Circus

Be a poet-acrobat.

Let the words balance you
into a handstand
roll you swiftly, gracefully
across the expansive mat.

Let the words swing you,
parallel, uneven
from arms of sky.

Let the words toss you
from rings into ring.

Keep moving to the music.
Your heart and your words
connected to the motion,
the breath of the earth.

(c) 2010 Cecilia Reid Driscoll

Because of the Infinite Possibilities

i go from link to link
opening, discovering
new things of beauty.
tonight, birds
chords of a favorite song
Shakespearean rhyme,
photographs from travelers.

i traveled once or twice
was lost, and found a different way.

yesterday when they asked
what i wanted for my birthday
i said: something hidden.
something to open. a surprise.

(c) 2010 Cecilia Reid Driscoll

Cooking and Cleaning

A poem is a pot

to mix metaphors in.

Dangle a preposition

if it helps the rhythm.

Stretch your grammar,

but not past comfort.

Listen, lean and learn

to bring the rhyme closer.

Look at the images

through a telescope,

a periscope,

a magnifying glass,

a prism.

Throw them up in the air.

Try to catch the bright ones,

the right ones when they fall.

At first, you planned a stew,

words simmered slowly

over the burner of deliberation,

until all the ingredients

embraced and held

and learned to love each other.

Warm and rich and wholesome.

But today, you decide on a salad,

where every image, every word

can shine and slide with

the oil of connections,

yet keep the tang

of its own salty sweetness.

And it'll be ready fast.

Take that pot off the stove.

Toss everything

into the open bowl on the table.

Eat immediately with your bare hands.

Don't forget to lick your fingers.

(c) 2010 Cecilia Reid Driscoll

Thanks to all of you who made it here to read this poem today! I am adjusting my life to the work-a-day world and finally happened to fit in some of my own writing. I am wondering if my priorities are in order...of course they are! But I so appreciate having writing in my life.

By the way, I am becoming a (fairly) faithful daily reader at Poem Farm - such rich food for the heart and soul. Thank you, Amy!