poetry, prose, and photography
Most everything that isn’t a haiku or tanka falls into this category lately. Subject to change, of course.
My mind playing Iz*
A song I know
But whose name
Escapes me
Gentle and peaceful
Bringing me rest
And contentment
*If you aren’t familiar with the musician Iz, he was Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole. Learn more about him here. He’s long been high in my list of favorite musicians.
Social media
Civility de-valued
The evening’s calmness
My relentless mind
In perpetual motion
Sleeping’s a challenge
Awake against my will
Dreaming of dreaming
Longing for slumber
The machinery of my mind
Psychological cogs churn and spin
Whirring hum of my soul
My phone buzzes
A beautiful woman
Who I remember
In diapers
I feel joy
At the blessing
Of my simple
Witness
I want to sleep
I want to write
I want these two
To align in
Daylight
Now I’m awake
The cool air
Through my window
Very welcome
Reminders of
Times along
The coast
Blessed sea breeze
Lacking the scent
Of the sea
No ocean crushing
Sound for my ears
An incompleteness
That my soul
Longs to complete
May 24, 2918
What will that day like?
Beyond my imagining
So far forward
Where my name
Will have faded
Into the realm of dreams
This notion brought about
By my misplaced fingers
Seeking the place where the mountains meet the sky
Where water rises to my feet and the sun warms
My bare feet resting wrapped in the sand
Light flows across my blinds
Bird dialog strikes my ears
My room’s emptiness
Speaks to my past
And my future
The rain returned
A counterpoint provided
Against sunny warmth
Keeping us humble
And the moss healthy
Carl Setzer: Word Shaper 