Free to Wander

A number of weeks ago Jane Dougherty and I did what I like to call “dueling poetry” on Twitter. Where one person starts with a micro-poem or Haiku and another (or more) write follow up pieces. Loosely linked micro-poems (or Haiku) that can develop in ways one never imagined – each feeding off the words of the other. I have take a few bits of what I wrote, developed and with some rearranging and re-writing have come up with the following short dark poem. Do also take a look at Jane’s WordPress Blog for poetry and books.

Distorted Dreams

Despair walks alone in pouring rain
Guided by distorted dreams and pain
Searching evermore in shadows
Thirsting for the blood of those lost

Spirits free to wander in twilight
Bodies shed in a forgotten blight
Husks ploughed deep into furrows
Cast aside to feed the dark abyss

At Death’s door souls mingle
Forsakened messengers linger
Harpies sing a mournful lament
While banshees remain silent

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

The etching below is “Harpies in the infernal wood,” from Inferno XIII, by Gustave Doré, 1861.

Rambling Thoughts

The Silent Forest

As my delirium takes hold I find myself all alone
With mute surprise I wander aimlessly through a silent forest
Grotesque spirits shrouded in shimmering haze hover in the distance
A cold shudder ripples over me with every breath I take
Then in front of me, a shining moonflower appears in full bloom
Its sweet scent fills my nostrils and transports me far away

Rambling thoughts pour forth into a murky unknown
Ivy clad memories tremble in solemn moonlight
Decaying moments are strewn everywhere in abstract abandon
Desires shriek as writhing shadows dance with licentious rhythm
And I am caught in a rhapsody of conflicting emotion
Tossed upon a sea of lost passion and forgotten dreams

Wave after wave of missed opportunities wash over me
In echo of a life torn asunder – times past thunder all around
Suddenly, stillness descends and a velvet blackness envelopes me
As the darkness takes hold I am alone again in the silent forest
Clouds have covered the sky, blinding moon and stars
A shiver runs through me as the moonflower silently closes

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

The above poem was published in The Sirens Call June 2015.

Prelude to Shadows

Anticipation sparks imagination
Melody of dreams create magic
Lost fragments form memories
Life undeniable and timeless

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

#PoetryInMotion

Poetry in Motion is a prompt based group using words and/or pictures as inspiration. In the poem above I have incorporated most of the word prompts (and a few linking words) used over the past few months:

LOST
PRELUDE
SHADOWS
ANTICIPATION
SPARKS
IMAGINATION
MELODY
DREAMS
MAGIC
FRAGMENTS
MEMORIES
LIFE
UNDENIABLE
TIMELESS

Room of Secrets

Lost in her room of secrets
Knowing her weakness
Passions lurking in shadows
Searching for release

A reputation to maintain
Prim and proper
Debauched desires brewing
Needing to be tamed

Reaching out in the dark of night
Lust in sight
Waiting for a time to let go
For love to flow

Turning away from possibilities
As desires weep
Wondering if it’s hers to give
Or be taken away

Repressed by rejection and fear
And unsatisfied tears
Full of sadness as love fades
Lost in her room of secrets

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

Spellbound in Darkness

Silent Moments

Conversations bubble as seats taken
Hush descends, lights slowly dim
Orchestra pit lamps illuminate shadows
Stillness overtakes as anticipation rises

Music fills the air with excited promise
Curtains part, a column of light appears
Smoke is caught and whirls endlessly
Flickering images appear on the screen

Title cards announce a tale of woe
Of love, heartache, tears and laughter
A dashing hero, a beautiful heroine
The dastardly villain bent on revenge

Romance told in visual vignettes
Music plays to action unfolding
Restrained melodies serenading lovers
Thunderous crescendo for the villain

With the sound of silence ever near
Transported to a place of wonder
When faces spoke and we listened
A world of shadow and light

Those far off days of glamour
Old Hollywood frozen in time
Dreams in silhouette survive
Forever spellbound in darkness

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

A Silhouette of Dreams

This week’s poem for Facebook Group: Poetry in Motion.

The Melody of Rain

With a minstrel’s heart she sings
Passions flow from knowing lips
Fingers caress with gentle touch
Caught in a silhouette of dreams

Moonlight moves toward slumber
Storm clouds choke morning light
Melody of rain mingles with music
And shadows dance in silver mists

In my minds eye over in an instant
But a lifetime felt on body and soul
Desires released and free to wander
A perfect moment of unending bliss

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

Haiku Ten – Eight

This haiku welcomes
Musical orchid delight
In verse melodies

Connections through time
Directing education
Emancipation

Words ignite desires
Passions flow beneath covers
Pleasures of reading

A spring flower blooms
Smiling eyes bursting with joy
Beauty in season

Reasons forgotten
Light dims with every heartbeat
Your touch haunts me still

Captured by your smile
Laughing eyes show me the way
Darkness never dawns

Questions surround me
Answers move into focus
Silence without tears

Laughter without tears
Silence without loneliness
Nothing without pain

Restless thoughts ramble
Shadows whisper endlessly
Silhouettes dancing

On a stormy night
An Old Dark House mystery
Imagination

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

Silhouetted Dreams

Corrupted Words

Silhouetted dreams frozen in moonlight
Shrouded in mist, forgotten and forsaken
Sullen and forlorn, yearning for release
Spiralling memories dance before my eyes

Desires locked in delicate disguise
Passions creep from knowing eyes
Whispered dreams escape in a kiss
As moistened lips part with a sigh

A gentle breeze stirs a silent twilight
Shadows fade into silvery moonlight
Rage burns in the early morning sun
Lost in a velvet darkness without you

Rousing thoughts long at rest in sadness
Tainted lives lost in a trail of inked tears
Sorrow pours forth in corrupted words
Breathe in experience, exhale imagination

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

Haiku Ten – Seven

Writing for many
Haiku in social circles
An undying art

Shadows on the screen
Living a nitrate daydream
Moments in darkness

Ruby lips entice
Smiling eyes pluck at heart strings
Beauty is timeless

Weary thoughts ignite
Forgotten memories burn
Dreaming in shadows

Lost in memories
Searching for hope in shadows
A dreamer awakes

Desires become one
And release hidden passions
Silence the darkness

Gentle thoughts caress
Distraction clouds my vision
Reflecting desires

Grey light surrounds me
Shadows fade into the night
Longing for your kiss

Early evening chill
A relentless rain pours down
Prelude to springtime

Not the Ides of March
About ole St Patrick’s Day
Time for a birthday

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.

Micro Poetry Times Five – Two

In a world of darkness
Looking for forgiveness
We all need second chances
For a second sun to rise
From the ashes of our love

When grey skies make me blue
Your grey eyes see me through
Lost in their smiling embrace
All dressed in satin and lace

A secret darkness ebbs and flows
Through gardens lost in thought
Sweet scents linger in moonlight
Dew drop morning wakens gently

A timeless desire searching for hope
Passions flowing with morning dew
Shadows race the coming sun
Frozen in light until twilight dawns

Caught in a silhouette of dreams
Searching an empty wilderness
Memories fade with every thought
A glimpse into the abyss

Copyright © 2015 Shawn D. Standfast. All rights reserved.