"Those are some real poets - Art and Rumi both."

And so is Owl. I can only read like stuff like this with envy for the skill needed to distill life down into lines like this.

"I watch It scurry

Scrambling for high ground

Pining for the dark"

Exactly! And I didn't even realize it 'til I read this.

I do hope you don't mind me hitting print here Owl and sending this to be printed so I can keep it near to me.
I want to post this on my bedroom mirror and just read it for a while.
'Tis wonderful and full and rich like chocolate somehow.
I like Owl. I like much here.

Oh, Rock on, Owl!

You stick to that story! The second stanza of each part makes it all weave together. This is an optimistic piece to me. Yeah, bring it on! I am ready for another day on this blue planet. I love how you share your positive energy around here. I notice as do many others. The Owl is indeed wise.

Owl
Me like.
Owl
These words I'm saying so much begin to lose meaning:
Existence, emptiness, mountain, straw:

Words and what they try to say swept
out the window, down the slant of the roof.

OK Owl? : )

Weird collection of thoughts and image make art & poetry here.

"rain drizzles the salt in my skin" I believe I understand.

* rated for the process we undergo in the state of becoming.

what nana said. which i've written more times than i care to admit. but he's right. again.

I like the snow shrugging from the heavens... There's something important happening here. It made me work in the best kind of way.

Yes Owl YES!

I like this a lot:

"The words do not escape
The clench of my jaw
Quiets the savage lies
"

Very nice, Owl. I enjoy your postings, and equate with the solace sought somewhere.

I loved every line. Very potent and kick ass! Spoke to me like crazy.
R

You have no idea how many times I asked myself if I should post something, if it made sense only to me. Unfortunately you don't have an Owl_Says_Who to come comment and make it alright. So I'll just say this was very freeing for me to read this and it makes feel I have license to do the same.

Poetry is a mystery to me. It makes no sense, but it makes perfect sense. The good stuff makes me feel many things at once and I need a few minutes to shake it all out into an organized reaction. Even though I'm no connoisseur, I can tell this is the good stuff!!

Nice collection of weird thoughts... of is that a weird collection of nice thoughts?

Love it, right from the opening
"I awaken to red sky
Quills protruding through my skin
Nerves taut as bow strings"
Describes some of my mornings perfectly.
Very nice.

Well worth the wait, wow owl! Profound choice of words for a profound meaning. Excellent piece, rated.

Brilliant red sky! Thanks for your thoughts!

I'm with Nana. It's a one-way street for me. I'm learning to read and appreciate poetry here, but I could never write anything as exciting and moving as this. (r)

Loved this Owl.

This fucking rocked! Beautiful! Much love to you.

"The words flow and tumble

Rushing to flood the damned

Seeking the low point"

I see this.

I get it.

Also, I quote Nana and Cat and Femme:

"And so is Owl."

Good work, Owl. A good poem, according to Stone literary theory, compels a second reading and a third because it tears something loose in your mind, might even make you a bit uncomfortable, askew as it were. Yours did that with extreme prejudice: "Bring it, motherfucker."

Gorgeous, Owl. Just gorgeous.

That wrapping yourself in asbestos may not be such a good idea. On the other hand, Kevlar is very effective.

Rated

For all the conflict in the first two stanzas, between your rhythms and the third stanza, I found your poem calming by the end. Just don't make me try to explain why.

Owl, I really love this poem, its very strong and angry in a good way. "Faster didn't take me, stronger didn't make me less vulnerable...." wonderfully thoughts, I have come back to read several times, best to you in whatever has sparked this....

#wonderfully expressed thoughts...sorry

The opening image, so crystalline, then the abrupt and unexpected challenge: you grab us from the start. Like Stim, though, I feel calmness by the third stanza. Yeah, I think you got it. Thanks for sharing it--you make a generous mirror.

Waking up this morning wishing I had that shake-your-fist-at-the- sky-bring- it-on kind of spirit inside me...for the days when I need it. I think this speaks of your inner power Owl, your wisdom in knowing that you can stand up and rise above.

Owl, dear, I've thought a lot about something lately and this morning you've brought it back to mind.

"I survey the landscape
Contemplating the possibilities
"I love you."

Doesn't it seem that when we can sincerely say to someone "I love you" then we are "Above the trees to touch the clouds, Drinking the air"? I'm not talking about the euphoria of new love that takes over your mind and makes you do, sometimes, stupid things but the strength and confidence that we find when there is real love, when we love and are loved.

Poetry is poetry when it makes the reader feel. You make me feel.

Regardless the background meaning Owl, a powerful collection of imagery.

not only that but it is an honorable fuckin thing a purity clean as the driven snow while you don't haff a be ah Chinese nuclear physicists to go figure sum dum sum bitch gon see ya scratchn' an aching fo yo momma

I awakened to the gorgeous image and your selections of imagery while snowflakes dance outside my window. What a beautiful way ! Thank you, Owl, for making this a wonderful new morning.
Rated !

