Words from the Magnetic Wall

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Rust and Roses

Our love is forever new
and as ancient as the universe.
More solid than the earth
and as free as a summer breeze
dancing with a feather.
We are rust and roses,
our love forever entwined
in creation and destruction.
Locked in an embrace
stronger than any gravity.

Valentines day 2010
Inspired by a photo from Michelle Cataldo

Ole

Leather box of chains in one hand,
a glass of orange juice in the other,
I step off the cliff
and fall toward the bay
remember
riding bicycles in the snow
and swallowing the sun
Ole

42nd Street, 6/18/07

The black man in the yellow parka
stands against the wrought iron fence,
arms outstreched
face barely visible in the twilight
a bag of clothing at his feet.
he stands on 42nd street
like a parody of the cruci-fiction
A few steps away
another man sits on a planter
he lifts the invisible head of his enemy
pumelling him in the face...
this continues, he's stuck in a loop
over and over he assaults
the foe of his delusions.
We wander the crowded streets
filled
with guarded life
each closed off,
a world unto ourselves
afraid
we're life, we're lies
we're joy, we're pain,
we're (in)sane
Amongst friends now
in this bare ruin'd cathedral of humanity,
drinking in the safe love,
the water we thirst for...
we continue on the river
opening closed doors
striving to be new again.
This folded reality
turns on itself
the goal touches the starting point

Love Flattened

The hoppy toad
once full of love
once full of life
lies flattened
and dried
on the road
run over
by a tangible
(to it)
invisible force
its mummified remains
blow away in the wind
are a reminder
of fleeting moments
once full of love
once full of life.

What invisible forces
flatten our lives and
leave our souls
dried and mummified
leaving us
at the mercy of
the winds?

Ressurrection of the Magi

The magi awakes,
leaving her tomb, her womb
upon the hill of Chronos

Her veiled face protects the sacred fire
Gliding forward over the hot coals
she stops,
peers into the heart of the fire
and sees the birth of the unconquered sun.
Enchantments from the distant past
echo in her mind
filled with promise and mystery

Once revered, then despised
She begins the voyage,
rekindling the lost wisdom
that led her forebearers journey
to the light of mankind.
She kisses the sun,
is consumed briefly by the fire,
swimming in heavens revelations,
watching as light triumph over darkness.

The black river is transformed
From the endless stream of death and torment
into the endless life giving fountain.
Charon stops his endless toil,
transforms into a luminous sphere,
and is lifted to the moon,
joining it in an eternal embrace.

The window on eternity has become transparent again.

Spin

The sad worried eyes
Stare transfixed upon the spinning rings
Interlocked and moving with a subsonic hum
Crystal chimes sound when they touch
forming and releasing new possibilities
The rings of fate continue to spin
His raised hand, in a blessing
Sends out waves of chance,
Colliding with strings of time
Creating random symphonies of life,
moving in lush rhythms
Ascending into the violent serenity of chaos
His strained face,
covered by the living moko
Reflect's the insistent and maddening songs of the muses
Eternally demanding his vigilance
Their constant cravings never ceasing
He questions the overwhelming responsibility of movement,
Of creativity, of dancing in the moment
Of giving birth
And letting go

The rings continue to spin

Juggling Nirvana
In silence
The mime moves the balls in the air
Careful not to falter
lest one falls,
Cracking
Shattering a million dreams
His focus turned inward
While watching outward
Spiral within spiral
Love within love
Peace within peace
He find stillness in motion

Wind and Water

We dream of castles in the sky,
while like water wanting to cross the desert
we neglect to see the answer in the wind,
imprisoned by our own perception of what is.

Blind Sight

Surrounded by the warmth of darkness
we lay embracing,
feeling each others breaths

From the silence
the small sound
of a music box begins to play

With eyes unopened
I look for the source
expecting, against logic,
to spy
small ethereal figures
dancing in spirals around the room

I can see them
thru closed eyes

They are gone
when the veils are lifted.

Apostate of the Heart

The apostate of the heart
sits patiently
watching the porcelain
steeping tea and oranges

No more crusaders
descending from the sky
only the wisdom
of butterflies
wandering in search of the wind
and standing guard
against ghosts

she is a spiritual voyeur
awaiting a soul tremor
an earthquake
that will open the door
to reveal a paradise
already ours?

