Under Darkened Eaves

through a veil I barely see

darkness shrouding the land

shuttered windows

obstruct the view

doors firmly closed

darkened eaves hold secrets

no one drops by

there is no need



the net was my safe haven

but safety net no more

with partially opened doors

shutters always ajar

tabs can reveal more

we keep pretending

that truth is elusive

but no more

a version is always

within one’s grasp

 

Β© 2017 Michael D Emmerich

#micropoetry No. 9

Continuing the challenge to keep writing poems of 144 haracters or less. Here are a few more #micropoems. Poetry for twitter πŸ™‚

1.


gaze deeply

into deaths eyes

ponder on

what gazes back



2.


the myth

that one can

innocently stand by

is just that

a myth

 

Β© 2017 Michael D Emmerich

 

Paradox of Shadows

live on the edge

where shadows nudge

night greets day

dark flees light

past overlooks present

a probable future



life in the penumbra

is a paradox

it is viable

pulling either way

constant conflict

to what end



seeking what

the penumbra?

contradictory interrelated elements

existing simultaneously

persisting for eternity



hither and thither

clawing, dragged back

inexorably, irreversibly

to the core

of darkness

or light

Β© 2017 Michael D Emmerich

Poetry & Life – Online Magazine

Greetings to all my gentle readers and avid followers. For those of you who have a love for poetry, poems, creative writing and life, please visit my new on-line magazine I have created on Flipboard; the app can be downloaded on the iStore and Android, or you can follow it on-line by clicking on the link below:

Mikes Nexus – Poetry & Life

I post links to interesting articles on writing and poetry – for example:

A Few Questions for PoetryΒ  – from the New York TimeDec 30, 2016

Also #micopoems from my favourite writers, book reviews and much more …. read, enjoy, add and comment. Poetry is life πŸ™‚

My Top 10 Reads of 2016

I have had the privilege to plough through many books this past year. Here are my 10 favourite reads of 2016. They range from Poetry anthologies, novels, non-fiction and collected essays . They are in no particular order, and many of them are not new publications … it’s just my 10 favourite books that I have read this past year, some left a profound impression, some I will continue reading in 2017 and beyond, whilst others where just a good rollicking read and the last in the list was just for fun πŸ™‚ . The links are to goodreads.

The most thought provoking books in the list were War and Some Desperate Glory, the most enlightening was A Field Guide to Getting Lost. Painful reads were Resident Alien and Broken Bodies, Shattered Minds. I am still busy reading Map (and will continue with it for some time) so to with TS Elliot’s, Waste Land. There are some companion books that never leave my desk, I keep rereading those, but it would be unfair to add them to the list as they would be on the list every year πŸ™‚

I would love to know what great books you have read this year, please share them, so we can expand our horizons with your reading pleasures. I look forward to sharing many more poems and creative writing articles in 2017 and hoping to have my anthology published in early 2017 … happy reading and writing for 2017. Much love and peace to all of the readers and followers of my journey.

Peace in our Time

peace in our time

para bellum

the edge of a precipice

staring into the abyss

what stares back

hard times, hard rain



grubby hands hold the sticks

drummer boys beat the drum

tapping out the march

marching to a different beat

call for peace, prepare for war

closer to midnight



solitary voice of a person

claiming to be human

rings out

determined to end the war

before it starts

enough trouble

for whose life time



statesmen endeavouring

manage, contain war

others demand

violence, war is justified

the service of some greater good

power, greed, economics

you decide



war and peace remain

two sides of the same coin

to some

world without conflict

remains unthinkable

war must be mankind’s enemy

generation to generation

conscription and destruction

blood, bullets, bombs

time in pieces



peace love compassion understanding

values demanding a voice

are we ready

prepare for war

fight for peace

that elusive contradictory condition

peace in our time

make it real!

 

Β© 2016 Michael D Emmerich

A Shooting Star

Dedicated to my gorgeous, patient, beautiful wife

saw your shooting star tonight

shattering the black of the night

cutting the dark apart

flying across your amber palette

burning bright for all to see



let your light shine

my darlin’

flying to where?

that’s your mystique

just keep flyin’

my darlin’



you shine best

on the darkest of nights

under the new moon

burning brightly

chasing my dark away

my darlin’



that’s what you do best

dragging me to the light

that’s you

my darlin’

Β© 2016 Michael D Emmerich

An Unfinished Life

what’s worse than death

an unfinished life

with regrets

life a life

worth living

dying leaving

nothing unfinished



only life worth living

is one to live for

dying to live

we all yearn for completion

yet it slips through our fingers

Β like morning mist

all that is certain is this moment



the only life worth living

is to be fully human

creating a better world

with intent and actions

the elusive yet attainable

unfinished life

it’s worth it

live it!

Β© 2016 Michael D Emmerich

Courage Under Fire

an absence of fear

the ability to suppress

or maybe

there are values of more import

grace, valour, hope



bear defeat

never lose heart

remain calm

capture courage

push on

get up

again and again



consume whatever

life throws your way

let grace possess you

remain calm, rational

even under attack

courage is grace under fire



in spite of consequences

you can only be

a victim of yourself

not others

discipline your mind

be tenacious, persevere

hope always remains

 

Β© 2016 Michael D Emmerich

Lovers Eyes

snapshots of the soul

my eyes are with yours

bearing the weight of lover's eyes

blessed with the eyes of the beloved



doorway to the lover’s heart

through the looking glass

where love resides

my eyes too bright

blind, beneath your gaze



love is blind

even with open eyes

can't see beyond my lover

shot

point blank

right between the eyes

blinded by love

 

Β© 2016 Michael D Emmerich