Author: Rob Kistner

Peering over the cliff’s edge
high above the churning fall
of the steel-blue stream
I point

look down my friend
watch that trout

with the svelte grace of a dancer
it slides in then out again
gently flexing in the soft break
of a stream-bed boulder’s shade

look there

I call attention
across the stone canyon
cut by this persistence of current

an Osprey lights a branch
a focused sentinel
measuring the timing and tactic
of his imagined next meal

let us go to the water

down the steep granite face
through the white aspen and Douglas fir
giant chinquapin and Oregon madrone
I descend at steady pace
bent-knee’d and cautious

I throttle and steer
with boot tread and trek staff
followed by a fine-dust slide
of chattering limestone pebble
and dry needle
clattering the rip rap

down to the stream-side grass patch
then alertly hop
rock to rock

‘cross the tumble
of crystal chill current
to where I’ll make camp
in this wilderness canyon

midst the quiet rush
of the Clackamas waters
and the hushed murmur
of tall Ponderosa bough
I settle

OK Gary
you’ve tagged along
all afternoon my friend
pestering my thoughts
with the urge of verse

so here is the perfect spot
to stop
to rest and meditate
mesmerized by this eden

taking seat on a downed Douglas
I inhale deeply
nature’s wonderful wild bouquet
exhaling the stress of the day

my soul feels a presence
still with me
the presence of a kindred spirit

quieting my core
I build a small fire

task done
I close my eyes
and peacefully wait
enjoying the crackle of logs
and the voice of the stream

a breeze stirs
nudging the flames
opening my eyes

so — Mr Snyder
what’s on our mind

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Conversing The Muse”
by: rob kistner © 4/16/24

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

Poetry at: NaPoWriMo 2024 — Day 16

Friday
late night
she’s in the bar
to stop a fight

here she comes
badge flashing gold
eyes flashing blue
gun steel cold

long arm of the law…

…long legs
long hair
vicious gorgeous
everywhere

intoxicated
I stop
I stare

captured
invested
utterly arrested

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

Poetry at: NaPoWriMo 2024 — Day 15

Like drizzled honey
the sun through the treetops
paints my face in golden warmth

my thoughts drift to you
and the tall ships in Beaufort Harbor
their sails aglow
etched in shadows
cast by their riggings
and the masts of adjacent ships

you commented how the patterns
reminded you
of abstract charcoal sketches

the artist in you
always interpreting your world

sunshine made radiant your gentle face
your emerald eyes fired to a sparkle
squinting in the rays

your smile
brighter than the sun that day

I stared captivated
watching your eyes dance
among the docks and ships
that unfolded like a still life before us

watching your coral lips
sculpt your words
wishing the moment
would last forever

not knowing
how soon it would not
could not
did not

this morning
my memories
amble sweetly
back through time

I find solace
in this cuddled sunlight
knowing it warms you
as you rest

peacefully

in the sun-drenched meadow
where last I closed
your beautiful emerald eyes

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Hypnotic”
by: rob kistner © 4/11/24

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

Poetry at: Poets & Storytellers

Poetry at: NaPoWriMo 2024 — Day 11

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Box of Love” by: rob kistner © 4/10/24

The bones of my wonder
of my stumbled tumbled dreams
are spilled from my soul box
in which I’ve collected
the scarred and damaged pieces
of my broken hopes

wonders trapped within
a box within more boxes
hope so deeply buried
helplessly interred
but — must not abandon wonder
must not abandon love

love is sealed within
the boxes of my wonder
locked inside my heart
lost in the rubble
of years of broken promise
yet — I will find it again

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Emotional Rubble of Lies”
by: rob kistner © 4/10/24

humankind must find love again
to find understanding & peace
*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

Poetry at: NaPoWriMo 2024 — Day 11
 

*
rob kistner © 2024

More poetry at: dVerse

Below here are 3 images John photographed through his telescope:
ORION ——————— MOON —————– ORION NEBULA

——–<§>——–

MY IMAGE & POEM

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Have You Seen the Stars” by: rob kistner © 4/2/24

 
Often I dreamt as a young boy
searching the stars again and again
with my red buck rogers telescope
that I would travel there as a man

travel the stars and the planets
that someday I’b be a real spaceman
exploring these amazing new worlds
following my otherworldly life plan

other success took me as a young man
running in circles became my race
consumed by overwhelming stress
caught in a chaotic crazy pace

the years spun by wild as a top
outer space not in the chase
life layered its sad patina
etched deeply in my face

suddenly no longer young
frenetic was my middle name
the triumphs and the tragedies
my space dreams a guttering flame

I’ve borrowed bought and sold
played life wild — never tame
but I leveraged my rocketship
just to play this fleeting game

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Even in the Smallest Petal”
by: rob kistner © 4/2/24

an old man with a flower — sits on a bench
marveling at the petals — feeling drained
the dream faded of a would-be spaceman
mysteries of the universe — unexplained

his body bent by the weight of worry
he reflects in the stars — feels pained
wondering if everything he let get lost
was really worth what it was he gained

