Category: Poetry

Rhymed and unrhymed, form or free, this is where the poetry lives.

Listing Right

lindastudleyLeave a comment

When writing a list I often find
I don’t figure in the amount of time
it will take me to get all the chores completed
and the leftovers make me feel defeated.

As I gaze at all of the things left undone
I tend to ignore the other ones,
the ones I accomplished, the ones scratched off
of the list with a flourish, and I really ought

to forget feeling guilty for stuff left undone
and make up a list, as I go, of the ones
I’ve accomplished, then scratch them off of the list
that will always get longer but always be finished.

#73

Tabula Plena

lindastudleyLeave a comment

Start with a blank slate
and there’s nothing to build on.
It’s better to choose.

Choose sun warmed berries,
the songs of running water,
and moonlight shadows,

The warmth of the sun,
the way aspen leaves flutter,
and wild violets.

Fill your slate and find
there’s always room for beauty,
always room for joy.

#70

Lists

lindastudleyLeave a comment

A list speaks to new beginnings.
It captures the underpinnings of dreams,
like outstretched wings,
holds them still while you measure them and
calculate the distance between now and then.

Lists distill cherished outcomes
into digestible bites,
doable steps.
Lists live in the future
where everything happens
and anything is possible.
The trick is to always add another item
to the list every time you cross one off.

 

#69

To Find the Rainbow’s End

lindastudley2 Comments

First a blindfold because everyone knows
if you chase a rainbow with your eyes
open it will run away.
Like a butterfly startled by your shadow or
a wave that flattens on the shore.

Then a good friend. One who won’t play
tricks or laugh if you fall down.
Someone who knows right from
left and can give good directions.

Now walk.
With your friend calling cold,
warm, hot, or not.
Guiding your stumbling steps
to the root of the rainbow.
But beware.
Pull off the blindfold and
the rainbow will run.

But your friend will see it still,
see it ripple over you in a multi-hued state of grace.
The beauty of the rainbow is fleeting and vicarious,
to be enjoyed by those who rejoice
in the happiness of others.

 

#67

Thank you, Tony, for the inspiration. 

Chasing the Sunrise

lindastudley2 Comments

I chased a sunrise this morning
I almost caught it
on film
but
the reds
went pink
and the oranges lost their glow
before I could click the button and I’ll
have to just remember it
my eyes a truer lens
my memory a faster shutter
my heart a more vivid palette for the
sunrise I chased this morning.

 

#66

The Best of Times

lindastudley4 Comments

Looking back I see
that the best of times were not
when I was looking behind or
looking forward but
when I wasn’t looking at all.

The times I was content
to co-exist with the past, present, and future,
no regrets, no expectations.
The times when time was not
an issue, a challenge, or an obstacle to be overcome.

The times when I wasn’t comparing
or rating the overall success of my current experiences,
so, in fact, the best times were never
really quantifiably measured to prove
they were the best.

But they were.
And they will be again.

#65