week 316 ~ I feel naked in front of the mirror

I feel naked in front of the mirror
of truth what exactly am I looking
for what more could I expect do I fear
exposure commitment what should I bring
to the table do I still have cards to
play as I stare down the void double check
the map the clock the appointment where do
I line up who’s waiting to stack the deck
in the dark as the world begins to spin
out from under my feet I jump something
catches my parachute the silent din
of waiting words which one the golden ring
I sit up drink in hand searching for rhymes
the damn muse just slaps you around sometimes

thanks to my friend Alec for the last line.

week 267 ~ writing the dream

writing the dream
dreaming the song
thoughts float downstream
writing the dream
though it may seem
hard push along
writing the dream
dreaming the song

week 225 ~ I flex my muscles

I flex my muscles
and jump in the sea
inspiration pulls
I flex my muscles
a soft breeze rustles
the sunshine for me
I flex my muscles
and jump in the sea

week 92 ~ naked in time and space

naked in time and space
my words wait patiently
unmasked by formal grace
naked in time and space
I never can erase
them once they’ve been set free
naked in time and space
my words wait patiently

week 82 ~ it passed almost without notice

it passed almost without notice
the most perfect day of my life
unremarked unlike days of strife
that yield a sonnet or two bliss
carries itself lightly you miss
its importance at first now I
try to find words to explain why
the memory of a child’s laughter
a lover’s smile persist after
the unheeded blink of an eye

week 81 ~ as if writing was something that happened

as if writing was something that happened
to me like an act of truth or sunlight
on the wall or a moment when I might
find all the words I’ve ever imagined
floating onto a page unbidden take
off the clothes my thoughts have been taught to wear
by men who know more than me so I’ll dare
succeed or fail or wobble as I make
an attempt to say what I feel without
thinking about what I feel without in-
tellect intervening as I begin
to see a place with no room left for doubt
where I’ll unpack myself understanding
that somehow this could be the one real thing

The words in italics are quotes from Fernando Pessoa’s “One Way or Another,” written in 1914.