Poetry Thursday: An Open Window

As summer slips toward fall,
through an open window the river beckons
promising the pleasure that comes from
dipping paddle into water,
pulling toward sights and sounds
new and familiar.

More Poetry Thursday here.

Poetry Thursday is going away. This is it's last Thursday. Thanks Liz and Dana for providing this inspiration!

Poetry Thursday: Rivers

River Haiku

river of knowledge
hereditary bequest
enriching my life


Charles River at Elm Bank in Wellesley

Ode to the Charles
meandering river
exploring towns along the way
trees bend as if to
dip a branch into the water
herons prowl the banks
in search of lunch
kayaker paddles your water
in search of exercise
turtle basks on rock
in search of warmth
reader sits on shore
in search of solitude
artist sits to sketch
in search of beauty
river flows on
in search of ocean

Charles River in Waltham

More Poetry Thursday
More river pictures in my flickr account

Poetry Thursday: Conversation

#1
It’s hard to talk to you
makes my heart ache
and my eyes fill with tears.

I’ve imagined you countless times
the feel of your hand in mine
the sound of your laughter

I’m sorry we never got to meet
never got to know each other
never got to explore the world together

We meant to, later
After we’d had time to settle
But time was not on our side

So I sit and imagine who you would have been
And who I would have been
And try not to have conversations that bring tears to my eyes.


#2
Skunk cabbage is not a good snack.
I’ve never eaten it,
but once when we lived in the big brown house
next to the deep gully
some bullies made your mom eat it.

Usually the gully was a fun place to be,
full of trees and rocks,
and unexplored possibility.

The gully could be a deep dark jungle,
or a planet far away in the galaxy.
You could hide in the gully,
Behind a tree, under a branch,
where no one could find you,
until you wanted to be found.

But always up on the hill
was the big brown house,
the one your grandmother loved,
and still loves.

In the big brown house was
warmth, and love,
cookies and hugs,
all just waiting for you
when the adventure was over.

For more Poetry Thursday conversations go here.

Poetry Thursday: Together

We didn't see it coming,
We hadn't planned for it,
It wasn't part of our wildest dreams,
But then,
quiet and trusting you slipped into my heart.

I tried to shake you loose,
To find again the path,
I thought was mine,
But then,
stubborn and demanding you slipped into my arms.

We talked deep into the night,
We held each other close,
We promised to protect each other,
And
soft and tender you slipped into my soul.

Together we face each day,
Together we face each challenge,
Together we build a life,
Quiet, trusting, stubborn, demanding, soft and tender
Together.

This is my contribution to this week's Poetry Thursday. The challenge this week was to take a line contributed by another poet (thanks! patti) and build a poem around it. Patti's line was "soft and tender you slipped into my soul".