tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42919292004984268042024-02-20T13:40:16.984-05:00Jarring Thoughtsgumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-29755396615795667532013-09-22T22:44:00.001-04:002013-09-22T22:47:51.317-04:00Thirteen DaysDay one. Breathe electric air and smile<br />
The second day: you climb upon a chair.<br />
By three you're stacking blocks in tiny piles.<br />
Four, you're zipping up and down the stairs.<br />
<br />
Day five. A corner office boasts your nameplate,<br />
So travel every continent on six.<br />
On seven, snare your sweetheart. Say it's fate.<br />
The eighth day, buy a lake house just for kicks.<br />
<br />
Day nine. You'll raise a child of your own.<br />
Come ten, relax. Enjoy your golden years.<br />
On day eleven: write your lessons down.<br />
By twelve, you're missed. There's laughter. There are tears.<br />
<br />
Remember me those moments in-between<br />
Until we reunite on Day Thirteen.<br />
<br />
<i>8.13<br />s.d.</i>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-30264688033210415952013-06-11T17:24:00.000-04:002013-06-11T17:24:33.325-04:00LunaI.<br /><br />A moon reflects<br />fractions of light<br />from fiery bodies.<br /><br />Moon tides<br />master faithless oceans<br />in cold rhythms.<br /><br />Moon atmosphere<br />shortchanges potential life<br />with no air.<br /><br />II.<br /><br />Up close: sawtooth crags and sultry nooks.<br />Beyond reach: two seas upon a swirling masterpiece.<br />One world apart: an indistinguishable speck.<br /><br />III.<br /><br />There was a moment:<br />you cried a moon tear<br />placed it in a generic bottle<br />hid it in a secret room<br />for safekeeping<br /><br />IV.<br /><br />I unlearned science<br />some moons glow within<br />some moons are full of life<br /><br />I breathed a moon<br />overpowered by light<br />divided into shards<br /><br />I tasted a moon tear<br />when no one was looking<br />the universe sighed<br /><br /><i>6.13<br />s.d.</i>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-47156779220354578922012-10-30T13:08:00.001-04:002012-10-30T13:09:08.205-04:00Fall's goodA cloudy spring:<br />
stuff happens. Fall's good<br />
for wine, friendship.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">10.12<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-29579009572346091422012-07-22T02:55:00.001-04:002012-07-22T02:56:26.007-04:00A reminderThis night<br />
illusions<br />
far away<br />
<br />
Tomorrow<br />
sun ascends<br />
a day closer<br />
<br />
Hold it there<br />
I'm present<br />
to dance<br />
<br />
<i>7.12</i><br />
<i>s.d. </i>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-72212729113908744072012-05-21T00:16:00.000-04:002012-05-21T00:17:18.870-04:00Coping with Rejection I.<br />Even a duck loses<br />feathers, sometimes.<br /><br /> II.<br />The subtle stink of depression<br />slipped silently under the bedroom door.<br />I focused on emails, writing,<br />putting off packing. I hardly<br />noticed it, like I missed the fog<br />sneaking in from the Bay.<br /><br /> III.<br />When reality diverged from sketched dreams,<br />I could not cry. Instead,<br />I swallowed. Perhaps lasagna<br />or the laundry room beep<br />will choke me.<br /><br /> IV.<br />The optimist's view:<br />each sentence is a barb poking out<br />through this translucent skin.<br />To anyone who squints,<br />my guts are visible,<br />soft and flickering.<br />To be thus vulnerable is to build a story,<br />an adamantine armor that relishes<br />the sunlight at the expense of gamma rays.<br /><br /> V.<br />Among moldy table scraps:<br />fetid lettuce<br />with reddish-brown, speckled crust.<br />Everyone lets it alone; it's<br />increasingly acrid.<br /><br /> VI.<br />I enjoy time travel, at least I think<br />it would teach me something.<br />(I'm ethical when it comes to time travel,<br />I won't bet on Giacomo or play the Dow.<br />My footprints are scant. Barely noticeable,<br />I won't shake up the world.)<br />An answer is nestled in the mountains<br />of India, the glitter of Manhattan, or<br />elsewhere between space and time.<br />I'd like to discover it. I think I would<br />time travel if it was possible, if I knew<br />I wouldn't lose the question.<br /><br /> VII.<br />I'm glad I told<br />you how I felt.<br />If, when you're old,<br />the latent fear<br />does fall away<br />and crust does melt:<br />then give a call<br />on any day<br />of any year<br />at all.<br />
<br />
<i>10.11</i><br />