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

Poetry at: NaPoWriMo 2024 — Day 2

Leaning on my folded fist
propped against my jaw

my elbow’s solid on my desk

eyes stern
staring
aflame with inconclusion

face is taut
head cocked
tilted to the left

contour of confusion

skull upon the finger bones
in weighted indecision…

…chocolate or vanilla

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

Poetry at: NaPoWriMo 2024 — Day 1

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Tech Free” by: rob kistner © 3/26/24

True wilderness
is an integral part of my soul
first etched into my essence
by my adoptive father in 1951

I was four-years-old

I discovered this bliss
deep in the Canadian forests
two weeks every year
immersed in the beauty of Ontario

exploring remote lakes
traversing wild streams
fishing
hiking
camping
totally off the grid

no phones
no TV
no electricity

it was glorious

but for me
my xanadu
lay at the end
of a long exciting journey
on water
from Lehman’s Landing
the little provisions station
where we put in our boat
to begin the journey

they also sold gas
kerosene
block ice
food staples
and basic medical supplies

this was the last outpost
that could be reached by car
after 3 hours from Espanola
on primitive Ontario forest road
mostly sand an gravel
hard packed into the Canadian soil
by years of loggers and fisherman

the water journey involved portaging
and careful hand-poling

I loved the adventure of it
as did my dad

portaging a chain of pristine lakes
poling through boulder strewn narrows
to reach a beloved destination

the small private island
my father co-owned
with a wonderful Canadian family
the Disanti’s

rising on that island
was in my eyes
a magical chateau

an amazing wilderness cabin
hand-built of self-cut logs
the home and hearth
that will forever
hold a precious part
of my fragile heart

inside its pine log walls
stacked
notched
and pegged walls

a huge wood-burning stove
black iron and bold
with imposing strong legs
powerfully flexed and arched
lifting the mass in steady grip

it was the warm heart
of the love-filled cabin

it cooked the fish we caught
and small game dad hunted
in the wild forests
just across the crystal clear
glacier cold lake

stoked with kindling
and hand-split logs
collected in the forests
thick across the lake
big black also generously
offered the enveloping caress
and impeccable comfort of its warmth

a small hand-hewn log
and sawdust ice house
was nestled conveniently out back
hand-built to sustain perishable foods

it was fresh stocked each week
large ice blocks
retrieved in a 6-hour round trip
to and from Lehman’s Landing

two hand-built log & plank docks
one each side of our island
made access and egress effortless
for these provision runs
which included food and fuel
in addition to the block ice

the granite island itself
a bit under an acre in size
was covered in tufts of scrub grass
bracken fern
black rock and warrior moss
and wild ground-cluster blueberries

also, the remaining stand of white pine
mostly felled to build the cabin
and a small lawn of Kentucky bluegrass
imported to grace the front porch

pure glacial drinking/cooking water
came right out of the lake

waking up to meet the sunrise
found the cozy cabin
falling into a Canadian morning chill

the sound of lake loons
echoing across the water
through the morning mist

the smell of bacon
eggs and potatoes
beginning to permeate
the warming cabin
were intoxicating

these are treasured memories
memories of the place
that endure
that live
and will forever live
in my heart

as does the precious memory
of my beloved adoptive father
who introduced me
as a child
to this wild
beautiful
exhilarating
paradise

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

sweet pink blossoms burst
red spring buds have spread their wings
my heart is reborn

Poetry at: dVerse

*

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Peace Seeker” by: rob kistner © 3/21/24

D eep in this morning silence
as the world awakens
I find solace in the calm
which embraces our forest

in the gentle whisper of wind

in the soft rich colors of dawn

hues of mauve and aurus streak the sky
painting this breathtaking canvas
that stretches to forever

swaddled in this intoxicating peace
intimately in touch with nature’s essence
enwrapped in a spirit vision
I am deeply moved
moved to quiet tears

moved by the fragility that is life
by its wondrous complexity
by its powerful will to sustain

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Complexity & Fragility”
by: rob kistner © 3/21/24

there is a peace here
in this bond of interconnectedness

how precious this moment of balance

the universe has conspired
that I be in this place
that I be of this time

lifted in the euphoria of peace
I resonate with purpose

that I be enjoined to the cause
of the blessed harmony
of the spheres

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Harmony Of the Spheres”
by: rob kistner © 3/21/24

and so I linger
savoring this miracle

lost in the gentle rhythm of being
in the ethereal beat of my heart

impeccably aware
this is precisely
where I’m meant
and for what

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

This poem and art inspired by René Magritte’s “Golconda” —>

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Monovision” by: rob kistner © 3/19/24

 
U nfurling linearity
accumulating into the future
tethered to a uniform past
paralyzed in the now

over and over
repeating in my head
these same odd words
this same strange vision
a visual drone
over and over

unfurling linearity
accumulating into the future
tethered to a uniform past
paralyzed in the now

always the same fevered dream
this inflexible fear

I am fallen paralyzed
unable to lift my head

then I see coming
ever coming
falling slowly
out of the mist
drifting down
always coming

menacingly
unsmiling
faces

coming down

I want to rise up
run at them
scream at them
shake them

but I cannot
I cannot

then a low drone
a haunting chorus of voices

I’m going
going mad I think
then I scream out
in my smothering nightmare
“I’m going mad
absolutely mad!”

suddenly
in voiced unison

“yes Asimo
you are going mad”

“Asimo” I shout back
“my name is not Asimo”

then comes again
the unified voice
a disembodied voice
“oh, but we are all Asimo now”

“no” I cry out
“please go away
leave me alone
what do you want!”

