Wishes From Me To You

I have been revising this poem for the last few days, but I think it’s finally finished now; this is the third version of what was quite a bit longer the first time around.

I can’t remember who said it originally— maybe it was Hemingway?— but the teacher I had for my creative writing classes at university told us we should keep writing even if we thought a piece was finished. I did that for my initial draft: I got my ideas out so I had all the “raw materials” to work with. What started out as a very freeform 38-line poem is now a much stronger 20-line piece.

Editing is a hard process for me; it takes me a lot of time and effort and most of the time I cut things out only to put them back shortly after because I figure “I put it there for a reason, why take it out now?”

Each time I approached this poem I managed to chisel a little more away, always tightening the structure, and distilling the words until I had only the essentials. Some lines or images I quite liked didn’t end up in the final version, but that just means I can use them in a different piece.

Typically most of what I write is heavy, sad, or dark. As such, I’m happy to say that this piece deviates from that mood a bit, and moreover that it might be my new favorite 🙂

Enjoy! ❤

***

Wishes From Me to You

Forget diamonds and pearls
Instead bring me a daisy chain
A thing so delicate
Made with your own two hands

Forget a dozen long stemmed roses
Instead bring me a single flower
You found on your way home
To show me that you thought of me

Forget talk of money and wealth
Instead tell me all your dreams
Share with me your mind and soul
And I’ll share mine with you

Forget a mansion or estate
Instead let us build a simple home
One that grows and shrinks with us
Breathing like we do

Forget a legacy to leave behind
Instead let us build our life
A stream of moments
Bound together by our love

***

Whispered Words

Whispered Words (12/7/16)

My words are directed at no one in particular
They’re for whoever will have them,
The universe at large,
Not intended for any one specific being
Though I’d love nothing more than for a man I love
To be the sole person to feel my breath at his ear as I speak.

My muse is a mischievous one,
Always hiding behind a rock
Or somewhere amid the trees,
Youthful at heart
And unintentionally cruel
Forever slipping out of sight
Forever just out of reach.

When will you quit your game
Whose rules no one knows but you
A game that leaves me frustrated at best
And in a rage at worst?

Muse, where have you gone this time?
How long will this game of hide and seek go on?
Give me a signal,
Some sort of sign,
To prove that you’ve not gone for good.

Let your spirit guide my own
Let my thoughts find reason and rhyme
Lend me your image to inspire my words
And lend me your ear so I can whisper them to you.

Clouds Alight

Clouds Alight (12/1/16)

The sky awash in flames

Beautiful burning clouds

One final burst before darkness.

Apart

 

Apart

(October 6, 2016)

.

Live with me in this space of ours

A bubble apart from the world

Hover with me above the ground

Our feet evermore dancing on clouds

.

Share the warmth coming from my skin

Feel it radiate outward from my heart

Gaze deep into my eyes as I gaze into yours

So we become trapped

Somewhere between sea and land

Somewhere between cool blue and melted caramel

.

Exist in this moment

For the rest of time

Knowing only this

Only us

Until time ceases

And the universe is extinguished

.

Never forget the feeling you got

When you first laid eyes on me

Just as I’ll never forget the electricity

That ran through my spine at your first touch.

.

 

Behind Me

As I fell asleep last night a line came into my head, followed by another, and another. Initially it was a complete concept after about four lines but as I revisited it today it grew into something slightly longer.

Enjoy this little poem.

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of my writer’s block.

Cheers!

***

Behind me

I look at myself in the mirror.
Your body materializes from the darkness
Coming ever closer
Until your head is over my shoulder
My eyes move down
To watch your arms circle my waist
I melt into your embrace
As your hands touch me
And your fingers brush over my skin
I close my eyes
As you whisper in my ear
The words of which I’ll never tire
Your breath on my neck
sends a shiver down my spine
Made more intense
As I turn to kiss you
Only to find you’re no longer there.

