There and Here

Sighing softly there,

a sweet kiss of salt sea spray,

just a hint in the air

of what’s to come,

when later great crashes

roll and tumble,

driven,

no longer kiss so sweetly.

Growling thunder rolls overhead

as screams of lightning

pierce the black sky here;

dawn breaks wet and tired,

storm’s aftermath a gentle wisp,

a softly falling ruse

according to the darkening sky.

© ACG

03 July 2011

The Swamp

Endless reaches

with entangled pockets

a thickened soup,

The Swamp

endures;

even the air

is overcome

by dankness,

moisture conquers

with humid insistence,

levitating heavily

dully suspended

into what once was oxygen,

like a magician’s trick

without applause;

the hell of life within

this grotesque environ,

bizarre and malformed

hideous and foul,

with strength overwhelming,

a devastating army

with their special

horrid stench

they rupture up,

roiling

roaring,

upward they stretch

densely,

adding to the airlessness,

as if to choke any life,

their murderous intent

a thickened growl,

upward they rumble,

as if to reach the hidden stars.

Barely visible,

through overburdened branches

creaking downward

with a glopping stickiness

that mocks the beauty

of Spanish Moss,

the secrets of life linger

in distant diamond stars;

out of reach,

beyond hope,

yet still just there,

the frailest edge

of a dream

or memory;

O my Soul!
sinking back,

into The Swamp

of my lungs.

© ACG

27 June 2011

Solstice Moon

Indiana moon

shines through

Summer's midnight haze,

she brightly illumines

her fallen diamonds

suspended thickly,

tears for a lost dream

or memory,

a longing breath,

a weary gasp

of desire.

© ACG

20 June 2011

One Word

Life

begins

with innocence and love,

yielding

later to a journey

fraught with joy, pain, and sorrow;

oftentimes with self-inflicted haunting

and regret.

Time

takes over;

behind

lie the ruins of yesterday,

burdens carried forward

~ the past stays with us ~

as obstacles flung ahead,

all scarring the path.

What chance have we to overcome?

We carry our pasts with heavy hearts,

we walk uncertainly forward;

as a delicate line

demarcates

old habits from new resolutions;

a fragile distinction,

an invisible thread

can hold you to it:

one word

for you,

one word

changes everything

~ “Daddy” ~

© ACG

15 June 2011

for Charlie

1st Father’s Day

June

Swirling dizziness,

heat thickening,

stickening

sickening,

diamond morning dew momentary,

vanishing into heavy humidity

looming

consuming

dooming;

roses blooming.

© ACG

04 June 2011

Embrace

With walls closing in and darkness

falling softly down upon me,

I hear

The End approaching,

I know he is near;

It becomes impossible

to breathe,

there seems nothing left

for me here,

but Dreaded Pain;

With everything that I am

or ever was or could be,

with every ounce of me,

I long for him

to hasten;

Take me into your Embrace,

let me succumb

and go under

forever into sweet Peace,

released;

Folded into the Embrace,

no longer will I struggle,

or battle for every breath,

O, how I long to lightly drift away

within the Embrace;

And yet some stubborn part

of my Gemini soul

says, “No”

~ not yet, not now, not ever ~

raggedly, I breathe in.

© ACG

02 June 2011

For Jamine

 

In our youth,

you stood before me,

stronger wiser better,

flashing eyes and

bouncing step,

the fearless tread

of a goddess;

In our youth,

you were a Tyger

fiercely burning bright,

the personification

of every heroine

in my books

fact or fiction;

You were Scarlet,

to my Melanie,

you were Jo to my Beth,

you were Elizabeth

and Joan of Arc,

Athena and Aphrodite

and I a mere mortal,

In our youth,

twins inseparable,

I tagged behind,

as you forged ahead,

always first,

always fastest,

always free;

Time takes away

so much,

age dampens

the spirit of youth,

with aches and pains

and the haunting

mistakes that linger;

Little girls

grown and aging,

yet my heart sees us

standing together

wearing our colors

of purple and red,

cloaked in memories,

Time and age

seem the enemy

yet for me,

you will always be:

fierce

first

fast

and free.

