Category: prayer

Infinatum

 

 

Infinatum

•

…this is an ecstatic poem echoing the mystic tradition…

their fire and light
incandesce my essence
burn deep my soul
stir my spirit
unsettle my being
ignite my wonder

and whet my seeker’s vessel
with need to be filled full

at once familiar
yet exotically foreign
strangely boxed
but exquisitely wrapped
in longing
loss
love
and infinitely more

they reach to a hollow place
deep within
echoing a past
awakening a myth
exposing that which I embrace
in the moment
as truth

stirring my pain
my loneliness
my hope

offering just enough answer
that I combust with questions
sacred uncertainties

suspended in inquiry
in memories of neverwas
recognition of evermore
enrapt in blissful cognizance
of that which is not known

I am transfixed by mystery
elevated by insight
impaled by vision

spellbound

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

• artwork entitled “Infinity Portal” by: rob kistner © 2010

___________________________

…you can find more cognizance at One Single Impression…

Fear

…I share this piece I wrote in the descending 3rd evening, of a horrible 4 days, not as my primary contribution to day 3 of National Poetry Month, but in light of the RWP topic “fear” — as a way to reach out to others who may, at times, suffer the debilitating horror of extreme manic depression. This ‘elevator’ can take you so very high, but when it falls… however, it can be overcome if one recognizes it, faces it, and refuses — everyday — to give it victory…

Fear

•

there is a darkness

I have known its presence
encountered its essence

it frightens me
it frightens me because it is
because it is so very devious
sinister
debilitating
all-consuming if granted license

it lurks in shadow
collecting

collecting the dark matter
that steals into my life
into my heart
all the grief
failure
pain

all the terror
that has ensnared me in times of weakness
all the empty blackness that has befallen me
that has found a corner of my soul in which to hide
to sulk
secure foothold
like an awful seed taking root

here it grows
here it dwells
manacled and restrained in times of strength
kept in check by my decent self
my self that loves
encourages
supports
that embraces possibility
my sacred self that nurtures
that fosters empowerment

but

my inner-dwelling light
does not always shine so bright

does not always hold sway
nor control my inner darkness
my inner darkness has great cunning
powerful influence

it is at times quite un-containable

this darkness
that has fed upon the horror
that has been visited upon me

the betrayal the abuse
the unthinkable loss
that has compounded and festered
that has become animate
as if an entity unto itself
that has gripped and driven me

distraught
despaired
vengeful
unforgiving

driven me to a perverse unholy bitterness
wholly unable
to fend off the clutches of this malevolence

it is on occasion far easier
even desirable
to succumb to these dark forces
that promise relief
falsely entice with imagined satisfaction

but there is no quick release from the pain
from the sorrow
that is an inherent component of life

one must endure
and be tempered invincible by this endurance
steadfast in the crucible of resistance

but the inner-mounting darkness
will ever seduce
its tug is powerful

I pray here tonight
as I am swept up
in bittersweet memory of you
overwhelmed by the sorrow of loss

I pray that the darkness
does not sense that I am vulnerable
does not prey upon my growing distress
that falls shadow-like across my soul
that veils my resolve
my courage

I pray that the black void
does not birth the despair
the anger that begets my other
my alter
my poison self
that I so detest

…and fear

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

_______________

• return to readwritepoem

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

Bridge of Auras

 

 

Bridge of Auras

•

possessed of all it is I am
I breath a sigh of longing
and wish for what it is I’m not
across the bridge of auras

I covet not a kingly right
nor scepter gold to rule a realm
I seek to fill my barren soul
across the bridge of auras

worldly wealth is not my goal
nor power over minions
enlightenment is what I seek
across the bridge of auras

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

___________________________

• you can find more aura’s at One Single Impression

 

Seeking Forgiveness

…this is a poem about the horror and ethical dilemma that is war, and the devastating impact it has on many soldiers…

 

Seeking Forgiveness

•

my eyes

crisp red from the scalding sun
from devastation’s fires
from cruel vision of relentless horror
scorched by vicious exposure of sentenced gaze

take refuge in this heavy late evening dew
thick with munitions soot
settling like a shroud
lubricious
opaque
obscuring

I am sustained by this damp cool pall
that descends upon me
wraps ‘round my pained countenance
fevered with fatigue
deafened by weapon’s roar
crippled with despair

driven by faint memory of honor
of duty
of human dignity
I stumble
broken by this sin I shoulder
this perversion
not of my making
but of my charge

my sin

conceived and unleashed
by those who would impose their will
their twisted utopian vision
who would advance their agenda of domination
those who would take it all
wear the conqueror’s crown
who would rule the world

a world now broken
corrupted by their vision
spoiled by their vanity
a world in chaos