Loved your poem and alsothe quote you presented to us...
"We are the mirror and as well as the face in it."
Yes.
Great Post. r

There's a whole lot of reflection going on here. You manage to convert all these emotions into words that create images and I can't help but wonder if the objects in this mirror are larger than they appear. Strong stuff. I'm impressed.

I don't usually comment on poetry (I don't get it most of the time), but this one is extraordinary.
R

Very interesting Owler.
It touches something in me and shows a depth of your soul that is beautiful, just beautiful my friend.

Something to read, and read and read. It's a bittersweet pleasure every time, like remembering something I forgot - but not always something I wanted to remember. Stunning images starting with the quills.

Poetry is emotion put into words. The key to good poetry is to find the words that will evoke that same emotion in someone else.

This is good poetry, Owl. :-D

Art is a masterful wordsmith, and this is my first exposure to Rumi's work so I can only say I am not surprised that Art would be familiar with his work.

So we'll be seeing more poetry from you in the future, right? :-D

Wow - thanks, everyone! I posted, then my plans for last night changed, then I got called in for work today, so it's a rush to see all of these.

nana - That happens with me a lot, too - someone says something that really, really describes a moment, an idea, an emotion, in a way that I never would have thought of. So if that happened here, then I'm honored. Thanks, nana!

Mission - I not only don't mind, I'm blessed by your comment (which actually happens all the time). And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks of food in relation to what I'm reading . . . especially chocolate!

LadyMiko & WSFTC - :~) Thanks, Ladies.

Dr.Spud - I'm glad the optimism came through . . . it's just the damn process of living and learning, no?

Chuck - Absolutely.

Scarlett - When I read poetry, I love that feeling . . . "I get that" . . . and what I "get" may be different than what the writer meant, or what any other reader "gets." I guess that means that this piece is working, in some way. Cool - and thanks for coming by.

Femme - Sometimes, that's just how it goes. I'm glad you came by, though!

CK Dexter - I used to call snow "God's dandruff." Kind of fits, some days.

WalkAwayHappy & Lunchlady - Thanks so much.

Greg - Something about that reminds me of some of your work. Looks like you're an inspiration!

ronnie - Thank you, sir.

fernsy - Potent and kick ass . . . someday, I hope to be described that way!

Harry - That's a wonderful comment. One of the things I like about OS is the freedom to throw something on the wall and see what sticks. And I'm learning to give myself permission to do that - in part because others do so. And I may not have myself as a commenter, but I'm glad to have Harry's Ghost, and others, around!

Bellweather - I often feel the same way about poetry . . . even what I write!

iamsurly - Yes.

caroline - Some mornings seem to randomly begin with grrrrrrrr . . . I don't always know why, they just do.

Thoth - Thank you, sir.

Betty - The safest way to spend a day inside my brain would be inside a shark cage. However, for you, I'd equip it spaciously, including the recliner. It's really not that cold, is it?

Juli, Clark, Sparking, Jill - Thanks. It never ceases to amaze me how some phrases can have multiple meanings to multiple people. It's the challenge and the beauty of communication, I suppose.

Young Woman Blue - Thank you . . . from what I've read of your work, it makes sense to me that you would get it. It's one of the things I like about you.

Michael - I like your literary theory! And thanks for letting me know that this works . . .

Denise - The name change is hard to get used to! Thanks. The process of life, and the process of writing. Step by step.

littlewillie - Good point . . . I'll take that into consideration.

Elena - Awww, shucks.

Stim - I had the same problem explaining to myself why it seemed to make sense. But I felt that way as well.

donnastreet - Thank you.

I'll get back here as soon as I can

I like the pic. Red skies, so pretty!

Rated.

rita - Thank you for recognizing the anger in it . . . for the last 8-9

months, I've been coming to terms with anger I have not addressed for many,

many years. And writing this helped me get my arms around some of the more

nebulous elements of my experience with it. I'm trying to learn to transmute

it . . . a bit of alchemy, perhaps.

AtHomePilgrim - That's what I was going for, I think . . . the transition.

And in re-reading it, I can't help but think it's like some dreams, where I am

all the characters in it, even though they appear to be separate.

mamoore - Some days, I wish I could call it up, or eat it like a can of

spinach. And really, the state of mind described by the first part actually

feels pretty miserable, but I'll give myself this much: I'm persistent, and

I'm determined . . . patent pending on methodology for transmutation.

Sharon - Yes, yes, and yes. Love of ourselves, love of others. When we are

able to open up to the possiblities, love seems possible and real.

scupper - Thank you. You do know you're one of my OS poetry heroes, right?

J Hart - That could certainly be a part of it.

FusunA - I'm honored that it brought goodness to your day!

Steve - Thank you.

cartouche - Your comment is poetry in itself, and has got me to thinking.

