Bobette Bryan's Poetry
I created this section so that I could post my "other" poetry, whatever I wish to express at the time. These poems probably aren't greeting card material, but I will consider making cards from my poetry in this section if requested. Please respect my copyright. All of my work is registered with the U.S. Copyright office. If you post any of these poems anywhere online, be sure to include my name, copyright notice, and a link back to this website. Please do not post any of my poems on a greeting card site, Flash, or slideshow presentation site, except for BobetteBryan.com, and do not use them for a commercial site for financial gain. I reserve all rights to my work!
The Secret to Success
Everyone is looking
for the secret to success,
because the higher the climb,
the rougher the journey gets,
and the more one wants,
the more one will have to work,
and the greater the task,
the greater the pressure,
and the more one hopes to accomplish
the more one must endure.
So what then is the secret to success?
The secret is…
there isn’t one.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Goodbye
It's 4 A.M.,
and I can't sleep.
I can't stop thinking
about what's ahead.
I've decided to let you go,
because I'm weary
of carrying you around.
And because I realize now
that it was over long ago.
I think I'm going
to make it now,
because I've decided
to make my life
my own again.
And so, this is
the last poem
that I'll write
for you.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Dying
I came too late
and you gave too little.
And now, what I feel for you
is slipping away,
giving out like rotted wood,
dying the way people die,
dying like cut roses
dying the way childhood wonder dies,
dying like rain
dying the way the wind
stops blowing.
And we all know that
when something is dead
we can never bring it
back to life.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
The Devil
Now that you've tasted blood,
are you satisfied?
Is that how it works?
I'm tired of this,
tired of thinking about it,
tired of closing my eyes
and seeing your shadow.
You think I left you,
but you left way before I did.
And when you did,
you took everything from me
and tossed me in a cage
full of tigers.
And yet, that wasn't enough.
You still wanted blood.
I understand now that
what we were
will never be again.
I don't care anymore.
The tigers can have me,
and the Devil can have you.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
You
You are to me what a moon
and star has always meant
and the light that the sun
will always bring.
And whatever song the
angels sing
is you.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Sticks and Stones
Sticks and stones
may break the bones,
and harsh words
may never depart,
but worse than these
is being ignored;
for silence
breaks the heart.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Whatever You Think
You broke my heart,
but I've gotten past it.
So whatever you think,
don't think
I'm missing you.
I awaken and praise the sun.
I see beauty in everything--
in hills and stones and trees,
in laughter and familiar faces.
And my dreams leap far
beyond the boundaries of
your small world.
So whatever you think,
don't think I'm crying about you.
I can read a book,
write a poem,
bake some bread,
sweep the floor,
and listen to music,
and not think about you once.
My heart has grown
as strong as a rock.
Life is wonderful.
I'm wonderful.
And whatever you think,
don't think
I'm wasting a single second
fretting over you.
You never enter my mind,
not even when
the days are darkest,
not even when
the nights are longest.
You're completely
out of the picture,
written out of
the book of my life,
out of my mind,
heart, and soul forever.
I never think about you...
well, that is...
I rarely think about you.
Okay, I admit it,
I think about you
endlessly...
no matter where I am,
no matter what I'm doing.
So whatever you think...
don't believe
this poem.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Ice
Let's don't be like
the autumn trees
who kiss then throw
away their leaves;
for such cold hearts
shall pay the price
when passion's fire
turns into ice.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
These Fields
I know these fields.
I built them
with my hands.
I will gather
the oxen and
lead them to
the barn.
I will plow
the earth.
I will get down
on my knees
and break the ground.
I'll plant seeds
that will
grow and prosper;
for spring has called
to my heart
as God said it would
and so I'll
turn the soil,
turn the earth,
and try to
turn the rain
into a rainbow.
With a plow,
with a shovel,
I'll work
this field,
and try to turn back
the tears
you've brought me.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Twilight Dreamer
I dream of your touch,
see us naked with your
hands and lips all over me.
I've never wanted
someone so much.
You're all I desire,
all I can see.
And sometimes this yearning
is hard to restrain,
and living without you
marks the hours with pain.
