Poetry Contest May 2007 - your votes please

[Lisa Heft]

Poetry Contest May 2007

 

And now, dear colleagues, I invite you to sample, visit and taste seven
poems which have been submitted for our poetry contest.  

 

My invitation was to write a poem which

 

relates to O p e n   S p a c e in some way, and.

 

.includes, reflects upon, honors or invites. images of nature and / or the
earth. 

 

 

I now give you each 5 virtual stickie-dots to spend.    You may place all
dots on one poem, or some on each; you may vote for yourself or for another
-- however you would like to spend them to mark your sense of which poems
speak to you.  

 

Please send me an email directly to lisaheft at openingspace.net to tell me how
you have placed your virtual dots for each numbered poem.

 

I will collect your messages this week; this weekend I will count and report
back to you which poem has received the most dots and therefore which poet
(all will be revealed) will be our next Poet Laureate (* explanation below
for those of you who are new on the list) for the OSLIST.  

 

And now.take a breath.feel the earth move...and.begin.

 

 

________________________________________

 

 

#1

 

 

 

I walk through fragrant blue sky

Bare feet on wet grass.

It is too cold for bare feet,

But my teachers have taught me well.

Who can resist a noisy yawn and a warm wiggle first thing in the morning?

 

To greet each dawn and each other with a curious heart.

To be mesmerized by the smallest motion.

To breathe the air, the earth.

To inhale the stories in each blade of grass. 

To forgo the coffee and drink the dew.

To listen for what can't be heard.

To bathe in light and nap awake in the middle of the day.

Is to arrive fully alive.

 

Forget the honey, taste the bee.

I have but one question:

When the butterfly lands on my nose, can I eat it?

 

 

 

Entitled: Open Space for Cats and Dogs

 

 

___ 

 

 

 

 

#2

 

 

Nero, they say, fiddled his empire to flame.

And Nemo ruled the watery underworld so deep.

I prefer our posted sessions and spirits to name

Above water, ever fiery, still moving, to keep.

 

 

 

 

___

 

 

 

#3

 

 

Smell the ripplering of the temple bells

as the

bumblecat strapped with a 

slice of toasted (w)oneder bread 

devilishly buttered with dancing Goan ghee

uses its wingpaws

and doesn't quite fall splat

onto the groundless ground

of the agora

 

 

 

___

 

 

 

 

#4

 

 

 

pacific coast glowing gray in fog.

sea lions shout their lazy tales.

and here along the moist forest trail

 

el dorado appears: a small grove of pine

dripping with gold. paper thin flakes,

tarnished with black: a thousand gently resting

 

butterflies. we witness this treasure

because they have followed the

law of two wings for a thousand miles.

 

___

 

 

 

#5

 

 

 

Opening

 

 

Active stillness. 

A squirrel sniffing the air and looking around curiously.

 

A flurry of activity.

 

Leaves blowing in autumn winds.

 

Drifting.

 

Clouds moving gently across the sky.

 

Sensing movement.

 

A flock of birds sensitive to the currents of wind.

 

Jarring confusion.

 

A sudden storm that seems to strike from nowhere.

 

Calm acceptance.

 

A lake on a calm sunny day.

 

Moving from one place to the next - opening to all experience - opening to
others.

 

___

 

 

 

 

#6

 

 

 

a fallen flower

 

flew back to its branch!

 

no, it was a butterfly

 

or was it a bumblebee?

 

 

___

 

 

 

 

#7

 

 

 

 

It's the bells,

It must be!

 

As always my heart beats faster,

My body trembles.

 

Through my teary eyes,

I see the Spirit!

 

 

 

___________________________

 

 

* The OSLIST has a Poet Laureate who invites and / or offers poetry to the
OSLIST; often about Open Space but also about other things.  Teresa Pokasony
and I had the honor of wearing the tiara of Poet Laureate during 2006 and
now we open it up to you. As our poetic reign lasts about 6 months, we will
all pass the tiara to our next Poet Laureate - as is our tradition - through
this restricted form poetry contest.  Stay tuned to see who our next Poet
Laureate will be.

 

 

Cheers, Lisa

___________________________

 

L i s a   H e f t

Consultant, Facilitator, Educator

O p e n i n g  S p a c e

 <mailto:lisaheft at openingspace.net> lisaheft at openingspace.net

 <http://www.openingspace.net> www.openingspace.net 

 

 

 

 


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