(These are countdown poems)

Three Drops

Three drops hanging in mid air,
Misshapen into beautiful forms,
Glistening in the morning sun,
As I sit listening to the
Morning sounds.
Trembling, trembling, spindly
Legs move in graceful jerks
‘Til the spider in his web
Nuzzles one drop and drinks deep.

Two drops hanging in mid air,
Misshaping the world as I look through.
Their beveled edges cast rainbows
And I revel in the mornings’
Stained glass.
Shaking, shaking, the webbish
Silk has caught a fly
And loosened from its tenuous
Moorings, one drop – it is lost.
 
One drop hanging in mid air,
Mistaken for its cousin ‘Rain’,
Dew is pulled from the atmosphere.
Culled by midnight hands from
Midnight air.
Warming, warming, the sun that once
Threw rainbow material now
Beckons with gentle but firm intent
Until one drop disappears.

Five Petals

Gazing across a petaled plain
Colored by sun and earth and sky,
Pleasing just by its presence here,
It fills my thoughts and I
 
Wonder if a simple journey
Leaping, skipping, rolling ‘round
Could be had across this vista
In scale, so high above the ground
 
Below.  The green of fine cut grass
Provides an even, dullish haze -
The perfect backdrop, I decide,
As I stand in wonder.  I stretch my gaze
 
To the farthest reaches of my sight,
A view both intimate and grand.
Deep color floods my thoughts,
And I shake myself.  The task at hand
 
Is greater than I thought it’d be.
I slip off shoes and socks, my skin
Now sighs and sings where it finds
The softest slipper its ever been in
 
Wrapped from heel to toe.
This first petal looked like the rest,
So amazing in hue, in touch.
Of the five was this one best,
 
Or did all exist as one?
The fragrant air pulls me on
And so, I step on the springy fuzz,
Drifting toward the horizon
 
That never seemed to arrive.
Finally, a seam in the expanse.
I skip lightly across and bounce
The first few steps of a new dance
 
I just made up.  Sheer joy
The instigator of my new creation.
But now I’m on petal two.
So close was their relation
 
I did not readily observe
The transition from one to another.
The sadness of the finished part
Erased by futures covered
 
With the same and new wonders.
This one, too, was fragrant, still
It held some differences, and
Pulled me along until
 
Another seam appeared.
Too soon, it seemed, too soon.
But here I am on petal three,
Listening to its subtle tune
 
Halfway between hearing and not.
And I, halfway, slow my pace,
Thinking it was silly of me
To start this journey like a race
 
To be won.  Standing still,
Taking in the sights and sounds,
I turn them into experience
By internal processes that round
 
The edges of reality and blunt
The sharp edge of time.
I continue on the path I’ve set
The direction is the same, but I’m
 
On a different course.
I carefully step onto petal four.
I feel and see, I sense and reach
And find that there is much more
 
To be found.  I travel
Edge to edge.  I’m drawn
To the end of four.
And here it is.  And now it’s gone.
 
 
Behind me lay such vast
Expanse of fragrance and hue.
Now written on my mind
It has changed my view
 
Of these five petals.
Before me, still, one remains.
Beneath my feet and in my eyes
It is as before I came
 
But now I have a part
Of it – yet it is whole!
‘The sum is greater’, I decide,
and laugh away the mindless toll
 
I’ve placed upon myself.
Lighter now, I cavort
And jump and dance and romp and roll
And am happy that I can report
 
The journey ended in
Laughter, not in tears.
The sadness of the ending will
Not stand against the joy that years

Can not steal.  Now I
Travel each petal when
I wish and look back and
Forward, ‘til once again,
 
I wonder.

Two Minutes

Its Twelve o’clock, the witching hour,
The countdown now will start
With a glance of eyes, a nod of heads,
And a flutter of my heart.
 
The preparation all but done
Two minutes is all they need.
A curtain opens, now all can see
The doing of this deed.
 
A rustle here, a soft word there,
It seems so business-like.
But currently, their business is
The taking of my life.
 
Its Twelve oh one, I have no power
To stop or even prolong,
So, I hum my life’s melody,
But it’s not a happy song.
 