And yet I dream on
as twilight dreamers do,
as if the stars can spin magic
and make these dreams come true,
because all I've ever wanted,
I've found in you.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Lovers
I wrote you sonnets
and little songs to sing
about fluttering breasts,
and nightingales,
and Cupid's arrow in a sling.
And there's still so much
that my heart yearns to say,
but the words get lost
beneath the stones
along the way.
Now I'm too weary
to take up wings,
and I lack the passion
to conjure a bird
who sweetly sings,
but my heart is still true
and my vision remains clear:
I still love you,
and want you,
and need you here.
My words may falter
or be far off the mark,
with no roses, or stars
or wandering larks,
but I still see two lovers
embracing in the dark.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Want Ad
Poet seeking new moons,
stars to steer dreams by,
new meanings for old words,
new rhymes for old reasons,
a quiet place to explore dreams,
passion to ignite the heart,
a wick for the light in the soul,
light to dissolve the shadows,
shadows to creep back into the light,
a pen to dance with,
and love to dance for.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Heaven and Hell
I thought we were done,
and yet we may still be
for faith deigned to bring
you closer to me.
It all seems too great
for the heart to conceive
and way too fantastic
for the mind to believe.
I'm only sure of two things
and these my heart knows well:
you brought me heaven
but just as much hell.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
An Endless Night
The sun never came out today,
not for a second.
And as I strode through
the paths of my life,
I found myself on the backstreets
where I mourned us.
There, beneath unyielding rain,
I felt the gnaw in my heart
at all of our mistakes.
If the sky could lift the darkness
from the stones we've laid,
it would erase the
words I should never have said
and the words I should never
have heard you say.
But the sun didn't come,
and this is the kind of day
that makes for an endless night.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
If
You wanted to
but I wouldn't.
I wanted to,
but you couldn't.
We thought about it,
but knew we shouldn't.
We almost did it,
but didn't.
And though we might have
we still haven't.
Now we can only ponder
what we would be
if we would have.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Heart of Glass
I thought my heart was strong
made of sturdy oak,
but it was made of glass,
and it fell and broke.
I thought it would endure
until the very end,
but you didn't love me.
You weren't even a friend.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Madness
Somehow, I awoke
and followed you
into a dream
and my whole
existence vanished
into yours.
I became a
flower in your garden,
my upturned petals
searching your sky for light.
Yet I've not found
the sun,
only the shimmering streams
cast down
from a haunting moon.
And we all know
the moon wears
a deceptive smile.
We all know
he's incomparably mad.
But the truth is,
I like madness.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
A Valentine's Day Gift
I give you no red roses
or chocolate hearts.
I give you no satin
or elegant lace.
I give you no love letter
or cute, singing card.
I give you no candy
wrapped in red cellophane.
I give you something
to reflect light
like the stars
until it blinds you.
I give you a promise
that will stay on my lips.
I give you a fiery moon
to ignite the embers
of your soul.
I give you a fierce passion
that's possessive
and all-consuming;
its fire will cling to you
and you will never
be able to shake it.
I'm trying to be truthful.
I give you myself.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Full Circle
You remain as evasive
as the clouds racing
across the blue.
I'm tired of your games
and the way you
feign indifference.
You take a toll on my world
and become a winter wind
on the breath of spring.
Though I knew better,
I threw out a line to you,
only to find myself
standing in a circle
of scattered leaves.
Some say this circle
portends death,
at the very least,
a coming storm.
I'm not worried,
because whatever
you decide,
I'll still have me,
and I'm something
worth having,
and we both know it.
So be careful
how you proceed,
for you tread
on fine paper,
and if you
keep traveling the
route you're on,
you must
make sure
that you're
absolutely done
with me,
because I'm so close
to being
absolutely done
with you.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
A Purple Plaid Shirt
I'm beginning to think
this was a terrible idea
much like buying that
purple, plaid shirt
I found on a clearance sale,
taking it home,
hanging it in the closet,
forgetting it for a while,
and then taking it out
a few years later
and asking myself:
"What the hell was I thinking?"
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Old Friends
So many old faces
in my life,
old friends
I hadn't heard
from in years,
many I only
hear from
occasionally--
calling,
dropping me a line,
or knocking
on the door.