Lately, I'm trying to bust something loose, but it only moves in odd chunks,

like ice on a sidewalk at first melt.

john blumenthal - I have a love/hate relationship with poetry. I love it, but

I don't always get it, even when I write it . . . I hate that it makes me feel

dumb. But when I just go with the flow, and let it wash over me like music, I

think some part of me gets it. I'm glad, though, that this translated.

ladyfarmerjed - My experience with the depth, such as it is, is that it's best viewed from above or beside, preferably with a guardrail. From the bottom, it can be an abyss. I've learned, though, to equip myself with climbing gear.

Bill - Almost inevitably, I'm sure there will be more poetry. It seems to work for me, for certain things. So although I'd love to be writing the great American Novel, this is what's coming out for now. Which is cool. And thanks, Bill, for being such a supportive poet . . . I admire your work very much.

Tink - Good kitty . . . good kitty. Thanks, man!

You are definitely the jar that pours. I love the determination in this poem, and I love your structure. And I love your words. It's really wonderful to see such careful structure, though. You built something and presented it to our gaze. Thanks, dear Owl.

aim - Thanks for reading! I get the whole "oh shit, what if this sucks" going sometimes, so it looks like this is a little better than I thought, which is good. And, oddly, I think I understand it better than when I wrote it.

I thought it was great. Fighting the elements it seems to me. But, I could be wrong!

scanner - I think you're right . . . and the elements can take so many forms!

Stunning, Owl. Simply stunning.

Gwen - Thanks, my friend. It's an odd little piece of work.

"Faster didn’t take me, stronger didn’t make me

Less vulnerable"

you amaze....I also laughed and loved it when you said "I can honestly say that I'm not sure what it all means."

You have it all, everything that I love to read...

Y Heron - LOL, thanks! I've decided to just admit that poetry is often a little mysterious, including for me when I'm writing it. I think I know what I'm writing about, and then sometimes, it applies to other stuff, or I look back at it, and it strikes me differently. I suspect it happens to others as well, so I'm just putting it out there . . .

i love the impact/effectiveness of the well placed expletive. it adds eloquence. ((smiles.))

so. naturally. i admired the ones with it and the very next one that followed each.

altogether a pleasure to read.

renatta - My grandma, an English teacher and very proper woman, would NOT have approved. That's okay, though. As you said, when it's well placed . . . anyway, thanks for coming by and reading!

haa haa Owl, I agree. One of my favorite authors, Kathleen Norris, once wrote "talking about what I write makes me stupid." And I think she is brilliant. But she feels she stumbles over herself when she tries to articulate the sentiment behind her writing, her poetry in particular.

Heron - HaHaHaHa . . . that is a GREAT quote. I'm going to print it out and put it by my desk!

Sounds in part like the winter blues and a whole bevy of emotions neatly wrapped up inside a poetic mind. Well done!

Cathy - I hadn't considered winter blues, but that could certainly have been a contributing factor in what's described here! Hmmm . . . note to self: get into the sun sometime soon . . .

Thanks Owl for visiting the site earlier and for your thoughtful comment. After pondering on it for a little while, I decided that perhaps that could be a valid perspective, so I happened to have one that perhaps more closely hits the center of that target.

It's titled The "GIFT". I posted it for you. Hope you enjoy it'


I certainly enjoyed "I Awaken to RED SKY". although I couldn't quite get a hold of the message. Just me, though, a little slow at everything.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tar-Paper Shacks R

I love this, can't wait to read u more. . .
~Rated~

Gorgeous. Especially this:


The words do not escape
The clench of my jaw
Quiets the savage lies

Tar and Glass - No worries . . . I wrote the thing, and have been figuring it out ever since. Thanks so much for coming by!

Raven Windsong - Thank you, good Lady! I love your screen name . . . I call my wife "Raven" in my writing here.

Caroline - Thanks. I rather like those lines myself, of all of them.

Lovely, Owl. Just lovely.

It's getting to where:

If all's not well in Rainbowland,
Do, we "..walk in the shoes.." in which others stand?
and watch them "..Going thru the motions.."
so they can fulfill their devotions?

Have a good one Owl.

Tar-Paper Shacks

A Musing Blonde, BarkingLot - Thanks, Ladies.

TPS/AGVB - Good questions - I'll give it some thought, but can't promise any answers. Have a good one, too.

Owl, I love this. What does it mean? A lot. Different things to different readers. Many, many, many things are here, and still it is not crowded. All I can say is that there ain't never enough Kevlar to protect us. Rated.

Harriet - Thanks . . . I'm glad it didn't seem crowded. My mind was crowded enough at the time - and it's hard to tell with one's own writing. Good to see you!

I loved how you allowed yourself to talk from such a deep, subconscious place. It was almost as if you were speaking from a dreamstate of sorts. I had an understanding of the piece but on a deeper, less definable place.

I really enjoy us taking some of those chances - letting the "other side" do the talking and not censoring it. That's what you did here. Kudos.

Beth - It felt good to turn loose a little and let it out . . . I knew what I was writing about, but didn't. The dream state is a good way to describe it. I know when I'm reading, poetry especially, I often couldn't say why it hit me the way it did, it just did. I don't have to understand it, it's enough to experience it.