Illegitimate Sun » Poetry

House no longer home

Joshua — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:21:45 +0000

I went home this weekend
but only found a house with
someone else’s furniture.

The paint was chipped and
the grass was uncut, but
it was the same house where
I dwelt a short while ago

The house seemed lonely,
and as I wandered between rooms,
I found the hidden paths amid
cracks and squeeks of shifting floors
and the unannounced trap of the step
down in the kitchen.

Visiting the house no longer home,
I peered out the familiar views
recognizing the nameless faces passing by.
Wondering which of those non-people
squatted in my once-home, forgot
to lock the back door for my visit.

Strands of Hair

Joshua — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:21:04 +0000

Across the room, I willed my hand
to wipe away the strands of hair
that fell delicately in her eyes.

A casual storm-toss of her head
took away my reason to stand
turning my eyes quickly to avoid
her puzzled glance.

Paper Lantern Disregard

Joshua — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:20:35 +0000

Paper lanterns hung in the store,
lifeless, limp in plastic wrappings that warned:
Flammable! Danger! In big letters
Yet hinted a sophisticated disregard
for the safety of your garden party guests.

Gummie Bear Sacrifice

Joshua — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:20:09 +0000

The gummy bears stuck to each other
as the hovering fingers chose amongst
them a sacrifice

Altar of Sticks

Joshua — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:19:39 +0000

With only himself to talk to
he slowly scaled the crumbled
growing stairs
to build his altar of sticks

Violet Excess

Joshua — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:16:47 +0000

It was the type of sky
that stays blue all day
from your dreams of the dawn

Mirroring this violet excess
like a wind-swept mountain lake
was the Spring-driven green
of newly trimmed grass

Two colors in
contrasting
harmony
beckon the heart
to forget
the pains
and strains
this artificial life
forces upon us

Refusing this unsolicited
invitation
was the rust-dressed
sprawl of the factory
Confining in its oily embrace
a clutch of blinded workers
scenting the air with its
manufactured smell, Yet

Even this smear embraces
the call of sky and earth.
Turning me away from its
cluttered insides and twining
outsides.
Instead, I took to the
line of blue-green, where
opposites touch
and follow a road
that will take me
beyond the horizon