© 2012 Thomas W. Cummins
Archive for the ‘Poetry’ Category
The Five Voices Spoke
April 13, 2012
The five voices spoke
Ancient words, Greek, Latin
Within an ancient ritual
Set to modern music
At least it was modern then
Voices
Rising and falling
Accelerating, pausing, slowing
Louder, joyful anticipation, praise
Quiet, more somber, reflective, sorrowful
A voice, a flute
A voice, oboes
A voice, a French horn
A voice, a violin
A chorus of voices, a chorus of instruments
Each voice
Rising and falling
Accelerating, pausing, slowing
Louder, joyful anticipation, praise
Quiet, more somber, reflective, sorrowful
Filling the room
The music reached up, out
White and gold
Walls softly held the music
Letting it probe and feel the gilded splendor
Caressing fingertips exploring
Wanting to escape?
Or just remembering
The last time this grand space listened
Bach’s Mass in B minor
Morning Run Under the Blossoms
April 4, 2012
Morning Run Under the Blossoms
Pink against rough gray concrete
Pale, delicate
Pristine and undisturbed
Petals – strewn in a graceful arc
Preparing the way
Providing a pattern, a prelude to
Shade’s coolness
Soothing, scarce, often fleeting
Such welcome respite from
Saint Louis sun
Sensing winter’s pallor
Soaking in as though invited
© 2012 Thomas W. Cummins
A Patch of Light
March 31, 2012
A Patch of Light
A work day
Arkansas, hot, humid
That office building, quiet
Each World War II era corner, quiet
An advance of towering pines, halted
By a peaceful expanse of lawn
Many beyond naming had sat in my office
In the late 70s one day
Just me
Sitting
Discouraged, unhappy about something
Or frustrated
My eye caught
What was it?
By the desk … a movement on the floor
A square of light, sunlight
Leaf shadows danced
In an unheard breeze
Movement
That patch of light filled, alive
A surplus of meaning
Its little space filled, my heart filled
With listening!
Something was being announced
There was beyond my work,
Beyond that moment,
Beyond my attitude, grace
Grace telling me
Julian of Norwich reminding me
‘All will be well’
© 2012 Thomas W. Cummins
A Gateway Lullaby
March 20, 2012
A Gateway Lullaby
Sometimes it is barely audible
But it is always there
A distant hum, a hum with a pulse
As it pulls itself out of the Meramec River valley
Every night as I lie down
I can hear its beat
Year-round the sound is there
It’s there for a long, long time
Not just passing by … lingering
Being lulled to sleep by diesels
Sudden memories of years ago
My aunt’s house in St. Paul
A train yard nearby
Switch engines shunting about
Occasionally a lonely leonine roar from Como Zoo
Drifting in on coal-scented breezes
Transportation on both sides of the family
Maternal trains, paternal planes
Sounds from iron horses
Steady, peaceful
Roars from steel birds
Fleeting and frantic
One old and romantic
The other exciting, exotic
But for now
Steel rails
Crisscrossing this Gateway to the West
Carry in the darkness
A lullaby
© 2012 Thomas W. Cummins
Dock Pulled From the Lake
October 12, 2011Dock Pulled From the Lake
It’s fall – work done awaiting the wind, snow, cold All that leveling last spring – slow, ponderous, perfect Rakish on the hillside now leaning against the chocks Tires old, bald, often flat, held it for the slow ride out of the water Dark green becoming pale and gray Scaly scum drying in the sun Ice can’t reach the spindly legs bent one year Leaves will gather beneath blown into sheltered hiding Summer’s sights and sounds brought life to the dock Children laughing, planks clattering, boats bumping, lifts clicking Worms, bobbers, hooks, lines – casting, watching, waiting Late afternoons – chairs, glasses of wine, binoculars Thousands of acres of lake with no movement except the waves The loon a favorite regular – used to be shy – magnificent beauty Eagles must know when we’re not watching – a shadow, a glimpse, a whoosh Large bass love the dock’s dark seclusion – they just sit An occasional boat glides by, silver lines flicking into the shallows Huge motor tipped, silent, pulled by tiny electric motor At night one feels suspended over the dark stillness Moon, stars, planets, the Milky Way – a hum from the town’s distant glow© 2011 Thomas W. Cummins
A small fire down by the lake
September 19, 2011Packing up a composition book for some writing, I found this from June of last year:
I set a fire this morning
A small fire down by the lake
Such stillness
Slight swells from an unseen boat
Grays and silvers too numerous to count
The fire spits sending sparks to ride the column of smoke
Straight up
No breeze
In a dim light... 