Poem: Persona

can you put yourself into a time table?

define the moments your personality gained

or lost a quality?

embellished with different adjectives

you look yourself in the mirror

and the more you pick them to describe yourself

the more you're proud of yourself

yet others would disagree

they would find something different in you

based on your actions

in every line you can find a lie

you can tuck it in any way you like

when you write a self-portrait

when it gazes at you from the paper

it either seems unreal or something out of the past

a person you've grown out of

and if your past seems bitter

maybe it's because you focused on the wrong things

wrong opinions

some people we carry with us

all our lives

in our minds and hearts

do these relations influence how you express yourself?

and because they seem so close we think we know

them completely

yet these are things hard to define

and there are some things that are only ours

and nobody needs to know about them

Poem: Muse

so many books

                the master has read

yet he leaves me here

                in front of this blinking screen

while he's still searching

                for inspiration

                               that muse

which would kick-start

                his career

but he never asked me

                never wanted to hear my ideas

the adventures I find

                when he's not around

so on this comfortable sofa I wait

                until he finds

                the muse in me

*

For the Mag#217.

Poem: 20 questions (or more)

 

if there is an afterlife, can you travel in time?

who would you talk to and what knowledge do you think you'd gain?

what if heaven and hell exist only here and now in our minds?

how would you paint yourself in others and how much would it matter?

if you are the master of your own destiny, why do you blame it on others?

what would you change about your body?

and would we all really want to look alike?

who do you think of in your sleep?

and who makes your heart skip a beat?

has anyone supposed it lucky to be born in this world?

who would it take to face the cold, harsh truth?

if you could re-live just one day of your life, which day would you pick?

do you remember the first time your heart chamber started beating?

do you recall how your lungs felt as oxygen filled them for the first time?

would it make a difference if you knew when you are going to die?

if a fortune-teller predicted something will happen to you,

would you learn to live with it, or would you try to change it?

how would you describe absolute bliss?

if you knew your habits before conception can affect the health of your child,

would you change them?

what kind of a message would you like to leave behind to the world?

when you think of our fragile existence and limited time,

how can you say you're bored?

be grateful for this moment, it is all there is

*

Another prompt for NaPoWriMo day #14.

Poem: of Glee

Finland, 1968, photo by George F. Mobley

snowflakes pierced through the air

grazing birch trees along the way

as their faces brimming with delight

in celebration walked on, to remember

this day, when they felt they could

achieve anything; may the feeling

be immortal; no need for

speeches, no need for pages

filled with lies; a couple

embraced to shield themselves

against the gale, their lips

smiling as they hold peace

in their cradle; turning back

to their companions; stars are

sown on the floor. and she said

'Take me somewhere nice,

before you go.'

*

Written for the Magpie tales, Mag #216
"In Finland, as in Sweden, the white hats shown in this photo usually signifies that the wearer has finished high-school."

Poem: Incised moon

black thoughts in ambush

like ashes in the snow scatter

burying new roots at sea

to chase the future waves

and wonder how they will bend

time embodies many different faces

as it haunts us in our slumber

our feet running faster than fear

towards that everlasting light

yet there is a scream locked

deep inside this memory house

a heavy weight suppressing

the heart asking for pleasure

- sorrow sleeps with it

what makes you listen?

your mind incised like the moon

 *

Written as a prompt by NaPoWriMo day #19.

Poem: Are you awake

photo by Kelsey Hannah

are you awake?

your thoughts knitted between your fingers

hands drawing images of longing into the air

   remember, the dreams

and ideas, which pulled you forward?

   remember, the hopes

and ambitions, which helped to steady your feet?

all those premonitions you had

   are slowly finding its place

like skin - we shed our souls

   and stand as survivors

there is a certain ache of existing present

   somehow the glowing sunrays decrease it

a comforting sound, a silent echo behind our steps

   guiding us back into dust

                are we awake?

*

Written for Magpie Tales: Mag 214.