Tree of plenty

 

 

 

 

Have these

I have many

I give these to you, freely

from my tree of plenty,

its branches full

bent,

old,

and sometimes weary

Have mine

I have many

on my tree,
of plenty

 

ldn

cold rose

 

 

The bud that won’t grow into a rose

is cold

deep inside

where it lives

and dies

 

ldn

Barely

 

 

Seagulls and crows

floating in the sky

holding up the wind

on their wings

barely

ldn

That Snowflake

 

 

That snowflake,

the picture you sent

of you flying,

me dying,

disappearing ~
instead
when I touched the ground

The one of you

softly falling down

I ripped it to shreds

 

ldn

 

 

Hollow eyes

 

 

 

I have hollow eyes

sunken cheeks

no teeth
I am blind

but I feel you staring

at me

wondering,

why does he stick around

here?
Why?

He cannot hear

or see

Why?  You ask

It is not my time to die

and I will not go away

until my heart is clear,

until I have no fear

I will stay,

hope,

pray

and dream,

here alone

of a better world,

for peace

until God calls me home

 

ldn

I love you

I love you, 
I will carry your scent to my death,

or yours which ever comes first

You are the waking bird that rests upon my shoulder

within dawn’s breath

On the outside we are older than the creases we have left 
beneath the tree growing under our skin,

worn outside in

Stay with me tethered, weathered together forever 
until our tree is severed and ceases to exist

ldn

Sleeping around

 image: etsy.com

 

 

Sleeping around

She sleeps on aqua skies

Covers crows that fly by

her

Comforts stars that surround

her

She is my mother

my lover

She is you

She is me

a dream

She is the sound

of sleeping

around

ldn

She's a bird

image: machoarts.com

 

 

She's a bird

The angels will tape her wings to the air

then set upon her head, a halo to wear
but she’ll rip it off along with her hair
Heaven’s gonna have hell to pay
when she gets there
because she’s a bird who can’t be caged

She’s far beyond her age,

sort of a sage,

a bird who can’t be caged
She's a bird who can’t be caged.

ldn

Old bones

i

image: incredipedia.info


Old bones

Stripped away of artifice

old bones

like old lovers

lie

down


ldn

Stones

Stepping on stones,

chipped rocks

from the cross

you bear

hurt my feet,

every whip from your bastinado

carve deep into my soles,

your  battle scars

but my soul is whole

I am at peace

I will not fight your wars

I will not fold!

I can take it

My spirit - you will  never  break it

So please, have your way
and try as you may...

I will not recant!

I will Chant ~

I will pray ~

Ya Baha’u’l-Abha!

Ya Baha’u’l-Abha!

until my dying day

Ya Baha’u’l-Abha

 

ldn

Broken Teeth

Walking out of the market today

I was approached

by a black boy with broken teeth.

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” he said sheepishly,

“Do you have eighty cents?”

“Why do you need it?” I asked.

“For food…for a sandwich, I'm hungry and need to eat.”

I noticed he was well dressed, wearing a leather jacket,
and new shoes on his feet.

Of course I gave him a dollar, and didn’t ask for change

Who would?

I knew he was lying,

there standing in the rain, drenched in pain.

but deeper down beneath, in the boy well clothed,  I saw a soul 

dressed up with broken teeth 

ldn

truth

So they say ~ the truth will set you free
If this is so,
I should be flying to the apex
of eternity
but I am human
stuck here
stuck in the middle of me

Broken Winged Bird

image: stormiweatherr.zanga.com


Broken Winged Bird

There is a gaping hole, bleeding through

my new white dress

staining it forever, blue

I shared my deepest secret,

with no assurance, you

would keep it

I lie now on blank bed

on paper torn

I have worn you thin to shreds,

I know

So, I will go again within

I will go away today

I will go ~ ~ ~ flying crooked,

broken hearted

one wing bent / on crushed soul

 

ldn


Psalm 34 "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

from the Baha'i Sacred writings:
O God! O God! This is a broken-winged bird and his flight is very slow—assist him so that he may fly toward the apex of prosperity and salvation, wing his way with the utmost joy and happiness throughout the illimitable space, raise his melody in Thy Supreme Name in all the regions, exhilarate the ears with this call, and brighten the eyes by beholding the signs of guidance.
O Lord! I am single, alone and lowly. For me there is no support save Thee, no helper except Thee and no sustainer beside Thee. Confirm me in Thy service, assist me with the cohorts of Thy angels, make me victorious in the promotion of Thy Word and suffer me to speak out Thy wisdom amongst Thy creatures. Verily, Thou art the helper of the weak and the defender of the little ones, and verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and the Unconstrained.
 ~ Abdu’l-Bahá

Birds and morning moon set

image: etsy.com

Birds and morning moon set

on my shoulder

The ancient tree seems older now

and how I want to hold her

close to me

But her heart is fickle,

so I let it be

She wears her crescent like a sickle

on her side

And with a glance in her midnight dance

if given half a chance

She will tear your soul apart,

will leave you dying cold,

I’ve been told ~

somewhere on her painted sky,

to moan

where birds and morning moon set

alone

 

ldn

Hiding

image: bethtrissel.wordpress.com

 

 

Hiding

 

When I was six I hid under the covers

because I was afraid of the Japanese.

