Dropping the Party Line (a poem)

Photograph: They Never Call by Rob Hanson. Used with permission for One Stop poetry.

Dropping the Party Line

Dust settles
its shiny patina
immortalized in time
whispering

have you heard?
have you heard?

Mrs Wells' daughter,
Julie, lost...

the baby had...
poor dear...

I picked some apples
and made the family a pie
it's settin' by the window now...

so glad the weather's
coolin' off...

I'll drop it off...

on my way...

Have you heard?
Have you heard?

they landed
at Utah
and Omaha
Anzio
and Salerno

a line
of men
running
onto the beaches
falling...

the pastor says
we must rejoice
in our victory...

Have you heard?
Have you heard?

Joe's calf took...

and the words
are lost
gobbled up like
apple pie and ice cream
at Mr. Simon's barnraiser

click.
click.

and no one hears
what Joe's calf took
on the party line

Hello? Hello?

is there someone else
on the line

Is that you, Mary?

I heard your son
Billy is coming
home...

Did you hear
Agnes' boy fell
so sad
nineteen
some place called
Iwo Jima

she's takin' it
hard

Are you there Mary?

and silently the line
holds time
still
and Agnes
replaces
the receiver

She walks out the door
no longer strong
enough
to hear
the words
she was never meant to hear

We're sorry to inform you...

ringing
in her ears
she cannot hold
the party line

and drops
the conversation.

and far away
on a blood drenched beach
guns roar
and planes soar
dropping
deadly cylinders
of war
and a boy drops
and apples fall
rotting
to the ground
from the tree
standing outside
the window
of a room
where the party line
was broken.

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This poem is submitted to One Shot Sunday hosted by One Stop Poetry. To see other poems submitted and the conclusion of the interview with photographer Rob Hanson, please visit the site. (Thanks Glynn for the paragraph explaing One Shot and the inspiration to write!)

This is Christmas (a poem)

A canon
notes strung in perfect harmony
dancing on air
like pure white sheets
drying in the sun
a simple cavatina
joyfully proclaiming
the wonder that has begun
with this special time of year.

Piano keys felt
pads engaged
the key of life played
through a ligature
effortlessly joining
black and white/sharp and flat
a semitone on a half moving into full
heart-filled expression
cascading into
a cadenza of hope
playing together
a note
a tone
a song
of joy
of heaven on earth
where no key is measured
wanting
no note
left behind
without
a companion note
to play in harmony
to join in symphony.

Laughter pealing
each note a perfect intonation
of joy
exalting
a hymn without words
abandoning darkness
cascading from adagio to allegro
legato to staccato
making music
making magic
making love
happen
in flight
hearts joining in holy communion
around a note of pure, ecstatic joy.

This is Christmas.
This is Love.

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Over at One Stop Poetry there's holiday celebration going on. One Stop offers up a prompt inviting anyone to write a poem or two based on George Winston's music -- two pieces in particular, December and/or The Snowflakes have to fall.

I chose to write a piece to December -- it's long been one of my very favourite pieces of music -- so it felt 'right' to choose it and write to its graceful melody playing softly as my fingers raced across the keys in harmony to the pure sweet sounds of Winston's piano.

I invite you to dip yourself in magic and wonder today and visit the poetry offered up at One Stop.

Take a risk. Dip yourself in creative release and write a line, a stanza, a poem...

Fill yourself with wonder.

Life, on the road ahead (a poem)

Life, on the road ahead ************************ ********* Feininger, Andreas, 1906-1999, photographer

On a long road, winding,
around the bend
a sign
warning
sharp curve, slow down
danger ahead


The long yellow line
a siren's call
pulling me into life
sprawling out beyond the gap
where valley wide
beckons
reaching out
to a far horizon
beneath a clear blue sky
streaked
with sugar coated promises
of the sweet life
opening up
just around the next bend

careening
joy
riding
I speed ahead
pulled by the yellow line
unbroken
ignoring the warning
I catapult into nothing
but the pure desire to experience

life on the road ahead.


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It's another One Shot Poetry Sunday challenge and today's photo by Andreas Feninger, beckons me to the open road, to find that place where words collide with wide-open spaces, where sky meets earth and limitless possibilities expand into nothing.

There's a whole bunch of great poetry going on over at One Shot Poetry -- go give it a read, and perhaps... heed the call of the open spaces of your mind where poetry creates a whole new world of possibility within you!

Go on. You know you want to. Give it a go at One Shot Poetry.