Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Abandoned Ages Ago


Image by Glenn Buttkus

Abandoned ages ago,
the circus remained
but a colorful memory
before breakfast.

It Was Memorial Day

Image by Glenn Buttkus

It was Memorial Day
and the Thunderbird
rose early to
salute the flag.

Driveway Art In


Image by Glenn Buttkus

Driveway art in
Elbe runs toward
the naturalistic.

They Say It Was


Image by Glenn Buttkus

They say it was
Clyde Barrow who left
it in this field
seventy years ago.

Even an Earth Mover


Image by Glenn Buttkus

Even an earth mover
will be held hostage
by mere weeds
given enough time.

More a Tower

Image by Glenn Buttkus

More a tower
than a barn,
it perched high
above the shaggy herd
laden with bison chow.

Greetings From the Garden

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Greetings from the garden
along Melva's rockery
as a plethora of purple
blossoms kiss
the dawn.

Youth Smolders


image by yi ching lin

youth smolders

youth smolders
in self-contained
gravity, not yet
understanding
the formulaic
constant pulling
us all along
the same
curved paths
.

Yi Ching Lin

Posted over on her site Yi's Bits

Power Outage

Image by Alex Shapiro


Power Outage

The hummingbirds buzz
on the feeder behind me.
A black fox saunters past,
looking up, unimpressed.
A few finches flit nearby
but are too timid
to land on the railing,
which is laden with fresh seed
every morning as my coffee brews.
A seal snorts and glides by my feet.
And moments later, a bald eagle soars
right over my head
All that is missing are the whales,
who are doing their whale-thing
further up the island coast this day.

The notes flow.
I’m not only in my zone,
I’m in everyone’s zone–
much to their dissatisfaction,
but to my delight.

This is a truly amazing way to work,
to breathe,
to be inspired,
and to think.
To hear the flutter
of tiny wings moving the air,
and to feel the puff of breeze
from the flap of much larger ones:
this is where the music comes from.
To hear sea mammals before even seeing them,
the sound of their breath traveling
easily over the water:
this is where the music comes from.
And to nearly weep
from the beauty of it all
and my great fortune to live this life:
this is where I’m hoping that eventually,
if I am lucky, the music will come from.

I love it when the power goes out.
Everything else,
comes in.

Alex Shapiro

Posted over on her site Notes From the Kelp
Linebreaks for her incredible prose
by Glenn Buttkus

Puck's Quadrangle--Part Three


Puck's Quadrangle--Part Three

26. When a Building
27. There's Something About
28. Sky Trains
29. Tall Locomotives
30. She Died Alone
31. Even a Great Chimney
32. The Stairs to Nowhere
33. Some Caskets Wait
34. Steel Bridges
35. A Great Ship
36. Balconies Gathering Dust
37. When You Find
38. When She Pierces
39. Grandiose Without Gargoyles
40. Ceramic Train

And here is fifteen more, with Part Four to come later:

Puck's Quadrangle--Part Two

Puck's Quadrangle--Part Two

11. Four Buck Gas
12. When the Farming Stops
13. Sometimes It Takes
14. Mission Bell
15. Plough Shares Pounded
16. It Is Not Just
17. Old Friends
18. A Moose On the Roof
19. There Is a Citadel
20. Ancient Stairways
21. Stone Elk
22. The Patriot Box
23. Something New
24. Blue Firebox
25. From the Harbor

Let's do 15 of them, what do you say?

Puck's Quadrangle--Part One


I finally am taking photographs, thousands of them,
and some have driven me to write captions under
them, like telling fairy tales to children.

For the present I found the first forty, and have
recorded them for your auditory needs.

Puck's Quadrangle: Part I

1. Fresh Paint
2. Both Bridges Laughed
3. Miss Melva Found
4. A Dodge Workhorse
5. Sometimes Entering
6. When A Locomotive
7. Muscle Wrapped Around
8. A Fordson Tractor
9. In The Wilds
10. Old Churches Once

And here they are; short, varied, iconic.

Fresh Paint

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Fresh paint
makes old Ford
trucks eager
to preen
and to please.

Both Bridges Laughed

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Both bridges laughed
as they stepped
across the Puyallup.

Miss Melva Found

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Miss Melva found
her own lane
in the heart
of Moses Lake.

A Dodge Workhorse

Image by Glenn Buttkus

A Dodge workhorse
will continue to
carry your loads
long after your
nest is empty.

Sometimes Entering

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Sometimes entering
the back door
allows one to peruse
danger before
it detects
you.

When A Locomotive

Image by Glenn Buttkus

When a locomotive
is this close,
you are either
dead or visiting
a train museum.

Muscle Wrapped Around

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Muscle wrapped around
metal still stirs
the loins of
the teenager
within.

A Fordson Tractor

Image by Glenn Buttkus

A Fordson tractor
makes a fine sculpture
in the manicured courtyard
of the past.

In the Wilds

Image by Glenn Buttkus

In the wilds
of Montana,
a pioneer prison
now houses antique cars,
starlings and tourists.