I wondered at
the strangeness of it.
And then as
surely and suddenly
as the sun
spreading over
the hills at dawn,
realization
came to me.
They must each
think my latest
and truest
love poems
are about them.
I tossed myself
on the bed,
put my arms
around myself,
and held on tight.
I had to batten
myself down
the way a
sailor battens
down the hatches
before rough weather.
And then I
laughed,
and laughed,
and laughed.
and laughed.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Confused
I'm confused.
I can't step outside
of this fog,
and if I could
I'd only find
gray clouds.
I can't see
the landscape.
I can't read
the road signs.
But I sense danger.
And I know
the way is full
of branches and stones.
Each time
I try to move,
I stumble over
the clutter in my heart.
I don't even know
where I am
or how I got here.
I'm lost.
The only thing
I'm sure of
is that
you'd like to
claim me
for you
for all time,
while I'm
merely trying
to find my way home.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Islands
Somehow between
life and dreams,
we drifted
and became
separate islands.
The death of
a close friend,
reminded me
that life is
cold,
short,
and mean.
And maybe
I should have
stayed in touch
with you
like I'd intended to.
I'm sorry.
I'm now requesting
that we try anew,
because I
don't think
what we had
is gone.
And I've learned
the hard way
that there's just
no substitute for you.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
A Little Thing
"It's such a little thing," they say.
"Just take it all in stride."
And yet its by such things as these
that poets lived and died.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Never Adrift
Come to me tonight
in search of an ocean
to ply on your journey
through life.
Find the sun buried
in my soul,
in my eyes,
a star to guide you.
In you,
I'll seek sails
to navigate the winds,
for a boat to carry
my dreams,
and a mooring,
so that I'll never
find my heart adrift.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Broken Promises
Such a solemn thing it was,
I became a bride to be,
but his promise of commitment
remains a mystery;
for all his shining vows were tossed
like pebbles in the sea.
I suppose this is his meaning
of sweet eternity.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
To Psyche
What kind of
courtship is this?
We had a date.
We were to meet
in the star-swept orchard,
in all its secretive sweetness.
I thought you
were waiting
for that moment,
watching.
But you failed
to meet me there.
I waited,
and waited,
and waited.
but you
didn't appear.
Were you afraid
to go through
with this?
Were you busy?
Were you lacking
in passion?
Or were you simply
lagging far behind?
Maybe all along,
you were only flirting.
I was there.
I was ready.
I had the shape
of a lover's star
in my hand.
But I couldn't
feel its heat,
because you
didn't come
with a heart
to set it on fire.
So nothing happened.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Luminous
With fortitude
she greets
another day.
In solitude,
She is no less
determined
to see
this thing through
and do what
she was born
to do.
She holds an
old blind dream
that isn't
even hers
but came to her
in a soft wind
that left
with rain.
Love is the gate
through which
her dream
keeps spinning
and she can't
see herself
apart from it.
And so she remains
luminous,
only faintly aware
of the stones
packed against
her heart.
She is part of
the worlds
she creates.
They are born
to her like children.
And they are tied
to her with
an unbreakable string
that won't vanish
in this world,
and maybe,
not even,
in the next.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Forever
I think of you
as the clouds
sail through
the infinite blue.
I'm thankful
for the gifts
of this world,
the shimmer
on the crest
of the waves,
the sparkle
of sun-drenched dew
on the rose petals,
the way the birds
lift their heads
and sing to
each dawn,
for the winds
that move me
and carry
my spirit
to new places.
I'm thankful
for it all
and for the
forever
of it all.
And I'm
thankful for you
and for
my forever
that passes
through yours.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Star of Hope
I wanted
the past to go away.
I wanted
to leave it
and alight on another shore.
I wanted
to escape,
for my life to close
and then reopen
like a morning glory
opening its petals
to a new sun.
I wanted
what I am
to take wing,
to become a song,
to glide gracefully
into spring,
to become water
rolling over rocks.
I wanted
to dive into the pool
beneath the waterfall
of the sun
that held the work
of my life.
I wanted
to embrace who
I am.
I wanted
to catch the
shining star of hope
and discover who
I yet could be.
