Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category
June 1, 2013
—∞—
“Since 1941”
Proclaims the logo
On the paper cup
Torké Coffee Roasting Company
I sip the coffee
A train lumbering by
Filled with grain
A mournful early-morning whistle
Announced earlier
1941: my natal year
But now
A train slowly passing
Evokes a childhood memory
My maternal grandfather
A locomotive engineer
Time collapses
Looking out the window
Many years
Overflowing with joyful memories
Hopes
Dreams
Others (few, but too many)
Tinged with sadness
Disappointments
Confusion
Anxiety
Loneliness
What brings
This reflection
This day
In front of this window?
A convergence – “Since 1941” and …
A train slowly passing
© 2013 Thomas W. Cummins
Tags:family, personal, poetry
Posted in Family, Personal, Poetry | 4 Comments »
May 30, 2013
—∞—
Breathing in
Breathing out
We enter the world
Being loved
We exit being loving
A rhythm
A pulse
Time ticking
Minutes and hours
Days and years
Generations
Lives
Breathing in
Breathing out
© 2013 Thomas W. Cummins
Tags:family, poetry
Posted in Personal, Poetry | 3 Comments »
March 7, 2013
—∞—
No fruit
After three years
No figs on the tree
Give it another year
A fourth quarter
Another period to express its being
Life’s fourth quarter
For many, a final period
Something is being asked
More is required, expected
But three and a half quarters
Have already passed
Fatigue is present
Yet must be ignored
Fruitless time is over
Unrecognized, but over
Something is being asked
More is required
Not more activity,
Better results
Enough is being done,
Just needs to be better
Richer
More rewarding, more loving
Something is being asked
More is required
© 2013 Thomas W. Cummins
Tags:Luke 13, Parable of fig tree, personal, poetry, Religion, spirituality
Posted in Family, Personal, Poetry, Religion, Social Justice, Spirituality | 4 Comments »
February 27, 2013
–∞–
Snowmelt streaming softly
Water whispering quietly
Gutters guiding gently
Damp, chill air
Fills my nostrils
Rousing memories of childhood
Every rivulet
Invites a craft
Tiny, seaworthy
None can be seen
No Popsicle stick rafts
No bottle caps or paper boats
Foreign ports at street’s end
Magical destinations
Go unreached, unexplored
Many years ago
These elfin rivers
Brought me great joy
Every evening
Of irresistible thaws
Found trousers wet, feet soaked
Kitchen radiator
Topped with steaming shoes
Stuffed with newspaper
Peaceful, warm dinner
Outdoors grew colder
Another thaw awaited
© 2013 Thomas W. Cummins
Tags:childhood, Nature, personal, poetry
Posted in Nature, Personal, Poetry | 2 Comments »
December 22, 2012
———
A small heater
Electric
Under my writing desk
Idle
Sitting since last winter
Now turned on
Emits faintly
Odor, smell … fragrance?
Provoking a sudden loneliness
Why?
Some hidden memory
Disturbed, awakened
Childhood in Edmonton, perhaps
Dad’s old 40s car heater
Our own first apartment
© 2012 Thomas W. Cummins
Tags:personal, poetry
Posted in Personal, Poetry | Leave a Comment »
In a dim light... 