• About
  • self-discovery

Dennis Cardiff

~ Poems & Prose

Dennis Cardiff

Monthly Archives: May 2013

Nature Waits…

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

birds, compassion, emotion, empathy, nature

English: Geese are standing in Spokane River, ...

English: Geese are standing in Spokane River, near Spokane, Washington, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

.

sweet scent
of morning.
Sunrise
burns the mist,
floating above
the lake

fishermen’s boats
ripple
the otherwise mirrored
surface of the water —
interrupt
the conversations
of the geese
paddling
in circles

Bang!…Bang!…Bang!
three shotgun blasts
in the distance —
(geese rock quietly)

nature waits… 

.

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Mourning Dove

29 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

bird, compassion, death, despair, desperation, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, eternal, forever, lifetimes, loneliness, longing, lost love, nature, philosophy, romance, unconditional love

 

 

idove6

.

The silence of the mourning dove,
more mournful than her song.
She’s lost her mate, her will to live,
yet time still crawls along.

Of days gone by, she dreams her dreams,
when she last heard his song.
In widow’s weeds, by empty nest,
in grief she’ll ever long.

I loved a someone, thought she loved me;
I wrote for her a song.
Now, it just brings, tears to my eyes.
The train keeps moving on.

In hobo camps along the way,
I’ve found where I belong.
Friends lost their way, their will to live,
their time will not be long.

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Figment

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

destiny, emotion, forever, imagination, loneliness, longing, mystery, personal, universe

.

i am
a figment
a dream

an image
unseen

words
unread

a figment
a dream

Without a Dreamer
i am
nothing

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

To My Wife

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

destiny, emotion, eternal, lifetimes, love, romance

How do I articulate the more than twenty years we’ve shared?
How do I calculate the trust accumulating each day?
How do I enumerate the hugs that send me off and welcome me home?
How do I evaluate the warmth of your smile
and the treasure of your company?

The special things that give me ultimate enjoyment are
the meals and conversations we share,
the dreams and plans we create,
the comfort we’ve shared in times of disappointment and tragedy,
the quiet times enjoying nature, walks without a word spoken.

These are things that seem to defy pretty words and phrases.
No rhythm, rhyme, consonance or assonance could improve on these.
No amount of wealth, position or power could equal what we have.
More important is knowing you are here for me
with love in your heart.

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Shadrak

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Song Lyrics

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

death, destiny, emotion, fantasy, imagination, longing, love, lust, mystery, romance, sighs

Saturday found me at the Shadrak,
a downstairs club that had it all.
A woman took the floor in glad rags,
I felt I was in for a fall.

She spied me lounging in the corner.
My eyes caressed her every move.
She beckoned me over to the dance floor,
low down blues held us in the groove.

She was a tall sleek woman with a class act,
slumming and feeling so high.
Knew this was wrong — her legs were so long,
dress was cut up to her thigh.
She had to be a wife or a girlfriend,
no man would let this woman slip by.

Soft fingers took away my reason,
for her I’d do right or wrong.
Flash of a thigh, wink of an eye,
she played that dress just like a song.
Maybe her lips, or the sway of her hips,
she had my number all along.

The scene couldn’t have been sweeter,
‘till Johnny sauntered through that door.
Cursed us a while, said we were vile,
reputations trampled on the floor.
Should have walked away, that isn’t my way,
his accusations cut to my core.

No backing down for right or for wrong,
for her I had to settle the score.
Glint of a knife, the end of a life,
Johnny lay dying on the floor.

Built to tantalize, she knew she was a prize;
she was a tall sleek woman with a class act,
slumming and feeling so high.
Knew this was wrong — her legs were so long,
I couldn’t let this woman slip by.
I wouldn’t let this woman slip by.

.

. 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Panhandling

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

compassion, despair, desperation, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, fear, loneliness, longing, loss, loving kindness, mankind, philosophy, unconditional love, universe, world

Sleeping on the Sidewalk, Atlanta, Georgia

Sleeping on the Sidewalk, Atlanta, Georgia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


I sit on the sidewalk,
my upturned hat
in front of me,
hoping for spare change.
I’m forty years old.
I look older
because of the beard.
I’ve been on the streets
for twenty-two years.
I sleep on the sidewalk.

The sun is blinding.
My throat is parched.
I’m vaguely aware
of people walking past.
I feel disoriented,
light-headed.
I can’t remember
when I last ate.
I can’t remember
much of anything.
My life is a blur.

Occasionally,
someone will throw
a quarter
in my direction.