Light & Darkness
light
spins, spins, spins
chasing the unknown
until an unseen hand
opens the door
releasing pent up ardor
in explosive sounds of joy

darkness
looks on anxious and bewildered
waiting for the opening
to slide thru the door
and strike his prey
in mid exaltation

it is not hatred or jealousy
fueling such actions
but the need to play
one with the other
light and darkness
are playful dogs
howling in delight

Hymn

pressed light held hot
turns the cause of love into joy, sound and hope.
lip writers dance darkness away from monuments to future wars
chanting the thousand names of love
making the frost road shiver
and sunbeams shatter cold clouds
we wander in search of the wind
stand guard against ghosts
and the winter of the soul
gone are the monsters in name,
and the endless killings
now we see their humanity
and our humility.
we hold their pale souls
in arms clad in moonlight

Time Changes

time has been altered again
shifting seconds, minutes, hours
in the middle of the night
when our eyes are closed
and all things are real

we will live ahead of time
although it’s an old relative
Living moment to moment
nine mirrors, nine mountains
nine months break the seal

I unwrap the cotton cocoon.
dreams of lust lizards still linger
a pleasant fullness smiles
while the vessel empties
a spiraling clockwise reel
Hot water falls over cold flesh
falling like drunks in back alleys,
bartering with old beggars
for the end of pain,
and all things will heal

Yesterday

Just after sunrise
the boys did their usual
shake that head
show um whose boss
I'll get you you dirty rat
while conversely
the little sheep bounces
wrapping me up in his favorite lead
a hard frost last night.
I watched as the Catalpa tree
drop all its leaves
hundreds floating to the ground
fluttering
ghostlike
time to feed the web mind
give it more pictures
more info
some stories
more synapses created
the sentinels stand guard
waiting for critical mass
for sentience
a friend needs
the inside outside
Michelangelo's dream
for the quiet man,
will this be my
Mona Lisa hell?
take a drive
visit things from the past
shattered remnants
of better days
hush, hush
old horse
you have been rescued from oblivion
your smiling Roosevelt teeth
will make others laugh
your missing mane
will be restored to its former glory
love bears the fruit of love
homeward bound again
a flock of sparrows rise from their resting place
rising into the sky
forming a heart
seeming to pulse
while moving thru the sky.
a seductive song for the mind
passes too quickly
and I recall the dream of nine mountains
wondering if I got the meaning right
lost friend speaking
or wishful thinking
my love
has completed
the race
art has blossomed again
night became her passionate friend
why do words come easier in the dark
Out for Italian food
mmmmmm mmmmmm good
why is everything that taste good fattening
God's little joke I suppose
and a raspberitini
that tastes like
Vicks cough syrup
good thing I have a cold
I'm not too disappointed
time to relax
mindless entertainment
mutant elves dance and the boys play with bones
switching places
Deciding which is better
reality folds
turning in on itself again
A man hears thunder 550 miles away
and a fly sounds like a waterfall
flashes of light
and the vision reveals
advancing technologies
hold your breath
lovely Nikola
my feet are cold
need another blanket
strange dreams
friends and lovers
there then not
on a porch of a cabin
in Tennessee
hello Jed
welcome home
must have been the martini
I should know better

A Rose in Winter

Steel gray air bites the skin
freezing moisture to crystalline
gently lifted they expirate
beyond reach of mortals and fates
a rose,
its bloom caressed by snows
hot pink
remembrances of loves
past, and future,
remembered in faux
the wind blows a soft s,
holding close the velvet sound
of softness
a miracle of misjudgment
reaching for the sky
caressing the harsh winter sun
as frozen fairies cling
to an eternal hope
forever yearning
a single-minded purpose
to expose the beauty
that lies beneath
We are all roses in winter.

The Visitation

Trying to believe
you are real
or a waking dream
you touched my cheek
stirring me from sleep
seeing you thru closed eyes
floating on love
a vision of white
spirit without flesh
you say all is forgiven
but your lips and tongue do not move
I'm frightened
but awash in the love
the healing begins
no need to return

Inverted Heart

The inverted heart
consumes itself
with passion,
it burns
the skin
and feeds
the soul,
the ember,
now silent & cold
awaits
another
chance
for
life

Brick Eyes

Brick eyes
in a line
silent and calm
reflect the closing song
of dancing feathers
lilting on
sweet scented air
A leg draped
casually
over a knee
book in hand
he writes
in non-metered verse
about closeness
and solitude
smiling
sometimes

Requiem for Barbed Wire

Time has come
to be free
from the constant
piercings,
The dark matter constraints
are no longer needed
to remind us of our sins.
The rusted blood
from centuries
has dulled the sharpness.
Free of numbness of pain.
It's time for us to fly.

