Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Into the Abyss with Father Sun

 —Poetry by Dawn Pisturino, Golden Valley, AZ
—Photos Courtesy of Public Domain



SHELTER

I felt you smiling at me in the dark.
My heart leaped with innocent, untarnished joy.
We giggled like children,
Sharing jokes, touching hands,
Reveling in our mutual affection.
Your happiness shone like a brilliant light,
Leading me to your side.
And when I lay down beside you,
My head upon your chest,
You clasped me in a sheltering embrace.
 
 
 
 
 
MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s Day brought storm clouds into your eyes,
Thunderclaps of anger,
And memories too deep and painful to ignore.
I felt your rage wash over me
Like a giant tsunami.
“I’m not your mother,” I cried,
Fending off the violent tempest inside.
You raised your hand to strike,
And I ducked the calculated blow.
“She’s dead. It’s over. Let it go.”

My words shook you,
And tears moistened your eyes.
“I hated her for hurting me,” you said,
“But I loved her, too.”
“I know, I know,” I cooed like a mother dove
And held you in my arms.
 
 
 
 
 
UNBEARABLE

I stand at the edge of eternity, gazing out over
the abyss.
The darkness breathes like a living animal.
I turn around to discover the source,
And it’s you, standing behind me in the blackness,
Reaching out to me.
Your need is palpable, pulsating with the gloom
of despair
And the deep-rooted pain of melancholy.
Help me, you plead, and my heart reacts with
desperate longing
To touch you and feel your fingers slide along
my skin.
Inner voices warn, Don’t touch!
My soul opens to receive your pain,
And we are conjoined as twins,
Lost in the confusion of bleak despondency.
Is this living or dying? I want to know.
Where is this hell in which we find ourselves?
You slip away into the shadows and my feeling
of loss
Is unbearable. . . unbearable. . .
 
 
 
 

INDULGENCE

You feast on sweet fantasies
Of naked bodies mingling in the dark
And yearn for the honey-dipped words
I drop in your ears.

~

I indulge myself with chocolate-covered nuggets:
I love you—miss you—need you—want you—
Can’t live without you!

And wait for you to appear at my door.

~

But reality is not fantasy.
I bite my lips until they bleed,
Holding back the spiteful words I long to say
When you burn me with your caustic tongue.

~

My heart melts in my chest, leaving an empty
cavern
Filled with rage and fantasy deeds
That make me question my sanity
And the lengths I’m prepared to go to get revenge.
 
 
 

 
FATHER SUN

Father Sun rises from his bed with boastful pride,
A mighty warrior from the East
Waving his fiery sword across the heavens.
Adored as a god, worshipped as a king,
Blessed as a source of fire and heat,
He dominates the earth with paternalistic strength,
Sending down his life-affirming rays to support
new life
And fill the world with his healing radiance.
At noon, he watches from above,
Showering his love upon his dedicated followers.
But as the day wears on, and he makes his travels
across the sky,
His energy wanes. Yawning with fatigue,
He makes one last colorful display of power,
Falls slowly into bed, and dreams.

____________________

Today’s LittleNip:

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.

—James Baldwin

____________________

Dawn Pisturino visited us earlier this year for the first time, and we welcome her back today. She is a retired nurse in Golden Valley, Arizona, whose international publishing credits include poems, short stories, and articles. Her first poetry book,
Ariel’s Song: Published Poems, 1987–2023, was recently released to positive reviews by her imprint, Horse Mesa Press. Her poetry has appeared in several anthologies, most recently in Hidden in Childhood: A Poetry Anthology; Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women; and the 2023 Arizona Literary Magazine. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Arizona Authors Association, and PEN America. Welcome back, Dawn, and don't be a stranger!
 
For more from Dawn, go to http://www.dawnpisturino.wordpress.com/. 

____________________

—Medusa
 
 
 
 

 




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 






A remind that
Mahogany Urban Poetry Series
present JRowe in Sacramento
tonight plus open mic, 7pm.
For info about this and other
future poetry happenings in
Northern California and otherwheres,
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UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
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