Poetry

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I had the goal of finishing this song before the end of November, which I did manage to do! But then it took me a while to get it recorded, and to post it online took me until… now.

These lyrics germinated during the early mornings of late autumn, which is for me always a melancholy (and peaceful) time of year.  It’s only been in the last year or so that I’ve written some lyrics that I’ve been really happy with, and that’s been quite rewarding.  It’s still pretty cold and dreary, so grab a blanket and a mug of something hot, and sample some ‘November rain’.

grey skies, and my
blackened eyes are
opening towards the new day outside
another chance to laugh
another chance to cry
just one more chance to live before it’s time to die

and the memories like raindrops
still drench me to the bone, and i
can’t remember if there ever was a time
when i did not feel alone

November rain falls
and your ghost calls again
they said the sun would come
but they did not tell me when
and i’m still waiting by the phone
though i know nobody’s home
and then i’ll go outside and stand
in the November rain

muddy water, and
dripping trees, and i am
just another one of these today
remaining motionless is an
act of grace, and i will
hold my breath in this sacred place…

drink deep, o these roots of mine
and i will stand tall
it will still be a long time
before i fall

November rain falls
and your voice still haunts my brain
no matter what they say,
it will always be the same
and i’m still waiting by the phone
though i know nobody’s home
then i’ll go outside and stand
in the November rain

so i’ll let the clouds come down
and make a blanket for my soul
when the time is right
i will surely know
and i’ll be waiting by the phone
you know i’ll always be alone
and then i’ll go outside and dance
yes, i’ll go outside and dance
in the November rain

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This poem was written while I was flying over the western United States to my brother’s wedding, and is dedicated to Melissa and Olivia who were in my thoughts.  I tend to find that my creativity is better when I’m sleep-deprived, or in this case jet-lagged.  I think it is one of my better ones.  What do you think?

I once heard a song so beautiful and so sad— it was
sung by those who lived a long time ago
when heaven was so close that the angels stopped to listen
and by all those yet to come to the earth
bearing echoes of the eternal way with its endless tapestry of melody and rhythm
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In my last post I presented a short poem.  I wasn’t really happy with it, so as an experiment I took the beginning and converted it to a cleave style.  I like this version better.

I’ve written enough cleaves now that I think I have a sense of what I’m trying to ‘get’ from the style.  I like when it really feels as though each side stands completely on its own— like I could have written it by itself and been happy with it.  And it also needs to be integrated in both dimensions (vertically and horizontally) so that it doesn’t feel just jammed together.  That means making sure the phrases overlap as much as possible.  Finally, it’s nice when it’s short enough to read several times in different ways, rotating it like a crystal.

What do you think?

there are many things i wish i could tell you
so many things i wish i could say
and what i mean with a single word
is so much more and even less
to you— just exactly what i see
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