Category: photorendering

NaPoWriMo #5 – Kathleen / Blossoms

This is my fifth post for National Poetry Month 2010
• one free verse poem
• one haiku
____________________________________




 

Kathleen

•

he has kept it locked for so long
none can pass
his grief makes certain none will try

this is a dark forbidden place
high-walled
cold and barren
unyielding
lifeless

brutal night has fallen
no sun can penetrate

the darkness soothes him
he retreats into its depths
hiding
shielded from any further pain

but see
a shadow falls across the threshold
someone approaches

a comely being
warm and alive
lays gentle siege
threatening to breach his hardened fortress

but this lovely creature
fair and fragile
can not possibly gain entrance
must not

he will resist
this is wrong
this is trespass
this is cruel betrayal of his lost beloved

he has no right to leave this place of sorrow
no right

but his stronghold is succumbing
falling to this delicate advance

he is vulnerable
terrified
but it is useless to resist

searching with a patient heart
she has found the key
grasped in her loving hand
fingers tenderly enfold it

gently
she slides it into the lock
turning with great care

he is defenseless
he feels his heart slowly open
the long forgotten stir of love
begins to warm his soul

• • •





________________________




 

 

Blossoms

•

sweet pink blossoms fall

red spring buds will take their place

soon will be cherries

• • •

poem and haiku by: rob kistner © 2010

• photorendering entitled “The Key” – by: rob kistner © 2010
base image by: Getty Images
• photorendering entitled “Blossoms” – by rob kistner © 2010
base image by: Harold Davis
____________________________________

…for more personal NaPoWriMo 2010 poems: readwritepoem…

La Difference



 

La Difference

•

I take her into my arms
she brings her lips to mine

I run my hands down her back
caressing the satin flesh
that tapers to my touch
until my fingers
gently cup the firm and tender
that swells and rises
atop taut lush velvet stems

we collapse in passion
folding into one another
her breath hot on my neck
as I whisper warm into her ear
vive la difference
my love
vive la difference

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

• photorendering entitled “The Embrace” – by: Getty Images
_______________________________

…catch the other differences at Carry On Tuesday…

Caisson

 

 

Caisson

•

see you
see you in this carrion half-light
unworthy scavengers

you cluster to ravage
to defile the entity
drawn in this caisson

but you cannot

the living presence it bore
is greater than you

your gluttonness lust
might pick the meat clean
pick the bones dry

but this being has lived well beyond the muscle
beyond the sinew tendon and bone
these were its limits

now it is set free

so help yourself brother crow
sister raven
birds of black
help yourself

this essence has gone beyond
far beyond
to become infinite
pure thought
unbound spirit

what you pick apart is the afterimage
of a mortal now eternal

so take your fill crow
have your way raven
blackbird — do your best
engorge the glorious

then be gone
scatter
and far off

this caisson has delivered its miracle

unus est privatus

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

_____________________


…this piece inspired by readwritepoem…

• photorendering entitled: “gathering” by: alice popkorn

Magenta Lace

 

 

Magenta Lace

•

furtive strumpet nonpareil
fumbles from the motor-coach
cup of bacchus fondled lush
held close to velvet bodice

supple breast, soft loin and limbs
costumed for seduction
magenta lace and turquoise silk
kindles lust’s combustion

sweet undulation in a mirror mist
of moonlight on the midnight fog
beckons through the dewy fern
enticing — come enjoy

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

_____________________


…this piece inspired by a wordle at readwritepoem, and they all fit in quite wonderfully…

photo rendering entitled: “Sweet Strumpet”

Unyeilding

 

 

Unyeilding

•

my muse is hard to capture
though I do try each day
just goes so fast

I turn around
it’s past me in a blur
leaving little inspiration

each day becomes each night
here I sit in the wee hours
while the sane sleep
steeped in contradiction

thoughts vague
filled with doubt
words tossed about the unyielding page

I start then stop
I write then not
caught mercilessly unclear
in terminal hesitation
in quiet rage

fickle muse – please…
a spark to light this dark
that grips me like a cage

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

• photo collage entitled “Seeking the Muse” – by: rob kistner © 2007
_______________________________

