Sonnet- State of Gray

State of Gray

Splintered wood of a rigid barn floor

Tilt a whirl that keeps on spinning round

Through the ribcage deep inside your core

Drifting above like clouds, watching the ground

Plaid shirts, dirt and gun smoke fill the air

Broken bottles shattered without heed

Winter takes the sun and leaves trees bare

Lost in twilight blind to what you need

Disappearing innocence and grace

Somber remarks through a hollowed mind

Volumes speak as they look upon your face

Life not lived and yet left to rewind

The sparkles of the shadows move the day

Leaving solitude forever state of gray  

Ekphrastic Poem Revised- Time to Come Home

The sign on the door stated “Please close”,

the hands roll slowly round the clock.

Golden locks curled to perfection,

spiraling about in their flawless manner.

Bold is the name of the game,

canary colored dress and scarlet lips.

Surrounding her the hustle of daily routines,

on the corner of Broadway behind the scenes.

The red light indicated a stop in the traffic,

the “One Way” sign  pointed in her direction.

5 years risked her heart on the line,

the tug of war of love has ended.

Reunited in joyful bliss alas,

one last time for a first impression. 

"Check- Up" - Douglas Warner Gorsline

Concrete Poem- Revised

Stares

Don’t look up they will see,

Look down. Only down.

The floor becomes your only comfort.

The bitter, charcoal tiles, that reflect no warmth.

Much like their stares.

You become that tiny speck of dust on the floor.

No one even notices the speck.

It gets swept away by a broom, quickly out of sight.

But you are left in the moment.

With their stares.

One day, they will forget.

But you will not.

Not the feeling.

And not the bitter, charcoal

 Stares.

Epistolary Revised

Dear Future Brother in Law,

Farmer’s daughter brought up Ford tough

Days spent skating on the freshly frozen pond

Mud stains carelessly made permanent

Never dreamed of princesses and Barbies, just the Stanley Cup and forewheelers

Freckles, short dirty blonde hair, almost as dirty as her denim cutoff jeans

One of the boys until the boys wanted one of her, nevertheless a crew member

Baseball caps became bobby pins, Tee shirts turned into tank tops

However never losing her collection

Always loved animals, the rugged upstate weather, and her daddy

The first man who took her heart

And protected her from boys like you

Just a farmer raising his baby the only way he knows how

Mom’s thick, stubborn hair misguidedly flowing

Those freckles that splash her face from the other side of the family

Enchanting features of those who love you

Effortless beauty, meticulous mind set

With the knowledge on an encyclopedia, an admiration

How can so much be in such a small figure?

Earning her rightful place as my own hero

A stampede of strength radiates from her core

Defending the slap shots of the world with eloquent poise

Her Grace promising a thriving future

The only person who knows me more than myself

My world revolving through her gentle concern

She is not your average run of the mill girl

A quick glance at her petite build will deceive, for she is a contradiction

She was raised to be strong and sturdy but not to close doors on those who love her

She can stand on her own but her heart opens to new adventure

Someone who can understand everything you are saying with a sense of completion

Her tiny stature being able to love you with her whole being

Heres to you

You shot, you scored

Admire your win

With pride and appreciation

Take this golden trophy as all that she is

Yours forever

Emma

Sestina- (Revised)

On the Road to Your Heart

The endless road leads you far away

Both hands on the steering wheel

Rolling down the windows for fresh air

Nothing on your mind but a lot in your heart

Underneath the wheels, the rough pavement

Your favorite song blaring on the radio

The bass seeps into your soul through the radio

The feelings within you do not go away

Your thoughts as blank as the pavement

A left hand turn approaches, turn the wheel

The rush of a new road sparks a beat in your heart

All around you excitement fills the air

Turn on the heat as a chill breathes in the air

The song depresses you on the radio

You think of all the things that broke your heart

All the reasons you are running away

Your hands loosen the grip on the wheel

You speed up along the desolate pavement

Loose gravel brings you to reality on the pavement

Oxygen enters your lungs as you breathe in the air

You reassert your hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel

The time reads endless on the radio

You are miles, turns, road signs, away

However home lingers within your heart

What led you on this journey was your heart

Indecisive as you took to the pavement

You wanted to leave to find a way

You needed to experience a new air

Just you and the music on the radio

Turning emotions like turning the wheel

Straighten out the worn out wheel

Found a destination, followed your heart

Turn down the dial on the radio

Car stopped dead on the pavement

Step out into the crisp breeze and autumn air

You did it, you finally got away

But then on comes the radio, you reverse the wheel

There was no longer a need to get away, your home is the destination of your heart

Back tracking down the now familiar pavement, back to your hometown’s proverbial air

Observational Poem- (Revised)

The Card Unplayed

Thick rimmed glasses, Clubs, Hearts and Spades.

The King of the Queens, the Jack of the Trades.

The master in his mind, insignificant in theirs.

Blind as they are, internal fire flares.

Passion runs deep, with the flip of the card.

Soul screaming silently, strategically scarred.

52 mysteries, all shuffled and stacked.

Naming them out, concentration cracked.

As they sit down, to the left of his game,

The master fades vastly out of his fame.

Her fall fashion scarf and Herb Essence tea,

Has distracted him from his Wednesday routine.

Her ignorance is a bliss born to him,

His glasses fog up and his face starts to swim.

What he can’t behold is the fondest of all,

The triumph, the victory, the Ace of the draw.

Epistolary Poem- Not Revised

Dear Future Brother in Law,

Farmer’s daughter brought up Ford tough

Days spent skating on the freshly frozen pond

Mud stains carelessly made permanent

Never dreamed of princesses and barbies, just the Stanley Cup and forewheelers

Freckles, short dirty blonde hair, almost as dirty as her denim cutoff jeans

One of the boys until the boys wanted one of her, nevertheless a crew member

Baseball caps became bobby pins, Tee shirts turned into tank tops

However never losing her collection

Always loved animals, the rugged upstate weather, and her daddy

The first man who took her heart

And protected her from boys like you

Just a farmer raising his baby the only way he knows how

My own hero

Stronger on the inside than the out

Without any neckguard or face mask to protect her from the cruel world

Just her Grace

The only person who knows me more than myself

My world revolving through her care

Learning from Mom and myself makeup tricks, and tricks that you probably tried on her

Effort built in her bones, a rolemodel for Buzz and Beez

With the knowledge on an encyclopedia, confused by her with an admiration

How can so much be in such a small figure?

She is not your average run of the mill girl

She was raised to be strong and sturdy but not to close doors on those who love her

She can stand on her own but her heart opens to new adventure

Someone who can understand everything you are saying with a sense of completion

Her tiny stature being able to love you with her whole being

Heres to you,

You shot, you scored,

Look at all that you got

Take this golden trophy as all that she is

Yours forever

Emma