Some jerk just said,
“Get a job!”
“Hire me!” I said.
That’s a joke!
Most people
won’t look at me,
let alone employ me.

If I sit here long enough
the cops may run me in.
At least, I’ll get to eat.
I’ll be safe
for one night.

.

A woman waking up on a sidewalk in Bijapur, In...

A woman waking up on a sidewalk in Bijapur, India, under a Pepsi advertisement. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

There Are No Horses Anymore

23 Thursday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

animals, compassion, despair, desperation, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, eternal, fantasy, fear, forever, free, imagination, lifetimes, longing, loving kindness, mystery, personal, philosophy, spiritual, unconditional love, universe

It’s like you’ve been reading Dostoevsky
and your mind is heavy,
so you go for a walk.
You haven’t eaten,
but instead of soup,
you order two glasses of beer.
You know how Rodion felt,
because you’re him.
You walk into the street
and a dark horse is being beaten,
but, that can’t be,
because there are no horses anymore —

that was only a dream;
only in the book.
You think you’re going mad,
but, it’s alright,
you don’t have to worry.
Someone has just closed the cover —
you’re tucked away, safe inside.
Everything is alright.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Midnight Blues

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

battle, blues, cinema, compassion, despair, desperation, destination, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, fantasy, fear, forever, free, imagination, lifetimes, loneliness, longing, love, loving kindness, mankind, mystery, nature, nightmares, personal, philosophy, purpose, reality, self esteem, sighs, soul, spirits, spiritual, trance, unconditional love, universe, world

Down and Out Blues

Down and Out Blues (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

.

I walk the empty rain-soaked streets.
Footsteps echo against brick walls
as formidable as a prison.
There is no escape from loneliness
that devours the soul from within;
an endless cinema of despair.

Locked within this kaleidoscope;
distorted images from my past
haunt my dreams and nightmares.
There is no room for reality.
Players in my mind pull the strings,
dance this mournful marionette.

I follow the cooling evening breeze
with no purpose or destination.
My feet lead me forward in a trance.
I try to empty my mind of thoughts,
the destroyers of my self-esteem —
momentarily held at bay held at bay.

Life is a never-ending battle,
one foot in front of the other,
seconds follow tedious seconds,
breaths counted entering and leaving,
heart beats it’s pounding rhythm
walking these, empty rain-soaked blues.

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

My Garret

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, fantasy, imagination, mystery, personal, philosophy, universe, world

alberto_giacometti_gallery_7

The older I grow, the more I find myself alone.
Alberto Giacometti

.

I’d like to lock myself
in a lonely garret.
I like the sound of that —
very bohemian.
Giotto, Giacometti,
they had all the answers.

I’ll call upon my muse,
Splash paint with abandon.
Then I’ll be discovered —
fancy vernissages,
paparazzi wherever I go.
My life won’t be my own.

Vacations, Côte d’Azur.
Then there’ll be the movie stars,
parties, entertaining,
guest appearances — Oprah
(a conversation hog).
I won’t jump on the couch!

Tabloids making up lies.
Wonder why I bother.
Think I’ll dump the garret.
I need my old life back —
privacy, sanity.
What’s a garret, anyway?

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Panama

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

animals, birds, compassion, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, fantasy, flowers, forever, free, imagination, kiss, lifetimes, loving kindness, mystery, nature, personal, Pirate, romance, travel, vacation

I sit on a bamboo and rattan bar stool
at the Monkey Bar overlooking the Chagres River.
I drink a glass of seven-year old Ron Abuelo rum,
sweet nectar that tastes like creme brulee
and slides down my throat like warm, spiced honey.

A breeze blows through the open bar
and with it the scent of Bougainvilleas,
Hotlips, Amaryllis and Holy Ghost Orchids.
Swaying and giving shade are Wild Cashew
and Geiger Trees, Banana and Coconut Palms.

I peruse a crocodile idly floating by.
A log with a purpose. In the distance
I can hear the squawks of Parakeets,
Toucans and the distinctive chirps
of the aptly named Yellow-rumped Warblers.

I am transported back to 1941.
I almost expect to see Humphrey Bogart
and Mary Astor plotting to save the Canal locks
from being torpedoed by Sydney Greenstreet
in John Huston’s Across the Pacific.

Next day we board Captain Jim’s pirate ship.
I share with my wife a Pirate’s Kiss,
while on deck swords clash, the combatants chase
each other around masts and rigging
’til the inevitable death scene … “Aargh!”

.

