The thing I hunt,it lurks in every shadowthat ever consumed a human soul:In crevices and pits and fensit hides, and snarls softly–knows I’m here…I hear it breathing, very near, and I am ready–must be ready for it–when it rages upand out from pit and fen–to cast my spear, my spell–I mean to conquer and compel! …
Tag Archives: poem
Late October Morning
Morning has broken–its edges shattered by the wind;Dawnlight leaks through the torn hem of overcast;Tree boughs new-relieved of colorflutter and bounce and danceto the strains of winter musicof the coming of colder daysand slight rain considersriding down the windas snow. by CL Redding 10/22
Autumn Winds
Dancing on the windclinging to the boughs that were life in springand summer home… In autumn finery they show,parade and prance, let go at last and danceon air as if mortality is not a thing at all. by CL Redding 10/2022
In Praise of Patience
I was cold in the morning, shivering,but I knew the day would warmwith the rising sun. Hearts broken by humankind unkind, humanity inhumane,we bear the meanessof our worldsplodding on, plodding on… between the shadows castby obstacles half-seen,mistaken,misinformed,misunderstood–we go on seeking truth with our broken hearts. Beset by grief,taught guilt and shameand fear by all its names, even so we …
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 …
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 …
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 …
LOOSELY SPEAKING... 