I wanted
to feel alive again,
if only for a little while.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
They Must Go
They must go
before I will come,
completely gone,
not a trace remaining,
not the tiniest speck,
not just hidden
behind a steel door.
They must go
or I will
never come
and we will both
be lost forever.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
The Way
God, give my heart rest;
fortify me against the assault
that has been waged upon it.
Let the sun play upon my spirit
and fill my hunger with hope.
Instill a calm where waters are rough.
Inspire beauty like the hands of love.
Let cathedrals rise in my soul
and light the way that I must go.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
I Rue You
I rue you.
I do.
And I'm sorry
to you
and to God
that I feel
this way.
But you must
understand
that you're
trespassing
on my dream
and trying
to shake the
shine from
my star,
and in doing so,
you threaten
my existence.
But though
I rue you,
I feel sorry
for you too,
because you're
being used
and you're
being lied to,
and you're
being fed
the false hope
that a new moon
can climb
into my sky
and glow as brightly.
And someday
you'll fall hard
to earth,
because you
don't have
my shine
and never will.
But your eyes
are so full
of stars
that the
light blinds you.
Shield them
and look sharp;
and you will see
that I've been
wounded too.
And, even now,
as my dream
spins around
a wild moon,
my world careens
madly on its axis.
And it's hard to say,
where it all will land.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
How to Be A Poet
Lay the secrets of your heart and soul
open for the whole world to see;
Listen to the wind, to chatter in the crowd,
to raindrops, to the flapping of a butterfly's wings;
Examine stars, moons, clouds, weather,
flowers and people, and take note of
how they're alike and different;
See the beauty in everything
and the ugliness in everything;
Speak to the dead. Carry many
noisy ghosts in your pockets;
Stare at the blank page
until your brain goes numb;
Become a brown recluse and spin a web,
ensnaring all who pass by;
Eat betrayal and live in the belly of a dream;
Build a grand castle and then watch, helplessly,
as it's destroyed by others;
Clean the house. Go through drawers, chests,
closets, and attics in search of yourself;
Touch everything and let yourself
be touched by everything;
Tie your loved ones to a stake
and expose them to the elements;
Loosen the words that get stuck
between your teeth;
And above all, lie.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
A New Season
I'm turning into myself,
coming into my own,
becoming me again.
At last.
Turning out
the tiger
in the steel cage,
turning out the wind
that lashed at
my dreams,
turning on the
brightest star,
in a season that
belongs to me.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
In Defense
If thou hast forsaken my heart for fault,
Allow me to remedy that offense.
Against all reason, let thy malice halt
And allow forbearance in just defense.
And be not quick to judge or think me ill
Or set upon my cause to belittle;
For to smite my heart against my goodwill
Is to bar all possible acquittal.
And in final parting, let cease thy tongue
Even should no kindness in thy heart dwell.
Of what hast passed let us tally no wrong;
But of the sunny days let us pray tell.
And render silent all griefs to debate.
I, for one, shall not set my heart to hate.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Roosting
It's your soul
that whispers my name,
you who live in my breast,
roosting quietly,
but not gently,
residing where my
heart is purest,
humming a beat
I hear all day.
You stretch your wings
inside me
until you
carry me away.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
A Dream
They ask
why I'm taking so long
to decide which
road to travel.
They push and prod me
in the "right" direction.
But when I sleep,
I keep you tucked
in my heart,
and when I awaken,
you remain
my soul's reveille.
Though I carry a dream,
I believe it's
large enough
to contain you.
Besides how could
I take a step
away from you
when you're always
one step in front of me?
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Some Kind of Passion
When you come to me,
don't trot.
Gallop.
I don't want you to
come to me gently
or softly.
I want to
hear the thunder
of your soul.
I want your might
to shake me
until my soul
trembles.
Let your heart
burn and rage
against my flame.
Be a tempest
that roars
into my sky.
For though sunshine
is nice,
it doesn't yield,
by half,
as much passion as thunder.
And soft feathers
may stir me,
but they won't
move me.
So be a savage wind,
furious enough
to break
through these
walls I've built
and bring them
to the ground.
Only then
will I know
that your heart
feels enough for me
to care
and still beats
with some kind
of passion
that calls
my name.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Over You
I'm a cloud
floating over you,
wings heavy with starry dreams.
I threaten rain
to be sure,
but the sun still beats
over me, and I'm
still blazing.
You're a lake
far below,
icy and silver,
yet the surface is shirred
and reflects no light
back to me.
Black rocks surround you.
You breathe in their sepia snow
and chill my sky.
If only we could both
get a clear picture
of where we're going
and where we want to be.
Mountains rise from
a nest of hills,
resting on the crest
of the horizon and
blocking us
from each other's view.
I fly in low
and attempt to peek
over razor sharp edges,
but I get lost
in the grain
of surrounding clouds.
All the while, others
try to pluck me
from the sky,
certain that my wings
are golden.
Should I venture too far,
I'll be unable to turn back
and will either stick with
the course I'm on
or alter my course entirely.
Either way, it will lead me
farther away from you.
For the currents
that try to capture me
may very well
take me to a place
from which I can
never return.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
First Star
I wish the first star
would come out tonight
and shine so bright
that I could forget
the darkening sky around it.
I would throw it a kiss
that holds the dreams
I keep of you.
And I'd wish that
you'd see it too
and that it would
remind you
that there is
no other star
in your sky...
and, as a matter of fact,
there's only one moon.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
My Sleep
Long have I dreamed
of one aching moment
of your lips
against my lips.
Distant are these fires
yet they flame
again and again
and nothing can
match their
heat or brilliance.
And your heart
remains the only one
I cradle in my sleep.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
For Love
'Tis for love
this poet sings
from whence all
beauty springs;
through time,
through tears,
through each season,
love remains
against all reason.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Who I Am
It must be a case
of mistaken identity.
I'm not who you wanted.
I'm not who you
thought I was.
But I've always
been me
whether you
like me or not
and if you don't
and don't want
to work things out
or think it's not
worth the struggle,
then tell me
so that I can
clearly hear
and not draw
false conclusions
of my own.
But I've not given you
or anyone
permission to
mistake my identity.
Having only one
of myself,
I intend to
keep me
and hold on to
who I am.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
I'm Not Sorry
My son said
I shouldn't write this poem.
He said: "What would people think?"
But I'm beyond caring
what people think.
And I apologize
for nothing.
I'm not sorry
for who I am,
for what I've done,
for what I've not done,
for what I've said,
for what I haven't said,
for what I've dreamed,
for what I've written
for what I've published.
And I don't apologize
for what I like,
for what I dislike,
for how I look,
for how I live,
for what I think,
for what I believe,
for who I love
for who I don't love.
And I don't care,
if someone
doesn't like it:
I never tried
to meet any standard
but my own.
And I don't
ask for forgiveness,
for permission,
for acceptance,
for approval,
or to fulfill anyone's
expectations of me.
And most of all,
I'm not sorry
for writing this poem.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
A Prayer
May we journey through life
without shame for who we are;
May we peel back every wintery
layer and find our inmost sun;
May we cast off our regrets
with the ease that we cast off our clothes;
May we break free of the silk chrysalis
and endeavor to use our wings;
May we always knit a path back to the heart
as life unravels;
May we settle into our own tides
and delight in the star's calling;
May our grand gestures always
be accompanied by generosity;
May the silver fingers of the moon
call newborn dreams to nourish our souls;
May we pause to examine and applause
each season of our lives;
May we bask generously in God's light
and ever hold a ray in our hearts;
May love always be the music of our souls.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
Wannabe Angels
I've heard the beating wings
of many wannabe angels;
how they make a reckless hum,
their arms flinging,
unpoised and unpolished.
The landscapes they draw are way too flat.
Their gossamer lacks luster
down to the thread bare fibers,
for the only light it breathes is mundane.
They don't conform where they should,
and do conform where they shouldn't.
They aren't crazy enough to feel
the full scale of the human heart.
Even if they could, they're incapable
of drumming a flyable rhythm
that could carry a heart by the drawstrings.
Their feeble attempts only stir feathers
that kicks up dust and leaves a murky haze.
And so they'll swim in the gray shadows
until they mercifully drown.
© 2010 Bobette Bryan
If Not You
A Twisted Love Poem
I've killed our future together,
hacked off each little head
that sought me with pleading eyes.
I've destroyed many good things,
but they stubbornly cling to me.
The little sparks of hope
have crawled back into
their lonely graves
to mingle with my other
errors of the past.
But only this mistake
bears torrential tears.
Still, I loved you then,
and I love you now.
And I've loved you many
other times
through the years.
I've been trying to drown it,
stab it,
bury it,
hack it with a red-hot tongue
or a poised pen,
but wherever I look,
I see some kind of fire
that belongs to you,
blazing along my
weathered tombs
and sunning up the waves
that strike my shore.
And all that I feel for you
remains bitterly glowing.
It jerks with painful spasms
that will not sleep.
I am helpless and hungry.
My heart needs rest.
My body needs comfort.
But there is no one
to shelter me
if not you.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
My Nine-month Old Doberman Puppy
He loves me so much
that he wants to consume me.
Some part of me
is always
in his mouth.
He nibbles my fingers.
He sucks my toes.
His teeth pry at
my bones.
His tongue laps across
my bare midriff
as if he could suck
the soul from
between my ribs.
He winds his cold nose
through my hair
and even licks my scalp,
finding certain bliss there.
He hops up on the bed
when I'm trying to sleep
and drills my ears
with his tongue,
searching for some
part of me
that he hopes to keep.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
It's Over
I thought a reconciliation was possible,
but now I clearly see it's not.
I opened my heart to you again
and betrayal was all I got.
I thought we had something great,
something worth fighting for,
but you've shown me that you
don't care about our dream anymore.
Now my hope in you is gone
and this dream is shattered,
because I realize that all we were
never really mattered.
For my eyes are open wide,
and I can plainly see
that you don't care about
what we yet could be.
I thought I could forgive you,
thought we could move on,
but I finally realize that
what we had is gone.
Today you inspire tears,
but this storm will soon be done,
and tomorrow promises a new world
where there's a brighter sun.
You'll remain in my mind,
as lost as a ghost,
scattering your energy on worthless things
instead of what matters the most.
Wherever I go, I'll carry
the weight of your memory,
and it will always make me sad
that you were too blind to see
the great thing you had.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Ice
Sometimes, I'm cold,
you say,
but ice can be
a good thing
for dampening fire
when it rages
out of contol.
Besides, had you
rubbed me the
right way,
I might have
cooled your passion.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
A Candle
You struck up a flame
and lit a candle
in my heart.
I've not learned
an acceptable way
to say, "I like you"
without coming on
too strong
or giving the
wrong impression.
And sometimes I see
things that aren't there
or think that bad people
are good.
Still, I will dare
to tell you,
"I like you."
I don't know why,
but you intrigue me.
Of course, I know
that flames
don't flicker forever
and candles are
made to be burned.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Dark Is Death
Oh, death's forceful scythe did certain deface
The fair moon and all of its sweet sung tides
To clip love's mortal tie and perfect grace
Whence somewhere on high the brightest star died.
Time shall neither breed another one thus,
Nor bear comparable joy for loan
The fairest dreams spun nevermore for us
But for barren fields that death alone owns.
Ten deaths I'd tender to be where thou art.
Ten thousand swift tears refigured in thee.
Not the halest sun can make clouds depart
When divested of love's posterity.
Ah, dark is death; little may his heart care.
With grim conquest met, no grief be his heir.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Holiday Shopping List
Bing Cherries,
Cookies,
Cranberries,
Turkey,
Potatoes,
Pine Tree,
Trim,
A gift for her,
A gift for him,
Tape,
Arsenic,
Grapes,
Ground Sage,
Cinnamon,
A big cage,
Gift bags,
Decorations,
Gags,
Soap,
Yams,
Rope,
Lemonade,
wrapping paper,
A large blade,
Bells,
Pumpkin,
Shotgun Shells;
If her cooking
doesn't do it,
a bullet will.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Spirits of Borrowed Fame
Even now I sigh when of him I write;
Thwarted low by spirits of borrowed fame
And, in his praise, thereof; used pen in spite,
Stealing grace and glory from my good name.