Too soon a child, too soon an adult,
Too soon I made my choice,
Too late I realized my song
Could be sung in another voice.
 
The rise and fall of my notes,
Are a wearisome, keening sound.
I think my own ears cannot wait
Till they’re one with the ground.
 
Its Twelve oh two, no clock tower
Will strike its toll for me,
Yet I’ll expire while lying here
Before its Twelve oh three.
 
The plunger pushed, the deadly rush
Speeds quickly through my veins.
The faceless eyes watch me die -
They wish I felt their pain.

They wish I knew what I had done
To destroy their fragile lives.
I wish they knew what I now know,
I’d tell them, but
 
                              its only lies.

Last Daisy

Yellow sun, green grass, blue eyes,
Back porch, wooden steps, young heart.
Must know, ‘Does she?’, flowers tell.
Petal litter, stems strewn, last daisy.
 
Determined stare, fingers poised, time slows.
Soft breeze, grasses sway, petals plucked.
‘Loves me’, ‘…me not!’, ‘Loves me’, ‘…me not!’
Hope lingers, fear lurks, fingers pull.
 
Petals fall, few remain, ‘Does she?’
Still unanswered.  Clouds float, birds call,
Summer sings, boy sighs, sun shines,
Insects buzz, earth spins, petals fall.
 
Two left, ‘…me not!’, floats away.
‘Loves me!’ Last Petal, clutched tight.
Face raised, eyes opened, sees clouds,
Hears birds, feels sun, stands up,
 
Spins ‘round, laughs aloud summers song.
Opens hands, lets go …. Petal falls.

Five Petals (a different look)

Five Petals was written so that it could be put into paragraph form

Gazing across a petaled plain colored by sun and earth and sky, pleasing just by its presence here, it fills my thoughts and I wonder if a simple journey, leaping, skipping, rolling ‘round could be had across this vista, in scale, so high above the ground below. 

The green of fine cut grass provides an even, dullish haze -the perfect backdrop, I decide, as I stand in wonder.  I stretch my gaze to the farthest reaches of my sight, a view both intimate and grand. 

Deep color floods my thoughts, and I shake myself.  The task at hand is greater than I thought it’d be.  I slip off shoes and socks, my skin now sighs and sings where it finds the softest slipper its ever been in wrapped from heel to toe. 

This first petal looked like the rest, so amazing in hue, in touch.  Of the five, was this one best, or did all exist as one?  The fragrant air pulls me on and so I step on the springy fuzz, drifting toward the horizon that never seemed to arrive. 

Finally, a seam in the expanse.  I skip lightly across and bounce the first few steps of a new dance I just made up.  Sheer joy the instigator of my new creation. But now I’m on petal two.  So close was their relation I did not readily observe the transition from one to another.  The sadness of the finished part erased by futures covered with the same and new wonders.  This one, too, was fragrant, still it held some differences, and pulled me along until another seam appeared. 

Too soon, it seemed, too soon.  But here I am on petal three, listening to its subtle tune halfway between hearing and not.  And I, halfway, slow my pace, thinking it was silly of me to start this journey like a race to be won.  Standing still, taking in the sights and sounds, I turn them into experience by internal processes that round the edges of reality and blunt the sharp edge of time. 

I continue on the path I’ve set.  The direction is the same, but I’m on a different course.  I carefully step onto petal four.  I feel and see, I sense and reach and find that there is much more to be found.  I travel edge to edge.  I’m drawn to the end of four.  And here it is. 

And now it’s gone.

Behind me lay such vast expanse of fragrance and hue.  Now written on my mind it has changed my view of these five petals.  Before me, still, one remains.  Beneath my feet and in my eyes it is as before I came but now I have a part of it – yet it is whole!  ‘The sum is greater’, I decide, and laugh away the mindless toll I’ve placed upon myself. 

Lighter now, I cavort and jump and dance and romp and roll and am happy that I can report the journey ended in laughter, not in tears.  The sadness of the ending will not stand against the joy that years can not steal.  Now I travel each petal when I wish and look back and forward, ‘til once again, I wonder.