© ACG

18 March 2011

Unfurled

Velvet petals yawn,

stretching finally,

unfurled by May sunshine.

© ACG

01 May 2011

Storm

Lightning danced across the night sky

shocking the stars,

pulse-pounding thunder like a heartbeat

drummed deeply,

resounding,

pounding,

moving the Earth;

Once-in-a-lifetime such a Storm

comes rolling in,

slowly and gently building,

pressure rising,

electricity tensing,

until it crashes wildly into us,

lifting us in a whirlwind

that seems beyond our control;

Like eternal Salvation,

that elusive miracle

after trial by fire,

overwhelms with its grace,

the Storm rages along,

embracing us,

we rise

into the starlit sky,

riding the Storm forever.

© ACG

05 April 2011

The Quiet Man

Deliberately

and with care,

he stands,

watching us

or waiting,

usually with his hands

clasped behind his back,

a little smile

turning down his mouth;

As others seek the spotlight,

he stands back,

never putting himself forward,

although he deserves to shine

in the warming glow of

attention and praise,

he never seeks it,

never asks for acknowledgement

or even simple thanks;

He is a quiet man:

unlike the heroes of old,

his actions are not lauded,

his praises are not sung;

he does not see

that his day-to-day life

is an epic for the ages.

This quiet man

stands alone,

unparalleled,

incomparable;

an Atlas,

his shoulders bear the weight

of the world,

our world;

this quiet man

willingly stands

between us and despair,

he is our Great Wall,

ever protecting.

© ACG

02 April 2011

The March Sun

Just before Dawn comes a moment

as the frost yet crunches underfoot

and the breath freezes before you;

a moment disappearing

as the Sun rises in a purple and rose-colored second;

Daylight bathes you

in March's bitter swirl,

a strong wind from Winter's lungs fiercely expels

in the desperate roar of the Dying Lion;

No Winter can prevail:

beyond the brittle March Sun,

Spring is coming,

with a scent of thawed Earth

and delightful pinks and greens;

there is no resisting;

Despite the March Sun's cold stare,

in the sweet Spring air,

comes the taste of rosebuds.

© ACG

04 March 2011

Ice Storm

A midnight war rages

as it descends

without grace,

pinging with increasing abandon,

I hear it coming,

like the incessant ringing

in my ears,

an invisible barrage

against the walls and windows,

concentrated and cruel,

the ice comes

sharply slipping nearer

through the night,

sleekly coating winter’s landscape,

like a foul primeval shroud:

roads become death traps

as it lies sweetly with wicked intent,

a crushing weight snapping trees

as power lines succumb,

and every poor blade

of last summer’s grass

suffocates.

Thank God for the night,

for in the darkness,

no glorious diamond sparkle confuses

or distracts with the deadly beauty of Lucifer,

so hard to resist;

no, in the dark

the menace has no mask:

the smooth operator,

a slick knife’s edge,

exposed as malicious fury:

only in the darkness

where truth confounds lies,

where treacherous beauty is obscured

and nightmares become dreams,

can the malevolent revenge

of the Fallen One,

be withstood:

When the storm comes,

be silent,

“know that I am,”

and be free.

Turn away.

To defeat him, turn away.

© ACG

01 February 2011

Lured

From within a silent deadly tomb,

where echoes of life

ring hollow,

I hear it

calling;

so quietly

in the background,

a never-ending cry

becomes deafening,

irresistible;

as if some force

can overwhelm time,

as if his voice

overpowers everything;

I am lured.

