Poetry Night at Barnes & Noble

Below are the two poems I read for Kelly at the Geneva Barnes & Noble open mic tonight. Nicole was the host, and Bill was there too. They didn't have a microphone, so people just read from their chairs (which were arranged in a circle). Accompanying Bill was his wife Faith, who talked with us about poet/journalist Michael Datcher and a found object artist from Austin Texas. A highlight of the evening was the little girl who read snippets of Shakespeare and said she had "plenty of time" to learn her lines for "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which was to be performed on Saturday. It was funny to see her reaction when it dawned on her just how close Saturday actually was!

Shadows Falling from the Heart
for Kelly

Before they fell in love
he'd met her heart in a dream.
It offered hope and beat within him,
brought soil and light to the trees.

Then she came to him, full-bright,
an unearthly light across the field,
and a path was made for their souls to follow.

As she spoke to him
her voice lifted flowers from the grayness.
They swelled and broke the silence within him,
brought blue to the sea.

In such time she carried him, sleep-quiet,
and placed his broken body in the arms of angels.
There his ailments healed, and his heart did too.

As the shadows fell away, one by one,
they could easily see that his heart
resembled hers. An undeniable sign.

Oh love, mysterious thing,
as vital to life as the stars are to the universe,
you are what gives God his sight.


Morning Rain
for Kelly

This morning there was much rain,
forcing the birds into trees,
the butterflies beneath leaves.
I stand just outside the door,
listening to the cool silence
between raindrops.
And I begin to wonder
about time machines,
about being fully
absorbed into the future:
The full view of a sunset
from our porch chairs,
a cat resting at our feet.
Faces aged, a hand
holding a hand, love shining
from our eyes. And the wind
comes down from the flowered hills,
filling the home with fragrances.
Everything is golden orange
like a softly glowing jewel.
The world seems at peace.

There is no other place
I'd rather be…

I blink my eyes
and turn back to things.
Another day begins.
I close the door behind me,
leaving echoes of my heartbeat
to mingle with the rain.