January 17-23, 2005: Dr. Charles Frederickson and Ilene Huffman

Dr Charles Frederickson and Ilene Huffman

BECOME A POET OF THE WEEK
click here for submission guidelines

Bio (auto)

Dr Charles Frederickson is a pragmatic idealist, chronic optimist and heretical believer who has wandered intrepidly through 206 countries, spreading rejuvenated roots and wings in Thailand 70+ publications on 5 continents Pax vobiscum.

The following work is Copyright © 2005, and owned by Dr Charles Frederickson and may not be distributed or reprinted in any form whatsoever without written permission from the author.

Hope Dying Down Lame ghosts distinguish fragile children Fathomless strident sea secret listeners Bare shell-shocked footprints running scared Breathless silt swaying without movement Inspired by watching darkness freefall Prophetic forebodings surfacing after drowning Sunset and twilight interlocking passionately Predestined hindsight suffering last details Filling time-gap blank spaces between Somnambular dreamscape and wakeful trance Gritty saltwater washes away stonewalls Infinite circular recycled selfless permutations Where Oh Where Where clear darkness is alight Clumsy flipper snorkelers borrow grace Warped surface underside distorting reflections Fragile deep-dive mortality suspending disbelief Where ocean has no floor Shifty tentacular octopus puffing quicksand Fairytale castles neon rainbow shoals Coral reefs nursing chasmal wounds Devil-may-care Angelfish Endless drifting horizon growls threats Pale metallic glow muted stillness Shaken anticipation gradually stirs disquiet Battering greenery slam-dancing off slabs Bodies bent against outpouring floodgates Unremitting pressure urgent wondrous visions Burst open kaleidoscope crescendo shatter Sprinkled infinitesimal stray glass blades Molluscous bivalve oysters coming unhinged Stranded mauve pearls multifaceted imperfections Roundish sinuous black imminent carnations Drifting clouds former life shadow-puppets Submarine Reflections Interlocking fingers jostle for position Clenched fist nudging open wingtips Trembly palm witchdoctors unfold traces Sunken driftwood coming to grips Undecipherable baffling symbols obliterative lifelines Sprawled hieroglyphs untold never-ending rings Silver leeches draining body fluid Refreshing whirlpool wellsprings of dharma Tossed wake starfish among plankton Detached shadows arranged like seashells Wrapped in cool transparent shrouds Secured with stingray spinal cord Twin Miracle ^ Yamok Patiham Meditating beneath tropical evergreen branches Prismatic mango droplets pitted tears Challenged by heretics saffron robes Forbidden from exhibiting supernatural powers Lord Buddha conjuring bejeweled stairway Ascending heavenward exuding spitfire flames Stream of consciousness overflowing compassion Emblazoned spirit thinking fountain source Overflowing Whirlpools Starched morning laundry sets sail Cloudless reflections shimmer rarely disturbed Stiff whiteness growing bearded stubble Clinging shadowy folds hangnail curses Reversible afternoon virtually passing unnoticed Overcast steely glare ordinarily complaisant Calloused spun clothespin crumpled flutter Gray pigeons walking precarious tightrope Restless night shaking dreams awake Golden twilight glints aching silence Black-star sapphires lingering diadem crowns Tapes unravel remote life replays What Language Silence? Displaced roots belonging lost forever Branchless treetops stunted limbs axed Falling serrate leaves plummet earthward Embedded smears streaking porous soil Feathered nest torched in spite Forced evacuation dumbly stranded flock Migratory songbirds return to sender Address unknown homing instinct clipped Heavenly retreat cagey sunlight barred Starling eggs billowy magical wisps Empty picked clean pockets muffled Rattling deep-set guilty echoes stillborn Willful tug upstream spawn crosscurrent Fierce snapping turtle stepping stones Starfish breathing through hidden gills Radially symmetrical bubble farts let Crowned Drama Queens Against life goes on backdrop Masquerade reflected in unsuspecting mirrors Lips pursed behind sanguine smiles Sworn oaths concealed passion coverup Second act understudy curtain raised Off-book script abandoned pages aflutter Snuffled dusty corners turned back Break-a-leg superstitious ghosts haunting memory Improvised final act forgettable epilogue Deserted prompter wings missing cues Coarse textured costume interwoven patterns Makeup removed unrecognizable virtual self

Gladys’s Ovaries Not round or square maybe slightly dented They are out of place, removed during summerís heat She sits by her window looking at the children play; None are her own She daydreams of breast feedings while she sits near her window She memorizes their faces Her ovaries are lost Somewhere in a jar? Somewhere in a box? No cocoon to look forward to, no womb to caress Her ovaries are in a tin, in a drawer, in her brain, tucked away deep in her thoughts.