Redravin's Poetry Thread

[redravin40]

Solid moments
Late night laughter
Friends first
Then lovers
We have traveled further then the possible
With a much longer trip ahead
I hold you in my arms
And deep within my heart
Shouting my love to the world
Or at least to those who want to listen
This life has offered a chance
A glorious renewal
And we have grasped the whirlwind

[double]

*sigh* That was beautiful red, thanks for sharing

[Jadey]

That was great.

Sometimes relationships seem to take on their own "lives". I think it's something everyone can relate to.

[JadziaDax]

Thank you

[Loki]

That was wonderful redravin...
it bought back fond memories of the first time i was in love.

thanks for sharing =)

[Angel]

"And we have grasped the whirlwind" I love that line.

You place so much of your heart here with so few words.
Absolutely beautiful.

Thank you for sharing.

[Lassus]

great poem.... brings a rush o memorys..... hmmm good poem bad memories ahahah o well

[redravin40]

The real, the genuine, the unforced and true
Sought by all in a plastic, disposable world.
My life long search for that grail
Love finely wrought, deep from the soul
Without constraints and taken freely
Natural but unrecognized
In these times of prepackaged ballads
And anything goes advertising
When an emotion so blessed
Becomes a commodity
Is it any wonder?
That the search becomes more treacherous
In order to realize
Such a driving force
All too often buried
Under thick, twisting scars
Seems almost impossible
And yet, it has occurred
Not to be denied or hidden away
From fear of a mad journey
It is ours to live, to share
To accept the real

[redravin40]

From the old board.

Fits

In some small place
Deep in the fore-brain
lies a painful twist of neurons.
In screaming birth
Came chemical imbalance
and so: epilepsy.
A complex condition
heavy with history
rife with misunderstanding.
A life of morning medication
providing a thread of protection.
What others must watch
unable to help,
you can't remember.
Thrashing, crashing to the floor
scary, noisy, ugly and sad.
The seizure, a small death,
brutal rebirth.
A massive loss
that must be lived with.

[Atropos4]

My mom has epilepsy and that describes it perfectly.
Thank-you

[redravin40]

Crossing My Mind

If anyone speaks of love
My first thought is of you
There are so few absolutes
In a streamlined, super charged
All consuming world
However I can speak
Several statements with total certainty
We have found a perfect match
Souls that are only complete
When joined in concert
For every step taken apart
There will be two taken together
Contrasts, great and small,
Will provide our strength
As my head bends the pillow
Slipping away to deepest sleep
My last thought is always of you

[Angel]

Breath taking as usual.
I started to quote "Souls that are only complete when joined in concert" as the line that pulled me in so deeply, and then I realized it is the whole body of the poem that captured me.
Beautiful.

[redravin40]

Thank you Angel.
As usual your words are kind and generous.
The Lit board has always been a great place because of you.

[redravin40]

Treasures

In digging through the detritus
of my former world
To make the move of my life
There have been sparkles amid the mud and must
A giant fathers day card with tiny handprints
Slim volumes of scribbled teenage angst
Reminders of milestones
Those sand castings of heated moments
Like panning for gold
Where you sift through tons of mud and rock
To find a thumbnail size chunk
The piles of old clothes, rusty tools,
Ragged comforters, broken toys,
Are almost overwhelming
With every shovel full of broken bikes,
Piles of worn paperbacks and fanzines
The true treasure in my life
Speaks to me every night
Her sweet voice fills my soul
No matter how worn and ragged
My day has been
Warmth and beauty glows through
Of all the things I value
She is the finest of them all.

[redravin40]

<center>Planting</center>



Much of my youth was spent turning earth;

Extracting voracious weeds and watching nature take a guided course.

Chunks of potato turning to curled leaves

Then dinner with sprinkled chives from the same garden.

It was never easy work, causing calluses,

Sweat and sometimes the bloodied hand.

Yanking glacial rock from nestled beds.

Pitching fork loads of manure

While breathing through your mouth to avoid choking.

Chasing away pecking birds, hungry horses

And crying over rotted cabbage that could have won a prize.

