Category Archives: Poem

Siphon

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Jim Stewart

Getting a flow started is not without consequences. You must overcome gravity even as you rely upon it. Avoiding a mouthful of what you cannot swallow is key.   (top: hikearizona.com; bottom: secretsofthefed.com)

Posted in Hope, Man, Poem, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Acceleration Antidote

Posted on December 25, 2014 by Jim Stewart

Rain taps on my window, but I don’t seem to hear. I’m buried in myself again wondering about this year. It’s gone so fast, it’s almost past, and coming to an end. The wind outside is fitful; the wind chime … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Dog, Friendship, Poem, Work | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Butter, Blood, and Beads

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Jim Stewart

Buttered toast sucks up the beef blood on the cutting board to happy noises, anticipating the almost guilty pleasure of savoring the blooded bread. The children ready the tree for Christmas with strings of lights and beads. A lifetime of ornaments … Continue reading →

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Grey on the Ground

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Jim Stewart

Your eyes are closed as mine are open. Your smooth unblemished lids hold secrets no one can know. When I blink you see me standing behind you in that upstairs bedroom as we watch the sheep below clustered for shearing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, family, Friendship, Marriage, Oregon, Poem | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

My Hand Moves

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Jim Stewart

My hand moves. A thread tugs my frontal lobes. At the other end, my ancient brain blazes a light like a Christmas star across those hills barely seen. Maybe the thread spans a river, vast and microscopic at the same time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Poem, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Concentration Face

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Jim Stewart

My concentrating face is a frown. This has always been so. When I am deep in contemplation people who don’t know me assume that I am incalculably sad; they worry over my spirit, not seeing how my deep engagement has … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Humans, Poem, Work, Writing | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Ocean

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Jim Stewart

Sound arrives first; ears can see over dunes. Light will bounce too, but shapes may morph into something else. Water will always stretch as far as you can see. Waves will curl and crash, reassuring your heart. Salt smells of … Continue reading →

Posted in Beach, Oregon, Poem | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Growing On

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Jim Stewart

(Note: this poem is from a writing workshop I took with Kim Stafford: “Daily Writing in the Tradition of William Stafford.” It borrows the form of William Stafford’s poem “Growing Up.”–jrs) I travel in concentric circles, it’s just how I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Humans, Poem, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Refusal

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Jim Stewart

The wall crawls with stuff I don’t want to recognize. Looking obliquely, the movement reveals insects, each one connected to some choking childhood terror. I watch them through the sheetrock. Thousands of antennae, millions of legs, with an occasional slither. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Consciousness, Dream, Humans, Poem | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Galaxy and Stone

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Jim Stewart

I am a galaxy, I am a stone. I am a truth lying in bone. My emotions run wild, I am colder than ice. My big-hearted angel has paid a great price watching me stumble and helping me fly. The … Continue reading →

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