POETRY IS AND ECHO ASKING A SHADOW TO DANCE Carl Sandburg PEACE Elusive thingWhen raised to a bannerYielding masses to agreeMalleableDilutedTemperedAlchemizedIn the fire of ambition and powerObjectifiedAs the price we pay for spilling bloodIn the name of slippery, volatile constructsBurnt to ashes without feathers springing on renewal flight PeaceThe elixir running in the veins of…
POETRY IS AND ECHO ASKING A SHADOW TO DANCE Carl Sandburg EUCALYPTUS ODE Auld Lang Syne rings The Old squints bravelyAt the bright face of the NewBrimming with possibilityLoved and strangers alike Silently questionThe Past ODE Time Long PastDistant memories remainEvery sloppy kiss,Every glass-clinking toastEvery euphoric hug shared Reflections drowned outby slurred conversationsThe forgotten resolutionsHidden…
“Story is a yearning meeting an obstacle.” Robert Olen Butler AETHERION LUMIVRA The Legend of the Six-Winged Lantern of the Thresholds The steady black tea of Chronos brewed time’s unceasing tide. The ever-changing oolong of Aion spiraled through the seasons, days and nights, and then, just then, Kairos’ vibrant moment curling up in matcha green,…
“Story is a yearning meeting an obstacle.” Robert Olen Butler NUTS & NOTS I woke up to the rhythmic buzz of the cicadas’ hypnotic melody welcoming the Mistral’s little sister. Its whispers caressed the hazy purple stretching in neat, orderly rows across the landscape. Liquid gold transmuted the lavender fields into oceans of shimmering violet…
“Story is a yearning meeting an obstacle.” Robert Olen Butler HORROR SLUMBER Incomprehensible images drifted through a heavy fog he couldn’t dispel. Remote voices echoed as his own loud breathing bounced off unseen walls. Lying flat, he couldn’t sense what held him—in fact, he couldn’t feel his body at all. Hypnagogia, he thought. Just sleep…
“Story is a yearning meeting an obstacle.” Robert Olen Butler H-HOUR Millions watched the launch of humanity’s greatest scientific achievement. Thousands stood behind colored ribbons as scientists prepared the rocket designed to control the planet’s atmosphere. Code streamed across screens. Launch. He stood frozen. Smoke rose from the wreckage. Something burned. Someone screamed. A body…
“Story is a yearning meeting an obstacle.” Robert Olen Butler ANOTHER DAY Constance dresses and walks into the kitchen. Her mother is affixed to the stove, silent and motionless. A lunch box rests on the table. At five, Constance returns. The door opens and a fresh breeze sneaks inside. Her mother turns around. Astonished, she…
“Story is a yearning meeting an obstacle.” Robert Olen Butler A DAY OF RECKONING Mary opened the front door slowly, her thumb hovering over 911. She watched aghast at the total chaos inside. Nothing stood in its place. Clothes, cookware, books, and papers piled across overturned tables and smashed chairs. Only a tornado could compete…
TROUBADOR SPELL ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS FOR PIANO & VOICE MY PARAKEET FRIEND
TROUBADOUR SPELL ORIGINAL COMPOSITION FOR PIANO & VOICE LOCO-MOTIVE Routine Song