Eyes embrace,
Instruments in place;
The time has come
To make strings hum,
And brass bells
Resound
Throughout the space.
In sync, on beat
Or syncopated;
They act as one.
But now no clear path,
Out of sight,
A glimpse of bow or hand,
But no eyes to lock—
Notes fall off the page,
Rests refuse their wage;
Extras join the fray,
Heard when none should play.
©2016 H.K. Longmore
Bass Clef mid-F, in eighths.
Bass Clef mid-F, final quarter.
Salute completed, we stand.
To the left a head panned.
Those eyes contained
Unmistakable pain.
Pain at my performance?
Pain at my conformance?
The show must go on.
Standing, Bass Clef top line, staccato,
Then drop an octave, staccato; final note.
Applause.
But still the pain gives me pause.
It was the dry throat,
I tell myself.
It was the sloped chair or stage,
I want to believe.
But my lips, not the stage,
Missed the notes.
My finger, not the chair,
Depressed the wrong valve.
Show concluded,
We pack up and depart.
I watch for those red eyes,
But they don’t look at me.
My silence? Unintended;
Trying to fathom
What I cannot see.
Do I misunderstand?
Rough knuckles,
White back of hand,
In close proximity;
Moment in time ever on my mind.
Copyright © 2016 H.K. Longmore
Posted in poetry
Tagged atonement, bliss and glad life, cathartic, choice, commitment, communication, consequence, coping, empathy, forgiveness, frustrations, introspection, love, misunderstanding, poem, relationships, resilience, timing
Enter your password to view comments.
Posted in poetry
Tagged bliss and glad life, communication, consequence, counting the cost, love, poem, relationships, timing
Enter your password to view comments.
Posted in poetry
Tagged bliss and glad life, cathartic, communication, consequence, counting the cost, desire, frustrations, granite tablet, introspection, love, poem, relationships, resilience, timing
Oh, that I had done
What I thought would be most fun,
Instead of nothing.
Oh that I had talked
When your heart still with me walked,
But I gave silence.
Oh that you could know
How oft I came to say hi,
Only you were gone.
© 2015 H.K. Longmore
Posted in poetry
Tagged communication, granite tablet, haiku, poem, relationships, timing
She needed a backup plan
In case what she really wanted
Started to look a little wan.
He wouldn’t change his current plans;
As long as she was working on her backup man,
He would have to resist, ignore as she did fawn.
And so she needed a backup plan.
©2015 H.K. Longmore
Posted in poetry
Tagged bliss and glad life, communication, consequence, counting the cost, love, poem, relationships, timing
A brightly-colored bird,
Top half white,
Bottom orange bright,
Flits to and fro in the third.
In the third hour since noon,
A gorgeous bird sings a tune,
Seeking attention from a potential mate;
With desire she’ll sate.
She wins his eye
As he splits his focus
With some hocus-pocus;
Or at least, tries.
She returns to her perch
Not made of birch;
Waiting patiently,
Poised gracefully.
But when he draws near,
He is focused
On another locus,
No time to play, he fears.
He passes by,
And in passing,
He hears her cry
A sound everlasting:
An interjection surpassing mild,
An objection with Eternal Magistrate filed,
Feeling all her charms could not beguile.
Upon hearing, his heart turns about, wild,
But his head controls his feet.
While his blood increases in heat,
His heart tries a compromise to meet;
His head would not be beat.
This was in hour four;
The lovely orange-bottomed bird was seen no more.
©2015 H.K. Longmore
Posted in poetry
Tagged bliss and glad life, communication, consequence, desire, granite tablet, granitetablet4, poem, relationships, timing
At the crossing paths,
To help with another’s task
I’m politely asked.
Planned words left unheard,
I answered yes and turned left,
Compliment unsaid.
©2015 H.K. Longmore
Balanced carefully in her hands,
Every step fraught with danger,
A cup of hot beverage controls her focus;
Undulating fluid level influences her gait.
Taking great care not to alarm,
I walk slowly behind
For my path the same way lies.
Useless is my effort to go slower; I patiently wait.
Laughing at myself, wanting to greet
Hello or happy three-quarters birthday,
And yet saying nothing:
I don’t want to startle her,
Resulting in her being badly burned on this date.
© 2015 H.K. Longmore
Said the first: “Another poem on that?”
“Yes, because that’s where I’m at,”
Came the second’s reply.
“What will you say differently this try?
Perhaps a search is in order,
To avoid the border
‘Tween repetition and insanity?
Or will that hurt your vanity?”
The second obliged,
Conducted a search:
“Task”, the query supplied.
The results the idea besmirched.
Said the second: “To you I tip my hat,”
And gave the first a pat.
“The repetition would be neither sly,
Nor very wry.
It would turn the ardor
To bland horror.”
Argued the first: “You make a center of gravity
From that which is triviality.”
“Yes, yes,” the second cried,
“And you’ve thrown me from my perch!”
Then, letting his hyperbole subside,
A new thought train moved forward with a lurch.
©2015 H.K. Longmore
Posted in poetry
Tagged communication, frustrations, introspection, poem, repetition, synapses, task master, timing
Need help moving?
If I’m free,
There I’ll be,
My friendship proving.
Last minute call
For an official for a game?
My open schedule’s to blame
When I don the stripes for basketball.
I’m built to serve,
It could be almost anything at all.
Need help? I’m at your beck and call.
Aiding others is my verve.
I’ll help with computers,
Lawns and leaves
And overgrown eaves,
Give rides to stranded commuters;
Give me a paintbrush,
I’ll apply a coat or two.
Hand me a sander, roughness I’ll pursue
‘Til you find the floor flush.
The way I’ve lived my life
I’ve set the expectation:
For my time you need no incantation;
You have but to ask.
But ask not, and my time quickly fills
With ordinary expectations.
©2015 H.K. Longmore
| Unnecessary Risk: Th… on Unnecessary Risk | |
 | Henry Longmore on In Passing |
 | mrlumeh on In Passing |
| Henry Longmore on Nothing to Say |
 | William on Nothing to Say |
Musings of a Kunderian Monster 