitting into the palm of her hand

Black letters darting out
from her typewriter
forming new words
discoveries of her mind's eye

Letters to paper
as tongues meeting
delivering their special message

exploring

response or no response

Delightful tension
committed to the mail
from her hand to his
whatever mileage lie between

As he opens the envelope
as he unfolds the white sheet
as she transmits through this
the strength of her desire

the letter disintegrates
in his hands




"ellecee"

An Inconvenience

She has been a nuisance woman

He could have done better with a Lab retriever,
faithful, obedient, and speechless;
unable to write letters
or call on the telephone

She, the cocoon lady,
locked herself away
from the rape of cold suitors
Filled with suspicion and disbelief
unable to open in a night

Inconvenient woman
wanting to make a mark on him
invisible to the naked eye
but felt in his heart

Wanting to emerge sometimes
through the words of a song
in a quiet office by the telephone
through the liquid warmth of a cup of tea
or thoughts of field mice in a country kitchen

a dance

anything

Nuisance woman
feeling memories
through the palms of her hands
and coming up
empty




"ellecee"

Winter Olympics

Too high to see anyone

and talk about the winter

olympics or how much

snow has fallen in the

Maritimes this year

So she sits at the sports bar

and drinks Guinness

She relaxes and lets her mind

trace outlines throughout

her body encircling the

places where her senses

have come alive again.

She waits for the old, resurfaced,

needs to subside

It’s an effort not to cry

the tears are right

there, She can feel her

eyes coated with moisture

The bar maid must be

thinking, “she’s high on

something”

Or maybe just pathetic

and too old for this sort of

nonsense, she probably

thinks, “it will never

happen to me”

As if passion stops at

55, punch the time clock

and your card’s rejected, no

overtime allowed.

The second Guinness helps

She starts to watch the big screen

Olympic snowboarding

Wow, would you look at

that! He lifts off, spins in

the air, lands dead on and

finishes with a flourish,

snow flying around his feet

38.9 seconds

Is that a record, do you think?

“ellecee”

Art

I sketch strangers

on the street, endlessly,

until they cease to be

the others

"ellecee"

Are You There

If you only look on the surface

nothing moves here in winter

The thick ice seems dead and silent

The snow never melts

But when you walk on the ice

you see it differently

The ice is blue or green in the places

where gases are trapped within

Deep cracks appear

forced openings from the continuing

pressure of daily tides

The ice breaths as you walk

subtle and ghostly as if it is alive

under your feet

Steam rises from the crevices

The snow crunches underfoot

There are tiny tracks made by

some animal searching for food

If you listen closely the silence

is broken by the sound of the sea's breath

or the scratching of tiny feet on the

crust of the snow

If you only look on the surface

nothing moves here in winter

but when you walk on the ice

You see it differently.

 "ellecee"

COLD

These days are cold

yet no frost forms

on my windows

My view is clear and

what I see

are memories.

Rooftops covered

with snow,

wisps of smoke from

chimney tops,

a frozen fiord,

a full moon.

"ellecee"

FREE

She has escaped bonds

she is flying in the clouds

Momentarily

*********

Freedom comes after

30 days with Haiku muse

strange bedfellow

***********

"ellecee"

This has been a perfect month of challenges. I have enjoyed it very much. The writing but also the reading of so many wonderful creative haiku. Thank you all so much for commenting on my contributions. I appreciate you stopping by. Thank you, Leo, for hosting. Until the next time,,,,,,

BATTLE FIELD

She has all the answers

and will always prove you wrong

Choose your battlefield

**********

Battle fields abound

protagonists claim their truths

Futility reigns

**********

"ellecee"

WALTZ

You are holding me

and gently move me in tune

Our favourite song

"ellecee"

FOOTPRINT

Something left

in spite of the rain

a footprint

"ellecee"

PAPER BOAT

Our relationship

paper boat on a smooth sea

Beware the waves

"ellecee"

SLEEP

Under the covers

thighs touch occasionally

Unconscious knowing

"ellecee"

PARADOX 2

You love me

still the sad quarrels

Paradox

"ellecee"

A note - My pup had an emergency visit to the vet tonight and I didn't think I could write something - but changed my mind and tried,,,,,

|

PARADOX

Molly sick

Better at the vet's

Paradox

"ellecee"

HUMMING BIRD

Holding the flower

I hear the hum of your wings

Nectar collector

"ellecee"

BIRTH

You give birth to love

quietly without notion

Unrequited

"ellecee"

GLORY

To the winner goes

the glory of achievement

Losers shrivel

"ellecee"

LIGHTS

Your love lights my way

I am never lost in you

My resolution

"ellecee"

ISLAND

I am an island

fragrant, lush, and bountiful

Sail to me

"ellecee"

STARVE

Black & White

I will never starve

your love fills all of my needs

Consistent giving

I starve without you

the light is gone from my life

Rigor Mortis

"ellecee"

MEADOW

Tall grasses and flowers

a path you can barely see

Lure of the meadow

"ellecee"

GRASS

Over the flatlands

undulating colours mix

Prairie grasses thrive

"ellecee'

CREATION

I created you

you blossomed under my care

Imagination

Fretting over seeds

always tending to new growth

Sharing creation

"ellecee"

REVELATION

Images of you

many years before life changed.

An innocent youth

"ellecee"

SYMPHONY

Symphony

depressing my day

missing notes

"ellecee"

RAIN

 

Raindrops are falling

caught up in the peace of now

I lie and listen

"ellecee"

DIVINE

So divine

melting on my lips

Soft ice cream

"ellecee"

PEPPER

Pepper hot

our words spewing out

First quarrel

"ellecee"

GLOSS

The gloss has worn off

through many years of touching

a picture of you

"ellecee"

RENDER

You are my heart's song
gift from a generous god
Render me helpless





"ellecee"

AGILE

My spry guy

agile when it suits

Love is sweet

"ellecee"

Milky Way

Lying down with you

my eyes on the milky way

Exquisite moment

"ellecee"

Autumn

I pick up the rake

the last leaves have fallen now

Let's walk away

"ellecee

MOON

Wilderness calls me

 full moon in a cloudless sky

the smell of burnt bush

"ellecee"

Loneliness

Loneliness

A full moon rising

another month passing by

Loneliness abides

"ellecee"