NOT THE WINTER, by Patricia Kelly

fractal 17 by tom conolly


Not the winter, but what haunts it.
Not the sterile egg, but the expectation.
Not the two thousand rocks in a new garden,
but the wish for easy.

Seems rocks, both literally and figuratively, are very present in my life right now. (See my previous posts below.) In doing more file weeding (trying to get down how much I'll have to pay to ship them), I came across this old poem. I remember when writing it I was very self-consciously trying for a "zen" feel. It never felt like a very successful poem. However, on reading it now it does make a point I need to hear. Stick with what I am doing at any given moment. Yes, it's a lot and there's even more yet to do in these next two months as I prepare to move to California. But worrying and "what if-ing" is counterproductive.

Sigh. Wish (LOL!) it were easy (LOL!) to fully follow through on my own poem's observation.

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‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT.

SCIFAIKU by Patricia Kelly

nuclear spring
an ancient lighthouse points
to the shattered moon

Only days after I wrote this scifaiku in July of 2006, I received my copy of T.V. Guide with this above ad on the back cover for a new T.V. show. I'd not known about this show and it's premise of life in a small town after nuclear war, resulting in a shattered moon. Imagine my utter surprise!

I had to cut the ad in two because it had T.V. show advertising in the middle. I tried "pasting" it together again in the Paint program but the seam was very disruptive. I think my compromise works well enough, even echoing the idea of "shattering."

This scifaiku (sans the ad) was just published (along with another poem of mine) in the recently released "Dwarf Stars 2007." From the back cover "...this collection from the Science Fiction Poetry Association assembles 41 short poems of the fantastic from some of the most vibrant creators in the field." It's a delightful collection and I highly recommend it, especially -- but not only -- for lovers of speculative poetry. Visit the SFPA site to read more about it and/or to place an order; just scroll down on the left: Science Fiction Poetry Association.

NOTE OF MARCH 2, 2008: This scifaiku was just published on Tinywords.com, a site that offers a daily haiku, both on site and by email. It was quite a delight to have a scifaiku accepted for this haiku-focussed site. And, I must admit, it tickles me that it is one of mine. :-)

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‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT.

POEM BY & IN MEMORY OF Nicholas Quinault

I lean another way.

Toward something softer, earthier, slightly wayward and definitely unmeasured.

I lean towards anything organic; a hip, the breast of a bird.

Anything meandering; a falling lock of hair, an encircling arm, some green vine on the move, any fierce irregular look, anything from the good book of Nature.

Yes, I lean Nature’s way.

Toward something irregular, earthy, slightly wayward and definitely unmeasured.

Here’s to the curve.

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Cockinos (as he was known) was a New York City poet I had the good fortune to have heard perform – he was a wonderful story teller – and have the occasional great conversation with. He died just about a year ago. As I was weeding out more of my files in preparation for my move to California I ran across this poem of his and wanted to share it.

[I do not have the source for the above earth image. If anyone happens to know it, I'll be happy to post the information below the photo.]

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‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT.