Showing posts with label autumnwind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label autumnwind. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Sunday Features – Winds of Emotional Imbalance – 20/03/2011

With a new season upon the horizon, the winds of promise usher in a dissonance of emotional imbalance. The atmosphere shifts while the earth quivers in anticipation of what’s been planted within her womb. Each fragmented seed a part of the whole to be reconciled with the beating of one united heart.

Now what if in her broken numbness and wounded state she’s simply not ready to emerge into this new season?
Solace by © Unbeknown
She knows one thing, though: the sweet scent of ancient days still lingers in the air.

Sacred Romance [Stay] by © Beautifuldreamer

Sweet Ancient of Days,
Come to me wearing any disguise:
thorny rose
soft-footed snow
mournful wind
or rain tippity-tapping my window pane.

Romance me, though all around me prove false
though mountains shake
and the hills be removed—-romance me then, or not at all.

I will learn to love the snow because of you
learn to pick out the disparate notes of your serenaded love in melancholy music,
in the fresh smell of cotton dresses steam ironed
in the remembrance of my father’s laughter ( though now its merry swirl is lost to me.)

Wear wood smoke as your cologne
and autumn’s vulgarity of colors as bold contrast to my drab little self.
Like a blind woman whose fingertips have grown accustomed to Braille,
to the unique texture of things, I will caress the barks of trees
the familiar landscape of knee scabs;

will tremble with desire
to be the warp and woof of your weaver’s loom,
my self woven (bones, hair and all) into a gorgeous tapestry,
another kind of tapestry than what I dreamed I could be.

Ancient of Days,

my dreams are too big for me;
my child’s hands fumble them clumsily
even as I blink back tears at my ineptness, my lack of grace.

I turn at the slightest rustling sound
my ears keen for your approach.
Oh! I love you so,
I betroth myself to you
to your light in my baby brother’s eyes,
and to the sound of your lullaby meant just for me
in the sighing of falling embers
and in sun drenched streets I dare not explore without you.

Sweet Ancient of Days:
tarry with me one more hour
linger near while mother frowns over the stove
and the step-dad smirks at my stupidity;
stay lest my soul wither away
and I lose myself for want of you.
Stay.

So she balances upon the threshold of the shadows of yesterday’s scars and the hope of what can be found
in the day’s new illumination. Can her feet take her where her heart must travel?


I by © rubyjo
I by © rubyjo

Once spirit and soul realign, the displaced friends will embrace once again.

Witch Switch by © RC deWinter

And when I finally knew that
I would never have another lover
I looked inside and embraced my shadow,
holding it, cherishing the power hidden in
its murky depths.

And when I finally knew that
I could change the landscape of my life
I stood, with steady feet on that stone sill
and looked with witch’s eyes across the plain
and, grasping broom, flew.

She cleaves to life and death as if they are one. Does she know something no one else knows?


Life and Death Entwined by © Alenka Co

Will she emerge from a season’s slumber only to fashion herself into a multi-dimensional mask of hiding?


The Mask by © SimplyRed

she wears a mask
layer upon layer
of porcelain veneer
a crumbling fragility
with magnolia coloured
tear drops….

spread thinly with smiles
for they expect it…
dull flickering flame
flambouyant red hues
blinded but sees…
a half grin
expected…always

she wears a mask
of fool them all
only flesh of heart
remains true to self
painted on smile
of ruby red

quietly weeping
scented jasmine tears
creeping softly into dawn
blown away on a breeze
not visible at daybreak

she wears it well
a perfect fit
of velvet glove
each digit enveloped
a perfect print is she
transparent to none

falling on ears of fragility
listening ,
dancing a merry tune
as birds chirp freely
on branches of freedom
she wishes for wings
elusive….

putty hands
soft and supple
form no solace
grasping eternally
for life’s love

Or out of the miry clay will the shards of last season’s fragments begin to reform her in all of her splendour, and pepper the earth with the flavour of new birth?

Elementar Particles by © Marlies Odehnal

Now upon the canvas of this new season, what treasures can be found hidden within the spaces in between?

The space in between by © wildwomenlove

As charcoal dust
gets up my nose
I sneeze

I’m looking out
upon the montage
dressed before me

My left hand jitters
in it’s new role
as capturing scribe

It’s not the objects
that you see
it’s the spaces in between…


Light and shadow
SHAPES and juxtapositions
line and form

Life’s like that isn’t it?
What we are truly looking for
are the spaces in between

Those diamond moments
connecting us with the who
of what we are and what we do

Making meaning
of the little things
in our everyday existence

So I draw with gusto
without a care in the world
and it’s difficult to recognize what it is

It’s not the destination
that counts
but the journey

as I courageously attempt
to scale the mountain of inanimate objects
pyramided within my view

I look to find life in those spaces
the diamonds of moments
of life and living

that morph in
and out
of my sensual frame

When I shut my eyes
I draw from my heart, which beats
in the spaces in between

The charcoal dust
gets up my nose
and I see…

And when the laurels bud, Daphne’s prayers can bloom, whose sweet nectar will float into the heavens.

Daphne by © Janelle McKain

Perhaps it was all just a manifestation of those vanilla scented dreams that illuminated the way to the waters of absolution.


in dreams by © autumnwind

reflections of deep greens and blues
danced like Northern Lights
floating suspended in the air
in ritualistic manifestation
…I dreamt about tealights last night

I tasted the scent of vanilla
and thought of white spirit roses
as I undressed and tested the waters
of absolution

immersed in baptismal velvet
my breath held as I saw your face
you radiated new life through me
in billowing raptures

your soul went through me

eons slipped by as stories were told
red moons and black suns
flickered before my eyes

millions of years went by as time ceased to exist

fading slowly, falling gently
through swirling layers of vortex
I awoke

…finding my breath
trying to hold on to enlightenment
I retain very little
but enough to know
…I dreamt about tealights last night

…and you…

Regardless, in technicolor full bloom, she’s freed from yesterday’s captivity.


And now that she has been set free, what rhythm will infuse her passions to flow as freely?


thread by © Cynthia Lund Torroll

Like a drum beat
it begins -
a slow
and steady drilling.

One sentence
pulled from thousands
starts
to pound away…

You left without saying goodbye.
You left without saying goodbye.

Some would say
it’s just bad manners.
I might scold,
I hurt myself,

I don’t know,
but I don’t like it,
it’s hard enough
to Be Here Now.

But there is
always
another story
that soon will surface
if I’m still

While what is seen
as impoliteness
might simply be
an empty well.

Friday, 26 November 2010

Featured Artist November 2010: Autumnwind

To celebrate my new status as a host of Pink Panther I was asked to choose the next featured artist. Without a moment's thought I knew who I wanted to bestow this honour on and my co-hosts couldn't agree more with my choice.

I am so proud to present to you Autumnwind, one of the most profound and inspirational writers on Redbubble. Not only are her poems dear to me on a personal level, they are also thoughtful and very well writtten. Her writing touches on often scary topics and describes them in a personal, touching way that is exclusively Autumnwind's way of approaching them and sharing them with us.

Her poems made such an impression on me that I illustrated several of them, but more than that her poetry (and that of a few others here on Redbubble) encouraged me to pick up the pen again (after many years of denying myself) and to write my own poetry. For that I will forever be grateful to her.

Not that she understands all the fuss and when I told her that I chose her to be the next featured artist, she was over the moon and asked me if I was sure. :-) I have no doubt you'll all agree that her poems are fantastic and that she well deserves this honour.

Without further ado, here are a few of the poems I love best.

deep breath by ©autumnwind


do you know what its like
to live dead

to wake up each day
to not get out of bed

to stumble to the bathroom
pass the mirror from hell

and not recognize
where a human once dwelled

do you know how many women
are trapped

whose life force is
violently zapped

fear is a paralysis
immobilizing the heart

suffocating the soul
ripping
hope
apart

but wait…

put on that painted face
and the smile of a clown
the lie upside down
where
reality drowns

please your abuser
the cowardly loser

take a few pills
wash it down with a wish
for an hour of escape
or forever bliss
to the beautiful sea
or the clouds up above…

love?

fairy tales for some
scary tales become

lies to yourself
are the worst lies
of all

is it better to take chance
of the bite of a snake
or to know how he slithers
watching you quake

will you survive living dead
in shadow and dread?

NO

It is not just for you
to me there’s no choice

I am thinking of HER
your pure unborn voice

GET OUT NOW
please, I implore

you know the truth
this is warning not blame

real love does not hurt
nor does it bear any shame
 phoenix by ©autumnwind

for those of you
who feel
who know
they have learned
to bend with the wind
suddenly find
but once again
nothing is certain
and all things change

all knowledge
truly is
akin to the wind itself
…as there you lie
broken in two
disappointed
shocked
by the ferocious gusts
of
disillusionment
and hurt

I say
mend yourself
find new roots
grow stronger
though you feel
only half your former size
stand tall
and you will rise
day by day

let
tears and sun
nourish your spirit
rebuild your foundation

when their winds howl
and spit acid rain
burning holes
deep within the heart of you

remember
your scars
have made you stronger
and those breaking wounds
have made your soul
more limber

when you are fooled
yet once again
by the self indulgence of others
the sly mirage that tempts you
remember..

in truth we are alone
we must believe
in ourselves
and rise
to the glorious life
of our own giving spirit

ascend and consent
to the clouds
take shelter from the storms
shine and give forth
the warmth of a thousand suns

and most of all
when shadows fall
upon you
and breath is fierce and foul
remember what’s inside you
hold on tight
and ride
find you…
become the wind

doubt by ©autumnwind


a seed
desperate to grow
no space
and the pain is
restless
harrowing
angry

I can fly
like I swim
legs kicking
hands and arms together
dividing
the water/air

I take off
I am happy
realizing my abilities

back to reality
before sleep
I feel this seed
ever expanding
I am trapped

we all are

why are we nothing
without our dreams
when we cannot live them

I want to be free
yet
who is really free
while caught
in the in-between

it is a paradox

I reside
in bits and pieces
within moments
memory dots of happiness
dreams that are no longer in reach

were they ever

a key perhaps
constantly dangling
always just out of reach

slipping further away
have I even forgotten
the face of my mother?

I understand my choices
I devoutly cherish the gifts
I own

what then
is this more
that I need
so desperately

how many times
do I need
to lose my way
before I am truly found
(deja vu)

I hurt so deeply
an ache so profound

losing momentum now

these anchors
upon my shoulders
a weight
I can no longer bear

so…

I’ve been wondering
have I already
been the butterfly?

perhaps then

I

should

stop

trying

to

fly

breakdown by ©autumnwind

my dreams of late
are but whispers of dark madness
sparkling demons kiss my name in the howling wind

the resonating shriek razor thin
pierces deep the lines of cerebral logic

awake is only temporary coherence
fear dangles it’s ice picks above
poised to plummet and shatter
my fleeting grasp on reality

I am an optical scream perceived
distortion of violent overbearing colors
reverberate their haunting torment
weighing me down

a desperate prisoner…help me.


It's difficult to share just a few as I seem to feel each and every one. Please feel free to share your favourites in the comment section and congratulate Shar on her well deserved honour.

Huge congrats from all of us,

Sybille, Anna & VenusOak 

Wednesday, 17 November 2010

Poetry Features 17/11 2010


In the shiny house that is my family
I have been
The spare room receptacle,
of the superfluous and chaotic.

In the healthy body that is my family
I have been
The liver, enlarged and diseased,
distiller of the toxic.

In the band of miners that is my family
I have been;
The caged canary sent in solo,
singing silent in the darkness.

In the small regiment that is my family
I have been
The loyal foot soldier with bayonet,
bludgeoned out of the trenches and over the top.

In the flock of geese that is my family
I have been
Forever flying last in formation,
tending to the fallen.

But today in the bright epiphany of morning
I am
the creator tenderly joining
each precious jigsaw piece of past,
and seeing for the first time how
each piece of who
I have been
is essential to my Zeitgeist
part of who
I am

© Valentina63 2009

See the woman.

See the face behind its age.
See the beauty of her form.
See the way her way becomes her.
See past her once taught skin, as it was
when it enflamed many a man.

See the way she holds her head;
the tilt of her neck, the ease
of her being.
See the strength that binds her jaw,
unrelenting in its flex.

See her hurt displayed as shadows
falling like night upon the earth,
eager for rest and resolution—
retribution for the ones
she could not save.