…see who is going fast at Carry On Tuesday…

…discover who is hesitating at One Single Impression…

Racing

 

 

Racing

•

right
keep right came the response
redirecting the runner
in reaction to his rapid-fire request regarding the route

racing recklessly in redoubled resolve
certain this resurgence would redeem his rough start
he ran rampant

refusing to relinquish his radical pace
no longer rambling
he raged like a rogue renegade

determination renewed
hope refueled
spirit refreshed
his belief was rekindled that a resounding victory would result
if he would just run
run
run

his rally realized
lungs raw and ragged
he rocketed ‘cross the finish line
reared his head
and roared raucously

arms raised in release
tears rolling in relief
he rejoiced
triumphant

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

…discover what else is running at One Single Impression…

Ferryman

Ferryman

 

The Wondrous Dream…

•

sailing on a skiff of dreams
the ferryman standing watch

you soar untethered
‘mong the clouds of wonder

to magical mystical ports of call
where all imagined is in your grasp

if only you could stay the course…
but fast – daybreak approaches

• • •

 

The Final Dream…

•

caught in the final dream
called forth by the ferryman

spirit stirs to the distant voice
readies for the journey

one foot still in this mortal realm
soul resigned to embarkation

time folding in upon
as slow you approach the light

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

_____________________


…this piece inspired by readwritepoem…
…and by sunday scribblings…

photo collage entitled: “charon” | by: h.koppdelaney

Charles

 

 

Charles

•

this night charles is a traveler
adrift in the mists of time
in a rough-hewn dory of his mortality
curiosity is his poleman

overcome by insecurity
charles has abandoned his reality
to sail beyond the mystery
drawn to the light of clarity

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

_____________________


…this piece inspired by readwritepoem…
…and by sunday scribblings…

photo collage entitled: “charon” | by: h.koppdelaney

The Failure of Architecture

…this is a poem about the dehumanizing impact of the cubicle’d corporate world, and the often questionable ethics that pervade it…

 


…collage entitled: “Robotomy” – by: rob kistner © 2004…

 

The Failure of Architecture

•

they rise gargantuan
icons of the clever human

they vibrate
with the chaos of mixed agenda

they hum with networked urgency
data outdistancing comprehension
‘we can’ beyond the reach of ‘should we’

bedecked in stainless
glass
and stone
ablaze in halogen and neon
strewn here and there with art
their essence remains sterile
their foundation is profit
their cornerstone often cupidity

in varying shape and differing size
swollen with the buzz
rustle
and clatter
of corporate cacophony

they flank in concrete corridors
that criss and cross
ensnared in the honk
screech
and roar
of gridlocked anguish

soaring above the drone and glare
and the dirge of dying dignity
these pretentious monoliths can intimidate
emotionally eviscerate
creatively castrate
spiritually suffocate
stagger and stun

a cold calculated majesty

ultimately — this architecture fails
for it does not move the soul
that seeks the folded petal’s mystery

that marvels
at the smallness of a sprouting frond
the beauty of a burled oak
the magic of a budding branch
at the glory of a redwood’s rise

it does not lift the spirit
soothed by a morning breeze
whispered in autumn aspens
or stirred by a loon’s lament
over the still water of a dusk lake
or thrilled by the song of birds
the mighty swoop of a redtail hawk
or captivated by a coyote’s midnight call

it cannot touch the heart
that needs to see a salmon’s trek
the dolphin’s arc in an open sky
the roll of unobstructed clouds
or a fall of stars

it offers nothing to the dreamer
who needs to hear the crack of thunder
resound for miles across the plain
then off the mountain’s face again

yes…

this architecture fails the human core
that needs the fresh embrace of rain
the crisp and quiet drift of snow
the hues and sway of living fields

it leaves the spirit cold
that needs to watch the orchards bloom to fruit
see forests thick beyond horizons
or feel the lift of cresting surf

no…

there are no human constructs
that satisfy this need to know true splendors
evolving natural wonders

wonders that inspire
resonate the heart
that liberate the soul
to leave one…

…transcendent

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

…this edited rewrite, of a poem I wrote in 2007, was inspired by a prompt at sunday scribblings…

