FLAMBEAU

I threw a party
No one came
Do not pity me
Alone, I watched the dolphins
Playfully following the tides
Out to sea

About to light the candles
On the birthday cake
For me and Gulf birds
Suddenly thought why
Would we blow out light
Was it fright that stole our words

Why blow out passion
Don’t let the fire blaze
Why blow out life
When we’re celebrating it
But symbols translate chaos
So I ignored the cake knife

Great Gran once said
Blowing out candles is good
The smoke carries prayers
Along with birthday wishes
To the heavens where listens
Our happiness angel who cares

But then I read that the Germans
In the eighteenth century
Celebrated birthday kinderfests
Candles symbolizing
The light of life
Yes, snuffing out life is what it suggests

So earthly life encourages
No passion, no joy, and often
No friends who wish us well
“Blow it out! Blow it out!”
They happily shout
“Be like us!” (Friendships can be hell)

(C) 2018 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)

Image: Birthday gear

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IMPOSSIBLE OPPOSITES

Seahorse riding in on the tide
Galloping along a sun-struck beach
Slowing into an elegant glide

Hummingbird pecking in a field of corn
Slowly hiking its sweet way home
Passing many faces so forlorn

Mixture of four elements
In a rebellion of DNA
Where sky is below
And night is day

Fire phoenix fluttering on a January icicle
Fervid matins melting the wild-blowing snow
Hot and cold are no longer cyclical

Moles move through a runway of sun
Flashing phony peace signs
To earthworms on the run

Mixture of four elements
The world’s not right
When Earth is above
And day is night

Life as we know it, anymore…

(c) 2018 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)
IMAGE; Elements 4

 

MOONLIGHT GARDENING

 

Ground fog floating
Accenting a
Full to Dark Moon
Dangerous Waning magic
Carpeting the acreage
Concealing turnips and potatoes
Carrots and rutabagas
Allium onions
Ginger and ginseng
While deep down
Garlic bulbs blindly
Outstretch their
Mossy corpse fingers
Reaching for the sky
Or whatever walks by
Summoned alive
Seduced by a bloody scent
From those fated to die
Earth’s crust of a floor
Disguised underworld door
Since Time began
We sacrifice to
Hades and Persephone
In their Eminent Domain
As we attempt to refrain
From the romance of late night horror
On the black and white screen
Of childhood dreams…

(C) 2018 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)

image: moon over garden

IT’S NOT ANYWHERE

 

Moon and Sun

Same side as Earth

Dark of the Moon

Invisible against a backdrop

Of the central star

Confused where we are

A brief death

Lack of energy

Sluggish tides

Where we abide

Inside a day of love

It is 2018

About to be

A stopping of breath

AR-15 pierces a dark day

Of the mind

 

Tommy Jefferson has a dream

So far away

From king and country

Rights of the land

Penned by men like

Jamie Madison

With help from Georgie Mason

At the home of their friend

Benjy Franklin

Now he bids goodbye

Heading south on his horse

To his bit of brown sugar

No serious thoughts

Whether rights should apply

To his secret sons

Born in slavery

But they’d have his money

To see them through

And Tommy thinks

Of the militia

Armed

Number Two

On that Bill of Rights

Keep the land safe and strong

That’s what goes through

Tommy’s mind in 1791

As he clatters along

The safe road to Monticello

The safe road to freedom

 

And over 300 years later

The Moon reflects no sun

Only the darkness of souls

Lost to a soulless gun

 

Personal freedom

A new Magna Carta

So says Jamie Madison

Thundering words to the new

House of Representatives

“The Right of the People

To keep and bear arms

Should not be infringed!”

 

Okay, okay, we get it

Arms needed for defense of a country

Or defense of a home

DEFENSE is the magical mixture

Of letters and sounds

“A well regulated militia

Being necessary to the

Security of a free State!”

SECURITY is the magical mixture

Of letters and sounds

 

We get it

Security

Defense

Nowhere do we say

Assassination is okay

NOT

The assassination of rival gangs

Of government parasites

Of babies in American schools

K to 12 or colleges

Our babies, our children

The assassination of teachers, parents

Or office workers

Those doing the daily chores of life

With terrible timing

 

Nowhere does it say

The right to bear arms

Can be used offensively

An offense against morality

 

Yet on this day of love in 2018

The Moon reflects no sun

Only the metal of a soulless gun

 

Nowhere does it say…

Nowhere…

 

 

© 2018 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)

IMAGE: Bill of Rights plaque, VOA Learning English

SOMETHING PRIMAL

C/Never been in love or D/loved
D/Struggled to stay C/afloat
C/Can any man be so D/perfect
D/As a series of musical G6/notes?

