Autumn Days

At first the slightest hint of red

understates the deeper green

the hint of changes yet to come…

unfettered now to run its course—

meandering through last warm days,

numbed by chill of early eves.

Delirious we drink this change

as if by absinthe, undermined...

Yielding to elliptic spin,

so comes autumn once again.

© Ginny Brannan 2014

Image taken by author taken at Old Sturbridge Village, MA

Shared at dVerse Poets Open Link Night September 2014

Loosing the Floodgates

Both blinded by the rage within—

my words, a knife to penetrate

to slash; to watch exsanguinate.

You tore away the underpin

your words cajole —I lose control;

no holding back…no discipline.

You volley to eviscerate—

both blinded by the rage within.

© Ginny Brannan 2014

Written for Magpie Tales #238. Image provided by Tess Kincaid

She provides the image, we the story!

Sharing at d'Verse Poets Meeting the Bar: Octain Refrain 3/25/16

What Demons Haunt…

What darkened demons haunt her soul…

like one possessed she walks the halls—

on secret mission just she knows.

What is it that assumes control,

that she, herself, cannot express?

Her shadows race along the wall—

this tiny woman, now obsessesed

with need to move and not be still.

Time detracts, we can’t forestall           

when age gives to dementia’s will.

Just for brief moment, stops her quest

yet sensing mission incomplete,

once again the demon calls…

No cure for this unwelcomed guest,

and no reprieve once he befalls.

With no remission, no defeat,

the cruel affliction runs its course.

The victim is herself, unfeigned;

yet for observers, bittersweet—

with aching sadness, bear the pain.

… still more apparent with each day—

    what birth endows, age takes away.

© Ginny Brannan 2014

In Frontotemporal dementia, people will often show signs of obsessive-compulsive behavior such as hand washing or walking back and forth from one area to another. They have the need to carry out repeated actions that are inappropriate or not relevant to the situation at hand. Breaking this cycle is difficult and the caregiver must decide if this behavior is simply annoying or unsafe for the person and decide if they need to intervene.

~ from http://www.dementiaguide.com

Never forget...

Where were you on that day of darkness?

Heading to work or homeward bound?

When did you learn that the sky was falling?

Where were you when the planes came down?

Some days should never be forgotten

as we look back every year to view,

to honor the memory of the fallen,

to try to define with eyes anew…

Lest that the horrors should be discounted

and we turn complacent in our routine

To remind us be mindful and ever vigilant;

against all the evils that go unseen.

Where were you on that day of darkness?

Heading to work or homeward bound?

When did you learn that the sky was falling?

Where were you when the planes came down?

© Ginny Brannan 2014 

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm.

To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves.”
Eulogy from Star Trek 'Into Darkness'

Deception

Shining beacon in the night

incandescent, phosphorescent

hollow glowing orb of light…

In my quest for something new

I flew to you, drew to you,

in blissful blindness I pursued…

—till ever late, I see the lie:

your brilliant luster misconstrued

© Ginny Brannan 2014

Written for Magpie Tales #236, image provided by Tess Kincaid.
She provides the image, we the story. Come by and see what others are sharing!

The Fisherman

N.C. Wyeth, Dark Harbor Fisherman

I navigate through rocky shoals

out to the canyons dark and deep,

where dolphins swim and monsters sleep.

The fickle sea exacts her tolls—

through stormy squall, the Sirens’ call…

on wind the cries of captured souls.

Yet there is little time to weep

while navigating rocky shoals.

               * * * * * 

Along the downeast coast I trawl;

every inlet and each isle

in memory, now reconciled.

The craft fills up with netted haul—

no fast return; it must be earned

before this boat may make landfall

…yet on this day the gods have smiled;

    while on this downeast coast I trawl.

©  Ginny Brannan 2014

Written for Magpie Tales #235, Image provided by Tess Kincaid.

She provides the image, we the story. Come see what others are writing!

(This is sort of a two-fer. Being a New England girl, we are familiar with both coastal and deep sea fishing, this captures a bit of both)