<i>s.d.</i>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-39739521282060500112012-02-04T04:49:00.002-05:002012-02-17T20:56:08.458-05:00bonnet stripesbonnet stripes ahead:<br />heart and engine race<br />it's not her<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />10.11 (revised)<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-47275856106638742902012-02-04T04:45:00.000-05:002012-02-04T04:47:10.279-05:00tumblingdouble black diamond:<br />tumbling downwards through snowdrifts<br />never meant for us<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />12.11<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-61300816466259867852011-07-16T15:44:00.002-04:002011-07-16T15:47:40.462-04:00I woke up today and wished for winterI woke up today and wished for winter.<br />I heard nothing but childlike snowflakes do-sa-do from leaf to terrace,<br />The gritty plumber from 218 pouring rock salt,<br />One stubborn streetlight flicker amidst the reflected brightness,<br />And two pairs of inadequate sneakers crunching through the virgin snow.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">7.11<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-83628690328291946232011-07-10T20:56:00.001-04:002011-07-10T20:58:22.617-04:00I'll bring you to your loveI'll bring you to your love<br />So get to know me.<br /><br />Let me show you how a man cares.<br />I'll give you a Hallmark card, a feather, a violet day.<br />Enjoy my Riesling, taste my quiche, hear my songs.<br />Let's smile at each other, hold hands, and kiss<br />By the fireplace, at the pier, in front of Radio Shack.<br /><br />I'll meet your needs and satisfy your desires.<br />My shoulder is bonier than a pillow and I'm warm.<br />We can laugh or concentrate on the blurred silence,<br />I can speak brusquely or in wrinkled tones.<br /><br />Choose your moment and manner of departure.<br />Slip into the electrified neon of night, or instead<br />Be one of my new best friends.<br /><br />In one or two years, I'll come to your wedding.<br />I'll purchase champagne flutes from your registry.<br />I'll take lots of pictures and enjoy almost every minute.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">7.11<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-21316437773937214372011-06-26T09:58:00.000-04:002011-06-27T01:16:02.684-04:00This has been quite a year. (13 reflections...)The year felt long but it flew by, and I'm quite certain it's the same length as any other.<br /><br />Handshakes turned to hugs. But waves became smiles, nods became glances.<br /><br />It seems we were often too busy to be tired yet seldom too tired to be busy.<br /><br />Beside my childhood home, there was a bristling stream beyond the chain-link fence. I didn't explore it much back then but I've missed the sound.<br /><br />In theory, we could all publicize our personal stories, yet most of us won't.<br /><br />Others shared my struggles, thus I felt less peripheral.<br /><br />We found good jobs, lovers, and friends, and so we worried about something else.<br /><br />Corner apartments and sunshine suit me.<br /><br />Although you said yes instead of maybe, and maybe instead of no, it wasn't to mislead me.<br /><br />It's because of all the choices that I was fearful of missing out.<br /><br />From time to time, I forgot that the median bar was higher than average.<br /><br />To everyone whom I've laughed and shared with: we're a part of each other. Surrounding myself with people I can count on is what matters most to me; thanks for your support.<br /><br />We should have played cards. Next year, I'll make time.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-69123126578551002962011-02-07T21:15:00.001-05:002011-02-07T21:17:51.211-05:00Night on the MissionA tilted eyebrow, glimpsed that sultry night<br />Meandering through bleak, insipid haze<br />Amongst the skinheads, ashes, Miller Lite<br />By dim-lit corkboards circling hipster greys<br />Some splattered words amidst the muted noise<br />As unlit candles, sharing cigarettes<br />A fancied trip to Vegas with the boys<br />For silken dizzy crystal minuets<br />Within a scarlet smile turned to blue<br />The softened spikes left hints of molten rust<br />From hill to hill, omnisciently we flew<br />Until black morning chewed us into dust<br /> If I'd been weaker you would still endure<br /> Some welts upon your consciousness, for sure<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />10.10<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-43810256715958273742011-02-06T22:22:00.001-05:002011-02-06T22:24:07.929-05:00Lucid for IslandsI am lucid for islands<br />in a row, the pungent<br />refraction of sunny<br />nodules in the sheathes<br />brings a glowing<br />nostalgic parmesan.<br /><br />Opaque holes clamor<br />for depth-defying <br />pestilence. Forward,<br />bliss, crisis, and the<br />pinwheel's ineptitude.<br /><br />Fallen upon a kitschy<br />spark, the present,<br />and my shredded<br />pancreas sits in tubes.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">1.11<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-23853447091979515312011-01-22T13:29:00.004-05:002011-01-22T13:34:41.246-05:00Molera ParkShe pondered the pebbled sand<br />The tide crept in slowly as a three-legged iguana<br />I witnessed this in stillness, thinking<br /> of...and remained silent.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">1.11<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-60157471507970385962010-11-08T22:48:00.001-05:002010-11-08T22:49:29.790-05:00InboxAgain, my Inbox grows from zero to one...<br />And so it seems the day is never done.