The gap grows as wide as the ocean is
For his chin hangs on the stars lost dreams bear.
New moons inferior to mine are his;
And great sweeping tides shall soon be his care.
On his broad sails, bad tidings shall oft ride
While I alight hale from his worthless boat,
And retain firm bearing and goodly pride.
Spinning the fairest of webs, shall I float.
Love was my ruin; but shall not bring delay;
Nevermore shall I wile my dreams away.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Without You
The moon doesn't
shine down without you
and the stars don't speak to me.
The night is just night
unless my thoughts
are leaning into you,
prying into the most secret
part of your soul.
Surely you must
wonder why I won't
just go quietly.
You must ponder
this strange bond
between us
as much as I do.
I tried to break
free from you,
but found that
I just can't,
and so I've decided
to remain with you
and keep this madness;
knowing that God,
in His greater wisdom,
and for reasons that only
He understands,
gave us to each other;
knowing too that
without you,
I couldn't live.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Rare Orchid
I think of her
as a delicate flower,
a rare orchid,
silently bearing
the storms,
fragile yet
enduring like stone.
Her presence
was always faintly
there,
fading into
the background
like soft,
haunting music.
I bet she hates me
as I would hate
any woman
who stepped
into my light
and made me
a shadow.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
I Seek You
Every night,
I seek you
ageless sky;
I seek you
and your
silvery moonlight;
I seek you
and your
drowsy stars,
and all the
sweet dreams
wished upon them
through the
voluminous pages
of time.
And sometimes,
I can almost
hear you call
back to me:
"Poet, leave me alone!"
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Nothing Stays
Nothing stays.
All things divide.
Everything alters
or switches sides.
One by one,
we shift direction;
what we were falls away.
We're all mere leaves
upon the water,
soon to drift away.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
To Love
I gave all to love,
But reaped more disdain;
No mercy upon my pain.
The night affords me none.
Yet extremes of love or hate
Are sweeter than a lonely fate.
So bring a tempest; if it be love
With tides to drown the gentle showers;
I'll drink of ire; if it prove
I touched bliss upon the hour.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Divorce
We were never married,
though it seems like it at times;
We were never even lovers.
And yet now we're going
through a divorce,
trying to hurt each other
and fighting over the children.
Very little in my life
has hurt me more
or caused such
a storm in my heart.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Flapper Beads
You saw me strutting
down the street one sunny afternoon,
coppery hair sashaying against my hips.
I was 13, but I looked 18.
A much older woman lived
in that perfect, young body.
I wore long, shiny flapper beads,
and I felt beautiful in them.
You beckoned me to the porch, and said:
“Come here, you with all your beads and oddities,
wearing crazy things that no one else would wear.”
Your finger leapt out and traced a path
along those cold beads
and suddenly they felt hot.
Before I could say a word,
you took my arm and led me inside,
up a flight of creaky stairs to your bed.
I could barely gasp before
your body fell upon mine.
Your long blonde hair rained down upon me,
and covered me like the soft wings of an angel.
And when your lips met mine,
my whole body quaked.
No doubt, you were as beautiful
as a fairy tale prince.
Women swooned in your wake,
kissed your feet,
and then tried to kill themselves
when it was all over.
So I knew, when I met the zealousness
of your lips with my own
and relished the delicious press
of your body into mine.
And there I remained with you,
nevertheless,
until the twilight came and went,
bodies and lips embraced...
but never our souls.
And you would not attempt to go further--
not with me.
I was w...a...y off limits.
You knew that if you did,
heaven and hell would rise up around you
and pound you deep into the ground.
Ah, but I would keep your secret.
You...dear old family friend.
You...nearly a brother of mine.
You...whom I knew well.
And you, silly fool, should have known that I’d
never let you into my heart.
Unlike those who’d passed your way before,
I could never love you.
because I knew who you were,
knew you were a fairytale prince
and that your love would never be real.
Even at that young age,
I knew I needed something real and enduring.
When I got home that night,
I took off those flapper beads
and never wore them again.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
His
From the beginning,
he seemed to have a claim
on everything I owned,
right down to my name.
I became,
HIS
common ground.
