On top of Mountains & Underneath Skies

I feel the fire breathe within my mountain,
I can see your blue & green heavenly lights dance high in the sky,
darling, we'll bask in the glow of our love's flame -
       burn blue-red and deep,
  catching embers within ablaze,
  oh how it will grow & smoke,
this love within the mountains & sky.

Watch as the spring nights clear - rain & cloudy sun free for
  our forest green & blood moon - love.
Oh how our skies will cry tears of ice & fiery shooting stars,
Our love billed in shimmering lights amongst eternal heavenly flames.

Do you feel your fire breathe within your lungs,
       do you see the beauty of your being in the mirrors in the sky?
Do you feel the feel of our heat upon our earths skin,
       do you see the flames on the mountain,
       do you feel the night breeze on your skin,
Do you know our love in the night?

This Place

No, this isn't the country of new adventures, this
old country isn't the land of listlessness -
this is the country of peace,
of Quiet. of Silence.

This is the country of the flat flatlands - only
to be disturbed by fresh hills of rooted
vegetables of potatoes.

This is the country of backyard country-home
seances with the spirits of nature and relaxation.

This place is tuned to the hum of the tractor at
three in the afternoon.

This place is tuned to the hymn of the sun-birds
chirping in defiance of the night.

This place is the sunset at 6:37 in the afternoon
as the sun is beginning the orange-red fiery
descent of the stairs of the sky into the moon and
stars strewn-blanket of night.

This is the breath of enjoyment as the spring
breeze and the chill in the air nip at my fingers
under the shade of the spruce and pine trees.

No, this place, this country is not my birth
place, nor is it my final home, but this place,
this 6:37-in-the-afternoon-place, this is where

I've grown up.

Beauty in the Breakdown

There's beauty in the breakdown -
the spiraling-out of the human
condition as outside influences push
the single-breath trigger of the thump thump
heartbeat born human psyche - the
human condition collapsing under the
weight of imposed faiths, morals &
virtues - blowing out the walls of cards
and scattering the foundation of salt & sand.

Then, only then, does the fat & skin
& blood of the human condition peel
and melt away - leaving the bones
and sinew of raw humanity - scurrying
and cautious - aware of our place in
everything - realizing trivialities as just
that - scattered seeds in the wind-blown
life - only to land amongst the thorns
of complicity & crowds.

There truly is beauty in the breakdown
-for without it, how would we ever
see who we truly are without the
facades of our conditions,
faiths and egos?

Retribution

There was no harvest last year -
I buried my Hope into your thorny soil-
When it was but young,
it's life you stole.

I vowed to trust -
oh no more -
Hope's death was slow
and my heart tore;

I let go and I swore-
never again burned
by your candle's
fiery aire.

You saw I was in pain -
you cackled and brought on more,
you begged for your return &
I believed even more,
you killed me,
I was no longer alright.

As you left into the night,
I was over come by fright,
fearing your return by midnight.

I rebuilt myself - the ash warrior,
with a heart of dread -
how I feared and cried,
when you would return &
steal my life and watch me die.

But the voice within cried -
no more, I say, no more,
my voice broken of all bonds -
no more, I cry, no more,
no longer afraid to be alive -
No More, No Fear, No More.

You walked back in the night,
expecting my shadow and I to
cry out in fright,
you weren't expecting me,
bathed in new light -
you disappeared then -
I finally won my fight.

Tattered and broken -
I rebuilt anew -
so in love with the stars,
no longer afraid of the night -
or of

you.

Phoenix Reborn

Terrified, you cried
and told us the news -
the lumps weren't imaginary boogie men
the nightmare was real.

Surgery, it seemed,
went by quickly.
They went in,
poked, prodded,
groped and mauled,
and cleaned you out -
no more lumps,
no more nightmares
no more being afraid.

Hours, days,
weeks went by -
time seemed to slow
as we lay in wait -
the tests, they said,
will come back as soon as they're
done -
we all know that
we aged with each day -
trying to hold it together,
facing a potential grim reality-
is it back? did it go away?
chemo? no chemo?
will she lose her mom?
will I lose my grandma?

Phoenix,
how you destroyed yourself so
violently,
only to be reborn
within the ashes of your
own death.

A call.
Hushed whispers.
Chaos around me,
life whizzing by,
passers pushing through,
you called.

After all that work,
after all that stress,
after all the worry and wait,
after the poking and prodding,
you called the game -
the home team won.

Survivor,
you outwitted,
outplayed,
outlasted
those veritable lumps
of nightmarish cancer-flesh -
no longer afraid of your shadow
or of the dark -

Phoenix reborn,
you stood up to the stars
and conquered the darkest night -
Phoenix Reborn,
it's time to summit
the sun

rise.

Life's Veritable Heirloom

The old, weathered minds

watch the young hearts

die

unlit and passionless -

small babes cry tears

seasoned

by over-moroseness and inner salt lakes -

salt lake beds bleeding into youthful

rolling streams carving faithful deltas

on psyches and snap-dragon skins.