When I was twelve I hid under my school desk,

fearing the Russians.

Now I’m sixty-five,

and I’m afraid of my fellow Americans

with nowhere left to hide.

 

ldn

Ignis fatuus

 

 

photo:  Matt Del Nagro

 

 

Ignis fatuus

(pronounced ig-nis-fat-chu-is)

Will-o’-the-wisp

Foolish fire

A ghostly fire, misleading

Seen over bogs

that lead you astray

when you follow their light receding

We carve them today –

eat their seeds,

then we go trick-or-treating

 

ldn

 

 

 

It ain't easy Babe

image: Freud-museum.at


It ain't easy Babe


Who do you think you are,
judging my sexuality,
my reality?
I am doing the best I can,
do, actually
with the cards I was dealt
in this worldly,
this present reality
And it ain’t easy, Babe
It ain’t easy Babe.

ldn

Malala and Mona

Malala and Mona

Two birds on one feather they fly

Malala fought for education,

for education Mona died

Mona taught the children

Malala read a book

Malala they shot

Mona’s life they took

Two birds on one feather they fly,
Malala ~ here on Earth,
Mona, on High

ldn

Mona was arrested as she taught children's classes.
She was sentenced to death.
She kissed the rope,
then placed it around her neck.

Now Malala carries Mona
with her each and every breath

Thank you, Malala

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7NXPLc6AsU

Malala on my mind

Malala on my mind

I can not get Malala off my mind. 
She's pasted in my brain
on pages stuck together in the rain,
head bent reading,
Malala took a bullet for us,
to the head,
on the back of the bus.
I can not get Malala off my mind.

 For Malala, encourage your child to read today…

ldn

The Choice

image: bearingdrift.com

 

 

The Choice

 

It’s election year two thousand and twelve

And things are not looking well

But, we have a choice

So, who do you choose? 

Who will win and who will lose?

Obama or Romney?

The Blue side calls Mitt, a Liar

The Red side calls Barrack a “Commie”

A Liar and a Commie? - Give us a break!

Our Country’s in trouble

There’s allot at stake!

Women’s rights - Gays too

Health care for me and you

Foreign policy

Hypocrisy?

Oh my, what to do?

Obama is running with Biden – Yuk, Yuk…

Romney chose Ryan – what luck!

Mitt took a blow when he was caught cheating

Barack took a hit when he was caught sleeping

But wait!

There’s another debate…

Will Mitt get his story straight?

Will Obama wake up before it’s too late?

We’ll see

Won’t we? 

ldn

10/16/2012

skin covering up

Patience requires long suffering
Suffering is a deep river
It is worn on cuffs
of white shirts
unclean
runs deep into
bones
on frames holding
guts

loosely onto skin covering
up

ldn

It ain't easy, Babe

Who do you think you are,
judging my sexuality,
my reality?
I am doing the best I can,
do, actually
with the cards I was dealt
in this worldly,
this present reality
And it ain’t easy, Babe
It ain’t easy Babe.

ldn

the stump grinder

 

photo - 8/22/12 "the stump"

the stump grinder -

 

if it's not one thing it's another

found a fir stump in the drive

got a grinder coming

will turn the roots to fir chips in 30 minutes

I pay cash - okay tomorrow,

says the stump grinder

ldn

mazy and dazy

mazy and dazy  photo taken 8.20.2012

mazy and dazy

sister mary is from kentucky,
I wasn't raised with mary
she's my father's and his second wife ~ Glady's kid.
I adored Gladys ~ we called ourselves mazy and dazy,
good friends,
used to dress up in wild stuff when I was sixteen,
in Chicago.
mary was just a kid.
her mom's gone,
mine too.
now sister mary and I dress up
like mazy and dazy
do.

lda

Patience

photo: Turkish Bath - Israel, 2007

Patience requires long suffering

Suffering is a deep river

It is worn on cuffs

of white shirts

unclean

running deep into bones

on frames holding guts
loosely under skin covering

up

ldn

Hwy South

photo:  Hwy 1 - bkdunn.com

Highway South

Just got to thinkin’ about the Highway south

How long a ride twill it be?

Maybe a thousand

Maybe two

I’ll drive two thousand and three

just to be with you,

just to be with you

ldn

rollin'

Like a Train...she keeps on rollin',
rolin' like a river
as long as we're apart
Now I stand by the station,
stand by the station with my heart
rollin', rollin'

The Well

photo: farandfurther.com


The Well


the hole inside keeps getting bigger

deeper

you were the keeper
of the well

the cup I could fill into

with my soul, bare

in contrast I wonder

how 

when I dip into it

now

I do not come up
dry

the water brims fuller

into it

overflowing

its sides

ldn

I am the ripple

image: footage.shutterstock.com

I am the ripple

I am the ripple
where you can not see yourself clearly in the river

Are you sleeping,

in the reflection where I live?