See her darkness—see it well.
See it shatter like glass glinting
when she giggles like a girl.
See her shine
as the shades of dark days rise.

See the years that grace her eyes,
like rays of her own drawn sun
exponentially shining forth.
See forgiveness in her patient hands
as they weave memories with a touch.

See the breadth of her breasts, unapologetic
for they have quenched her children’s hunger,
soothed their frantic cries,
and became the safe haven for her beloved
on his rough seas of broken days.

See her empty, scarred abdomen—
round and perfect in its imperfections,
once holding the essence of all things,
carrying creation within:

see the divine home of God.

See the innocent baby,
the impetuous youth,
the voluptuous woman,
the devoted wife,
the selfless mother.

See the wisdom of the grandmother—
the epitome of every moment lived
for someone else and at last
for her:
the realization of the circle.

Hear the acceptance in her sigh.

See the gifts she has given—
see the woman!
See the goddess!
The beginning and The End!
See the infinite that bares the name,
Woman!

See her for all that she is and isn’t.
Smell her scent and know you are home.
Taste the strength of her words on your tongue.
Hear her experiences like your own.

To touch her being is to touch perpetuity.

See her face in your mirror.
See the tears that fall proudly
upon the woman you’ve become,
and hope yet to become in time—
or the tears that fall upon the heart
who loves or has loved such
a woman, honoring her still with
your love.

When you have lived
through all that has been set before you;
when you enter that perfect union, and
timeless ancestry;

when you become,
when you come full circle

you will see yourself in all things,
and your journey
will see you

home.

© Kristin Reynolds 2008

violent invasion
humiliation
degradation
showering burning the skin
forcing each drop to seep in
to every molecule of the body
the soul cleaning
absolving
extracting the foul unfair nefarious dark intruder
of dreams
screams
into the infinite of why’s
spitting
gagging
regurgitating
eliminating that which blocks the sun

IT
cannot be undone
the barrage of pain
the thunder of anger
cannot be released
in an echo of cries
in the emptiness of when tears are done
and all seems numb

there are no answers
there is only time…

forgiveness
and healing

that never comes

© autumnwind 2010

Beyond our vision
Below the threshold
Of human perception
The Universe sings
You are 14 billion years old
Stars shine in your eyes
The fabric of the cosmos
Revealed in synaptic patterns
That expand exponentially
With each breath
One memory
One love
One life

at a time

© H.M.Bascom 2010

How it was.

You used to look at me in a way that made me feel warm inside.
Just to be around you felt like coming home.

The love in your eyes showed a soft tenderness and closeness to me,
it reflected the love we shared… which was so deep, pure, and true…
Your smile displayed an enormous relief for my company,
and yet you were just innocently happy…

Occassionally, I remember, you would be so overcome with joy in my company, emotions would bubble up from deep inside your self, and you would cry with happiness and joy…

I felt the same inside.
Although I could not show it as you did… I did…
Daily, I would experience the most beautiful feelings and emotions…
Constantly feeling a higher love and much deeper affection than I had felt before…

Now it is different.
Time has led you to grow weary of me.
You want me to be more like you, less like me.
When we fight, it is like hell.
When we don’t, we do not talk.

I am too much myself to change for another.
I still love you…

This is the end.

© sunrisegirl 2010

We went to see
Rocky Horror at midnight,
three women past our primes
convinced we were still

Oh.
So.
Cool.

But those
Damned Kids wouldn’t keep it down,
running amok in the aisles, acting out
scenes they didn’t know all the lines to.
A half-assed job of revelry—

We did it right in my day.

Boys in lingerie borrowed from grandma
forced us to do the “Time Warp.”

Again.

We glared, we hissed,
No means no!
as their insistent hands pried us
from our cozy seats,
one by one.

Was this ever fun?

A cowboy caricature
with pencilled-in sideburns
and a star around his eye
bummed a cigarette,
slobbered on our hands,
and called us each

“Ma’am.”

We are getting too old for this.
Mason, Rocky Horror at Midnight 2

Later I found the rice we brought
to throw at the wedding
in the movie
forgotten in the bottom of my purse.

How had we had missed that scene?

© Margaret Bryant