Quadrille

Worth Any That Came Before ~ quadrille ~ with audio

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 40 Comments

Worth Any That Came Before

          65 years ago

One memory lingers,
unwanted, but I hold it close,
nonetheless. One more
moment with you, worth
any that came before
and more than any after.
Your hand in mine,
you lingered, eyes closed
but restless. Then no more,
as you went to meet him.

My mother outlived my father by fifteen years, and she missed him every day she lived without him. On her last day, I spent the afternoon with her. When I went to dinner, my sister stayed by her side, so she was not alone at the end.
They say that writing can be cathartic. That may be true, but sometimes it stirs memories I might wish I never had. But then, those may be the ones I couldn’t live without.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #136: Let’s Linger, the prompt from Linda Lee Lyberg at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word linger in a 44-word poem, with no required meter or rhyme.

 

One Pulse ~ quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 18 Comments

One Pulse

Two souls, separate but
inseparable. Intertwined,
weaving, as if dancing.
No quadrille, here,
eyes and intentions
for each other, alone.

Hear them, their pulse
resounding as one.
One beside the other,
one within the other,
their love the only dance
they wish to know.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #134: We {heart} poems, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word heart in a 44-word poem, with no required meter or rhyme.  Look closely and you will find the prompt word

Waltz image: clipart.zone

Resolve ~ quadrille ~ video poem

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 28 Comments

Resolve

My course at a standstill,
unknown lines define the path
before, behind me.

Unforeseen alternatives
open, close
in all directions.

Pleasure, pain,
potential, all gained,
lost with each turn I take.

With peace of mind
as elusive as resolve,
forward is my only option.

This poem is my response to dVerse – Monday Quadrille – Stand, the prompt from Lisa at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word stand in a 44-word poem, with no required meter or rhyme.

Stream of Consciousness ~ quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 5 Comments

Stream of Consciousness

Thoughts pass
one to another,
flowing in a manner
that brings to mind
a vision of a stream,
its clarity a marvel
unsurpassed,
its course unquestioned,
revealed in the direction
a mind will take it,
a mind perceives it.

Thus is an idea born.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #132 Your Poem Theme: Stream, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word stream in a 44-word poem, with no required meter or rhyme.

Taking Note – quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 46 Comments

Taking Note

I stop for a moment,
even as I begin, fingers pressing
strings, and fret over the possibilities,
take note of the heartbeat sounding
through the delicate wood
pressed closely against me.
What better music could come
from a beginner with a life already lived?

This is a response to Quadrille #82 – Fretboard of Poetry, the prompt from Kim at dVerse, which is to use the word fret in a 44-word poem that does not require meter or rhyme.

Two Hearts ~ quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 40 Comments

Two Hearts

Theirs is a flaming brilliance.

Not wildfires, nor dragons.

Two stars blazing. Embracing,
yet orbiting each other.

Two hearts bathing
in the warmth of their passion.

Each heart knowing, needing,
the pull of the other.

Their love burning without
consuming, yet quenching their desire.

 

This is a response to Quadrille #81 – Here there be dragons, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse, which is to use the word dragon in a 44-word poem that does not require meter or rhyme.

Image source: Astronomy Picture of the Day – (cropped here)

You Know I’m Right ~ quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 47 Comments

You Know I’m Right

Look it up, and see
if you don’t agree. We may
see what we want to see,
but there’s no denying
the truth is there. Where
would we be if facts were
lies, lies were facts,
and the President lived
in the Black House?

This is my response to Quadrille #79: Up with Poems, People,
the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse, which is to use the word up in a quadrille,
a 44-word poem that does not require meter or rhyme.
Image source: wikimedia.org (edited here)

Graceful Exit ~ quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 22 Comments

 

Graceful Exit

A quick glance my way,
the only sudden movement
in this stop action scene,
and the heron’s neck moves
forward, its legs bending
to launch that tall frame
as wide wings spread wider
in seemingly slow motion,
rising and falling in a graceful exit.

This is my response to Quadrille #78: Rise, the prompt from Merril at dVerse, which is to use any form of the word rise in a quadrille, a 44-word poem that does not require meter or rhyme.

(click any image to open larger view in new tab)

 

 

Well Being ~ quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 39 Comments

 

Well Being

All it took was one look
into your eyes, and my heartbeat
spiked, like nothing
meant a thing before that
moment. I just fell into
those dark wells leading
to your soul, my whole being
fleeing before me
to be a part of you.

This is my response to Quadrille #75: Spike Up a Poem, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse, which is to use any form of the word spike in a quadrille, a 44-word poem that does not require meter or rhyme.

Love (revisited) ~ quadrille

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 55 Comments

Love
(revisited)

As if they were one,
the rhythm of our hearts,
consumed by a spark shared
by two souls in love,
swells with each beat.

In our kiss lie words
unspoken, their meaning
intoxicating, like the beauty
of the stars, known
but uncounted, above us.

This could be a distillation of Love, the nonet/tanka/senryū I wrote for Colleen Chesebro’s Tanka Tuesday Challenge, but it’s still my response to the prompt from De Jackson for Quadrille #73: A Prelude to a Kiss at dVerse, which is to use the word kiss in a quadrille, a 44-word poem that does not require meter or rhyme.