I gave you freedom to be when I screamed you out

I am the quiver after your shake
the swell beneath your wake

I am your beginning

your end ~
You are portion of me, a section,

You are my memory, awakened

Listen to my whisper

my shallow breath,
I stand beside you, and inside you

I am life and death

Now go whole,
knowing

flowing,  

unshaken
 

ldn

Freedom

Freedom

A spirit in a box

closed on all corners

with walls

tied

too big for the sides

let out a wail

kicked its way out

and cried ~

I'm Free!

ldn

Happy like a pound puppy

photo: thedailydog.wordpress.com

Happy like a pound puppy

I was in third grade…

lots of stuff happened by then,

to me and my family

We were safe in the nest of grandparents, one day

They lived in the back house ~ us up front

under their watchful eye

But mom needed to break free

So she took us away

I was born Linda Eleanor Del Nagro,
pronounced:  Nay – gro

The Negro with an “e” got changed to a Negro with an “a’

in the thirties (for apparent reasons)
by relatives I never knew

Life was hard enough on kids back then

and for me, too ~
in third grade

I learned how to spell it

Capital “D” – e – l   then   Capital “N” – a – g – r – o

I wrote it with a cursive swing,

at the end

Then during summer break on a summer day,
Mom got married again (between third / and fourth)

So I became someone else

I was kind of glad (of course)

because the other kids called us Niggers

I was happy a little bit for a little bit

Again I spelled my name ~ but different
Capital “C” – o – r   then   c – o – r  – a – n

There, that’s settled

Happy like a pound puppy

in a new home

in fourth grade

with a new name

different but still the same

for a little bit,

anyway

ldn 

a Ferris Wheel in France

photo: davidsanger.com

a Ferris Wheel in France

How can this be

You are with me all the time,
spinning around

in my mind

How can this be

and why?

Did I make you up,

all of the sounds

and deep breaths 

knocking on my back door

into my ear

first whispers,

then shouts?

How can I keep you
from disappearing

again

off to Paris, on one hand,

leaving your other hand

on me, your lover?

Will you take me with you

some time, or another

to France,

into town

on a Ferris Wheel

to dance

with me,

around? 

ldn

Is it big enough?

photo: from a friend


Is it big enough?

Is it big enough

to hold what I know

about her,

how she carried me to the altar,

married me to her soul?

Is it big enough?

Is it a century tall?

Is it ten thousand summers,

and one fall?

Is it big enough

for a mystery?

ldn

My Family is an old coat now

photo: flickr.com


My Family is an old coat now


My family is an old coat now

with holes

Cold winds drift through it

now that Mom’s gone

Days pass into years

without hope

of her mending it

protecting our skin

from the storm

My family is unraveling

like a knitted scarf

not tied off
at the edges
into knots

My family is one boot

without laces

to hold it to the foot

It rubs blisters

onto brother's

and sister's

soles

My family is an old coat now

with holes

ldn

The Mass Majority

The Mass Majority

Politicians are the instigators who speculated with

Big Bank Administrators and peculated funds

Now the victims of the oppressors

though weak from the compressors of the system

must get off of their couches

stop acting like slouches

and run

without guns and ammunition

but with love and ambition

There’s more of me and you, than them

Don’t fall for the story of the few

Go for the Glory - and fight

We are the Mass

The sum of our parts - one heart

We fly first class in the Light

We have the Power

There is no time to cower,

so stand by your brother

as One

Face Satan head on

God has your back

Evil be gone

We’re done with the crap - ZAP!

We won.

ldn

Who is this kid?

Who is this kid?

Someone died tonight

at a movie theatre

Not my son, not your wife

No one lost their life

who you knew

But it could have been, you

there

when

Children fell

into broken seats

on broken dreams

into popcorn mayhem

screams

Who is this kid,

who sat with you

in science class?

Who, you ask?

Was he your neighbor,

the child who hid

under

your curb, disturbed?

Was he the kid who stared past

souls through glass

mirrors

looking

for his own

who lost his will to live

so took

yours?

Who is this kid,

now grown?

ldn

Golden Chain

image: ehow.com

Golden Chain

Wrapped around my neck his golden chain

upon my bed of brass where we had lain

I saw not diamond stars that night, but pain

upon my sheets of white where spilled the rain

My heart in two will never be the same

for with my lover gone I'll go insane

No one but myself now do I blame

for stains upon my bed where we had lain,
his golden chain

ldn

Jesse

photo: dosomething.org


Jesse

Last night Jesse wandered crooked to my car.

I’m hungry. . .

and I’m really really scared.

His hands shook like chicken feathers,
ruffling through dirty hair.

Blank eyes stared,
past mine.

My cell phone was stolen, and all my cash.
A line.

Will you help me, please?

This kid looked really bad.

Would you like a hamburger?

Please and thank you, Ma’am.
Where do you live?

Yakima.

Do you want to go home?

Yes.

Will I be safe with you, I asked?

I’m more afraid of you…

Get in.

Drove Jesse to the station,

gave him all my cash,
from my purse.

Pot reeked from his dirty sleeping bag.

He shook like he was coming down…

(or worse)

Chin up and eyes straight, Jesse.

One quick hug and he was gone.

He could have been my son.

He could have been yours.

He was just a kid,

Jesse.

ldn