No hero this, saved
From blushes by dim firelight,
Facing her hero.
Scribblings are poor reward for
Handfuls of undying blooms.
03/22/17
They circle above
A field of waving banners
And fierce combatants.
What must the vultures think of
Our bloodless battles today?
04/01/2017
I hear him in
All his virtuoso song,
Pining for a mate.
I whistle a few brief notes,
Delighted when he answers.
04/02/2017
Trapped in the mirror
As I pass, I glimpse a wild
Halo of silver.
I look a bit mad and yet
A bit magnificent too.
04/03/2017
Having overslept,
My whole day felt off kilter
And out of balance.
At least the night has fallen
With a fresh start tomorrow.
04/04/2017
A picture may be
Worth a thousand words, and yet
It may still mislead.
An image shows a viewpoint
That tells a certain story.
04/05/2017
Rushing gusts rattle
Every window in its frame,
Shaking this old house.
A late winter squall tears through
As I sit here, sipping tea.
04/06/2017
Now the rain whispers
Soft but insistent against
The darkened windows.
I am too tired to worry
About what secrets it has.
04/07/2017
Ticking clocks and the
Refrigerator's hum give
Lie to the quiet.
Yet it is peaceful enough
To hear street noise a mile hence.
04/08/2017
Yoked to a partner
Who takes no initiative
Is a harsh duty.
One can lead by example
And yet some just won't follow.
04/10/2017
A wash of grey cloud
And the scent of coming rain
Follow my footsteps.
Yet still he sings from his perch
Atop the telephone pole.
04/11/2017
So many duties
Clamor for my attention,
One was forgotten.
Yesterday's challenge unmet,
But my bathroom is sparkling!
04/13/2017
Graceful canvas wings
Spread themselves against the breeze
And darkening sky.
On deck and in the rigging
Busy hands work their magic.
04/17/2017
Footsteps in the street
Set the neighbor's dog barking
Somewhere in the dark.
I do not bother to look
As trees shield every window.
04/15/2017
Rain drums on windows
And dark branches gesture in
Silhouetted rage.
I burrow deeper into
Cosy warmth and drift away.
04/16/2017
Across centuries
Voices carved in stone whisper,
"I lived, I mattered."
So many stories to read,
So many voices to hear.
04/17/2017
Oh, look. You're helping
With your pompous pronouncements
From your mountaintop.
I might value your input
If you ever did something.
04/19/2017
My sword is useless.
Slow hands, slow feet and slow eye
Conspire against me.
All setbacks and no breakthroughs
Make this the hardest battle.
04/21/2017
I suppose I must
Write tonight, though I feel I
Am an empty cup.
Inspiration is fickle
And, I think, overrated.
04/23/2017
Another sunset
Hides behind curtains of grey,
Shielding her bright face.
Heedless, the lights of the port
Will light the sky through the night.
04/24/2017
Heavy eyelids drooped,
I resisted with a start
At each tempting nod.
All in vain: sleep vanquished me
And I did not write last night!
04/26/2017
I reach for my tea,
Wishing I'd worn something warm
To get through my day.
That sneaking draft is no lie:
Truly the season has turned.
11/01/2017
Across a table
Or across space measured with blades
Eyes meet as minds do.
Friendship is its own treasure
And laughter the finest prize.
11/02/2017
Those awful voices
Find ways to whisper their lies
In quiet moments.
The constant battle is to
Not say such things to ourselves.
11/03/2017
Perhaps it did rain
Though I was asleep while the
Sky shed quiet tears.
Already puddles are dry,
The only clue is fading.
11/05/2017
The neighbor downstairs
Is a chronic door slammer,
No matter the hour.
The dog next door marks each crash
With barking protest.
11/07/2017
Not a fire this time,
Those streaks of orange and red
Crowning the hillsides.
It is only a sunrise
Before the autumn rains come.
11/08/2017
Clouds chase each other
Across the hilltops, heedless
Of my shivering.
Are they the cause of the rain
Or have I imagined them?
11/09/2017
It is barely rain,
This fairy veil of cool mist
Flecking the window.
At the door I am met by
A thousand tiny kisses.
11/10/2017
A sudden stinging
Reveals an angry red scrape
Upon my left arm.
That sword thrust landed over
Five hours before I noticed.
11/12/2017
My head throbs with it,
The heaviness of the air
Before the rains come.
I wait for relief in vain,
Too restless to think of sleep.
11/13/2017
It's a slippery thing,
Memory, a dream of things
That may have happened.
We encrust with meaning these
Impermanent tears in rain.
11/14/2017
A tap on the wall,
Then another, is how
The night's rain begins.
From a patter on shingles
It grows to a wild gallop.
11/15/2017
Another day ends
With errands run and duties
Finished for awhile.
The house smells of rich spices
As pies for tomorrow cool.
11/22/2017
A rustle of leaves
Underfoot greets me as I
Gaze up at the night.
If the moon is up there
I can't see her for the clouds.
11/23/2017
Turn and pull and turn
Long tails of silk cling and snag
On the rough ray skin.
I tried a new art today
Only to tear it apart.
11/24/2017
Practice makes perfect
Only holds true if practice
Is done perfectly.
Sometimes perfection eludes.
Sometimes done is loveliest.
11/25/2017
A spill of treasure
Gleams golden on the wet path
Downed by steady rain.
Beyond the gingkos the road
Is paved red with maple leaves.
11/26/2017
I have been remiss.
What with chores and holidays
I forget to write.
Inspiration is fickle,
I can't always wait for her.
11/29/2017
Copyright 2017, 2019 Lisa A. Joseph. All photos by Lisa A. Joseph.