Bubblewrap. My mom used to fall down a lot, and we told her we should wrap her in bubblewrap. Today, talking about bumping into things a lot due to my wonky eyesight, the topic came up again. Bubblewrap hat… maybe a turban! Because it would be so elegant. Then this: *scene on a bus, train, …
Author Archives: Ciel
LAMENT
When the night goes dark, all glowing wild eyes dimmed and dead;When the forest goes silent of song and cry and roarand there is only the creakingof trees moved by the empty rush of wind;When flowers no longer humwith the dancing bee;When the sky is bleak of wingsthat glitter and crackleor suddenly rattle or softly …
Birthday Card to 30s
A friend of mine turns 30 today. My elder kids are well into their own now, and my youngest is about to reach this mark. I remember my 30s, half a lifetime ago… From here, from now, they look quite different from how they did then. Here is my birthday card to everyone turning 30: …
Next Time…
Next time, I want a lifein more dimensions.Not just for- and backwards,Not bound so tight to time.I want to livenot only walking on the earthbut soaring, eagle-high,or flitting among leaves and boughs, or swiftly coursing distancesbetween the trees, the rooftops,the ledges of great canyons, coasting on warm rising airs… Or I will live more slowly,cruising …
It’s A Dry Heat
A dry heat crackles,parches the pale and spiny desert.In the red-rock landsof colossal cloudsthat stride the sky like gods–lit with sunlight, shadows, sometimeshearts aflash with lightning glowsand casting the colored laughterof rainbows in curtainsthat never touch the ground. Warm, essence of sage and mesquite on the air… Dry heat shatters:The storm, relentless,a vivid line between …
A SUMMER AFTERNOON
Heavy as hot wet flannel, every breath…I hate to sit or move againstthis August afternoon.Sticky-damp, clothes cling,a drag against ambition.Birds, lethargic, dull,sing only if they must,fly ghostlike if at allthrough dusty drooping trees.Cicadas ratchet on and on–maddeningly constant;mosquitoes whineor strike unheard, the devils!Roses overblown and bright,relishing this tropic season,exude aromas heavy and too sweet. I …
Reclaiming the Eternal Feminine
MEDUSA O maid, you once were lovely,full of grace, and namedfor Wisdom in eternal female form–Metis, Maat, Medha the names you bore… But the passing generations,reshaping and restructuring your form,made you over as a thing to fear,no longer Maid, but Monsterwith a deadly, stony gaze; Men made you cruel and coldand perilous to life in …
Who?
I look for youyour sweet face gleamingon the very edge of dreaming,I seek you, yearningto believe,to knowthat you are real…that we are in a worldtogether loving,touching, laughing,waltzingon a harlequin ballroom floor,chequered black and white,smooth and perfectin a forest glen,beneath crystal skiesand lit bydancing fireflies…
Privilege
I walked a path today, a path I’ve passedoh, many times before,because it led up-hill,and looked like work…But today, I walked it anyway. I was rewarded bya twisting tree I’ve never seen,and colored textures in the trailand a gated fence with signs:“No Trespassing” and“Private Property… No Entry”–all on the far side of the fencingfacing outward to the …
Octopus
Lurkingloosely,blobbishlyunrolling,your enormousbulbous heada-lolling,with a kind ofneckless graceas you come pouringdown the faceof rocky covesand coral caves that shimmerwith a most enchanting glimmerthrough the roofof pulsing waves–Gem set in a jewel… Red or yellow,white and polka-dotsor maybe cobalt blue:Loosely committed to your shade,your shape also definedsort ofby whatever space you fill… And yet, in youa hunter’s will…And truth be told,you’re really …
LOOSELY SPEAKING... 