(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#307)
dry gourds rattle
among cautious deer hooves
the forgotten garden
…..
(#308)
sing loudly, moon
for my heart is deaf
and my soul yearns to dance
…..
(#309)
there is peace
in the aftermath of tears
the joy of sorrow
…..
(#310)
let go the acorn
trust the earth
to keep its promise
…..
(#311)
an eternity
from your eyes to my heart
a tear’s journey
…..
(#312)
dull silence
a stone flung at a post
a summer’s field in winter
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#301)
in sleeping woods
the scent of burning bark
the fragrance of memories
…..
(#302)
the tilt of her head
as she looked at me
the burned bridge
…..
(#303)
cairns of river stones
lest the stream forget
its sorrow
…..
(#304)
these old coins
both priceless and worthless
a wealth of emptiness
…..
(#305)
swift, swift the stream
and all it sweeps away
the torrent of the years
…..
(#306)
among the rushes
the blur of silent koi
and dreams of oblivion
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#295)
in konara copse
ferns beckon
with come-hither fingers
…..
(#296)
white chrysanthemum
she sleeps in the cool embrace
of oak shadows
…..
(#297)
in the garden
corn silk and laughter
my mother’s memories
…..
(#298)
her impression left
on hand-made rice cakes
and my heart
…..
(#299)
I’ll cross the footbridge
soon enough but for now
let me enjoy the stream
…..
(#300)
live long enough
even the mountain will betray you
the forked path
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#289)
burning leaf piles
a taste of smoke
the flavor of melancholy
…..
(#290)
a handful of
broken promises
last autumn’s acorns
…..
(#291)
Aokigahara
Fuji’s shoulders bear
the weight of sorrow
…..
(#292)
ragged sheaves
my old rusted sickle
nears harvest’s end
…..
(#293)
these tears
it’s the bitter autumn wind
that’s all
…..
(#294)
in a field of sage and lupine
a young boy dreams
an old man weeps
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#283)
nothing stirs
but the memory of acorns
the old forest
…..
(#284)
frozen alpine tarn
my soul rests in silence
in mountain’s embrace
…..
(#285)
his paws in my hands
as his eyes closed
the journey home
…..
(#286)
footbridge lantern
night heron’s shadow dances
with the reeds
…..
(#287)
evening chill descends
as a blade upon the wheat
the sickle moon
…..
(#288)
in my mind
the universe; in my heart
a poem
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#277)
my soul’s tourniquet
staunches words but not the pain
I weep in silence
…..
(#278)
strip me of my layers
to my core of nothingness
then you’ll understand
…..
(#279)
an errant snowflake
drifts through my paneless window
and freezes my heart
…..
(#280)
yuki no hana
coldness blossoms in my heart
my endless winter
…..
(#281)
I am not afraid
to say I am terrified
of what lies ahead
…..
(#282)
I am shamed by fear
my coward’s heart quails in the
shadows of my soul
I’m pleased to announce that my poem “Kintsugi” has been published at Chewers & Masticadores. Many thanks to Terveen Gill and her staff for their kindness and support in publishing my poem. Terveen is peerless in her encouragement and inspiration, and I’m humbled and delighted to have my poetry included at Chewers & Masticadores. Thanks so much, Terveen!
“Kintsugi”
“In the winter hour
Of my broken soul
This fragile vase cannot contain
My essence
It sits cracked
On the cornerstone of my hut
Catching melting snow
From which my heart drinks…”
I’d be grateful if you would check out the rest of my poem by following this link. Also, be sure to follow/subscribe to Chewers & Masticadores—it’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.
I’m happy and humbled to announce that my poem “Hana no Niwa” has been published at Chewers & Masticadores. Much gratitude goes to Terveen Gill and her staff for their kindness and support in accepting my poem for publication. Terveen’s unwavering encouragement is a wonderful inspiration, and I’m honored to have my poetry included at Chewers & Masticadores. Many thanks, Terveen!
“Hana no Niwa”
In the restless nights
In the small flower garden
Spider lilies weep
Mournful beneath midnight moon
Dreaming higanbana dreams
They cry in silence
Do they know for whom they grieve
Do they remember
It was you who planted them
It was you who gave them life…”
I’d be grateful if you would check out the rest of my poem by following this link. Also, be sure to follow/subscribe to Chewers & Masticadores—it’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.
I’m pleased and honored to announce that my poem “Shinrin-yoku” has been published at Chewers & Masticadores (formerly MasticadoresIndia). Many thanks to Terveen Gill and her staff for their kindness and support in accepting my poem for publication. Terveen’s wonderful encouragement knows no bounds, and I’m delighted to have my poetry included at Chewers & Masticadores. Thanks so much, Terveen!
“Shinrin-yoku”
I have bathed in forest’s em’rald essence
I have nestled, secreted away, in
Jade konara copse
I have placed my palms
Soft upon the scabrous skin of giants
Whose slowly beating hearts have shattered stone
Whose deeply delving fingers grip the earth
In lover’s embrace
Eternity is far too brief a time
For such a love as this, for such a love
Trees have for the earth
I have for the trees…
I’d be grateful if you would check out the rest of my poem by following this link. Also, be sure to follow/subscribe to Chewers & Masticadores–it’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#271)
blurred images and
a smudge of words on a page
is this all I am
…..
(#272)
puddle of cold wax
where my candle burned out
waiting for the light
…..
(#273)
thirty-six hours
between my tears and your death
a lifetime since then
…..
(#274)
fallow fields, dry ponds
fences in disrepair
long-dead memories
…..
(#275)
hope stretched thin and taut
across brittle bones of time
a dry husk of life
…..
(#276)
sorrow’s bedrock or
hope’s aquifer; either way
naught left but to dig
Silent Pariah 