Footnotes

A Pirate’s Kiss
is rum being poured by the pirate into the mouth
of one person who shares it with his or her partner by means of a kiss.

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Vibrations

18 Saturday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

compassion, death, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, forever, free, lifetimes, longing, lost love, love, loving kindness, mankind, mystery, personal, philosophy, spiritual, unconditional love, universe

.

vibrations of amethyst,
lilac and lavender,
point the direction
my travels should aim
incense of frankincense
tears from north Africa
carry my prayers
upon smoke to the skies
guide me, my spirit
protect me from danger
let white light surround me
until I return

what will I find there
while flowing in ethers
away from my body,
away from my mind?
my soul floats forever
on moments eternal
to earth I am tethered —
as kite is by string

morning star, wishing star,
star guides the sailer,
comets are singing
celestial songs
the universe moving,
continual turmoil
while moon in Her glory
watches it all.

)0(

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Banshee

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Banshee, Crying, death, despair, desperation, destiny, emotion, eternal, fear, folk tales, forever, Grief Loss and Bereavement, imagination, Irish mythology, lifetimes, loss, lost love, mystery, sighs, spirit

In Irish legend, a banshee wails around a house where someone is about to die.

…

Brittle bones rattle and shake,
shadow me through the windy woods.
Shiver, quiver, quail and quake.
I’d forsake my worldly goods
if I thought they would suffice.
Keening cries of the banshee
penetrate like spears of ice.
Her cloak of gray, I cannot see —

Clammy presence proves she’s here.
From her curse I cannot flee;
I must face my deadly fear.
Death of kin hails the banshee.
Is it Mother, Father, Son?
On my neck her icy breath.
My sanctuary comes undone —
journey’s end will find a death.

Nearing home I hear the wailing,
sobbing, crying, clothes are rent.
Hair is pulled, arms are flailing —
heartbreak, tears are almost spent.
How to comfort, what to say?
Grieving knows no tomorrow.
How to live another day?
Stagger on, bear the sorrow.

Silent now, sits the banshee,
hooded, faceless, cloaked in gray,
spirit that we cannot see.
Pray her presence stays away.
More than that we cannot ask
as each footstep nears the grave,
toil at every weary task;
life is meant to spend not save.

Soon enough will come the time
when others wail, sob and cry.
Drums beat slowly, church bells chime;
it will be my time to die.
Hooded, faceless, cloaked in gray
the spirit wails right on cue,
as she will some future day —
when the banshee wails for you.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

I Wait

16 Thursday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

birds, compassion, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, finch, forever, free, imagination, lifetimes, longing, love, loving kindness, mankind, mystery, nature, owl, personal, philosophy, romance, spiritual, unconditional love, universe, world

Captive,
in a soggy tent,
I hear the incessant,
syncopated rhythm
of raindrops on canvas;
beating fast, beating slow,
accentuated, at times
by the scream of the jay
and twitter of the finch.
Their song seems to foretell
the end of the rain, but
inside my canvas drum
the sound remains the same.
My thoughts turn to my work
halted by pouring rain.
I hear the lonely owl —
expectantly,
I wait.

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

La Jolla Palms

11 Saturday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

animals, birds, California, condors, fishing boats, ocean, palm trees, seals, travel, vacation

DSC00348

La Jolla palms pierce the sky.
Ocean breeze is blowing free.
Seals sojourn in the surf.
Surfers frolic in the sea.

Traffic rolls on Silverado
while I sit and sip and gander
(witbier: orange blossom honey,
orange zest with coriander).

Eternal chorus of the waves
rolling, crashing on the shore.
Children running in the sand.
Across the sea — forevermore.

Condors flying from the north,
as I did on another flight.
Fishing boats are heading home.
Couvier Street prepares for night.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Street Justice

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

blues, compassion, death, desperation, destiny, emotion, empathy, eternal, fear, forever, homeless, kindness, lifetimes, loss, love, loving kindness, mankind, motorcycle gangs, personal, support, unconditional love

I sit, in sadness,
holding hands with an injured friend;
her ribs broken and fractured,
her breathing painful and difficult,
her head aching and dizzy,
her face bruised
and scraped.

Another friend
is absent, in hiding; yet
he has no sanctuary,
there is no place he won’t be found.

At last, he had his life
in some semblance of order.
Two months sober;
he had an apartment, furniture;
his pride and self-worth had returned.
Then, he spent his rent check on booze —
starting with triple tequila shots
at a biker bar.
The universe
had given him a fresh start —
he threw it away.

