A poem inspired by this photo I took of Savonlinna Castle, Lake Saimaa, Finland.
He crossed the bar sails puffed full as his chest proud to be crashing the swells and foaming waves escaping the line upon line of graves his father his brothers his family destroyed only his youth denied vengeance for he had been but a boy
but now he was strong free to charge into the fight to wreak havoc and injury to his morbid delight the one goal remaining in his grief filled life only one task to satisfy his dissatisfied plight
in the land of his enemy he had something to prove to show the dark master he had nothing to lose what he could do where his father and brothers had failed onto the place of their betrayal he now speedily sailed
to vanquish that brutal regime on its very own soil after years of study planning training and toil he stepped onto the land an army at his back and he cried the war cry, "Attack men, Attack!"
make more colour my little flowers for the world is becoming bleaker its complexion darker we must not let the darkness win how can I help you put more colour back into the world my little flowers?
It is the rugged mountain landscape that reflects my heart from great heights I watch over every part the pinnacles are the summit of my aspiration valleys are where I pause for consideration and revelation water scoured gullies have carved their scars onto my soul but the long deep range sustains and heals my whole
open rolling plains broad flat and wide are where the scope of my vision emerges from inside where I can see from horizon to horizon nothing impedes my hopes here my future can be spun I absorb the beauty of each day each morning and evening sun from each creature or blade each single tree or forest watching and observing for new opportunities to enlist
along waterways I explore the wilder places I adore where raging tempest or placid calm invoke irrepressible desires for more like the fluid medium within me water of my life clean water fills all empty spaces with relief and ocean depths teem with the origins of my genes where all futures were created as a multiverse of dreams
This week the dVerse poetics prompt from Dora was to incorporate a landscape or cityscape into your poetry that either mirrors or amplifies your interior landscape (or lack thereof).
You're going to take nothing from no one because debts get in the way you're going to take nothing from no one so you can say the words you want to say never going to be part of society because in society you make mistakes your mistakes will be your own but you'll make the rest of us pay
you're not gonna let anyone ask about what made you so selfish and mean that stuff is for your mind only so the rest of us can’t twist your dreams you’ve turned away from science from politicians and academics mad you’ll make all your own decisions take responsibility for all you have and tell the rest of us crazy mixed up people .....
endlessly what to do ask us to think about consequences how they should be made up to you be the individuals you want us to be enjoy a state of narcissism ignore fake laws and social responsibility and never pay a tax again in this false deep state society you always challenge the facts even though facts keep the country afloat despite weight of your discredited attacks ever suspecting conspiracy afoot never recognising the rules that keep order and protect you ignore useful social tools to leave the rest of us a wreck in the name of sovereign citizenry seek to look only after yourself applying your proclivities exclusively to personal wants by stealth
take nothing from no one except defence roads and schools take nothing from no one because national interest is for fools take nothing from no one abuse generous public infrastructure take nothing from no one except sewers, clean streets and water take nothing from no one make your own rules then lecture the rest of us - better educated than you a pseudo educated creature
the rest of us appreciate degrees of being regulation bound we are more common sensible than you social media complainers with few justifications to be found so take nothing from nobody except all the things you need only take all the good stuff leave everyone else to bleed take nothing from no one and never think to give anything back you will keep taking all you want until cohesive society cracks
When I’m looking for a place to go I say to myself “hey na vro po” cos sometimes I just wanna go slow you know so I clear my head with hey na vro po
it works like a dream every time I let off steam I really unwind to small animals and children I become very kind after hey na vro po that’s what I find
it’s sort of like floating in your mind you levitate and leave reality behind looking down around you you look for signs of where you’ve been or are going it’s not defined
I sometimes follow myself walking down the street my mind is vacant I’m walking a slow beat I’m heading for a park to take a seat and visiting the park feels really neat so I sit gently down I put up my feet
I lean my head back to look up at the sky it’s empty as my brain except a bird flies by the bird is blue but it has a happy cry hey na vro po everything is right with the sky
it’s so nice in a space where the world is green where everything is cool a scene to be seen I stretch out my arms along the seat in a dream I then stretch out my legs and watch motes in a sunbeam
there are couples walking and families at play there’s some kangaroos looking at me as if to say so you’ve treated yourself to a hey na vro po day well don't let us get in your way
good for you you deserve it mate to take your empty self out and about is great it's kind of like a one person date hope you find the sweet spot in your mindless state
you can learn a thing or two from a kangaroo when they look into your eyes just look back too you’ll find a blankness you should aspire to too for they are excellent role models for you high quality lounging is what they like to do
so you lounge on the grass to watch life pass you soak up sun as you stretch out and bask you discover that lying on the grass is no task you allow yourself to doze without being asked and it doesn't matter one bit how long it lasts
twilight arrives as the sun starts to go down time to go home walk back through the town hey na vro po waylays any frown you're so relaxed you don't mind downtown brown still you weave some colourful flowers into a crown another hey na vro po day you sought and you found so you walk back with your feet just above the ground
If I had wanted to tell you the truth I would have I think you should acknowledge that you should think about it because when you understand why you will either love me more than ever or hate me forever
either way I will know I made the right decision and we will see the greater truth come to pass together
It is the weight of the heat that I struggle to bear a relentless oppressiveness that burns my skin I am surrounded by its stillness its density dehydration works from the outside in my surface is sweaty gritty debris constant exposure is to wither and shade is no relief at 48 degrees the sun robs me of my water a remorseless thief
I went down to see the majority in action gathering in the square the surging crowd the chanting voice of many people was there yet I missed the referring whisper of others from the crowd the minority of a democracy was absent / quiet as a shroud and whither was their point of view drowned by slogans and revile the future of inclusiveness dominated by slurs that defile I looked for the different colours here the different sounds and where I found such difference I did recoil at its oppressed nature there then cans were rattled the songs were long about victory and strength but for those lost and weak who did not belong there was to be no defence as push came to shove and drama spilled onto this public stage the large protest became a test of where the power is really laid how it would be used to push a point of view not clear to absolutely everyone unless to power they were already connected or held the butt of a gun there is apparently no place for everyone under our glowing democratic sun for those left out it was time to think and maybe time to run
The last time I saw my mother she sent me a kiss across the void. Two fingers touched her puckered lips, then cast into the air was a kiss at the mercy of the stiff breeze blowing everyone’s hats away. Was I meant to catch it? I have never really been sure. One reason was it appeared to be barely cast in my direction, the other was that she was in fact looking at her new husband as her hand regally flicked yet another token on another impossible journey of placation. She, number three plus stupid yappy little dog were on a boat to somewhere. Ten year old me? I was left standing on the dock unaware somewhere meant this was our last almost acknowledgement of each other. One thing I learnt that day to believe forever is lips forget what they have kissed.
For today’s dVerse 144 word prosery challenge, Mish chose the following line from Toni Morrison’s evocative poem, “Eve Remembering”. “Lips forget what they have kissed.” Besides writing eleven novels, five children’s books, two plays and an opera, Toni was the author of “Five Poems“, first published in 2002. You can read them here (well worth a read). I chose to respond to the challenge with a work of flash fiction that hits the 144 word sweet spot precisely.
poetography.ink 