•
and he saw them leaving
and he opened his mouth in farewell
but only dust escaped
and broken dreams
and a spoiled promise
from long ago
left too long on the shelf
so he raised his hand
to gesture a wave
but he was rigid
and could not
and they did not hear him
and they did not see him
for he had already vanished
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
• linked at Magpie Tales
•
melancholy’s grey
the black of loss
fear’s dark ebony
the violet of regret
the purples of pain and anger
sorrowful blues
peaceful greens
golden joy
laughter’s bright amber
love’s ruby red
the scarlet of passion
the white of knowledge
painted by the brush of time
these are the colors
of my life
blended in the palette
that defines my essence
by these
you know me
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
• linked at Magpie Tales
•
time has etched a patina
on the heart of the sun
and marked my soul
with the scars of love and loss
equally deep
equally cherished
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
• linked at Magpie Tales
•
sad she comes
everyday
to these empty shores
on wings of memory
to serenade this sea
a song of longing
bowed on strings
of a broken heart
mournful for the one
lost to these silent fathoms
her tears
steady as the mists
relentless swept away
by these cold
indifferent waves
only they
know where her lover lies
so everyday she comes
taunted by these tides
to seek their mystery
and every night
darkness falls
chill upon this deep
her forlorn refrain
shatters in the moonlight
the sea holding cruel tight
to its precious secret
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
_________________________
TWO OTHER RECENT POEMS:
•
connection
to make contact
searching for the sync
the heart of the matter
in this solitary journey
from womb to tomb
a stranger
on the bus of days
seeking distraction
chatting them up
to suppress
the voice of isolation
immersed in the small talk
of love
and accomplishment
to drown
the incessant murmur
of alienation
the chant of abandonment
ever there to remind
that we board alone
to make our way
toward an enigmatic destination
clinging
to a vague vision
of home
to disembark
as we began
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
• collage entitled “The Sync” – by: rob kistner © 2011
__________________
• linked at Carry On Tuesday and Magpie Tales
•
the landscape
losing its gild
mottles
in gunmetal grays
fractured storm clouds
churn
in huddling menace
brightened breezes
that sizzled in the aspens
build
buffeted by the angry front
thrashing
into brittling winds
the world
tumbles towards darkness
my heart
shudders in deep shadow
mourning love’s devastation
scorching words
bite and sting
where they sizzle still
blistering my careless tongue
would that it rain
drown the lands
that I might
turn my face to the sky
flood my foolish mouth
charred by regret
with drenching waters
of contrition
to douse the cruel fire
of that
which should never have been said
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
• collage entitled “Sorrow” – by: rob kistner © 2011
________________
inked at Writer’s Island
•
the velvet nape
of your slender neck
swept with wisps
of silken hair
the tender swell
of your pouted lips
blossomed full
in comely glisten
your quiet sighs
of smouldered passion
hushed and low
in twilight deep
sterling moonlight
that fondles you
in slumber nude
‘neath midnight’s window
autumn sunrise
crisp and fresh
blushed coral
on your waking smile
sunlight’s gold
that falls dreamlike
filtered soft
in old growth forest
unspoiled nature
to far horizons
from where I gaze
on mountain’s crest
christmas eve
a quiet snow
fresh fragrant cedar
my child’s joy
splendid jazz
inspired verse
an evening breeze
a soul-felt tear
pristine beaches
pacific sunsets
silvered waterfalls
laughter with you
what fires my heart
what stirs my soul
what turns me on
these are a few
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
Fret Not
•
people are consumed
by endings
speak of their finality
their permanence
their absoluteness
but I say no
in this age of recycling
repurposing
sequels
syndication
spin-offs
botox
rogaine
viagra
endings are not absolute
eventually inevitable
but in that
they are not so special
not unique
beginnings
these are unique
these are absolute
they only happen once
they are not inevitable
not guaranteed
they require a complex
independent
set of variables
to come together
perfectly timed
properly executed
and in that
they are singular
very very special
so let us not fret
nor dwell
nor waste emotion upon
something so commonplace
as endings
instead
let us seek
let us anticipate
let us celebrate
beginnings
these amazing culminations
of elusive possibilities
they are so full
of promise
of potential
of mystery
so worth our wonder
• • •
rob kistner © 4/30/11
This poem was sparked by the incredible power of our earth, as exhibited most recently by the devastating tornadoes that swept through the American Southeast, and with deep reverence and sympathy for those who suffered as a result. I admire greatly your courage and will to live.