***

Lucky

I wrote this poem after reading something written by a very good friend of mine. These last few days have been quite productive in terms of poetry, I think I have about five new ones in addition to my more numerous recent experimental pieces. The poems I write usually don’t follow a strict structure but I have been having fun with Haiku (17 syllables; 5-7-5) and Tanka (31 syllables; 5-7-5-7-7). It’s fun to try something new–a challenge– and I have a page of tanka poems and another of haiku.

Also I submitted two entries to a writing contest so I’m keeping my fingers crossed 🙂 Now starts the tough part: the waiting game until September…

In any case, hopefully you’ll enjoy this new piece of mine called “Lucky.”

~ Ines

***

Lucky

How lucky I have been
To see you standing bare
No mask
No disguise,
Just your skin
Pale and pure.

How luck I have been
To have been held
By you
Cradled in your arms
Surrounded by your scent
Bathed in your breath
Dressed in your pearls.

How lucky I have been
To have held you
In my arms
To rock you to sleep
Until we swayed
Like a boat at sea
The waters calm
The wind in our favor.

How lucky I have been
To see myself
Reflected in your eyes
To see the emotion
You’ve caused in me
The pleasure
You’ve given me
Reflected back.

How lucky I have been
To have called you mine
To have seen you
As no one else has
To have been seen
By you
As no one else has
Or likely ever will.

How lucky I have been
To have found you
A gem amongst the rocks
A pearl in the sea
Someone I couldn’t have dreamed of
Someone I could’ve only wished for.

How lucky I have been
To have shared my life
With you
To have spent my time
In your presence
To have breathed your air
And shared your heat.

How lucky I have been
How lucky we had been.

***

Trips and Travel: Straβenbahn

Straβenbahn Haiku

~

Grass under the tracks

Metal lines over our heads

Street car coming in

~

Main train terminal

Reflections in the window

Travel though the town

~

Come and step aboard

Make sure to stamp your ticket

Quick and find a seat

~

Drive off right on time

How many stops still to go?

We will arrive soon.

 ~

 

And the Cocks Crowed

A while ago– January 2014 to be more precise– I somehow stumbled across the idea of Ragnarök. I must have been researching myths, as I have written a story focusing on the story of Medusa (side note: I have two more stories that will feature popular Greek myths), and jumped from one system of mythology to another until I ended up in Nordic folklore. I didn’t do any extensive research but little bits stuck with me and I became captivated by Ragnarök so I wrote this little piece.

I had the intention of writing more than this, after all the concept lends itself to any number of stories and adventure tales. However reading it after such a long while makes me think it feels almost complete as is– it’s not a long piece but it captures a very distinct mood that the photo above matches well.

Hope you enjoy!

Ciao 🙂

*

And the Cocks Crowed

In the darkness anything goes.

The ravenous wolf, Skoll, consumed the sun, filling himself with heat and fire while leaving the cosmos black and cold. Even the faint glow lent by the moon came to an end when Hati followed his brother’s example and devoured the pale white disk. Frightened for their own fate, the starts dimmed themselves until none of them remained visible in the endless skies.

On earth there was no light.

Without the pressure to act according to virtue, without the knowledge that others may see what they’ve done, people became beasts. One winter after another slowly killed the planet. There was no pause for warmth, no chance to recover from the frost and the storms. Ice, which at first had only glazed the lakes and forests, had made them beautiful, had allowed the world to shimmer in a rainbow of colors had grown too thick to break. It suffocated whoever and whatever was trapped beneath it and then collapsed under its one weight, leaving nothing but broken life.

Families locked themselves inside their homes in a desperate attempt to save themselves and whatever little they had left. Food and water reserves grew dangerously low until nothing remained at all. Families or friends that once helped each other now became suspicious of one another and became foes. The only trips made in the terrifying blizzard were raiding trips, futile attempts to gain some amount of food or water— no matter the cost. Those that survived these journeys without injury from another usually died at the hands of the weather. The winds and snow were even less forgiving than the people, all of whom were prepared to fight to the death.