As an adult I planted birth trees for my daughters

From moose chewed clumps to platform forts

That overlooked the court.

Then came flames of pain and rage

Destroying all that had ever been grown.

The land was scorched black in my soul.

No expectations of growth ever again.

Then a tempest swirled from far away

Sending life giving rain, glittering down over burnt landscape

Earth slowly turned, one heavy spade full at a time

Laughter, dancing, soft words, strong kindness, all possible again

Budding unexpected flowers, magic fruit with sweet rinds.

Rising towards glorious light

You are the wellspring of my soul

Making what was lost possible again

Our future grows wild and free

[Angel]

Red...I am forever amazed to read your work. So inspiring. I thoroughly enjoy the way you blend your life into such beautiful words.
Blessed is your beautiful bride to be, for the gifts you give her through your poems.

[J.R.V.A.]

As always, I am awed by your writings. Thanks for sharing

[redravin40]

<center>BUILDING</center>

Worn leather gloves gripping tempered wood

Ax steel coated in spruce sap

Every swing spray chips of pain

Clearing a patch of my psyche

Chopping out the overgrown brush

Grown thick from self pity

Yanking deep roots of despair

Sweat work to be sure

Still easier then the shoveling

Spade by spade turning back

Layers of assumptions, habits, self-doubt

Creating a foundation for life anew

Laying a slab of concrete determination

No longer alone, labor shared with delight

This is no simple shelter

We are constructing a future

Made as much from complex ritual

As simple respect and understanding

Windows of passion and submission

Doors opening to intimacy

What we form together will last forever

This structure of our souls

[redravin40]

<center>Risks</center>


How many worlds have dissolved
From fear of rejection
Chances for satisfaction and happiness
Lost to the terror of harsh words
We gambled on kindness
Having often suffered brutal losses
Only to be pleasantly stunned
When chips started to stack up
Hard to believe in good fortune
Second-guessing becomes a life style
Each new step made with trepidation
Our lives slowly binding
Each new card turned
Gives our existence new significance
No relationship is free of cliché
The first tender words of love
That awkward tentative kiss
An intimate touch with all that follows
A proposal followed by divine reply
For all the flowers that inept poets
Try to pin to these moment
The reality is rife with danger
Any small misstep can destroy magic
Now the stakes are absolute
Every part of myself offered
You are my greatest risk
Nothing has been left aside
Everything I am is yours

[J.R.V.A.]

Very beautiful poem. Truly written from the heart. You are the master. Thanks for sharing

[Minx]

Beautiful words from the heart....thank you for them.

[redravin40]

<center>Word Stacking</center>

Some days the words flow

Rushing out to strike the keys

Lining up on the page

Ideas in black and white

Laid out in careful rows

Statements of love and faith

Future plans, current frustrations

Life as it is or as it could be

Tapping the heart for thoughts

Produces text unbounded

Describing dreams gives wings

To page upon page

There is always the fear

That originality will run dry

Every line becoming as the last

Or worst perhaps

Copying those with more talent

So many artists have turned to ardor

For there is nothing so nebulous

That can cause so much love and pain

Then there are the times

When I envy Sisyphus

Each statement like tearing plastic

Slamming my way to a sentence

The results often jumbled, unbalanced

Not a true representation

Of the fine, glorious passion

Such a simple solution

All I need do is turn my mind

To you.

[redravin40]

Travel lightly my love
For the path is long and unbroken
Pick your tools with care
What you build now is the future
Let music fill your soul
Life works best to a beat
Keep an eye on the sky
Danger swoops from above
Make the effort
Sloth is never rewarded
Cooperate only so far
When the line is hit, refuse to cross it
Skin your knees
Learning comes quick with a little pain
Dance through the night
Then watch the sun rise
Satisfaction often comes with
Sore feet and eyes dazzled by brilliances
Stand between the innocent and evil
Even if it gets you knocked down
Try everything on the plate
You never know what you might miss
Lay in rumpled covers
While reading the paper,
Drinking orange juice and eating a bagel
Little kisses turning to morning sex
Live this life truly and with dedication
Grabbing the quiet moments when you can