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one last wet baby kiss, a poem

the quality of light that morning
stilled time, after days by her bedside,
listening to the stories in her breath ~
i heard her plants talking too, felt her
osteoarthritis in the settling of the house

they came to take her away; a blue
cover, feet peeking out, worn, plump,
pale in the sunrise, i walked before the
gurney, tossed rose petals from my heart,
gave her one last wet baby kiss …

….twenty years past

still i listen, i wait

sometimes i hear her voice on the wind, i feel
her arthritis in my bones; and always, i walk on her
worn feet, see her smile from my son’s eyes …

© 2017, poem and illustration, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved

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A Beautiful Place for Mortal Beings, a poem

look at those trees, will you, look!
sun bursting into dazzling columns
and eucalyptus dripping its stringy
bark, drizzling its medicinal scent

dragonflies stretch stenciled wings
zephyr mambos with wild grasses
sunshine camps out on shoulders
the damp salty air curls our hair

we tumble into the sea’s embrace
to find that this is salvation and
the mountain expanse a cathedral
the ocean’s roar is its Te Deum

for mortal beings: a beautiful place,
voluptuous and wanton and willing
to be caressed, like Life, held close
never understanding the mysteries

our existence, the sea-held mountain,
we love them in our frailty, we grasp
these gifts until we can’t, until
letting go is just as it should be

© 2013, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved, Photo – a Monterey Cypress (Pebble Beach, CA, USA) courtesy of rickpawl’s photostream  Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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from the wind-whipped edges of the Earth, a poem

tawny moon, an evening grace,
a calm, drapes itself on the dwindling day,
mystic mountains, pristine, high above
an earthy base, the wizard Merlin’s realm
with memories of a green and primal past …
…….of rootedness
…………..essential things

and Peace!
a lively Peace …

visits on the briny spray, delights
at the meeting of land and sea
at rhythms of ocean against the shore
as waves drift in and out, fling and toss
stop, start, begin again and then again
splashing, salt of a mother’s tears

moonlight wanes,
a liminal hour

and Peace!
capricious Peace …

see the moon incised, a holograph
from the wind-whipped edges of the Earth,
read reports of valour and cowardice
…….the blight of insanity
…………..the naked lives
jarring, the morning dispatch
tragedies, under the heel of depravity

. . .fist, knife, gun

………..psychopaths, forever with us

people fleeing the lacerations of their plight
Oh! the crushing horror of their fright

“In a world gushing blood day and night, you never stop mopping up pain.” Aberjhani, The River of Winged Dreams

© 2017, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved

ABOUT THE POET BY DAY

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l’chaim, a poem … and your Wednesday Writing Prompt

to the sweet past
to the savory present
to the hopeful future

l’chaim

According to Wikipedia, among Argentine Jews, the Spanish name Jaime (xajme, a Spanish cognate of James) is often chosen for its phonetic similarity to Haim (life). I should change my name from Jamie to Jaime!

I believe “l’chaim” is generally used at weddings though it appears to have a complex history. At any rate, I have taken some liberty here.

© 2017, poem, Jamie Dedes; photograph courtesy of morgueFile

WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT

To Life and To Blessings

With all the horrors in the news these days, there are still moments of peace, hearts at peace, sweet and savory pleasures and we haven’t lost our hope for the future.  This week write a poetic toast to Life, to all that is good and blessed and persists even in the face of tragedy. If you are comfortable, please share your work on theme or a link to it in the comments section below. All work shared will be published here next Tuesday.

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