for appearance’s sake

if an artist is truly freest 

  to articulate their self

     from behind a mask

what untold hours

   have been wasted

     in keeping up appearances

merely for appearance’s sake?

~csr

 

equanimity

the water’s surface
enjoys the same pretense, of...
equanimity. 

~csr

you remain

it should have paled

    why hasn’t it disappeared?

ten billion implicit moments

     an ocean of emotion

      with its rush

      tenderly wearing down

      each uneven stone

      until only minerals subsist

and still

      in the rudiments

      you remain

~csr

remainders

what can i say

about all that seemed

what may have been?

the ineffectualness

of musing

around it all

this unrest

is simple arithmetic

long division with remainders

~csr

 

to even notice

for one…

 it was the permutation

  of colors.

for another…

 the archetype

  of a rembrandt.

 

but for her…

  it was a manifestation

    of quiet tears.

 

as for me

   i was far too enthralled

    with her

      to even notice

~csr

Tarnished Strings

all of them...

every one

responses to you

birthed from uncertainty

penned in claret ink

whisked in my heart

an avowal

each turn of phrase

discourses to you

taken from sincerity 

set in derisory concerto

yet
   strummed... 
        on tarnished strings

~csr 

Ten Rainy Ones

a single sunny day

 is powerless

if not having followed

 ten rainy ones

~csr

A Gift

a glint of divine
being in the moment… the
present... is a gift

~csr

Understanding

yes,

some things...

  i hurry

  and or

  wish would tarry.

as

  i lack…

understanding.

~csr

Withered by Twilight

we are like blossoms

what brilliance in the first light

withered by twilight

~csr

Logs

trees
broad, magnificent

stretching, swaying, budding

leaves, bark, acorn, sprout

lumber, falling, nursing

nurturing, towering

logs

~csr

Build Again

when building sandcastles...

it is the groundwork

  that is most essential.

to take care in the formation…

      of the footing.

 though

     one cannot at all times

         perceive imperfections

             in the sand, 

            predict strong winds

         or

            be prepared for

            rogue waves.

and yet…

all we endeavor

     seems to be

       much like sandcastles.

the key is in accepting

    when it all comes crashing down...
to properly utilize the rubble

and build again

~csr

unremitting

a poetic gargoyle

   carefully chiseled
     with a mournful mallet  
situated menacingly atop
    the edifice
       your principle…
warding off weighty desire

an idiom scarecrow

   demoralizingly draped
      in frayed finery
positioned manifestly upholding
    the stance
        your ethic…
frightening off impetuous fervor

an odic chant

    submissively set
       in dorian mode 
crooned continually aloud
     the libretto
        your proscription…
soothing and calming passions

and me

unremitting

~csr

a better friend

flatter her?

  she’ll flatten you
sink her teeth
   right into you

prod and poke

   scratch and stab
in verbal joust
   you will be had

she’ll wear a mask

   to ward away
then bust your balls
  cos' you won’t stay

look straight through

   your crooked smile
and call you out
   like your on trial

don’t pin her down

   she can’t be still
she’ll slither
   out from under you

her shrewd advice

    she gives for free
will lead you
   clear calamity

for all her wisdom

   on her shelf
her only blind spot
   is herself

though some may warn

   “she’ll be your end”
you’d be pressed to find
   a better friend

~csr

by rationale

a beautiful twilight

 between consciousness

and the dreaminess

of pure sentiment

almost a lucid dream

only to be pulled away

by rationale

 

~csr

save us

with the conversation

  spanning transient moments
  to mysterious waterbeds
and
friendly old men
  reaching out
  from unraveled worlds

 i’m  t h i n k i n g ~ …
i want to be in ‘the now’
   though distracted by
      thoughts like
~` i am running low on cigarettes `~

 i’m always over-stimulated

   by everything around
   taking note of it all

but

your eyes request

   all of my deliberation
   as your voice sings a song
     and
    as quietness wraps around
     i let go of the tavern
       one clang at a time
       until all else is mislaid

save us

~csr

in someone’s arms

the sentiment

feels unhindered
   and restricted
 simultaneously…
the way
you can feel trapped
in a vast dessert…

yet feel

 completely free
tightly held
in someone’s arms

~csr

what comes next

the difference

     a voice can bring

the divergence
   sunlight makes

the certainty
   only eyes can share

and

the peace

  of knowing
   what comes next

 

~csr

spinning in my arms

silence…

  no more than

     breathing space
   amid resonance

though this dawdling waltz

a mere measure or two in length
moves steadily towards a bow…

forever will i cherish

the steps we took together…
you spinning in my arms

~csr

seasons revise

let shadows tell

through bracing winds
of winter’s dearth 
whence sleep begins
whilst leaves descent
bedspread the ground
each bit once life
compose no sound
with loss of glow
daylight’s diminish
seasons revise
once they are finished

~csr