1969: A Personal Reverie – 4th of July, 2011

Daisy-chained flowers, style of old
woven through cascading hair with
macramé belt on hips worn low
a small brass bell with colored beads

Tie-dyed shirts and bell-bottom jeans
sewn velvet patches with peace signs
cover the skin from holes worn out
plus one of  Jerry Garcia

A starry-eyed innocent girl
one with nature; longing for peace
the freedom she loved believed true
fiercely fought to never let go;

The wonders and surprise of youth
regardless of what the man said
ignoring rules – regulations
living life, forgoing regret

And all the while…

War banners waved, the march went on
the radio blared protest songs
Crosby, Stills and Nash – Déjà Vu
and we all sang along, while still…

Our young flew home in wooden box
color flag draped – mothers mourn deep
spirit crying from their souls and
young flower children wept that year

1969 still burns deep
I will never forget those days

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* my first non-rhyming poem still with a consistent iambic tetrameter attempt*

-TheMsLvh © 2011
image by: Deb Kirkeeide

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

The Aftermath; A horse and man

Amazing steed with hair silk white,
beauty graced – shadowed the moonlight.
No spiraled horn nor wings of flight;
earthbound hoofs pranced with sheer delight.

Adorned with crown, rider takes mount;
dreams of triumph fail to surmount.
From battles, deeply soul-engaged;
throws down stained spears – his heart enraged.

Battles drummed, he answered the call,
left scarred, yet survived above all.
Tattered vest – arrows injected,
war left his soul unprotected.

High on his horse with thoughts impure,
close his eyes to the world obscure.
Finds great solace - the rhythmic gait,
dark shadows of war bearing weight.
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TheMsLvh © 2011 *Special thanks to Mike Patrick for introducing me to meter and feet

image source:http://devilry.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2ylrrm

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

I Found a Page on Facebook

Today, I found a page on Facebook
Westside (Los Angeles) Kids of the 70’s
Lost in time – taking a look
Reminiscing days – could write a book!

People from all over posting memories
some forgotten and many remain
Oh! the fun we had growing up
all linked by the same chain.

What have I been doing all these years?
slowly losing my childhood dreams
Being swallowed up with adult fears
bound by expected regimes.

Today, I found a page on Facebook
in an hour my world changed
By recalling the past – brightened the future
healing my heart with a simple suture.

Now, looking at life through eyes I lost.
Hurray! I’m Back! My past I crossed.

 
-TheMsLvh ©2011 5-14-11

Photo source unknown (Century City, Ca.)

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Grief Often gets in the Way

Grief often gets in the way,

like a granite stone in a river.

Impeding the gentle sway

of the moonlight’s reflected silver.

 

Mourning with uncontrolled sorrow;

which steals the breath away.

Wounded hearts forget tomorrow -

will bring sunshine’s warm bouquet.

 

Sadness, hidden deeply behind -

longing eyes, searching to find;

the joy, that once playfully lived

in a beating heart that thrived.

 

Sometimes there is music -

only grieving ears can hear.

Soothing melodies floating , the intrinsic

strum of a harp, angels hidden near.

 

Lonely hearts long to fly away,

held captive by a thief.

Familiar creature appears each day -

ominous and dark known as grief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-TheMsLvh ©2011 *edited suggestions by Michael York*

Inspired by “Thy son liveth: Messages from a Soldier to his Mother” by
Grace Duffie Boylad

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

By a Thread

A spider hangs precariously alone;

below her web of knotted silken thread.

She dangles freely – tossed by nature’s wind,

without concern of dark storms overhead.

 

A strike of lightening cracks the peaceful day,

producing magnificent bolts of light.

Roars of mad thunder startle a blue jay -

eight legs devoid of concern, huddle tight.

 

Stormy winds and rain with hail plummeting,

might lacerate her strong web into shreds.

Though nature wrath seems cruel –unforgiving,

the spider will rebuild with rainbows overhead.

 

-TheMsLvh ©2011

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
image source: http://www.jimstonefreelance.com/spiders.htm

Take a Risk!

Do you take risks, inviting vulnerability
shaking up your life’s stability
secure in your own credibility
dreaming beyond your known reality?

Feeling safe in the predictability
leaning on your dependability
holding dear to your respectability
blocking all the possibility?

Securely bounded by the liability
comfortable with the permeability
and of course the tranquility
closed to the idea of plausibility?

Well…

One needs to be vulnerable to take a risk, a chance,
so you can expanse, enhance, and find romance,

and Dance!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-TheMsLvh ©2011

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
photo source: 1024x.net
Inspiration by Stella D.

Silent Awe

Who is this man surrounded by beauty knee high?
I pondered, peering through camera’s eye.
Capturing the glory, a quiet serene
caught in a moment, a glistening scene.

Sun tickled the water with hues of gold
trees lined the shore, each with a soul.
Eagles nesting away from precious view
while fish query flies, at dusk, they flew.

Stunned, I felt a magnificent enrapture
a moment in time, fortunate to capture.
The solitary figure, surrounded by glory
with camera in hand, capturing his story.

I stayed ashore spying nature’s raw
whilst out there he stood in silent awe.
Shimmering water and auburn sky
sharing a gift, this man and I.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-TheMsLvh ©2011

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Photo by Gary Hart

Quills and Spills

I was gifted a large quill and a bottle of ink
at a tender young age, prompted me to think;
of castles with dragons and even fairy tales.
This young imagination seem never to fail.

The ink created worlds, I could only imagine;
horses with wings and ruby butterflies.
Lost in the story, the glory, no distraction-
thoughts supplied reality, no need for redaction.

Dinosaurs roam freely across the paper-
leaving their footprints , never a danger.
While tigers and goats have tea at playtime,
in this whimsical world of fantasy and rhyme.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-TheMsLvh © 2011

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Letting Go

Breathlessness…
It happens every time you call.

Listening …
Hearing of your growing pains and misguided falls.

Remembering…
Reflecting when I was that brave and young.

Concerned…
For I was not as intense; so highly strung.

Faith…
You were taught and hopefully practice compassion with love.

Confidence…
You will triumph and most certainly rise above.

Trusting…
Hoping you’re not having internal delusions of grandeur.

Love…
It is hard not to interfere and remain demur.

Parent…
I need to cease this maternal conflict; stand down and pray.

Child…
I am trying my best in each and every way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-TheMsLvh – © 2011

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
image source: giggaheim.com

Friends

Let me climb into your shirt pocket
when life gets a little rough
as I have so many times before
you’ll always be there, this I know.

called you when I could not breathe
called you when I was at ease
called you when I needed to hear
called you when I was filled with fear

We’ve been friends for many years
lovers at times when the desire appears
helped mend each others wounded heart
even when the miles kept us apart.

called you often just to say
called you when there was nothing to say
called you just to hear your voice
called you to feel my heart rejoice

This is a love letter to a friend
a bond, I pray, will never end
you and I, swimming the currents of life
good times or bad, never with strife.

called you to be my dancer
called you and you always answer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-TheMsLvh – © 2011

California Ink In Motion by TheMsLvh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
image source: tinybuddha.com