“want?
why — you Asimo…
we want you”

“I think you’re all crazy”
in my dream
my head’s tilted back
angrily shouting

“no no Asimo, you are — thinking?
there’s no thinking —
just being comfortably tethered…
tethered to our uniform past
safe in our rigid now
unfurling into our linear future”

I am shuddering as I awaken
sweating
terrified

then, suddenly startled
I hear it

yes
in the distance

an unmistakable
low droning

unintelligible unified voices

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

 
S harp dressed dude
in a felt chapeau
deepest red
as fine Bordeaux

french-cuff ivory shirt
soft as cream dessert

red linen coat
double-breasted
uptown savvy
teal velvet-vested

tan gabardine slacks
3-pleated right
sunshine satin tie
knotted tight

lookin’ like jazz-age Paris
on Saturday night

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Chickaree” by: rob kistner © 3/14/24

 
Outside my window
here in the Cascade foothills
late afternoon celebrates

alive in April’s sun
it’s the scurry of small things
the flight of majestic birds
warmed by Spring rising

imminent-equinox nature
midst the rich vernal spectrum
is in splendid voice

the chuff of tree’d red squirrel
the American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus

referred to by many
as the chickaree
or even pine squirrel

these chattery little bandits
prefer the higher-elevation
coniferous forests of Oregon

they blend their chittered bursts
with the songs
chirps
and trills of birds

chickadee
goldfinch
western bluebird
northern flicker
western tanager

and high airborne
osprey
hawk
and eagle

so many others
that fly
flutter
and flit
through the intoxicating
Pacific NW mountain air

all the while
quick little chickaree

in lightning-fast raiding parties
are stealing
cracking
and feasting on
wild bird seed

they effortlessly spill these
from my
“strategically placed”
squirrel-proof
bird feeders

yeah / right!

nothing is safe
from these scampering
bushy-tailed brigands

highly aggressive
fiercely territorial

their little 6” bodies
11” including tails
are amazingly physically capable

swinging
twisting
leaping
hanging
balancing

fearless acrobats
unbelievable contortionists

they can climb straight up
an extremely slippery
pencil-thin
6’ tall black metal pole

and then hang
by only one hand-like paw
while eating

utterly amazing

I watch it
still don’t believe it

cute as they are
they’re exasperating as hell

these seed raids
occasionally occur
under the patient eye
of a wise Red-Tailed Hawk

also with a mind on dinner

depending on disposition
this winged watcher
can make these raids
much less enthusiastic

wild nature checks
while always seeking balance

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Red Tailed Hawk”
by: rob kistner © 3/14/24

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

~ we must protect the wild spaces for these, and all magnificent creatures ~

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “M’Love” by: rob kistner © 3/14/24

 
Just beyond the garden wall
across the meadow
last night’s dew clings fondly
to our willow’s cascade
enwrapping it
in crystalline embrace

comes a zephyr’s stir
it shimmers

as if bejeweled with diamonds
sparkling in the morning sunlight

a splendor befitting
the lush beauty

this bright Spring day
has begun clear and crisp

bird songs lilt gently
carried on the soft breeze

our willow rustles
a tender murmur

I see you afar
approaching on the woodland path
backlit by April’s sunrise

your hair flashes golden
a’burst in dawn’s glow

I am a smitten lover
beholding my beautiful beloved

I watch you
as you stop by the willow
a’swim in wildflowers

your head tilts upward
eyes close
lost in nature’s serenade

in this moment
breathtaken
my love spills over

desire kindles ’round me
until I am ablaze

you fix your eyes upon me
your lips sculpt a smile
then a kiss

good morning they say

I fly to you
take you in my arms
swept up on passion’s wings

this golden morning
I am consumed
by the sweet fire
of m’love

Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Sunrise Kiss”
by: rob kistner © 3/14/24

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse

 
Beautiful eyes
dangerous and deep as nile nocturne
scorching as nubian sundance

this blackthorn rose
is the secreted passion
craving’s dominance

bewitched of eros

the sultry goddess
inscribed in the book of ardor

fired in molten desire
a woman forged of earthen bronze

an ebony sorceress
vernal seductress
emerged from a golden dawn

ablaze in the sensual dreams
of writhing midnight

smoldering ember
in the golden echo
of a soul-torched love call
sustained to surrender’s sweet moan

she is smoke and flame
lust’s mysterious traveler

*
rob kistner © 2024

Poetry at: dVerse