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">11.10<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-77187576745294935052010-10-23T04:26:00.002-04:002010-10-23T04:29:57.284-04:00Ode to Pinot NoirSleeping with open eyes and typing fingers<br />I digest a random Pearl Jam song<br />And smile fondly before the new echelon.<br /><br />I consider the what else<br />How I tripped up, but wouldn't change a thing<br />And landed in cloudless California.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">10.10<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-10508985146604147592010-09-24T19:59:00.003-04:002010-09-24T20:01:26.864-04:00FridayMy calf is aching<br />And my brain can't quite process...<br />Can you repeat that?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">9.10<br />For a friend.<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-3548041502817055732010-09-14T16:38:00.002-04:002010-09-15T16:17:53.956-04:00Peruvian IncasPeruvian Incas<br />seldom suffered heart disease<br />and loved building stairs<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">8.10<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-60799319061137836642010-07-30T13:28:00.002-04:002010-07-30T13:31:56.871-04:00Old Logging RoadThe old logging road<br />An orange salamander<br />And I realized this couldn't possibly be a haiku<br />There was too much to say about<br />The pitiful lizard squatting in the gravel<br /><br />Bright as a neon sign<br />Hardly cloaked<br />Seemingly afraid of our footfall, or curious<br />Or searching for Stratton Pond<br />As a dozen more appeared<br /><br />The old logging road<br />Looking like the Vegas Strip<br />Blazing with construction orange<br />Of thousands of salamanders, the only diversion<br />From a piercing rainstorm<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />7.10<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-20910759639151462102010-07-15T17:42:00.001-04:002010-07-15T17:44:03.856-04:00Ten Ways of Remembering AprilReprieve from February. Tramping through<br />the Garden State. Played games to pass the time.<br /><br />Talking of amber in afternoon heat. Walked with a noticeable<br />limp. Coquettish smile without laughter. Eye noticed<br />the red velvet cupcake. Pale as a salted cat.<br /><br />Impermanence is such a beautiful<br />word. Most days it rained.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">2.10<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-83574401497261826592010-06-05T17:58:00.002-04:002010-06-05T18:00:57.672-04:00Wanderer's BarterTrundling onto another capsule,<br />Lugging my shirts and chargers,<br />I wonder if I'll still smile<br />Or merely nod in acknowledgment<br />Upon arrival.<br /><br /> The wanderer's barter: a few<br /> Flat snapshots - nothing else<br /> Captures the confusion,<br /> The high-water mark etched in<br /> Adrenaline...<br /><br />Exhausting pats and attaboys<br />From glazed-eye acquaintances,<br />I wonder if this marks an end<br />Of acknowledging nods among<br />Checkered-flag friends.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">6.10 (revised)<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-66590352826270817062010-05-19T22:30:00.003-04:002010-05-19T22:36:15.691-04:00longing for home<div>rising rising in the air</div><div>above a world hes left behind</div><div>he stares out the window</div><div>and sees merely clouds</div><div>interspersed with the waves</div><div>five miles below</div><div><br /></div><div>for a few fickle moments</div><div>the insipid hum</div><div>of the jets siren song</div><div>teases/tempts/traps</div><div>his fragile spirit</div><div><br /></div><div>yet he cannot decide</div><div>if his ultimate ride</div><div>leads him forward or back</div><div>puts him on the right track</div><div>if it renders him stable</div><div>or wholly unable</div><div>to face life alone</div><div>with a heart full of stone</div><div><br /></div><div>hes a wizened wayfarer</div><div>a will-o-the-wisp</div><div>an ancient memory</div><div>a human being</div><div><br /></div><div>a few hours pass and</div><div>the jet glides down harshly to the</div><div>specked surface of a black tarmac</div><div>but the journey is over</div><div>for him and he breathes</div><div>a sigh of relief</div><div><br /></div><div>its been an endless</div><div>hour/minute/second/lifetime</div><div>and hes tired</div><div>all the world is aloof</div><div>hes almost home now but</div><div>he stops short</div><div>and wonders where exactly that is</div><div><br /></div><div>but there is a voice in his conscience</div><div>guiding him softly</div><div>so he closes his eyes</div><div>and forgets everything</div><div>before this moment</div><div>and smiles because hes home</div><div><br /></div><div><i>11.07</i></div><div><i>I wrote this six years after "desire to travel."</i></div><div><i>s.d.