Unfazed
•
we live
by its grace
at its mercy
with delusions of mastery
so close to extinction
grappling awestruck
day-in day-out détente
survival in spite
brute power
incredible beauty
this tolerant
indifferent planet
perhaps the imminence of peril
embellishes our wonder
ignites our superstitions
kindles our will to live
but our light will blink out
this orb will evolve
shine on
unfazed
• • •
rob kistner © 4/29/11
“One of my former band members, who was with me in the band in the 1960’s, that inspired this poem from 2011, came to visit me a couple months ago. I had written a haibun at the time in his honor, which I shared here on dVerse. That haibun was inspired by this original poem. I just learned that he died Monday in Geneva, Switzerland. In his memory I am sharing this original poem today, August 22, 2019.”
me and my bles-sed band
bliss’d out from giggin’
bleary-eyed and blasted
mixin’ with fellow players
who’ve now
laid down their last licks
for this night
among willing groupies
the loud hangers on
and my sad friend Joey
just back from Viet Nam
we’re sittin’ and chattin’
with the steel-heart working girls
and sweet soul-bruised painted strippers
they love us ‘cause we’re brothers
in this family of the night
all in the flesh parade
of burnt drink slingers
and tired cocktail mules
hipsters grifters drifters
and slick gamblers
from behind the sealed doors
of those private upstairs rooms
swell perfumed boys
and sisters of the leather
queens and trannies
pimps pushers and the cops
huddled stark as morgue mates
hidin’ from those cruel first rays
like a pack of squandered vampires
ready to scurry off
to well-curtained rooms
or other dark holes of despair
it’s time to make that final score
whatever gets you through
‘till sundown strikes up the band again
I’ll tell ya
ain’t this show biz grand
it’s cirque du morning madness
all sneakin’ up on breakfast
rob kistner © 4/19/11
____________________________
This photo below put me in mind of the 60’s when my band played the all-night R&B clubs in Newport Ky — the ‘wild’ night-world just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. It sparked this poem.
•
needles
hypodermic needles
needles needles needles
BD 30g
sterilized syringes
needles in my arms
needles in my legs
needles in my gut
needles six seven times a day
needles 3 am because
I forget the 11 pm needle
even tiny lances in my fingertips
to verify the needles needles work
needles so that I can see
needles so that I can pee
needles so my heart will beat
needles so I don’t lose my feet
needles so my blood will pump
clean as it can be
needles in my bathroom cupboard
needles in my car’s console
needles in my carry on
needles in the kitchen counter
needles in my sock drawer
needles often two at a time
needles by the box loads
coming in the mail
needles safe inside my sharps
then to the biohazard lane
needles on my night table
needles on my brain
needles in my waking dreams
needles in my nightmares
needles all day every day
needles torn from plastic bags
needles plastic caps pulled free
needles piercing chill glass vials
needles units measured carefully
needles so that I can live
for one more day of needles
yes
needles
cleans
hypos
spikes
needles needles needles
• • •
rob kistner © 4.17.11
•
tonight
careful hands
peel back cracked
and yellowed protectant
from dark and aging pages
soured
in long-ignored
dusty albums
my wife is liberating memories
life moments
immortalized
faces and places
call from another time
a beautiful young bride
a proud new husband
our sweet children
living
and not
family and friends
here and gone
other visuals
strangely vague
yet hauntingly familiar
draw me
spark warm recall
remembered laughter
tears gratefully less bitter
captured images
collect on our coffee table
so too
do insistent emotions
cascading one by one
and all together
time
the grand thief
who would steal
the treasures of our heart
who would hold hostage
the moments of our journey
beautifully arrested
deeply moved
tears well and glisten
stirred by heartfelt gratitude
for this proof of life
proof
of love
• • •
rob kistner © 4.16.11
•
we are infinite beings
awaking slowly
from some infinite place
our coming to be
unknown to us
as any mystery
learned in stories
in waiting relationships
gradually
we open to our identity
our essence
an enigma
awareness dawns
like the rising
of a newborn sun
we feel its warmth
and flow effortlessly
into timelessness
we are as though
immortal
we see not over the horizon
because we see no horizon
we comprehend no end
immersed only
in our beginning
it is therein exists
the miracle of life
our infinity
we are infinite beings
in this moment
dreaming
to sustain the moment
• • •
rob kistner © 4.11.11
Air Head
•
yes
I agreed
it did make your voice
sound funny
but
I warned you
there might be
negative side-effects
• • •
rob kistner © 4/10/11
•
had not she crossed my threshold
on that september day
had not her voice
drifted like silk on a summer breeze
to wrap sheer and sweet
around my heart
had not I been drawn
like a bloom to the morning sun
had not I been captivated
as a hummingbird
by a drop of nectar
crystal on a velvet petal
had not my love come down
soft as a rolling mountain meadow
had not this dream been born
had not my life begun again
• • •
rob kistner © 2011