Those that saw the battles grieved but a moment until they realized the relief at having fewer people to either feed or fear. The cunning tricksters amongst the survivors lived the longest; they stowed away bits and pieces of their food and found the secret reserves of others. No one spoke the truth. No one wanted the others to know what they had. Officially no one had anything of value. That was the lie everyone told, but it was also the truth.

The first cock crowed to the giants, rousing them to battle. The second cock, his golden feathers lusterless in the unending darkness, crowed to the gods. The third cock crowed, splitting the underworld open and calling forth his army of the newly undead.

*

Trips and Travel: Planes

Flight Haiku

~

Passport, boarding pass

Wait at the gate for boarding

My excitement stirs

~

Find the seat that’s mine

Settle in for a long flight

Friends sitting by me

~

Taxi from the gate

Turbines spin, racing forward

Leave the ground behind

~

Up, up, always up

Higher with every second

Large, metal-winged birds

 ~

Pass through the white clouds

Landing gear retracting now

Cruising altitude

~

Distance covered fast

Window shades pulled down for sleep

Time to try and rest

~

Food arrives in carts

Tea or coffee for you, ma’am?

A few hours more

~

Landing very soon

Countless miles have passed below

Upright position

 ~

Runway now in sight

A new adventure begins

Anticipation

~

 

Most of the flights I’ve taken have been international– from one continent to another– and typically they’re lengthy. I thought the ~11 hours (direct flight time) from Europe to America was long, then I flew to Australia (~14 hour direct flight time). I’ve been lucky with the airline service I’ve had so far. The main carriers I’ve used are Lufthansa and (more recently) QANTAS.

 

Fun fact: do you know what QANTAS stands for? Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Service. Did you also know that there is something called the Kangaroo Route? If I remember it’s called that due to the turbulent nature of the trip, although don’t quote me on that as I could be mistaken. Nifty though, right?

 

On this last trip my friends and I flew with Lufthansa. We got great seats— window seat for me as you can see so that I could take photos— and the flight crew both to Germany and back was friendly and efficient. Below are highlights from the flight; little moments that capture the essence of our trip. I spent a good majority of the daylight hours watching the flight from the different cameras mounted on the plane— one on the front, one under the plane pointing down, and the third on the tail to show the plane and the horizon. This is such a cool feature! On the flight back to America we were in the center aisle with no window nearby so the cameras were my only way of seeing outside. I think I may have discovered that I need a window near me so that I have the option of looking outside otherwise I feel a little claustrophobic…

 

Anyway, I’m happy that we had a smooth flight both ways. I am always happy when the plane lands, pulls up to the gate and I can get out. It’s not that I don’t enjoy flying, I actually don’t mind it once I’m in the air, but I do get anxious leading up to the flight and right before takeoff. It’s only once I’m on the ground and through security that I can truly breathe easily again.

 

Hopefully my photos will provide some joy to you all and be sure to keep a look out for those that are still to come.

 

Ciao!

Ines

 

 

P.S. I send my most heartfelt sympathies to everyone affected by the recent EgyptAir crash. While I know that nothing I say or do can undo the hurt, I wish much love to everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come take a walk with me…

Come take a walk with me

Go ahead, smell the roses.

Look up, isn’t it beautiful out?

Don’t be shy, get closer.

Still closer.

Now take a step back to take it all in.

 

As I’ve mentioned I just got back from Australia and I’ve been busy looking through the many photos I took while I was there. Visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens is a must for anyone that’s planning a trip to Sydney; I could have spent day after day there. It’s relaxing, it’s beautiful, it’s romantic. It’d be my perfect place for a nice daytime date; perhaps someday it’ll happen. In the meantime, enjoy the images I have for you.

P.S. Should anyone wish to have/save any of these photos, I have them all in their original, larger size and I’d be happy to send them.

Cheers!