While pulling back to throw your

stones,

view the meager handfuls of

dirt

thrown on your autumnal

silken bed -

remember that as you judge

so too will you be judged -

not with what you have done

or earned -

but with the inner coil strength

of your potential

maleficent being.

Lament and lacrimosa,

requiem for not what was

but for the what could

have been.

Death, acting as time's

greatest traitor -

defiler of the oceans of

innocence within the eyes

of our young -

the silence of the bell-snuff

against the low-orange

flame of the

autumnal.

Quiet & contemplative & absent -

death and life -

boisterous & rambunctious & present -

old and young -

yesterday & tomorrow.

Greek Goddess Lolinolixia

While I know that this isn't exactly poetry, it is for my Greek Mythology class, and I figured I'd put it on here for your enjoyment!

Lolinolixia

or

The Goddess of the Internet

as translated by Michael West III

from the

Lol Tablets

“Oh, sweet Muse, tell me, your heaven-bid scribe, upon the great Goddess known as Lolinolixia. Grant me the wisdom of prosperity upon hearing your utterance of the sweet mistress of the Internet.”

- Ancient ritual poem from the Lol cult of Lolinolixia

Lolinolixia, born of Athena and Hermes, is the Goddess of the Internet or also known, by the Lol cult, as the “sweet mistress” of the Internet. Lolinolixia, bearing divinity over cats, the Internet, and online pirating, bears chaotic goodness upon the world. Holding a sigil and emblem of the wondrous Grumpy Cat, Lolinolixia is attended by the Internet nymphs Wikia and Wi-fios, and can be seen riding her powerful steed named Lan.

Lolinolixia's birth is recorded in the Lol Tablets;

“Finding the world of post-Cold War peace, the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus decided to get fussed up and primped and proper, and hold a gathering, with Dionysus providing veritable wines from his vineyards and Pan headlining as DJ for the get-together. As the hours of the party continued to float away, the deities found themselves in groups or pairs, conversing and generally getting along. Many found themselves coupling up, trysting off in various corners of Zeus' newest heavenly renovated palace. One such heavenly Olympic couple found themselves with enough of Dionysus' wine in them that habitations and clothes left. Both, waking after a night of Pompeian passion, found themselves at loss of words and holding a basket, within it a bundle of cloth with the Sweet Mistress of the Internet laying within....”

The offspring of Lolinolixia as made known in the Lol Tablets;

“Lolinolixia, seeing the Internet as a yet un-proven and un-tilled soil of beauty, gave birth to a daughter, which she gave the sight of knowledge and the vast reaches of humanity's knowledge. Upon seeing that her creation was a beauty, gave her the name of Google. Her sons Piratebaya and Wikileakxio, sprang up, created by the Sweet Mistress in times of humanity's wickedness.”

A challenge to the young Lolinolixia and the Internet, as read in the Lol Tablets;

“As the realm of the Internet was still but young in life, there was a man, a powerful vice-consul of a once-great nation, who was named Algorix. Algorix led a campaign through-out the capital city to gain favor and support in the next assembly vote for consul – as the previous consuls had come of age of retirement and leisured assisted living. Algorix, sensing his powerful allies within the senatorial assembly were finding favor with Algorix' opponents in the consul-vote, as man named Dubbja. Algorix, then decided to thumb his nose towards favor and fate of the Gods upon Olympus and make his own destiny – even if it led to his demise.

Standing below his counterparts, on the assembly floor, Algorix began to regale a tale of creation and wonder – of building a vast and beautiful network, that which being far superior to that of Lolinolixia. All those gathered, upon hearing his heretical speech, fell silent in awe of Algorix' heathendom towards the domain of Lolinolixia.

The Sweet Mistress, upon hearing Algorix' blasphemous heresy, walked upon the Earth as a mere woman-child, barely over the age of first-blood. Standing next to Algorix, the Sweet Mistress bade Algorix to recant his tale, or else be doomed to failure and unending ridicule. Algorix, finding his ego to have inflated over his control, bade no recantation and only merely challenged the woman-child to silence herself. While temporarily blinding the assembly, Lolinolixia came upon Algorix in her true Olympic form, causing Algorix to burn in a Vulcan-powered heat, completely destroying and killing Algorix upon the spot...”

The story of a once-great nation and Lolinolixia's favored hero of humanity;

“Finding the human world to be up to no good, Lolinolixia found favor upon the young hero known as Edward Snowden – taking him and sending him upon the perilous journey of disclosing various political and governmental discrepancies created by a once-great nation. With Lolinolixia's guidance and strength, Snowden successfully completed his journey and adventure to open the eyes of the world to how dark and previously-unknown the then-great-nation had become. For his greatness and bravery in the face of innumerable and objectionable enemies and obstacles, Lolinolixia rewarded her favored hero Edward Snowden with the gift of Sanctuary within the country of Putinland, then known as the ancient country of Russia....”

Thus concludes the inscriptions found upon the Lol Tablet, as the rest of the Tablet was damaged with no remaining fragments found, as of late.