I have but this bloodied ruin-riddled highway
of deepening nocturne
of dying dreams
crushed innocence
destruction
death
decay

of my duplicity
of my guilt

my shame

fear not for the future
weep not for the past
…impossible

and so I stumble on
muttering mea culpa
saturated with this falling evening
with this drenching sorrow
slinking in exhausted alert
nerves shattered as eggshells
numb to panic

hollow
empty
into this coming night

and the next night
and the night that follows
that always follows

captive on this road of murder
of mounting evil
of brutal human arrogance
prisoner of this lost highway

seeking forgiveness

• • •

rob kistner © 2010

…inspired by the readwritepoem prompt #114, prompt #202 on Sunday Scribblings, and prompt #40 on Carry On Tuesday, I edited and rewrote two separate poems I originally wrote in 2007/2008 – and blended them together into a new single work…

 

•> click HERE to read The Failure of Architecture, a poem I wrote about the ethical dilemma of the corporate world <•

Becoming

NaPoMo poem #26

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

This is my second metaphysical poem in two days, and was inspired by the NaPoWriMo prompt # 26 at read write poem.

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

 

Becoming

•

as is the spark of birth
the burst of a seed
the first ray of dawn
the tug of love wakening
the moment of humility
the pen to blank page

so is the essence of becoming

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________

• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

 

For Granted

NaPoMo poem #22

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

This poem is an homage to Gaia, our mother earth, in celebration of Earth Day 2009. Embedded within this free verse poem are a trio of haiku, each focused at our earth.

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

 

Earth Day 2009

For Granted

•

you prepare for sleep
each night

consciously
or unconsciously

confident of gravity

that it will keep you
anchored
in your bed

snug in your bed

that you won’t wake
to find yourself
having floated off

now entangled
in the sweeping branches
of the willow
in the backyard

that wonderful weeping willow
always bending
and swaying

like some sinewy
sap-laden
great elephant

trundling
great elephant

trundling
and swaying

on the lookout
for water
in the arid
african bush

such majestic
mysterious
beautifully dangerous bush

in africa
the amazing dark continent

with zebras
and giraffes
and lions

and of course
elephants

in africa
in the earth’s
southern hemisphere

and all of this
kept firmly aground
by earth’s gravity

pretty astounding
when you consider

earth hurtles through space
eighty times the speed of sound
racing toward hope

our frail earth needs hope
desperately it needs help
it is in trouble

our earth’s crying out
it’s balance has been disturbed
we humans don’t hear

all we ever think about
is bed

money and bed

and gravity

and then
often only in passing

when we’re not
simply
taking it for granted

the earth
and all these incredible things
for granted

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________

• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

 

Our Dreams

NaPoMo poem #21

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

This poem is a wedding prayer inspired by the read write poem NaMoWriMo prompt #21, “rite of passage”.

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

 

Our Dreams

(a wedding prayer)

•

we place our dreams in our open palms
so the winds of fortune
will make them soar

we bless our dreams with the gift of song
so their chords are sweet
and their sound is pure

we bestow our dreams the wings of faith
so they lift and carry
to wisdom’s shore

we unite our dreams this blessed day
so love will bind them
forevermore

• • •

 

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________

• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

 

I will Not Forget

NaPoMo poem #19

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

This poem is an edited rewrite of an older poem I’d written, but not completed to my satisfaction. Today’s prompt brought such deep feelings flooding into my heart, I was compelled to revisit the draft of this work and bring it to a fitting completion. I am very pleased with how it has turned out.

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

 

I Will Not Forget

(rappelé toujours)

•

there are days I still can feel
the breeze of youth gently stir my soul

days remembered of grace and lightness
when faith in truth sparked splendid dreams

those days of you

when all we touched was fresh and new
and the world was full of wonder

when we were certain we’d live forever
our strength made each day a great adventure

those carefree days

the days we witnessed one for the other
as we made vows to our chosen life mates
raised our children
grew our careers
our families close through these days of joy

but not these days

I’ve grown unyielding
rigidly braced
against the winds of time and fate

my soul is rooted in life’s demands
I search its blessings
curse its burdens

these brittle days

I am bent by the yoke of worry
heavy with the weight of loss

I am haunted by the ghost of memory
the lonely days when I think of you

these empty days

how can this void be filled
when one so vital has departed

this world was denied much wit and wisdom
kindness and love lost
when you passed

how can this void be filled
when one so rich in these is gone

one who understood the need for giving
in a careless world darkened by greed

a tender heart
truly unselfish
whose warm embrace included all

how can this void be filled
when a brilliant light has been snuffed out

I will not forget

I will remember you
and all those days
that’s how I will fill this void

with the seeds of friendship
you planted deep inside my heart
now filled with grief

may they grow to make me gentler
and me — the world a better place

good-bye my friend

ever will I tend these seeds
and think of you

I will not forget

• • •

 

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________

• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

 

Rapt

NaPoMo poem #9

This is the ninth of the poems I will be writing each day here in 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.