Street justice will prevail;
sentence has been passed:
a bruise for a bruise,
a broken bone for a broken bone,
and something extra
so it won’t happen again.
Punishment will be exacted
with ruthless,
emotionless
efficiency.

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Dreams

08 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

compassion, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, fantasy, forever, imagination, kindness, lifetimes, longing, love, loving kindness, mankind, mystery, nature, personal, philosophy, romance, sighs, spirits, spiritual, unconditional love, universe, world

Dreams take me places
this lifetime has never seen.
I’m not constrained
by time or space —
travels take me anywhere
within this magic place.

I may decide to fill my arms
with fragrant wild blooms,
gather precious stones,
perhaps, a fallen feather,
found along the path,
lost by a bluebird
(overhead, has passed).

These simple tokens,
Gentle signs of kindness
(natures bounty),
I bring them home,
marvel at approaching dawn,
another new beginning,
reason to carry on.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

I Contemplate

04 Saturday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

birds, compassion, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, forever, free, imagination, lifetimes, longing, love, loving kindness, mankind, mystery, nature, personal, philosophy, romance, spiritual, unconditional love, universe, world

In dappled maple shade
I contemplate —
everything and nothing.

Shadows of leaves finger
planks of cedar deck
and reach for my toes.

Clouds, pink and purple
scud and sail across
the washed out azure sky.

Hawks circle, finches
twitter and hop from
branch to springing branch.

The orchestra of
bull frogs, tree frogs and
crickets haunt the night.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Prufrock

03 Friday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

despair, desperation, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, eternal, fantasy, forever, imagination, insecurity, lifetimes, loneliness, longing, lost love, love, loving kindness, mystery, personal, romance, Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot

While pondering Prufrock, and his unanswered, “overwhelming question”
I consider my world of insecurities,
the fourth dimension,
the meaning of life, of afterlife, how high the sky, how deep the sea.
A lot of questions; but, most of all, is that woman looking at me?
And if so, why? Is it admiration? Perhaps my fly is undone.
Is she smiling or snickering? Are my clothes too tight? I’ve just begun. I like to think I’m individualistic, independent;
not a slave to the crowd. My clothes suit me – rather vintage, resplendant.
Or, am I a joke?
Is my style inappropriate, my hair too long?
The words float in space and, in my head, I hear the music to a song.
I’ll admit some insecurity; a lot of insecurity —
more learning, more questions. I like to think of that as maturity. I openly seek, and appreciate, the approval of my peers.
I know that contradicts;
but that’s the way I’ve become throughout the years.
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
It is the sum of who I am, what I’ve done and where I’ve been.
I’ve had much more than my share of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels.
Unlike Eliot, I consider myself more of a new age seeker. Yes, I have heard the mermaids singing
and no, they do not sing to me.
I have become the watcher, putting in my time, dreaming of the sea.
Infinite waves, at times lapping at the beach, or crashing on the shore.
Sometimes, I think that life should have more meaning, that I could be much more.
I have accomplished what I could – “cat will mew, and dog will have his day.”(1)
As always, the beautiful women smile, and chatter, and walk away.

…

(1)[1600-1 Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 286]

Phrases in italics are quoted from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S.Eliot, one of my favorite poems. What I like most are the daily observances, recollections, distractions, insecurities and the questions.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Melancholy

03 Friday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, eternal, forever, free, imagination, lifetimes, loneliness, longing, loss, lost love, love, mystery, personal, philosophy, romance, unconditional love

Melancholy strains
of music we once shared
play on,
renewing the emptiness
that gnaws within.

Relentlessly,
the record spins
and the wine,
with its delicate bouquet,
only deepens my sadness.

Your sparkling eyes
and your smile
blaze in my memory
like the summer sun
we once shared.

Now, my sun is gone
and I am left
with only the music
and the memory….
The wine is turning bitter.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

a good night

02 Thursday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

compassion, death, emotion, empathy, empowerment, eternal, forever, free, lifetimes, love, loving kindness, mystery, personal, philosophy, unconditional love, universe

i have tried
to live this day
with courage, compassion,
love and understanding.
(i’ve not, in all cases,
been successful,
but i did my best.)

tonight,
when i lay my head
on my pillow,
close my eyes,
set free my thoughts,
i have no assurance
that i will awake
next morning.

yet, still
i release all stress
and mortal attachment,
abandon myself
to the unknown,
the unexpected,
the uncontrollable.

if i should die before i wake
i pray the Lord
my soul to take.

it is, i think,
a good night to die.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Heartache, Old Friend

02 Thursday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

despair, destiny, emotion, loneliness, longing, love, romance, sighs

Heartache, old friend,
pull up a memory,
let’s sit by the fire,
drink a toast to the past.
Remind me of dreams
unfulfilled, unforgotten,
soul without substance
denied ’till the last.

