Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

poem- reading a historical mystery April 24, 2014

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:01 am
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Small gawky boy

Nose like the beak of an eyas,

I pass a glance to his hands

bronzed and thin upon the table

and find myself time travelling.

Immersed in visions of those hands

Stroking keys, coaxing music,

Mesmerizing me. Those hands

On other arms years ago.

I blink back to now and stare as he stumbles,

Endearingly uncoordinated, into a wall.

I watch him in a crowd, catch the flash of his smile

And am transported into that smile

Gleaming at me in another time

from another face.

Wondering at my sanity,

I check his files,

Find the name I know from long ago

and understand:

History is written in our blood

And carved upon our bones.

The tilt of our heads,

The rhythm of our laughter

The angle of our shoulders,

the shape of our souls,

Are revealed in the genetic mystery

That can be read through time,

by those who see the story.

 

poem- tonight

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:25 am
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Tonight

walking to the mailbox

I am stalked by mist

The lights blink through

the neighbours trees:

stars above,

down town below.

It’s so black between the lamps,

I expect deep quiet,

beneath the rustle of new leaves,

but the highway hums in the distance.

Trucks travel with an insistent drone

that climbs the hill to my house,

and silence suffers

in the hustle of their incessant transitions.

 

 

 

poem- 11710 April 23, 2014

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:12 am
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I dreamt of you

for eleven thousand

seven hundred

and ten nights.

You spoke in

waking dreams.

You whispered

in the blackness,

called across the miles:

Hold on.

I’m here for you.

Stay.

You have commitments.

But after

eleven thousand

seven hundred

and ten nights

you called

to tell me

those words did not

apply to you.

Hold on.

I’m here for you.

Stay.

You have commitments!

I said to you,

but it was too late by then.

I dreamt of you

for eleven thousand

seven hundred

and ten nights,

until I learnt that

you weren’t really there

at all.

 

 

 

poem- opinion twist April 22, 2014

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 4:21 pm
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I thought

t’was so simple:

It’s not like that;

It’s like this.

But I’m reading

and discovering,

there’s information

I’ve missed.

It’s quite a bit

like that, surely

but it’s also

like this.

That’s a problem

with learning

one cannot dismiss,

Neither black, nor white,

it’s one

great

grey

abyss!

 

 

 

poem- expansion April 21, 2014

Filed under: Poetry,Pondering — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:44 pm
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We grow

to fill the space we have.

Over time, each room fills

with things that we could live without

but gather like memories.

If the deadline is far away

we stretch to fill the time,

break the project into small parts

or forget about it until the final moments

We should expand

into our opportunities

while we have time and space

to grow.

 

poem- and

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:00 pm
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She saw it in his eyes

and

tilted her head modestly

hiding her smile

while he tried desperately to

catch her attention.

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

extended her left hand

to accept the ring,

the sign of promise.

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

handed back the ring

letting him go

no regrets.

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

welcomed him beside her,

his fears conquered,

stood at the altar,

moved into the future.

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

held the babies close

while he gushed

about the woman he admired

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

let him grieve the loss

as they left behind

wishful thinking

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

embraced their passion

commitment

longevity.

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

each time he was broken

she brought out the glue

to piece him back together

held him tightly

.

She saw it in his eyes

and

let him be,

let all enfold,

and

it was

fine.

 

 

poem- Easter chimes April 20, 2014

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:46 am
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The wind chimes

on my back deck

honour the day

intoning like sonorous church bells

calling for celebratory worship.

 

poem- one word April 19, 2014

Filed under: Poetry,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:29 am
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My mentor says

there’s only one way to write:

one word at a time.

She’s right.

There’s only one way to finish

a project though,

and that’s to keep putting

one word at a time onto the page

until the page is full

and to keep doing that

day after day.

If you want to finish a

100,000 word novel

You can do it

in a year writing

just 274 words  day,

that’s not even 2000 words a week.

It’s about daily diligence.

You eat a banquet

one bite at a time.

Develop a habit,

commit a little each day.

30 minutes will do it

so long as you keep doing it,

writing one word

at a time.

.

.

.

(113 words)

(Or you can join NaNoWriMo next November 1st, write  1668 words every day, and have the 100,000 words done by the new year.  That’s a whole lot more stress, though!)  🙂

PS.

Writers Digest is on my wavelength today.  Here’s an article on Writing Routines.  #1 is ‘Write 500 words a day.’ How’s that for a coincidence?  http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/7-writing-routines-that-work

 

poem- dreaming in the tub April 18, 2014

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:51 pm
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In drenched sleep

dreaming

computer rests across my knees

I’m writing

with neck crooked awkwardly

of you

and what happens next

in my favourite novel

and pondering the universe

until wisdom unfolds.

I type it all down,

in my dream

take dictation

from the subconscious

but when I awaken

there are neither words

nor keyboard

and all wisdom has evaporated

in the steam,

or drizzled down the drain.

 

poem- quilted drive April 15, 2014

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:42 pm
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I drive a lime aphid

along a grey ribbon,

through rippling hills

and valleys of

green velvet

along teal satin waters

beneath a blue silk sky

dusted with tufts of batting fluff.

.

.

(The aphid is actually a Beetle, but the colour is right). 😉