POETS SALON
– 11/06/19
Hosted by Kath Abela Wilson
One day everything ended. It was good and bad, hard and easy. A circle of six gathered as he left. Later everyone came to my doorstep. I stayed inside and played a bronze bowl, singing, until it broke.
And then you smiled, and there was only one place to be. The calmest and most patient, humorous place. Where time opened and we built skylights into sky.
no one could fly
but we
did~ Kath Abela
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Beloved old hotel in the hills of Northeast Alabama burned to the ground. Mourning loss of a piece of history (Photo – Peggy Hale Bilbro)
Peggy Hale Bilbro
after the fire
photo albums
just ashes
a whiff of memory
on the wind
I’ve watched with anguish the fires raging across California turning memories and treasures to ash. I wrote this poem thinking of those strong people who I know will start rebuilding their lives before the ashes are even cold. In an old part of our city known as Milltown, there are still a few houses that the mill workers lived it. Some are being given a new life, while some are giving way to gravity and time. As I walked through Milltown not long ago, I saw that someone had ‘planted’ a cheery pink plastic flower in front of one of those houses in need of some serious loving care. What a wonderful expression of hope and renewal!
Ο Ο Ο
Underwater Transformations
by Pat Geyer
Robert Kingston
Footsteps in the dark
I remember that day, the wild idea that we all could sing the winds voice. How those seeds danced before disbanding to form alliances in new parks.
at the academy
a string quartet covers
my broken voice
returning to base
we start over
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Story starting over. Photo art by Pat Geyer
Pat Geyer
journeying
down the seaside
he finds no mates…
with just beach ball and frisbee
he tries to start overturning the page…
tales of endings passed
write a new beginning
Ο
The Things We Saw Through This Window honoring the beautiful old hotel that burned in the hills of Northeast Alabama (Photo – Peggy Hale Bilbro)
Starting Over: Quotes and Credits
Peggy Hale Bilbro is a native westerner, who has ended up living for many years in Alabama where the winds are gentle and the mosquitoes are strong. In her area, there are remains of a famous and beloved old hotel in the hills of Northeast Alabama that burned to the ground. After the fire, people from all around the area came to view the remains and mourn the loss of a piece of their history. She says: “A windmill squeaked it’s way through my childhood memories and finally succumbed to the weight of history and laid itself down on the ground. I’m glad it is still there for us to visit from time to time. ” She keeps watch for signs of renewal.
Robert Kingston is a poet born in the docklands of East London. He now lives in a leafy village on the outskirts of Chelmsford, Essex, UK. Focusing on Japanese genre since being introduced to haiku a few years ago, he enjoys being part of nature and capturing what inspires in his words. He says: “My father used the idiom ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again’ when growing up;…something that has stayed with me.”
Pat Geyer lives in East Brunswick, NJ, USA. Her home is surrounded by parks and lakes, where she happily watches as some things end but many more begin anew. Published in several journals, she’s an amateur photographer and poet.
♣ A note from Kath Abela
> Upcoming themes Submissions:
Theme in progress is ‘Mirrors.’ (You may also suggest your own theme.) Send short poems, haiku, senryu, tanka, cherita haibun, tanka prose, short prose poems, etc. Send a bio with reference to the theme, photos or artwork of your own or friend. (No attachments except photos.) Send links to book or websites etc. We can feature your work again after five months. Multiple submissions can be saved to appear later.
> Send to Kath Abela by Facebook message or poetsonsite[at]gmail.com (click here to email her directly).
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