</i></div>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-20717203213427794312010-04-05T11:33:00.003-04:002010-05-19T22:36:34.489-04:00desire to travel<div style="text-align: right;">early early in the morning</div><div style="text-align: right;">before the trees are even awake</div><div style="text-align: right;">i lean out the window</div><div style="text-align: right;">and focus my eyes</div><div style="text-align: right;">upon some distant spot</div><div style="text-align: right;">at the horizons edge</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">for a few wafting minutes</div><div style="text-align: right;">a spectacular sight</div><div style="text-align: right;">my eyes behold there no</div><div style="text-align: right;">birds/breeze/butterflies</div><div style="text-align: right;">scatter my attention</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">yet somehow i know</div><div style="text-align: right;">that if i were to go</div><div style="text-align: right;">to the place im yearning</div><div style="text-align: right;">eyes barely discerning</div><div style="text-align: right;">i still wouldnt find</div><div style="text-align: right;">the calm peace of mind</div><div style="text-align: right;">that slowly unravels</div><div style="text-align: right;">for someone who travels</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">im a nomad in chains</div><div style="text-align: right;">a vagabond cooped up</div><div style="text-align: right;">a wanderer in a glasshouse</div><div style="text-align: right;">an anchored migrant</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">soon it is noon and</div><div style="text-align: right;">the sun climbs the stairs to its</div><div style="text-align: right;">regal throne in a sky blue sky</div><div style="text-align: right;">but its sovereign kingdom</div><div style="text-align: right;">seems as inaccessible to me as</div><div style="text-align: right;">the sun itself</div> <div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">its been a lengthy</div><div style="text-align: right;">day/week/month/year</div><div style="text-align: right;">and its late</div><div style="text-align: right;">even the trees are asleep</div><div style="text-align: right;">its almost black now but</div><div style="text-align: right;">for a few stars</div><div style="text-align: right;">and the shades are drawn shut</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">but there is a lamp on beside me</div><div style="text-align: right;">so i let my eyes adjust</div><div style="text-align: right;">they meet your eyes</div><div style="text-align: right;">and i see my future</div><div style="text-align: right;">and i forget everything</div><div style="text-align: right;">before this moment</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: right;">11.01</div><div style="text-align: right;">s.d.</div></span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-53670166577311694582010-03-02T21:25:00.002-05:002011-10-20T02:21:08.581-04:00ScintillationThe richest diamonds:<br />Less scintillating than<br />Naked fingers.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">3.10<br />s.d.</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-3190045594347340952010-02-07T19:11:00.000-05:002010-02-07T19:11:00.629-05:00Three Wishes<div style="text-align: center;">Wish for something mundane:<br />A raw fish with little bones, rusty<br />Drainpipe or sprig of maple.<br /><br />Wish for something trivial:<br />A faded washcloth, three-leaf<br />Clover or miscut postcard.<br /><br />Wish for something transient:<br />A whiff of mown grass, rainbow<br />In drizzle or taillight glimmer.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">s.d.</span></div>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291929200498426804.post-22989326648981965922010-02-06T17:31:00.000-05:002010-02-06T17:32:19.484-05:00Magnanimous PrometheusThe weakest god and strongest man:<br />Prometheus, his arm in chains,<br />Is splayed across a rocky hill<br />Reliving his recurring fears.<br />The cog in Zeus’s nasty plan:<br />A monstrous eagle hungrily tears<br />His sallow shell and fragile will<br />Until a writhing fool remains.<br /><br />An awful fate befalls our prey;<br />His daily anguish makes me weep...<br />A single tear. Pajamas on:<br />I contemplate another day,<br />Ignite the wood stove; then upon<br />A cozy bed, I drift to sleep.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">s.d.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxZOvVZ6QdHt0hyob1fuvrt-k9fI9zNLONaPqcCZ9O2HaV-KShyphenhyphen6OgRBJr_TA4CMPO06B9yWb60xoULXUciuidC44QN7i1wV3h_nND65ptMQnbP_6JwK01Z4CXYXJottPhByWyjpnzw8/s1600-h/Prometheus+Bound+%28Rubens%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxZOvVZ6QdHt0hyob1fuvrt-k9fI9zNLONaPqcCZ9O2HaV-KShyphenhyphen6OgRBJr_TA4CMPO06B9yWb60xoULXUciuidC44QN7i1wV3h_nND65ptMQnbP_6JwK01Z4CXYXJottPhByWyjpnzw8/s400/Prometheus+Bound+%28Rubens%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431229961173786930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />(Peter Paul Rubens' "Prometheus Bound")</span>gumbynotpokeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13282932861603602854noreply@blogger.com0