expressed by the sacred voice of the soul.
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Beast of Verse” by: rob kistner © 1/9/24
A beast of verse
a seeker of my soul’s expression
stalker of the proper
the perfect turn of phrase
poetry’s ever my obsession
ever my prize
it haunts me
taunts me
relentlessly I seek it
in the voice of a breeze
stirring the trees
in forest high canopies
in the rustle of leaves
and dried conifer needles
underfoot
hiking
in the drumming
of my footfalls
on old growth root chambers
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Root Chamber Rhythms”
by: rob kistner © 1/9/24
in the crackle
of a chill
still
late night
campfire
in the cries
calls
chuffs
growls
and belling
of wild nature
it arrives in the roar
of the pacific ocean
rolling waves
crashing on a rocky shore
or relentlessly pounding
sheer cliff facades
that flank
the coast
soaring skywardy
from the ocean floor
it reveals itself
surprising
in a captured glimpse
of the midnight moon
rising
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Midnight Moon Rising”
by: rob kistner © 1/9/24
in the shimmered beams
of golden sunlight
drifting down dreamlike
to fire the forest clearing
it is the song
of the soul
played to the music
of the spheres
in the chords of truth
that every angel hears
it floats
between the notes
of a mellow jazz tune
and in the mist
that veils the
early AM moon
it murmurs in the ripples
lapping my drift boat
as I fish
afloat
a high mountain lake
seeking my take
it comes enwrapped
in the sounds
that abound
in pacific northwest
wilderness
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Quiet Contemplation”
by: rob kistner © 1/9/24
it comes unbidden
quietly hidden
dancing elusively
in and out of my thoughts
it comes in the quiet
of warm firelight
deep in the night
when all else
has fallen away
I reach out
to embrace it
in the hope
it will stay
it whispers to me
drawing me deeper
into the mystery
of it all
I hear it call
coaxing me to the edge
of almost comprehension
yet leaving me aglow
needing to know
in brilliant bewilderment
warm in the embrace
of bewitching wonderment
a beast of verse
compelled to write
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Compelled To Write”
by: rob kistner © 1/9/24
*
rob kistner © 2024
Poetry at: dVerse
I’m speechless, Rob, the mixing of the concrete and mystical call of the “beast of verse,” the relentless drive to poetry, is powerful. Where do I start? Every stanza conjures a resonant image, but I was especially struck (dumb) by “in the drumming/of my footfalls/on old growth root chambers,” “in the cries/calls/chuffs/growls/and belling/of wild nature,” and “it murmurs in the ripples/lapping my drift boat/fishing/a peaceful mountain lake.” The compulsion towards mystery, discovery, and wonder and a measure of comprehension is so appealingly rendered. Simply brilliant, Rob.
Thank you so much Dora. I am humbled by your gracious words. This was me embracing both my love nature and my love of poetry, so it was a pleasure to write my friend… 🙂
I love the way the poem engulfs you in imagery; my favourite part :”in the crackle
of a chill
still
late night
campfire”
Thank you Oloriel I’m pleased that this resonates for you… 🙂
For your beast of voice, poetry is the air you breathe! Well done, Rob.
Thank you Dwight… 🙂
Woohoo! The beast of verse is surely real! Just love your opening stanza Rob!
Thank you so very much Carol. I appreciate your kind words… 🙂
A powerful poem, Rob.
Thank you Judy… 🙂
A beast of the mind, raging with words from wild nature to expand into your hands and your pen… mangificient.
Thank you Björn, I so appreciate your gracious words my friend… 🙂
A beautiful beast of a poem, Rob, its muscles rippling with imagery. I love the phrase ‘stalker of a perfect phrase’ and the lines:
‘in the drumming
of my footfalls
on old growth root chambers’
and
‘it reveals itself
surprising
in a captured glimpse
of the midnight moon
rising’.
Thank you so much Kim, I appreciate your kind words… 🙂
Beast / Verse ~ how often have I felt that frustration, nearing anger. How dare you verse become my beast I shout!!! This is an amazing reaction to the challenge.
Thank you Helen… 🙂
A beast of a writer in all seasons and passionate about the craft. Love this one Rob. Hope all is well.
Thank you Grace. All is well with me, and my wife Kathy has been pronounced cancer free — so things are much better right now … I appreciate your asking 🙂
You have taken the entire world and made it your muse! Beautiful.
Thank you Kerfe… 🙂 …the natural world is my muse. There is very little that is inspiring about the human hordes that are cities. In these days, cities seem mostly violent, discordant, diseased piles of disagreeable homo sapiens — no thanks.
Rob, this is a stupendous write! Your beast of verse roars most poetically!
Thank you so much Punam. I’m glad it resonated for you. 🙂
I like that you’ve included poetry’s movement all around us (drifting down, floating), especially the repeated idea of poetry rising, and find this an interesting insight into your writing. I especially enjoy/relate to these lines:
“stalker of the proper
the perfect turn of phrase”
“soaring skyward
from the ocean floor
it reveals itself”
“I hear it call
coaxing me to the edge
of almost comprehension”
Thank you Melissa, your graciousness is much appreciated my friend… 🙂
Rob I love how you characterize yourself as a beast on the prowl for verse in your favorite hunting ground. Have you seen that netflix show, “Alone” yet? I’m watching it right now and your poem immediately brings it to mind.
Thank you lisa. I have not seen the movie — but I will. Thank you for the tip my friend… 😉