I'll never understand why,
but he seemed to think that
I didn't mind
and had no choice
but to accept
his intrusion
into my life.
He claimed my right
to build,
to plan,
to dream,
to love.
Irrevocably.
Forever.
Even now,
to this day,
I have a hard time,
accepting things
that are
my place,
my person.
Mine.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
His Own Thing
The mastiffs t-r-u-d-g-e-d
across the porch toward the
stairs as if they were semi-encased
in quick-setting cement,
as is their like,
and that after several minutes
of my coaxing them to stand.
The Doberman needed no persuasion.
He zipped out to the porch,
way ahead of the crowd as always,
and seized the stairs all at once
the way dawn seizes the earth.
His descent was so graceful
that his lithe form
might have been carried
on the wings of the wind.
After the mastiffs finally plodded
their oxen-like bodies,
480 pounds worth between the two,
way, way down to the yard,
they did their business
with amazing speed and
then flopped to the ground
with a determined grunt,
as is also their like.
By all appearances,
they had their selective hearing
turned up on high
and intended to dig in
for a long, long spell.
The Doberman dashed around them,
zigzagged back and forth between them,
circled them,
and cut paths between them,
back and forth,
again and again,
at speeds exceeding 120 MPH.
Occasionally, he'd leap over them
with all the agility and elegance
of a thoroughbred race horse.
Now and then, he'd give
a few playful barks,
or nip their paws or ears,
in an attempt to stir them into action
but the mastiffs
could not be teased into play,
much less any kind of movement,
and merely eyed him with derision
in the unique way that mastiffs do,
and seemed to scoff, from time to time,
at his foolish expenditure of energy,
also in the unique way that mastiffs do.
The Doberman cared not a whit.
Moving at breakneck pace,
he continued his jaunt,
finding great joy
in his own company,
happy to do his own thing.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
A Bipolar Prayer
Help me see
the light, God.
Pluck the delusions
from my spinning head,
and my overwrought heart,
and let me see
clearly--
least I lose
myself to the
wrong side of
the road again
and never
find my way
back to me.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
You Hurt Me
It's amazing, really,
you hurt me so badly,
and yet, I still
miss hearing your voice.
Sometimes, when the phone rings,
I entertain the fantasy
that it's you calling.
I still stop and ponder
what wisdom you'd share
in countless situations
and try to second guess
what your opinion would be.
Despite everything that happened,
there is still a place
in my heart that wants
to share with you.
And there is still a part
of me that believes
we were divinely
brought together to be a team.
Sometimes I just wish
that all that passed
between us would go away
and let us be together again,
the way it was at the beginning.
If only we could have
a fresh start, only
better than it was before.
The road ahead may be
paved with possibilities,
but it seems so empty and
lonely without you.
I miss your friendship,
your guidance,
your insight,
that unique part of you
that I loved.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
A Lost Dream
I held a dream once
but it escaped my clutches
and captured me for a moment,
swept me off my feet
like love.
And then it let me fall hard.
I could do nothing but watch
as it sung above my head
and then finally rode by.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Fairest One
Oh, Fairest one, in all things excelling,
You are my sunlight; my love of all loves,
I shall seek you where Venus is dwelling,
In yonder fields under a sky of gold.
Let time's hand paint the countryside ashen.
Neither time nor tears shall ever remove
The radiant bliss of true love's passion.
I would die for your fair hand; for your love.
You are as a bright star to night's duty
As every departing season shall prove.
I will ever sing your grace and beauty.
I will live and breathe only for your love.
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
A Friend
They said you couldn't
be a friend,
and yet you brought
me the beautiful gift
of an orange,
and though you were busy,
you stopped what
you were doing
and put your coat
around my shoulders
when I was writing
in the cold,
and you sat beside me
through the long hours,
trying to calm
my many storms
and you stayed
long beyond duty
and your sweat and tears
mingled into mine
and lifted the weight
of the world around us.
Our love was a sweet love,
not the love of romance,
but higher and purer still
like that of angels.
And I can only wonder
what then is a friend
if not you?
© 2009 Bobette Bryan
Disclaimer: The poetry presented here is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, businesses, organizations, and locales or people are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Any resemblance of any of the fictional characters to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
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