Naked

…this is a love poem, that is also a yearning for honesty, in the face of our fundamental human tendency toward insecurity and fear…

 


photorendering entitled: “Liberated”

 

Naked

•

I want to see you
see you naked
naked — backlit by the sun

naked — in a mountain meadow

naked — running in the rain

naked — in a flower garden

naked — lying in the surf

naked — walking in a forest deep

naked — smiling on an autumn morn

naked — in a peaceful sleep

naked — in a redrock desert

naked — by a waterfall

naked — in a gentle breeze

naked — on a silvered night
silhouette ‘gainst a sterling moon

naked — folded in my arms
with your heart and soul laid bare
all your dreams and fears exposed
every pretense stripped away

…naked

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

…poem written in response to prompt #113, found at “readwritepoem”

Spellbound

NaPoMo poem #20

This is the twentieth of the poems I will write this April, in honor of National Poetry Month, as proclaimed by the Academy of American Poets.

• NOTE: these poems will all essentially be early drafts, so edits may occur after their initial posting.

 

This poem was inspired by the image below entitled “The Bride Wore Red”, by Pareeerica…

Spellbound

•

scarlet lady in crimson silk
a beauty to mesmerize
sculpted by a master’s hand
so seductive as to scandalize

a stare of comely crystal blue
floats above a ruby pout
spellbound by her magic eyes
she holds your soul with no way out

her tongue tip teases her top lip’s edge
like a supple paintbrush flowing
her smile will pierce and hypnotize
then wrap around you knowing

you are now her helpless captive
quite hopelessly addicted
in the velvet grip of her mystery
is she an angle or is she wicked

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________

• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

 

Love & War (two poems)

 

Love & War

 

The Nightmare

•

my eyes

crisp from the day’s cruel sun
burnt by devastation’s fires
scorched by images of relentless horror

take refuge
in this late-evening fog
settling heavy as a shroud

clinging
opaque
mercifully obscuring

I am sustained
by this damp pall
that descends cool upon me

wraps ‘round my pained countenance
fevered with fatigue
twisted with despair

drawn
by a faded memory of honor
a faint echo of duty
a frayed thread of human dignity

I stumble
broken by this sin I shoulder

not of my making
but of my charge

my sin

unleashed by others
who would impose their delusions
to advance their evil agenda

those who would rule the world

a world now broken
corrupted by their illusions
spoiled by their vanity

a world in chaos
as darkness deepens

this nocturne
I have but this ruin-riddled
highway of blood

of dying dreams
violated innocence
merciless destruction

of horrific death

this path of my duplicity
of my guilt
my shame

and so
I stumble on
bent by the weight of this falling evening
drowned in its drenching sorrow

my spirit hollow and empty
I slink exhausted
into this coming night
and
the next night
and
the night that follows
that always follows

captive on this road of murder
of brutal
human
arrogance

a prisoner
of this lost highway

seeking forgiveness

• • •

 

The Return

•

distant
slurred
reverberant

like a voice in a canyon
I hear you calling
from the past

my name
rolling sweet as nectar
from your lips
soft as orchid petals
full as a bursting peach

glistening deep coral
as they wrapped softly
‘round each pouted syllable
when you bid me tender farewell
so long ago

our fingertips had strained to grasp
until the final sensation of warmth
of touch
had faded

and they drifted apart

I had struggled
to tear my eyes from your tears
that glistened on your lashes
and around your swollen eyes
blue as a deep summer sky

to slip softly
over the crests of your velvet cheeks
down the contour of your face
flushed as sunset
to lightly salt your quivering lips

numb and dazed
I tunneled down the loading gate
toward the jet
that took me to hell

in those final moments
I locked the image
of your sorrowed face of love
deep in my heart

there it lives as my salvation
my only grasp on sanity
in these horrific years

my lips too
had quivered on that day
from the sting of separation

from the chilling knowledge
I would soon taste
the bitter blood of war
foul with the stench of death

not yet departed
I had longed
on that day
to gaze once more
into your brilliant blue eyes
and taste your sweetness on my lips

as I return this day
trying to face reality at 30,000 feet
I taste the salt of sadness