© ACG

30 January 2011

Reflection

Snowfall rudely buries

everything

under its proverbial blanket,

it slants coldly down,

razors through icy air,

borne within an evil wind,

a steady drowning snowfall

deeply disguising my world,

transforming today,

like a Death-Mask

from another life:

There, alone, wandering lost,

seeking him

in a daze of frozen time,

stung relentlessly

as the snow harshly blows,

borne within an evil wind,

into my very soul,

snowlight blurs my vision

as tears freeze

upon my cheeks,

yet I cannot stop

weeping;

Searching, yet

never finding,

a quest unfulfilled,

a loss excruciating;

yesterday blends into today:

same snow

same wind

same tears.

© ACG

20 January 2011

Rising

Soaring first
aloft with Winter's Breath,
to then fall into Spring,

a dream of peaceful sweetness,
pulsing through Wings of Flame
that burn relentless.

© ACG

03 January 2011

Emptiness

Long ago whispers

taunt me,

their soft echoes

fall just beyond

my reach,

as if our past

exists

in the next room;

I dread silence

like death,

while humming

everyday life

holds back the whispers

and memories,

keeping my heart safe

from you;

day or night,

I languish

with emptiness

swirling within

like a tornado

raging,

eroding my landscape,

my windswept desert;

destitution reigns,

the ghostly whispers

feathering,

caressing

my sanity,

always in the past,

always just beyond,

as my path unfurls

always forward.

© ACG

16 December 2010



Midnight

Swirling chaos blending

dreams and mysteries,

echoes of lost moments

and forgotten memories;

twinkling stars glisten

like diamonds

in a midnight-blue

sapphire sky.

© ACG

15 December 2010

December First

Falling silently

through the gray dawn

like a child’s butterfly kisses,

the first snowfall comes

dancing snowflakes swirling

in twirling tango

softly sinking into the Earth

as if soothing the world’s woes;

an illusion of beauty

masking Winter’s caress.

© ACG

01 December 2010

Mixed Metaphors

The lead weight of love’s double-edged sword
make fast the ties that bind
tugging at my heartstrings
paralyzing a lifelong desire for solitude

as deadening as nails in a coffin
suffocating the impulse

to drive on

down the outstretched

intoxicating never-ending

ribbon of road

leading to the paradise of nothingness

extending like an unfurled magic carpet

always before me.

© ACG

28 November 2010

Sinking

The cold seeps in,

the gray dankness

of Winter’s first breath

fogs my world.

From within I feel

the same chill coming.

© ACG

20 November 2010

Pallas and Phoebus

Those two eternal siblings,

strong and bright

through the ages ~

complementing and conflicting;

one with stoic wisdom flashing,

leading ever forward,

her beauty disarms;

one with magnetism gleaming,

impetuosity tempered

by white-hot charms.

She sprang, fully-formed,

armed and absolute,

as if from me alone,

as if her shield read:

~ non requiritur pater ~

fiercely independent,

my green-eyed Aly,

a Palys golden-haired

goddess of wisdom and battle,

she glides with ease

and gentle step

~ her warrior’s heart ever alert ~

silently making her way

along her chosen path.

Sunlight bright, this boy

rises dynamic born,

righteous reflections

~ Just John ~

an undeniable enveloping,

irresistible grin

drawing you in,

with empathy renown,

he generously shines,

as Phoebus’ chariot

brought light and warmth

through the cold morning sky;

conquering darkness is his destiny.

© ACG

15 November 2010

River

The force that endured,

that raged,

that cut through

and created

the Grand Canyon

is hard to visualize.

Her eyes were a river’s ribbon

of steely blue

raging

and cutting through

five hundred years

of brown-eyed Turkish domination,

somehow enduring

to flow into my veins.

“Luba” ~

the Macedonian word

for love ~

in any language:

complicated.

I loved her sweet smile,

her crocheted treasures,

Christmas cookies

like no others,

the twinkle in her eye;

yet never did she let me in,

her magic and her mystery

were her own,

I could see

that all her love and loyalty

rested only with her son

not her daughters

(one, my mother):

I did not like him.

