'To Give Painless Light' – A Selection of Poems by LJS

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Poem 124: The Space Between

my mind is a constant
falling into
its own space
giving up space
to fall into
the next black pass
of folding
a grin of knowing
into which smile
hides which smile
into hiding
the space between us
turning onto
the turning off
the next construct
duly staged
in vaudeville … Read the rest


Poem 123: Fabric of Memory

if your life

is a fabric of memory

that your day holds out

as an offering

to your tomorrows

god of growing, then

in your perfect place

you will never win

one pulse beat, from

the next moment

already a memory

in the art of this

dying conversation.… Read the rest


Poem 122: nc

in my hearts tree

a firefly

flying fire

against the moon

in a North Carolina night

__________________

the dulcimer

sang greensleeves

-a festival-

on the side

of a green hill

alive and well

growing without

a city wall

and so very

far away

from the sound

of its own shore.… Read the rest


Poem 121: Joined at the Lip

the casual laying down
of your cause by me
has raised on my never
side of pleasing you
a spring which having slept
on as the puppet rehearsal
takes now in the first night
of its life, a pinch of gold
from the one and lonely act
of Adams dreaming … Read the rest


Poem 120: Your Bridge to Me

from my side of the table
your bridge to me
is a playing of light
spinning colours
on a wild minaret
of crystalline and tears
tears as in
the raiment of being
being as in
the dark and light
of balance and power
given to us by the angel
of … Read the rest


Poem 119: Moving Pattern

there is a quietness about this love

centred in a perfected shell

a still point in the moving pattern

that waits frozen stemmed

in the waving dream

for the still part of me

still holding in my deepest stone

a pebble of smooth and silent blue

that drops always, falling … Read the rest


Poem 118: Bird of Passage

what a strange passage

bird of passage

bird of shining wing

on the wing of light

by the light of seeing

in the light of fire

by the light of pain

and the pain of saying

I need you

bird of passage

bird of streaming flight

on a wave of … Read the rest


Poem 117: Shaking the Floor

I walked by your chair

you said

I made the floor shake

(disturbing you)

I said

as I walk near you

you make the earth tremble

( moving me)

that’s the difference

between us

from where you sit

and I stand.… Read the rest


Poem 116: Margaret (3)

given a lathe of gold

and a plane of light

and enough time

we could have turned

a highway to the sun

you and I.

__________________

if you want this to be

the beginning

of a new poem

and you need

it enough for us

to begin again

then give … Read the rest


Poem 115: As Quiet as Thought

as quiet as thought
and so she was
on this afternoon
of all my Decembers
waiting, for her
and this gift of silence
gathering all of my life
to this temple gate
circled in gold
and rivered in a sunset
of garden and tree
felt now as a silent
singing … Read the rest


Poem 114: Margaret (2)

thinking of you

and crying

real tears

for the first time

_____________

a first kiss

now shy

and warming

the November rain.… Read the rest


Poem 113: Margaret (1)

goodbye new girl in my life

you are too bright for my life

for my tiredness and my pain

of which I have only enough

(fortunately)

for old friends and even

older shadows

and I have seen that your pain

is the calm and shining kind

that kills just once… Read the rest


Poem 112: Sun Become Day

this is how it works

for me, say

“sun become day”

and I see

this great silent sun

come roaring

out of a high

and brilliant blue sky

a miracle

of light and fire

flowing over me

with more noise

and silence

than the earth

can contain.… Read the rest


Poem 110: Cloud Dancer

I once knew a man

who walked at the speed of light

and loved as slowly and surely

as the grass growing green

so rainbow green and fresh as fire

the love of this sun making well-wisher,

a harlequined wheel of night stealing

and rain making darkness

turning for the … Read the rest


Poem 109: Roll Down Sunday

roll down sunday
the first and last day
of the ringing pain
now clear as light
with this soundly
splitting shock
of the absence of reality
that is nothing to me
but a roaring wind
that sounds and storms
the conscience
of every failing
destined to become
a forest of … Read the rest


Poem 108: I am a Dream

I am a dream

dreaming of dark

and softly quiet

rooms in deep

colours and tonal

shades of warm

wherein no light

(for light is movement)

to disturb me.… Read the rest


Poem 107: Love as in

how do I

need

you love

I think

on the wild

side

of peaceful

love as in

watching

a storm

love from

a cave

on a beach

love by

the sea.… Read the rest


Poem 105: Friday’s Man

Friday morning, Friday’s man

swaying half-awake on the train

newspaper half open

and turning back to the page before

another famine relief request

frozen images in the camera lens

so easy to turn the page

and this world disappears

with hollowed eyes

swallowed by

the onrushing tunnel

the image screams … Read the rest


Poem 104: Wilder Days

and there is the need

of wilder days

with core splitting saviours

and hope lauded praise

for Pentecostal winds

rushing again

the graceful robe chant

into a thunderous Amen,

for desert Baptists

and fire headed rivers

the kingdom come eyes

of the two handed givers.

and there is the need… Read the rest


Poem 103: This Blind Shepherd

this blind shepherd of mine
offers to you
an amazing kiss letting path
from the alabaster gnome
hollow well creeping gems.

this fledgling spent sign
offers to you
a brailed leaf fitting green
from the red roaring dust
metal city trimmed paints.

this sense wetted eye
offers to you
clearwater … Read the rest


Poem 102: Light of Dancing

I am arranged by the light of dancing
around this tree of fiery stars,
stars the sound of colour outshining colour,
colour the light of the multi-voiced uni-verse,
one voice in all silence, all sound, all distant,
as far away as the day of ancient songs,
songs of one voice … Read the rest


Poem 101: A Man of Fractured Light

one one day not so far
from this one
I will gladly give myself
up to the sound
of the wild and singing sun
to become
a man of fractured light
bowing head of fire
crowning feet of flame
full of stars
and never ending dreams
wheeling on love
that … Read the rest


Poem 100: Gifts of Flying

someone who did not die
in the service of reasons
dark and solid mass
knelt up today
shone and prayed for us
before the line
too sharply drawn
even for reason
could cut him down
he uncrossed
his virtuous sign
and rose up shining
and above the heights
of our … Read the rest


Poem 99: Lately Your Spell

lately your spell
seems to be
to spell your name
in a bright seam of stars
(above my head)
in the nights fine hide
points of light
that appoint the light
a constant
(looking up)
to the playing game
of hide and seek
my love
(of staying fame)
through this … Read the rest