I fear a kiss from me
with my killer’s mouth
will forever defile
the fragile innocence of your lips

soft as orchid petals
full as a bursting peach

that glistened
and quivered
when last we parted

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________________

…photorendering entitled “Blood Orchid” by: rob kistner © 2008

 

The Shine

 

 

The Shine

•

I sit

watch the flow of people

the shuffle of feet
with their different sounds
according to their shoes

I see wan faces
of unsmiling lips
their void curves denounce this night

yet unseen
is the gossamer curtain’s fall
that defines their soul’s duality

the divergent reality
through which truth stumbles blind
to move in the world
rough as a rope
taut as every promise made

frayed as wisdom
leaned in
whispered from behind

grab at time like dropped money

I might learn something tonight
if someone will release the light
so I can shine like a child
who likes ice cream most of all

this child reads old men’s minds
and notices the shoes
the belts all made of leather

I feel a shiver
of sad imbalance
a confliction in my soul

so I will watch the shoes
and practice non-attachment
because I can

but pieces of me
stick to whoever gets too close

you may have seen me
silhouetted against the sky
the coldest night in January
howling with the frozen moon

then moon and I sneak
through fate’s construct
among cages of studs & trusses
we run

from room to imaginary room
the whole world close enough to touch

we eat a midnight lunch
of damaged bread
seasoned by caution
and foreign lands
with onioned thoughts
layered deep

show mercy
peel back the layers

peel me away
thin by thin
skin by skin
to my quivering soul

I hope I am not ugly in your sight

these thoughts
become too heavy to hold
to tough to chew or swallow

my thoughts

bone-white lies of morality plays
open for you to peek

hope they are not ugly in your sight

hope they do not make you weep
as you peel back all the layers

onioned
thought
layers

held fast and firm
like a carapace
to which I’m stitched and welded
and can no more leave
than you can truly enter

they tie me down
sometimes
but sometimes barely so

inescapable optimism
in my barebones grin
flashes in the brittle moonlight

a stranger comes to where I sit
to see

his stare
blinds the stars from my eyes

behind his fey smile
his radar dreams
scan the forgotten creases
and clandestine getaways
in my mind

standing over
he peers down
with probing gaze

one of us will learn
a thing or two this night

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

 

___________________________________

…photorendering entitled “Cornered” by: rob kistner © 2008

 

The Strike



The Strike

•

warm
familiar
comfortable in my palm
my fingers wrap natural cork
index raised
gauging line tension

precision brings the willow’d shaft
high above my shoulder
flexing expectantly

a flick of my wrist
and the rod arcs forward
increasing the pressure
on my fingertip
as it bends ahead
urgently
seeking release

then
a careful pluck
like a string
on a guitar

it is launched

the ultralight lure
golden at line’s end
sails silent
into the squinting summer sun

with a subtle plick
the barbless hunter disappears
slipping ‘neath the sparkle
of the undulating steam

seductively
I retrieve the bait
with quickening pulse
eagerly visualizing
anticipating the strike

patience draws the offering
alluringly
dancing ever nearer

I long for the sharp
powerful tug

for the slender thread
unreeled before me
to rise
and dart away
in a sliver of silver spray

for my heart to jump
as a proud trout
breaks water
victim to my seduction

in this moment
mind focused
breath steady
senses heightened
awaiting sudden contact

I reflect

there is a simple truth in fishing
as in life

the thrill of possibility
can be as rich
as the reward

• • •

rob kistner © 2008

• photorendering entitled “The Strike” by: rob kistner © 2008