Tag: poem

The Heavens Cleave

~ G. Paul Randall ~ Leave a comment 
Birds, they see everything
        this is why the angels have their wings
        where the heavens cleave
        to subtract us, and why
        pillows are filled with feathers
        so to break the fall

Like a church's vaulted ceilings
        they fly, tracing arches
        wedding the heights to the motions
        of our base arguments
        in grounded, plodding tethers
        as we look everywhere but up
        and wonder, 'is this all?'



(May 11, 2021: taking a 2 week pause from social media. Peace and happiness!)

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Photo (CC BY-SA) 2021, Blue Grosbeak with Prisma filter.

Days of Future Path

~ G. Paul Randall 
The future killed my parents
And will probably kill yours too
It steals your wealth and rots your teeth
Wears out your coat and shoe

The future sometimes seems so bright
So promising and true
You try so hard to please it
What else is there to do

The path well worn that seems to work
For more than just a few
It is the future's favorite trap
Line up and join the queue

A fellow blazes his own path
In search of something new
And finds the future waiting there
He wonders how it knew

The future killed our parents
And theirs before them too
And when you think it's had enough
It finally comes for you

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Photo (CC) 2021 : Have a nice day! 🙂

Earth, Wind, and Water

~ G. Paul Randall ~ 4 Comments

Captivated by the imagery produced in sand by the wind and water I decided to curate a little show of its work. Water or air moving over loose sand will produce a matrix of interlocking dune forms reminiscent of the cords of gray matter on the exterior of a brain. Dappling from raindrops adds texture to the mix. Some of these are combinations of all three effects. The photo captions serve as titles and attempt to gather loosely into a poem.

the spirited appearance
evacuating the scene
in a weathered relief
of birds and blown leaves
driven to compete, compelled to conform
echoes the style of clouds
in a collated cycle of day and night

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Cropped and minimally edited photos of Gulf Coast beach sand made with a Galaxy S9 over several days. (CC) 2021

A Case of Me

~ G. Paul Randall 
I am all that I can see
The one who matters, me, me, me

The universe revolves around
The point wherever I am found

I could drink a case of me
And be as happy as can be

If only I knew what to do
With all the other people who

Think they themselves are number one
How dare they ruin all my fun

With nods and all respect to Joni Mitchell.

Space to Let

~ G. Paul Randall 

Bricks and windows are forever at odds
       and space defies all confines
       while the breath, drawing and letting

Marks out all the points in time
       where a move came to move
       or nothing came to much

The space accommodates all takers:
       from receptions, wakes, last suppers
       baptisms and sky burials, to yoga classes
       teas for two, AA meetings, free associations
       sack races, and talent shows

Come as you are and
       be as you were, the air here's
       been breathed by the likes of you

And knows exactly what to do

Stone Angels

~ G. Paul Randall

I

All these feelings viewed from a distance
Like reports from a foreign correspondent
Welcome news of victory and calamity alike

As a stone angel receives the weather
Sunshine, now pelted with hail
Everything in passing

II

The departed do not gather
In cemeteries, they stand mute
At the window, peering in

Tapping like a tree branch tip
In the wind, outside the wake of a friend
Everyone dancing in there, in spite of it all

III

We crossed paths on the way
To the same spot, where a stone marker
Announces all our days to your memory

My stony face coughs up a smile
Standing at this luggage claim carousel
We travelers with our checked memories


Photos (CC-BY-SA) 2021, G. Paul Randall.
Glenwood Cemetery, Houston, Texas.