Tuesday, December 18, 2012

"Vigil" A Poem of American Crisis by annienomad-cyberpoet


"Vigil" 
A Poem of American Crisis
by
Sharee Anne Gorman
(annienomad-cyberpoet)


 rows of cameras roll
in silent running
 
recording for posterity
the scattered points of light
clustering steadily into pools
of brightly-lit umbrellas

unintended Chinese lanterns
gathered in grief

feeling very much the intruders
news crews bear witness to
a community in shock

humbled and shaken
they shiver at the sight of
orphaned parents protecting
the fragile flames of their
dwindling, yet somehow eternal,
remembrance candles

sodden handkerchiefs
are folded and refolded
by owners searching desperately
for an unused corner to dry
chapped and moistened cheeks

sleeves serve almost as well
for the less prepared

while those who stand
stone-faced and stubborn
leave tears to find
their own course

numbly offering up body salts
to the soggy ground beneath
unsteady feet

we’ve stopped asking “why”
"why" has lost all meaning

but the words “enough”
and “no more”
are quickly gaining
ground

we don’t care anymore
if it’s the guns,
the video games,
the horror movies
...or the meds...

those are just the symptoms of
an over-sold
and misspent culture

...we just want it to stop...

to understand the
reflection in this mirror
of our collective conscience

...the mirror to our madness...

a reflection that has become
...a vigil...
in its own right

12/17/12 

©2012shareeannegorman
http://annienomad.com

Monday, December 3, 2012

Non-Exclusive...A Poem by annienomad-cyberpoet

I was musing this morning about love and dating in today's world. Of a fragmented, lonely generation of people reluctant to commit, for fear of missing out on some new thrill or the latest trend of pleasure-seeking.

I suppose people are staying single longer so that, hopefully, they won't have a reason to cheat when, and if, they "settle down". But does it change a person to not create an environment of intimacy for so many years? Does casually sleeping around create a form of relationship ADD? Will bed-hoppers cheat anyway, simply because they have developed a taste for variety?

Or, does the lack of deep intimacy make one more reverent of love, making commitment a matter of default - a preference for their loved one, rather than a promise they are expected to keep and never break.

Lyrics from various songs come to mind like, "freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose".

Or, "I used to say no promises, let's keep it simple...but freedom only helps you say goodbye". These lyrics suggest a longing for something lasting and personal, something life changing and transformative - but what do I know, I'm just a poet sitting at her breakfast table.

In any case, this little poem is what surfaced as a result of my musings...for better or worse:)

Non-Exclusive

He doled his love out
like wafers of
salvation
 
Every night
was Sunday morning
 
A seeming
endless line of
eager, though
un-penitent
tongues
 
And she,
not to be out done,
did the same
 
Only,
in reverse
 
12/3/12
 
©2012shareeannegorman
 
  
Perhaps there is a wisdom in this life choice. Or, perhaps something is lost forever. I don't have the answer. I just thought it was important to ask the question.
 
At least, that's the way is seems to me,
 
Annie