Old Churches Once

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Old churches once
harbored hope,
but now too many
are owned by
the park system
and there is a fee
to visit them.

Four Buck Gas

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Four buck gas
has been embraced twice,
and it is tempting
to let the cars rust,
and learn to walk
again.

When The Farming Stops

Image by Glenn Buttkus

When the farming stops,
something organic
is lost to the ages.

Sometimes It Takes

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Sometimes it takes
three padlocks
to keep us out
of paradise.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Mission Bell

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Mission bell
long silent,
let your voice be
heard at last;
toll
for all of us.

Plowshares Pounded

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Plowshares pounded
into patriotic swords,
we will stand strong
for centuries to come.

It Is Not Just


Image by Glenn Buttkus

It is not just
our war dead we
should remember today,
for all those who
traveled on ahead
can still touch us,
if we let them.

Run To Remember

Image borrowed from the Tacoma News Tribune.


Run To Remember

Lisa Hallett runs along a path lined with 42 flags honoring
fallen soldiers at Powder Works Park in Du Pont, WA.
Mile after mile she runs to remember the man she's adored
since she was a teenager.

She fell for John Hallett on a church trip to Mexico in 1996.
She lost him on August 25, 2009, when an improvised explosive
killed the Army captain and three others while they rode in
a Stryker on a mission in Afghanistan.

Taken from the front page of The Tacoma News Tribune

Progress

Image borrowed from Bing

Progress

My knees went out and never came back.
My brain waves hit the beach and evaporated.
I can't find a cd with a Louis Louis cut,
and all the light bulbs are flickering
on and off as if there's a short
in the whole system.

Outside it's like one of those days
where zombies might be wandering around in a daze,
looking for sunshine to dry out in,
but instead there's a damp haziness
with just a tinge of sun glare
trying to break through the near- mist
and mommies pushing strollers up and down
with the older kids yelling
and the doggies dragged behind on a short leash.

Now, five minutes later, it's finally raining,
but nothing else has changed for better or worse.
That's progress.

Jim Mall

Posted over on his Facebook page.

Because

image borrowed from Yahoo


Because

Ngat’e mana chjajo ‘an jaa.

Because
I can speak with your eagle.


Maria Sabina

Posted over on Poems and Poetics

Melting In Our

image borrowed from bing

melting in our

melting in our
mouths – remnants
of past memorial
day weekends
looking for a BBQ
.

Yi Ching Lin

Posted over on her site Yi's Bits

Out of the String



image by yi ching lin

out of the string

out of the string
of spontaneity, you
unwind
like a pink
kite, snagged
by the corners of
our eyes
.

Yi Ching Lin

Posted over on her site Yi's Bits

Old Brick Is Nothing


Image by Glenn Buttkus

old brick is nothing

old brick is nothing
like new brick –
sturdy,
dependable,
stained
by memories
.

Yi Ching Lin

Posted over on her site Yi's Bits

Old Friends

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Old Friends travel
hundreds of miles
to meet at Deer Lodge,
and consume a consummate
chicken fried steak

Friday, May 27, 2011

A Moose on the Roof

Image by Glenn Buttkus

A moose on the roof
is not so strange;
we are used to
such sights midway
down River Road.

There Is A Citadel

Image by Glenn Buttkus

There is a citadel
in the heart
of the city,
filled with children
searching for
the affection of the gods.

Ancient Stairways

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Ancient stairways
still can convey
on back streets,
though moss demons
choke their
stone risers.

Stone Elk


Image by Glenn Buttkus

Stone elk
live a long time,
more majestically
than those
gargoyles.

The Patriot Box

Image by Glenn Buttkus

The patriot box
stands ready
at the foot
of the Spanish Steps.

Something New

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Something new,
something blue,
dwarfs
the squat style
of the early
twentieth century.

Blue Firebox

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Blue firebox
hides deftly in
a brick corner
down an alley
I frequent.

Sky Trains

Image by Glenn Buttkus

Sky trains
rumble on high
over our heads,
delivering commodities
for our lives.

From the Harbor

Image by Glenn Buttkus

From the harbor
climbing up
the steel shins
of a great bridge
one enters
the city.

When A Building

Image by Glenn Buttkus

When a building
stands more than
a hundred years,
we need to
acknowledge it.

There's Something About


Image by Glenn Buttkus

There's something about
a red car,
something passionate,
something sensual,
that I cannot disregard.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Tall Locomotives


Image by Glenn Buttkus

Tall locomotives
move about
oblivious
beneath our cars,
beneath our feet,
toiling tirelessly.

She Died Alone

Image by Glenn Buttkus

She died alone
and the cats dined
on her gray flesh
before they boarded
up the windows
to hide the shame.

Even A Great Chimney


Image by Glenn Buttkus

Even a great chimney
will crumble
as the earth
turns its back
on brick ardor.

The Stairs to Nowhere


Image by Glenn Buttkus

The stairs to
nowhere will fall
into disrepair
in mere decades.