Poet's Pen Strokes

morgueFile

She was born

with a bottle

of blue darkness

inside her.

When the light

cracks

the glass,

shafts of light

splintering

the container,

the darkness

spreads

inky arms,

stretching through,

reaching out/into

everything

she is, she's been, has yet to see

and exits

on pages

needing both dark and light

to come

to be.

© 2016 Jennifer Wagner

Fields of Remembrance

“Cut corn stalks in the wind” video by Maria Wulf at Full Moon Fiber Art

The howling of the wolves,

the empty stalks,

this is home now.

Remember when we had it all,

before the burning, the chafing,

the emptying?

I won't cry, though;

tonight, a full moon

reveals the sickle-swept rows

we hid between,

and our ghosts laughing

and playing,

reflecting us

as we always should have been.

© 2016 Jennifer Wagner



For Artistic Interpretations at IGWRT, featuring artist Maria Wulf. 

Pine (ing)

in rainland

we long for snow

but oh! the green

© 2016 Jennifer Wagner

Fruit Bat

Grapes, mangoes,

sweet satsumas,

watermelon.

Apples, red.

My son loves fruit

and drinks only water.

We've called him Fruit Bat

since he was 2. He owns it,

with swagger.

Bats:  the only mammal to fly.

I hope he always does that, too.

© 2016 Jennifer Wagner

This Side of Heaven

My son's crutches

leave double circles

on the wood floor,

marks that show

where he's been,

sometimes stuck,

suctioned for a moment,

to one place.

He moves on, though,

like we do,

leaving part of us

on the distances

we've traveled.

But what of

these wounds, so old

they should have

healed by now?

We continue,

cracked and crumbling,

accepting fractured roads

bearing us up

and all the scars

we're made of.

© 2016 Jennifer Wagner

Wishes

christmas eve 2015 © jennifer wagner

All the

best,

all the

brightest,

wishing you

all the

finest

for 2016.

Harold Angels

When I was six

my grandfather, Harold, died--

though I never called him “Grandfather”

and definitely never “Harold.”

“Grampa” was a much more suitable term

for a brown cigarette smoking, Hee Haw watching,

take-your-teeth-out-and-sprinkle-black-pepper-

on-raw-hamburger-and-eat-it kind of guy.

So when I heard “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,”

I tried to picture it: all the Harold angels

up there,

singing,

angelic.

I loved him,

but if you'd have known Grampa

you'd have had your doubts, too.

© 2015 Jennifer Wagner

A Love Poem Should Be Spent

When you write a love poem

on the palm of your hand,

the kind that's meant to stick,

and blow it away

like a kiss,

if it returns

on wings, crispy-black,

falls like St. Helens' ash,

that's when you'll know

it worked.

© 2015 Jennifer Wagner

The Poem I Choose Today

In the wild wood

there are poems everywhere:

forest grouse, bright berries, late blossoms,

little sounds our feet make

on the undergrowth.

In the streets

there are poems, poems everywhere:

cigarette butts, Christmas lights, hurried voices,

the scent of roasted beans

wafting from coffee bars.

But here beside you,

tangled breaths

like drenching rain,

are more.

© 2015 Jennifer Wagner

How to Write a Poem

Author Tania Runyan surprised me by requesting to include a poem of mine in her book How to Write a Poem.  This work is a companion volume to How to Read a Poem.  Both books are recommended for those new to or seasoned in the art of writing or the enjoyment of reading poetry.  Click on the book image above (or on the sidebar) to read more about this work and to order your copy from Amazon.

Thank you Tania and T.S. Poetry!

Happy Thanksgiving to all celebrating!  Enjoy your holiday!