The River Why

In a Faustian dream
I stand between
the abyss and redemption
before me
the mist concealed crags
harbor floating wise men
waiting with answers
that are riddles
layered meanings
waiting for the right moment
of questioning
below the river Why
flows from eternity
to infinity
answers hovering
in the mist above
waiting to fall
like rain
back to the source
answers beget questions
questions beget answer

Sentinel of the Night

I watch with cowled eyes the velvet darkness,,
listening to the night.
In the distance a lone bird cries,
breaking the silence.
Clouds move slowly across the face of the moon
and like a lover removing a diaphanous gown
reveals her glowing skin.
The wind sweeps across the plain
caressing the grass with its soft sound,
and the shafts bend and sway
opening to embrace the gentle pressure of its breath
All is quiet now
yet i see the beginning of the coming attack
it’s fiery portent glowing below the horizon.
Soon the endless battle will begin again
the heat will scorch the evening solitude
and drive the shadows into the ground
The meek have retired,
silencing their bodies lights
till the battle is over.
It is time to sound the alarm,
the tide is turning against us once again
We hide our shadows in the sand
we hide our still small voice in the shadows
We hide and are silent...
Until the dusk comes again to our rescue
and evening triumphs
so we can live free again

You’re Shrinking Brain

I remember...
the way you held me tight
more than just bodies joined,
souls touching,
becoming
one
I remember...
watching you unwrap gifts
so slowly and carefully
with that laugh
sparkling
in your eyes
I remember...
you blowing smoke out your mouth
and sucking it back in
a crazy eternal
circular
motion
I remember...
the devilish look
the deep laughter
the gentle touch
the endless
wonder
I remember...
you starting to fade
bit by bit
the sharp thoughts
replaced by
helpless obsession
I remember...
you whispering
"I used to be a good man"
knowing the journey you were on
no one returns from
I see you know
lying naked
in a hospital bed
arms outstretched
reaching for your
first lovers embrace
you're shrinking brain
has robbed me of my love
left me broken
and crying
wondering where
you are
Your body is still here
but the little deaths
have taken you
a bit every day.
I watch
death in an endless loop
I remember
for both of us now
I see
for both of us now
I feel
I love
I weep
For
both
of
us
now
that
you
are
gone

Upon Awakening

I awoke with the sun to the sound of harps
I could feel the blood in my veins flowing
calling me back from sleep reality.
I stumble into the bathroom,
look in the mirror,
and with bleary eyes
gaze upon...
a bubble puppy in a tree wearing a turbot?
It's white eyes eerily staring out
like he had an axe to grind
He called for a supply of wood
and a stove to burn it in
to stave off the primitive fear of cold
The silvered glass shatters
and the waking dream fades
to the everyday
White tiles, and faux painted walls
a shower, a toothbrush,
hot water running over naked skin
Ugh

Sibling Rivalry

The trinity of religions
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
all conceived from the same seed
battle each other
for supremacy
in the eyes of
their father.
Sibling rivalry
for spiritual
attention.
Pick me,
no,
Pick me,
no
Pick me.

Zero’s and One’s

Black
and
White
We seek truth in absolutes
When in reality
it exists
most clearly
in shades of grey
and in the billions
of color and hues
of endless variation
Can truth be found thru exclusion?
Does the mystic hermit
see the whole tapestry?
Or just a thread?
The eye of creation
is infinite in its' faceting
The whole is the sum of its parts
multiplied by infinity
divided by eternity
and bonded by chaos
into an astounding
perpetual dance
of change
we are more than
Zeros and Ones
The constant
reduction of life
to the smallest
fraction
eventually
leaves nothing
but
burnt and stinking
remains
of the rich soup.
Life giving
reduced to ashes

Even in love
we fold into ourselves
instead of embracing
each other.
We love in duets
when we could love
in symphonies
we sing solo
when we could be
part of a magnificent chorus
We love only ourselves
giving only for our own pleasure
and call ourselves noble
while we starve for unity,
the longing for
love inseparable.
Betrayal delights in the denial of love.
We betray ourselves daily
with constant criticism
We should
We could
We can't
We deny the world of our love
because we see only absolutes
It's time
to give up the notion
and embrace
each other
or we will surely
become
nothing more than
zeros and ones.

Short Sleeved Shadows

Short sleeved shadows
and whispering dogs
wander the dark
thru urban bogs
Ghosts of divinity
lay on the ground
trodden and weeping
for a tarnished crown
When will the child
full of wonder and fear
be released from its prison
we’ve built all these years.
Inside men are women
and in women are men
deny them with laughter
and away with them send
To cold loveless castles
made of chocolate and steel
bastions ‘gainst surrender
so we don’t have to feel
In fog ridden evenings
I ponder these things
And cry for us all
who no longer have wings.

__________

We watch in raw beauty
a sweet and elaborate play,
our tongues powerless
to tell.

__________

The banquet that is you
lives in my heart
untouched by fading memories
still hot with mysteries
this love cannot fade
even when coerced by age
my love circles you
like the earth ‘round the sun
we live in the ecliptic now
forever in orbit
a hymn that is our vow

__________

I dream of crimson moons
covered with delicate moss
fed by tiny glass fingers
whose soft graceful gestures
release shining tongues of frozen flame

__________

I touch the water of a distant shore
it is a familiar stranger
carrying images of times & places not known
seagulls fill the empty sky
their sweet sad songs eternal
I dream of you by my side

__________

Exhausted we fall
Into the cradle moon’s sweet embrace

__________

Water trickles from the fountain...

I turn the pages of a book
pondering sonnets
and watch
the sun leave diamond dust in your hair
it’s warmth soothing
causing my eyes to close
accepting the embrace
a pattern emerges, fades
yet lingers like a disappearing sigh
a single oboe in the distance
recalling pastoral scenes
of a simpler, quieter time
A sharp sound brings me back

Water trickles from the fountain.

__________

Think beneath the moment

__________

Still wind can rob a delirious chant

__________

Floods of lazy sea rain
drunk with lake milk
produce luscious visions
recalling spring clouds,
summer sausages and
a delicate symphony of
two thousand rusted fiddles
fingering shadow music
under the moonlight

__________

They worship a lie
skin & bare lust
smeared with honey

part the smooth dream
and sing in syncopated time

picture a cool life

not bitter aches
from forests of want

please

__________

Would cars stare
or
drive chains boil with fullness
as shiny apparatus
enormously frantic
heave together
as no juice is felt
in the void

__________

I
ask
fall
ing

on those suited for storm
did these iron knives,
gorgeous and repulsive
want sky meat
need screaming
like a mad red black death?

__________

Mother
is
girl through woman
like water
to winter egg
their true gift (language)
yet
they
trudge
in
sun dresses
use
fast take-out
smell
to
stop
crying

__________

She
near
you
licking
sweat
cooked
and beaten
to lather
a long night of love

__________

you were gone
from I
from you
returning only after
running through some
essential shadows
seeing them through
mists of sadness
lighting them in the
yellow hot light of
mid day
some to leave
others staying
flattened
no longer controlling

__________

his
butt
like a
winter storm
did blow

__________

A bitter aesthetic
beats time
as I head from lights recall
cold visions
under a frosted lake

__________

Sea foam crashes over vivid moss
an overcast day brings out
worshippers, in the sand
they call to the sea
in songs barely audible
echoing the seagull cry
private and moving

__________

In every heart a darkness lurks
In every heart a a seed of love
In every heart unbounded grace
In every heart a thousand suns
In every heart an empty vessel
In every heart a curious face
In every heart a fragrant petal
In every heart a question lingers
In every heart an answer
fingers a tune on heart strings, soft and low

__________

The face on the medical bag
sticks out its tongue
with a curious silly smile

a mirror reflects a closed door

the gently curving bench
cradles a long cylindrical pillow
still indented from its last use

Points of interest
like triggers to the nerve
sound, answers
to unasked questions

Songs of Patroclus

It seems we have waited an eternity,
Our whole lives, to be complete and full
We embrace with our eyes
Gazing into each others depths
Falling ever deeper into love’s endless well.

We touch,
you are my sun,
my Apollo, skin aglow & pulsing,
your flaming arrow piercing my heart,
igniting my soul with a passion that is hotter than any magma

They say love consumes,
does it?
Or does it expand us,
beyond mortality,
Beyond reason,
and it’s poor powers to explain life,
Connecting us eternally
Beyond expectations
Beyond Dreams
Making Hope a Reality.

______________

Today I met the sun incarnate
So bright I was almost consumed

In a twinkling of an eye
Love has been resurrected
Lifted up from boredom’s grave

Narrowness of vision
Now sees past life’s event horizon
into the endless ocean of love

______________

In that one chance moment
our hearts and souls bonded
never to be separate
eternally mingling,
our spirits dancing together
No distance of space or time will come between us
We are together forever

______________

I sink slowly into you
my warm salty ocean,
diving deep until i touch
your hidden treasures.
My skin savors the taste of you,
your sensuality carrying me to
explore new depths of passion.
Your seductive sparkling eyes
fertilize my deepest desires
fueling a wildfire of lust that has been smoldering inside me a lifetime.
I fill you with my love as the
tide takes us deeper into each other
Our bodies and thoughts become entwined in this dance of love,
in this timeless moment,
where we release into each other
filling each other with our essence
and are forever bonded in love

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Words from the Magnetic Wall

Poetry by David Derr