Category Archives: Poetry

Photo CC BY-NC-SA

Random Access Poetry: Day Twelve

You don’t remember me –
the way I was liquid in the crowd
hugging the shore with your family
and friends, nor how I pilfered
one of the ribbons off the ship
when no one was looking, sticking
it deep inside my jacket pocket
with clenched fingers, nor how, later,
I walked home a little lighter,
as if I were now part of something
rather than just another nothing

Peace (at turbulent seas),
Kevin

PS – this poem was inspired by John Johnston’s Flickr Promptr and you can write your own, too. Plus: there’s a new photo every day.

[Portrait of Conte Candoli, 1947 or 1948] (LOC) flickr photo by The Library of Congress shared with no copyright restriction (Flickr Commons)

Random Access Poetry: Day Eleven

There’s no forgetting
the night when the
force of the riff
shattered the world:

the window panes danced
in wonder, as whiskey
glasses shook and shivered,
moaning with pressure –

all to get us
on the floor,
to dance –

Your horn blared
the clarion call of
hook and melody
we still hear across the years

in worn-out shoes
and the mirror
of midnight blues

Peace (sounds like),
Kevin

PS — I did a search for “Jazz” in the Library of Congress archives collection for this unexpected image

Crossroads flickr photo by Rodney Campbell shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license

Random Access Poetry: Day Ten

Daydreaming
of circles in the
sky, of stars in my
mind, of roots
underground —
where the Milky
Way meets the tree,
that’s the place
where you’ll find me

Peace (along branches),
Kevin

PS — this photo was discovered with Big Blue Labs Random Photo Browser

Random Access Poetry: Day Nine

The view from here
is always unclear, obscured
as it is by time, light
and aperture

Years later, we’ll recall
the odd intersections
between the believing
and dreaming

where the faded light
asked us to stop,
and here we are all,
years later, halted

Peace (in memory),
Kevin

PS — Thanks to Bud Hunt for his daily image sharing for inspiring poetry. This poem is from this photo at this post.

Ambiente-22 flickr photo by rafaelnepo shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC) license

Random Access Poetry: Day Eight

to notice
the sound
one must
slow down
to imagine
the arc
and flow
of the highs
and lows

an ambient
dream

Peace (eyes closed, listening),
Kevin

PS — Thanks to John Johnston for his FlickrCC Stampr search engine for finding images for inspiration. Give it a try.

Photos flickr photo by GDJVJ shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license

Random Access Poetry: Day Seven

When I do remember,
I forget to say, how,
that same day, we
both lost touch with
whatever small innocence
we had, now long gone
buried away, deep ’til today
when you asked me whether
I ever remember to forget:
I do, for like you,
I am always a step inside
faint echoes of yesterday

Peace (remembering),
Kevin

PS — this poem was inspired by the new random Flickr prompter set up by John Johnston, and you can write your poem right there with others, too. Each day is a new image.

A Bluebell and some Daffs flickr photo by Duck 1966 shared into the public domain using Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

Updated Note: the image that inspired this poem was not a Creative Commons image, so I asked permission from the photographer to share it. This link will bring you to the photograph and photographer, who worked to make the photo embeddable. I offer my gratitude to you, David. Thank you.  — Kevin

Random Access Poetry: Day Six

The thing about poems
is they stop time, cold,
in its tracks —

Looking back, a poet
with pen tries to find
the lost words

they heard in the lilt of
a voice, the whisper in
the ear

now they only hear
the stalled train on tracks and
remember the flowers

Peace (along the rails),
Kevin

PS — I found the photo through the use of Alan Levine’s random search tool for Flickr

Photo by: Miradortigre : under a Creative Commons (BY-NC) license https://flic.kr/p/Eka5vp
Photo by Rolf Dietrich Brecher : under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license https://flic.kr/p/WUUcua

Random Access Poetry: Day Five

We never seem to lean in
to appreciate the view
of others

All we know is where we are,
blinders of our fathers
and mothers

Imagine a microscope
secured to your eyes, focused
on the small

The expanded perspective,
intersected movements,
the unseen sprawl

Peace (looking large and small),
Kevin

PS — this image came from John Johnston’s photo blend tool at  http://johnjohnston.info/oddsandends/flickrRandom/