F/Something primal G6/making it sing
G6/Slapping bongos or F/tambourines
F/Skin aglow D/feeling the sting

C/Fantasy in D/chords of blue
D/How will I ever Am/find you

C/Flavor of a D/good man
D/Like eating chocolate C/Ice cream
C/As taste buds revived D/deliciously
D/In a piquant G6/dream

F/Something primal G6/making it sing
G6/Blowing horns hot as a F/thermal spring
F/Pumping blood rides D/an upward swing

C/Fantasy of D/honeyed kiss
D/Craving a present Am/life of bliss

 

C/Longing for a D/reality
D/Consigning all the C/nightmares
C/Back to the D/dreaded past
D/Of implacable ghosts of G6/despair

F/Something primal G6/making it sing
G6/Fast picking of guitar’s F/heart strings
F/Spiraling out on strong D/beating wings

C/Fantasy of love D/in the now
D/Intending to live the Am/myth somehow

© 2016, 2017 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja) words and chords appearing in Self-
ie Reflections: A Blogetry Collection
IMAGE: Valentine Ukulele & Tambourine

FOR UKULELE TUNING G, C, E, A

HAPPY V-DAY!

WHERE’S DAVID BOWIE WHEN WE NEED HIM?

*scroll down for a YouTube video*

Why write a poem

About a Starman

When Bowie already did it

Like a SciFi author

Predicting the future

But gotta tell you

I believe there is

A sexy energy

In that suit

Orbiting

In his red Tesla

And oh

Aside from the

Incredible

Momentous

Meaning of the SpaceX

Launch

The Falcon Heavy Take-off

The girl in me

Just wants to be

Sitting by his side

As we ride

Across the vast place

Called space

Heading for the dance

Pulsing from the sun

At long last, romance…

 (c) 2018 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)

IMAGE: STARMAN (accuweather.com)

https://youtu.be/tRcPA7Fzebw YouTube David Bowie, Starman

MEDITATION & PRAYER BEAD SHRINES

Many of us can string beads or create amulets, but I’ve learned it is often beneficial to have an objective observer/designer help us along. We often get mired in symbols.  I am fortunate to have met the creator of Rhiannon Restoration who is able to intuit what will work best for each individual, based on her broad knowledge of not only Celtic deities but also those of many different cultures,

For example, it never would occur to me to use an owl because there was something about them that made me uneasy (despite their being a symbol of wisdom). But she used it as a symbol of darkness moving to lightness or, Eostre (April, Goddess of Dawn) moving toward the dawn of Spring, and I understood and related to that particular journey. I was now able to redirect my meditations toward the movement of all life cycles. She also has invocations that can be used for each deity, or, of course, we can use our own.

This is what she says about her “PRAYER BEAD SHRINES”

”These are strung on sturdy wire so it’s strong, good for people who like a tactile and visual meditation or prayer focus. I work with them to make it something useful for their needs. If they have some bead or pendant they want included I can do that. If they want examples of ones they can buy with prices I can do that because I don’t have any images of deities unless I’m doing it special for that deity. We can discuss symbolism, how color feels, size.  Basically they can be as involved as they want. As a psychic I had to help clients form the best questions so I’m used to helping people clarify if they don’t know. And if they say ‘Hathor. Go for it’  I certainly will and it’ll be a blast! And my sources are solid, no pop culture. It will honor that deity accurately.”


For more information, please email her at:

RhiannonRestoration@gmail.com

THE PERFECT JOURNAL (NaPoWriMo)

I was given this beautiful book as a friendship gift and want to attach the link in case you would like more information.

http://www.blurb.com/b/8485246-poetry-journal

The book is set up for the month of April, Shakespeare’s birthday month (mine, too!). These are the designated days for National Poetry Month.  As you may know, this celebration is not only for those who write poetry. but also for anyone who wishes to participate by reading a different poem each day or even an online mini biography of other poets.

This lovely journal contains a daily quotation, writing challenge, and several poetry practice pages. There is an introduction by the poet and creator Denise Fletcher and a beautiful cover by James Corbesia. The Appendix includes information such as Poetic Devices, Web Poetry Resources, and a place for Notes.

Although I will not participate in National Poetry Month, I find this book useful as a notebook for other poetry-related entries:

Ideas

Descriptions of poetic forms

Second or Third Drafts (would never waste these beautiful pages for a first draft!)

Dreams (day and night)

 

Please visit Denise Fletcher’s WordPress page 

https://poetrycurator2017.wordpress.com/