Category: poetry

what i see

i’m here to visit stephanie,

but let me tell you what i see:

the cats, who’ve come in from the barn,

are huddled balls of mottled yarn,

the dog stares out into the distance,

pondering his own existence,

and skittles, she’s just glad to be

a human being, like you and me

–photo by me

Poe Poem

It’s no surprise that in the land of ten thousand lakes, portaging (carrying your canoe from one lake to the next) is a viable means of transportation. In fact, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, it’s the ONLY way around, as motorized access is not allowed in the pristine wilderness.

You’ll notice that in the photo above, there are no boats, houses, or people anywhere. It is this solitude that Edgar Allan Poe, yes, the Master of Macabre, wrote about in his poem “The Lake”, of which I’ve included an excerpt:

“In spring of youth it was my lot

To haunt of the wide earth a spot

The which I could not love the less

So lovely was the loneliness

Of a wild lake, with rocky bound

And tall pine trees that tower’d around.”

–Photo by me

The Battle for Love

So many young folks get married without actually understanding what true love is, and consequently end up in a stormy marriage, always battling for a love that seems to be forever beyond their reach. This tanka is for them:

the battle you fight

for love can only be won

by surrendering

for love cannot be taken;

it must be given to us

–photo by me