Strange accent and strange beliefs;

her past distorted

and unknown to me,

her perspective

from another time and place,

my love was tinged by distance

that I could not cross;

never as close to her

as to my other grandmother,

whose sweet sad elegance

seemed more familiar.

Her complications conspired

to preserve the reserve

from which she saw the world;

it rarely cracked.

I could not see

her protective wall

for what it was;

her strength escaped me,

only later would I see it,

could I know it,

long after she was gone,

and my own steely-eyed children

chose their middle names

Luba and Alexander ~

their homage

to a Macedonian past,

and her.

I can see her reserve

in their eyes;

I know now,

finally

what she saw,

understanding

what lay behind

her laughter ~

it had its own accent,

an echo down through time,

that mirrored the twinkle

in her ice-blue eyes ~

like a river,

raging,

cutting,

like a secret flash,

enduring wisdom,

a knowing unshared

like the never-revealed

ingredient in a recipe ~

her secret,

she alone

knew the punchline.

“I survived.”

© ACG

13 November 2010

The Wall

She stands alone;

she feels weak,

a coward with her back

against a wall;

pushed there time and again

by the demands of others

and her own fierce loyalty

to those she loves.

What she cannot see

is that the wall

shelters and protects

all of us,

and without her,

we crumble:

her back

holds up

the wall.

© ACG

08 November 2010

~ for my mother

Bitterness

Coming Winter bites

and I recall your kiss;

A searing chill

envelopes memory;

With Winter comes your grasp

tighter still, gripping;

As much as I resist,

Still I call to you.

© ACG

30 October 2010

When the Night Winds Wail

Through the darkest nights

and beyond the brightest days,

there is one constant light

shining oh so far away;

It calls me as I sleep,

it moans across my soul,

it lingers buried deep,

my Love its only goal;

No matter where I turn

I feel your icy breath,

a searing frozen burn

seducing me to death;

The light within your eyes

I never can forsake,

No matter what your lies

my heart is yours to take;

The distant dance of Time

teases our embrace,

like a window sublime

with a wafting veil of lace;

Gazing from my dreams

through that eternal glass,

your drifting Shadow seems

just beyond my grasp;

Forever I am doomed,

nowhere is escape,

each horizon looms,

a darkly crushing weight.

© ACG 2010

29 October 2010

September Sea

My escape is blocked by the waves' icy thrust,

the cold hard sand stiffens underfoot,

and the morning mist freezes in my throat;

My boat rocks gently first then rolls with wicked intent,

navigating amidst darting rocks is beyond my skill

when the Sea is dark and coldly crashing;

My escape is blocked, so his chokehold lingers,

and I am weary from the fight;

weary with knowing.

© ACG

01 September 2010

August

After the short bright days of Spring,
Midwestern Summer comes on quickly,
with a heavy hand pressing,
determined to prevail, lasting,
beating down, extending;

Hammering thunder grumbles overhead,
lightning skitters downward
in thinly slicing deadly lines,
late Midwestern Summer weather
stifles hauntingly with cruel rapture;

Sun-bright skies reflecting white heat,
blinding, whilst never-ending airless air
drips with moisture unrelieving,
like a solid wall, the last of Summer slams
with its own mystery of possibility;

An impossible reality of misery,
crashing rain pours furiously,
more unwelcome wetness,
sticky, with no refreshment,
simply even less air left behind;

Cycling along, its marathon event,
weeks passing with no remorse,
thundering nights roll into rumbling days,
or stark sun-hot days and still clear nights,
Midwestern Summer’s constant torment;

Into this Hell,
like a Star in the Blackened Night,
like a Light in The Abyss,
like the first Breath of Fall,
like Love in a hate-filled world,
you came.

© ACG
01 August 2010

~ for Aly

Salt

Salty spray misting

breaking across the ship's bow

America looms

© ACG

30 June 2010

~ for Mom

Happy 4th of July