She’ll blow me a kiss
as the train leaves the station;
twin silver rails
lead straight to the stars.
We’ll do a few orbits
buzz constellations,
perhaps a layover
at Venus or Mars.

Bring out the map
of trails untraveled,
of paths not pursued,
and deeds left undone.
The time’s growing short —
tomorrow comes early —
left the last sunset;
I’ve not yet begun.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Lonely

02 Thursday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

compassion, death, despair, desperation, destiny, dreams, emotion, empathy, eternal, fear, forever, loneliness, longing, loss, love, loving kindness, mankind, personal, philosophy, spiritual, support, unconditional love, universe, world

I wandered into Lonely
about a week ago.
I don’t know how I got here.
I don’t know where to go.

I’m not alone in Lonely
we gather all together.
I look into their lonely eyes;
I see they’re lost forever.

We sit in understanding,
I hear about their sorrow.
Death looks from their teary eyes;
they’ll not be here tomorrow.

My heart I unfold to them.
They look on me as a friend.
I give them all the love I have.
I’ll embrace them ’till the end.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Fire For the Mind

01 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

ancestry, emotion, empathy, farming, foreigners, heritage, Iceland, immigrants, knowledge, loving kindness, mankind, personal, philosophy, pioneers, religion, Saskatchewan, settlers, unconditional love, volcanaoes, world

A House is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. ~ Benjamin Franklin

…

Iceland’s earthquakes and volcanoes,
blackened skies, smothered crops, starved livestock
left already poor families
destitute, no means for survival
in a harsh unforgiving landscape
of glaciers, scarce arable land;
only rough terrain for the grazing
of sheep and tough Icelandic horses.

Canada invited immigrants
to settle its prairie provinces,
unite the country from sea to sea.
They needed farmers to break the land,
plant and harvest wheat, barley and rye.
They offered passage by sea and rail
and provided implements to farm,
tools and supplies to last the winter.

In 1900 they left their land
of fire and ice for Saskatchewan,
my Grampa, Magnus Ingimarsson,
and Gramma, Vilborg Gudmundsdottir.
In sea trunks their priceless possessions:
the Lutheran Bible, Prose Eddas,
writings of their distinguished authors
and poets. They had but little else:
household goods, language, culture, courage,
thirst for knowledge, fire in hearts and minds.

Their first shelter dug from prairie sod;
oiled paper, no glass for windows,
scarce logs supported sod for the roof.
The first winters were harsh with freezing
temperatures, driving snow, blizzards
so fierce they couldn’t see their hands
in front of their faces. Many died
walking from their farmhouses to their barns;
but, they persevered and made their home,
tilled the soil, planted, harvested crops
and, in time, became wealthy with food
and fire for mind as well as body.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Blues Man

01 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by DennisCardiff in Poetry

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blues, despair, dreams, emotion, empathy, guitar strings, loneliness, longing, lost love, mojo, mystery, personal, philosophy, sighs, slide guitar

Steel slides seducing strings
blues man plucks and picks.
Winding down, my mood descends —
craving a few more licks.

Your melodies transport me.
Rasping voice tears my pain.
Feel you deep inside my gut —
Just play it once again.

Blues man with your mojo hand,
Spirit of the Voodoo Chile,
Enchant and entrance me —
Suspend me here a while.

I weep with your sadness.
My heart strains with your grief.
Your blood, sweat, tears and soul —
revelation of belief.

Mystic, mojo master
You read my troubled mind.
Notes create a picture
to which I had been blind.

 

.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 146,608 other followers

Blog Stats

  • 64,043 hits

Recent Posts

  • If We Listen
  • Prairie Crocus
  • Voodoo Queen of New Orleans
  • First Snow Fall
  • destiny
May 2013
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr   Jun »

Archives

  • October 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Recent Comments

loujen haxm'Yor on If We Listen
House of Heart on If We Listen
yvettemcalleiro on If We Listen
robbiesinspiration on Voodoo Queen of New Orlea…
Jonathan Caswell on Prairie Crocus

Categories

  • Poetry
  • Prose
  • Song Lyrics
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 146,608 other followers

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Dennis Cardiff
    • Join 146,608 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Dennis Cardiff
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: