I used to look up
To look at the stars
Star studded velvet
Embracing the night
It coddles
It soothes
It keeps out the light
Beware, It says
Beware of the time
The time, It will come
And It will light up the sky
Beware, It says
Beware of the time.
The dark, quiet night
A black, velvet shroud
It soothes
It whispers
A sweet lullaby
¨Hush, star gazer
Find your solace with me¨
My whole life cycle devoted to you, my teen pop idol.
Your poster giving me a vision,
worshipping you is my decision.
Say a prayer? For albums, fragrances, what you wear.
More and more possessions, to feed my obsession.
Get my daily fix -following your tricks –
on Twitter. Today, two concert tickets on offer.
Into the crowded arena, go me and Tina.
Back row? Mmm…don’t know.
Friend soon forgotten, jockeying for position,
battle waged, finally make it to the stage.
So near yet so far, from a real, live superstar!
Went the extra mile, now flash me your rock-star-smile.
Glorious vocal powers, for two whole hours.
Not quite the end of the show, but really gotta go.
Time to be teenage and sneak backstage.
Unpick the locks, nick purple, designer jocks
Got all I need, ready to speed, swing around, go back underground.
Tina long since left the dome. Cold and alone, hours to get home.
Fumbling with keys in the dark, thinking he’s just broken my heart.
Open the back door and –
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! (Wow! What a reaction!)
The Spotlight -on me? (OMG!)
Once anonymous civilian, now one-in-a-million!
Out of the blinding lights, a figure comes forward… (Oh dear, this is awkward!)
Immobilised, I stand.
Purple tufts sticking out of my clamped hand.
The hit-maker chimes:
“You’ve got something of mine. But that’s fine.”
He flashes me his rock star smile.
We pose with his purple – school file.
“SURPRISING A FAN … PRICELESS!”
free as the bird although a river of ashes engenders the lava whose fire
turns off
And the game is over
the game where flames were lit
the flames in the rain
the rain that extinguishes fine and mutes the incense and the will-o’-the-wisps
Today
blue orchids decorate
the entrance to the valley of paradise, upright green tree on the threshold of life
I close my eyes
as I leave your room, bed against a wall
suitcases and boxes stored there now,
in mirrored, careful preparation for life.
My sweet son, embarking on his journey
away
young man, departing.
And I, feeling
torn
as if skin has pulled away from my heart
leaving him to forge ahead,
life’s adventures to be discovered
on that road
where I no longer see his face each day.
You were only mine on loan
and now I must return you to the world
a mother’s tears falling as I stumble
on this hard, unyielding milestone.
As I look back, I see a single tear
coursing down
his cheek.
Thank you, Mother Earth,
From whom all life does grow:
Trees and plants and crops
From crumbled leaves and melted snow;
Sea life lay eggs in sand
From crumbled shells eons ago;
Fish swim upstream into pools
From where the rivers flow;
And bugs crawl under foot;
And birds fly overhead.
And clouds bring sacred rain,
The constant, common thread.
And sunlight bright and restful night,
You whirl with Father Moon,
And laugh in cosmic twirl
‘Cross Heaven to the Sun’s gay tune.
And what of us who never were
But are today and then are gone?
This day we celebrate our lives
Until our consciousness is done.
And millions of years have come before
And millions of years will follow after.
And like a spark we live and die
The briefest chance to share the laughter.
The sun glistens upon us. Hawks fly. Angels sing. The dance of life moves to the beat of earth’s hum. Gaia awakens those asleep. They have slumbered far too long. The time is now. Let it flow through you. The child within is your first clue. As you listen to the silence, your matrix training comes undone. Let the ruin around you be, the journey within will set you free. Get on the peace train, together we’re gonna be alright. One love, one heart– a crystalline cave within. When you find it, your suffering is no longer bound. You have moved beyond the duality. Your soul ascends the darkness clouds. Patience and gentleness start within you: courage and strength set in motion will move you past the betrayal and deception. All is revealed. The caterpillar transforms from the cocoon. The butterfly sees the light– the power from within.
A Found Poem by Poetara
From The Devil Baby at Hull-House by Jane Addams (1916)
It was the old women who seemed to have stirred their minds and memories.
Seemed to lose all bitterness and resentment.
Those women had come to expect nothing more from life.
Ceased grasping and striving.
Were the Fates so casual with sudden illumination.
Awakened out of the burden of the invisible.
Pitiful old women, who had reconciled themselves to much misery.
But the Memory of Beauty and Significance remained.
Something in the soul,
has the power to make life acceptable,
and at rare moments even beautiful.
A singular power of healing the distracted spirit.
I have wandered long and far—
From the forest of my childhood, full of tree-branch dragonsSoaring hawks above me and my sidekick yellow cat.
I wasn’t a girl then but a prince-riding dragons and rescuing
Princesses from from boring lives and eventual sadness.
They waved to me as I left to fly further and farther.
I wandered from sunup to twilight, then I would say good-by
to the dragons ‘till the next day. They soared into twilight
As the yellow cat and I walked through the darkening daylistening to sleepy birds and an owl softly hoot us home.
synthetic signorina ⥐ the spring was not ready for you ⥐
trading fiori for flash, delicacy for infamy ⥐ when you promised lullabies rolling down your legs they
did not expect Versace vernacular with a deep V ⥐
you high and high art ⥐ bound and pinned ⥐ spring wanted swelling ballgowns and flower crowns ⥐
but you brought nature morte and stunned them all ⥐
undeniably woman yet haphazardly girlish, your wallet in hand yet arm-in-arm with candy ⥐
not yet in style, so in style ⥐ wrapped in camp and kitsch ⥐ rapt in camp and kitsch ⥐
synthetic signorina ⥐ do you even know the women at their knees, the men up your sleeve ⥐
you pun on the pin-up girl ⥐ you took the 70s ⥐ made it 90s ⥐ made the LBD your own ⥐
masochistic bondage achieved by metallic boning ⥐ masculinity’s beyond saving ⥐
because it was never really safety the pins were after ⥐ the would-be sweetheart dragged down to the
depths ⥐ and once you go down they never let you back up ⥐ no matter how high
your heels ⥐ no matter how high you fly ⥐ gilted all over, you’re guilting everyone ⥐
synthetic signorina ⥐ you harsh hot and heavy metal girl ⥐
got your groupie of fixes up and down your sides ⥐ with crystal-crusted heads ⥐
for crystal-crusted head ⥐ in crystal-crusted beds but who is it you let into your chambers ⥐
cuz your nymphonic stride demands accompaniment ⥐ your demonic pride needs to show off
its repertoire ⥐ conducting electrical spasms in electric organs ⥐ hitting high C and getting good D ⥐
how did you find the key that opened up everything ⥐
synthetic signorina ⥐ branded bride to trends and runways was the runaway life ever not for you cuz you
got your Haus but ⥐ stella ⥐ amore ⥐ have you ever had a home ⥐
is that why you hold down hold fast hold in place ⥐ so when it’s time you fold down fold fast fold in
place fit nice in his suitcase and spend the night somewhere new ⥐
in fetishistic eveningwear for a fetishistic evening where nothing is tame where anything’s game ⥐ but
really it’s the same old night for you, synthetic signorina ⥐
it’s the same old night for you ⥐
The girl that was raped and left in the ditch was beautiful
so was
the car that the kids at the playground saw her get into
for the last time
and the color of her hair as the sun shone off of it
and the dress she had on
before it was torn
and the day
she was found
was beautiful too.