Rapt

____

my footfalls
drum the root chambers
of the old growth
each step
cushioned by centuries of needle-drop
in this ancient forest

enjoying the rise and fall
twist and turn of the trail
I amble

my walking stick is smooth
clutched comfortably
in my right hand

tensions dissipate
soothed
by the audible stir of the wind
in the treetops

wafting down the western Cascade slopes
it invigorates

the steady rhythm of my footsteps
hypnotize

rounding a bend in the trail
brushing through waist-high fern
I crest a knoll
and stop

mesmerized

filtered by the towering woodland canopy
light drifts down dreamlike
settles golden
into the natural cathedral before me

a presence is tangible

a breeze enfolds me
filled with the intoxicating scent
of living earth

an addictive bouquet
of cascade red cedar
douglas fir
ponderosa pine
moss
bark
loam
and ionized mountain air

my spirit rises
my being grows weightless
any sense of self floats away
lifted into oneness
wholeness
bliss

I’m startled from my reverie

a young doe
bounds onto the trail ahead
stands proud
pauses in the golden light

she considers me briefly
then disappears
quick as a stolen glance
quiet as passing time

darting my eyes
here then there
in a vain attempt to follow her
I catch glimpse of silver-blue
shimmering
where massive tree trunks part

a wind-blow lake appears

this crisp mountain mirror
is the reason for my trek
into this mighty wilderness

climbing a boulder at trail’s edge
I sit
pull my legs under me
and lean forward
elbows on knees

I face lake-ward
basking in the energy

I grow very still
listen
gaze
I become this moment
rapt

in touch with my soul
with the eternal
transcendent
in paradise

____

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________

you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

Bridge of Dreams

NaPoMo poem #2

This is the second of the poems I will be writing each day here in 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.

 

 

Bridge of Dreams

•

possessed of all it is I am
I breath a sigh of longing
and wish for what it is I’m not
across the bridge of dreams

I covet not a kingly right
nor scepter gold to rule a realm
I seek to fill my barren soul
across the bridge of dreams

worldly wealth is not my goal
nor power over minions
enlightenment is what I seek
across the bridge of dreams

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

___________________________

• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem

 

Skyward

 

…photo below entitled “Followed by a Dream”, by Pensiero…

Skyward

•

if I could but glide
to the top of these stairs
like a bird in flight

I would soar skyward
in sweeping circles
lifted on mighty thermals

I would not be earthbound
not a prisoner of these steps
not captive by gravity

and… I would not return to work

this afternoon would be soaring
and swooping
and giving thanks
for feathers and hollow bones

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

 

…poem inspired by a different photo from Pensiero, the individual who created the photo seen in read write image #12, found at “readwritepoem”

 

Supple Soul

 

…photo below entitled “Strange Fruit”, by Lucas Rocha…

Supple Soul

•

rise up now

clad in colors
of a joyful life

rebuke the strife

tilt against convention

the prevailing norm
is a toxic storm

buck the winds of brute rebuff

stare down the face of ridicule
if buffeted by cruel
condemnation
from the foolish
sadly blown off course

be not inclined to fear
nor falter
choose instead
to tame the dread

to stay ones ground
leaning hard on raw conviction

be anchored bold
and deeply hold
to the genuine
do not resent

remain flexible
to withstand the blows
of frightened those
who would see you swayed
and have you bent

your broken spirit
for so to savor

stand head high
back straight
don’t ever waver

but never rigid
brittle
prone to break

do not forsake
your heart song

wisdom is a supple soul
skewered through
by true enlightenment

pierced clean and strong
by wonder
bleeding hope
and justice

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

 

…poem inspired by read write image #11, seen above, found at “readwritepoem”

 

Being

 

Being

•

every second
of every minute
of every hour
of every day
of every week
of every month
of every year
of every decade
of every human life
to have ever been
now is being
or will be
lived

this
is the vast
ever-expanding
human experience

how wondrous
is our brief
moment

• • •

rob kistner © 2009

 

…find links to some fine writing at “readwritepoem”

 

Oh, Man of Vision

 

…this is a poem of homage wrapped in a prayer for guidance

 

Oh, Man of Vision

•

valiant hero, I so respect you
salute you in your hard-earned triumph
and in this time of brilliant victory
pray that history does protect you

from the slings of the small-minded
trifled few of withered heart
of backward focused ignorance
by groundless hatred fully blinded

so I proudly shout, well done
your gallant stand for hope and justice
a battle centuries in the waging
with soulful dignity — finally won

I beseech the gods who raise up men
to grasp the reins and lead their people
grant that this one find the wisdom
the strength to lead us home again

• • •

rob kistner © 2008

 

NOTE: in this piece the term “men” represents all cognitive sentient beings

 

…find links to some fine writing at “readwritepoem”