collaboration

I found a sheet of paper with some random scrawlings. Almost threw it in the trash, but then on a whim I sent it to a friend. John sent the words back as this. Strange things come out of womens purses sometimes. . .

First there is this:

sentience
echoes of a pounding heart
un-asked for dread
looking to the sky for answers
one ear to the ground
a natural alliance
in intangible connections.

The amethyst
beneath distressed wood and chipping paint
stubborn in its design
Buddhist expressions
listening for enlightenment
the package of unity found
on this door step
inexplicably dissolves everything
into itself


Then the words:

your voice

sinks deep

like gravity as it applies to heat

and then a skipped space and:

walking that line

where the crack in the sidewalk nurtures your vibe

must have been something we were talking about whatever day it was. . .

Hidden designs lodged into our psyche

Others may have seen it before we did

but it's hard to say


and then:

I give you my voice
and we tiptoe around
what can't be said.

You watch me turn
this into a dance
& sigh reminiscent

And I talk lullabies
in hillbilly drawl.

Conversations long
to stretch themselves thin

Patience..

We pass each other
shift-work.

Stories and thoughts
become play time

I take over
and you catch some zzzz's.

How can this be?
and
How can it not?

final thoughts..
for tonight at least


 

Reviews

[Brett Moore]

I've been bouncing around this site for a few years on and off and have rarely found any single piece that I felt compelled to reread this many times for sheer joy.

SO many lines - and I know we attach to different things, so I won't relist your entire poem here, but..I could - that are just captivating.

"And I talk lullabies/ in hillbilly drawl."
That may very well be a description of Elmore Leonard's voice as a writer.

The entirety of the first two stanzas is just excellent. Needless to say, I'm a fan.

[Emily B]

John was a remarkable soul. He brought out the best in me.

[r. f. jordan]

i'm back on this site, after an extended absence, only to find a void in that you no longer appear to be showering this place with your sacred talent. flat out, i've missed you since my return. such imagery, as yours is, is not found often and deeply admired by me. this piece is, at once, soothing and quizzical, finite and contemplating beyond finites. this adept shifting of stanza structure is outstanding. i judge you, not, for having gone-as i had to go myself for a while. regardless, i hope you are well dear poet, if only because your words assisted me toward wellness...thank you for your permanent, and loving, imprint on this site. you helped far more than you may, ever, realize.

[Emily B]

when we lost john, it was hard to be here. Iam coming back. I have also lamented the lack of dear faces lately. I've been posting new stuff over hellopoetry.com because I can get there from work.

[r. f. jordan]

sorry for not knowing, but which john did we lose?

[Emily B]

John Sternemann, posted as a true gentleman or left handed smoke shifter, he was brilliant and lovely

and I still write sometimes

[r. f. jordan]

yes, i remember him fondly, and i offer condolences on your loss of him. i'm looking into joining that site you mentioned. you are the second poet, i admire, to mention that site. having submitted an application to a site without spam is already deeply appealing to me considering what's going on with this site...thank you for your wisdom, and i can only offer an attempt toward typed empathy for your loss...take care--rfj.

[Emily B]

It was lovely to hear from you

[paradoxical]

I love the whole idea behind this, and the poem itself is amazing. Thanks for sharing.

[...]

. absolutely brilliant work ... there's a beautiful consciousness in these words ... an awareness that almost has a presence of its own ... as if the two of you created this work ... but there's some more substance to the weight of this work ... it's overwhelming to read these words ... beautiful stream of consciousness writing ... utterly unassuming ... utterly charming ... with a hint of uncertainty ... that only adds to the impact of this piece ... excellent work, both you amazingly gifted people ... :) ...

[C]

Radiant, like an exploding stained glass window.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

How can this be? and How can it not? Excellent Emily!

[Eiken]

Very powerful of a whirlpool of a thoughts and emotions, wonderful read, I feel I need to come up for air to breathe again, it hit me literally.

[The Analog Kid]

your purse, my notebook. i go through it once in a while for a theme or quote or observation...I like what you did here:)

[Sunflower/Sara Kendrick]

Interesting thoughts penned...I forgot where it started by the time I got to the end..Sunflower

[C. Harter Amos]

I felt like I was twirling in and out, between reality and dream, as I read. Wonderful, I thought. Free flowing creativity, free flowing thoughts that transferred magically to my mind from your writing. And this from a list of words in your pocketbook? Oh, my! I should go back and search through mine and hope to find a list half so fine!

[Freder Fredersen (aka G..]

Well written. I found it astonishing.

Cheers!
FF