Blue Iceberg

 

I am so often fascinated by things that I see while traveling, and I use my photos of those things as the inspiration for poetry. This poem was inspired by this large iceberg we saw amidst all of the “tiny” berglets while cruising the Tracy Arm Fjord near an awe-inspiring glacier. It stood out for both its size and its color. Learning that the eye-catching color had to do with the density of the ice added to the allure.

Impenetrable density

Frigid features

Resting bitch face

A fortress for others

Trusted without trusting

Fortitude and aloofness

Constantly torn between

shining in the sunlight

and burying her pain deep

under the surface

Separated from the pack

Safety withdrawn

in a series of 

“I was hard on you,

so you could be strong.”

A beacon, a lighthouse

Blind leading the lost

Wearing trauma like armor

Earned, yet undeserved “strength”

a painful reminder

that she must protect herself

Outcast that never fit in

Wall flower

Constantly watching

the world swim by

Stuck in place

Held by the weight

no one ever sees

This poem was originally published on Medium within the publication Move Me Poetry on August 31, 2022.

Air of Sophistication

I took this photo while on our cruise. I loved the sophisticated styling of the area the lamp was found in, which reminded me of rooms I always pictured gentlemen from regency romance novels retiring to, and I couldn't help but feel how much pretense is found in such places. This poem is about pretending to fit in to the point of losing oneself to the guise.

Wine glasses clinking

cheap wine mimosas

Knock-off Gucci bags

carrying maxed out credit cards

Bargain basement pretense

clothed in second-hand design

Hiding in plain sight

at out of league events

Banishing self-deprecation

with an air of sophistication

Hoping the guise holds

Hometown forgotten

Name changed

Allure added

Pygmalion

Escape

Alone

Lost

The Matchstick Bridge: A Story in Haiku

 

While in Skagway, Alaska, we took a train ride up the mountain. One of the features of this stretch of track is a wooden bridge that leads into a mountain tunnel. Looking at it from afar, my heart began racing because of it's height and that fact that it appeared made of matchsticks. Obviously, the bridge held, and I was able to get this photo. As I listened to the guide's story of the train's origin, as a support for those prospecting for gold in the Yukon, and the bridge itself, I knew there was a poem in there somewhere. 

dreams of riches call

unprepared for wilderness

travelers perishing

gold rush to yukon–

train built for power and speed

men and provisions

the matchstick bridge—

angled and curved intricate

patterned triangles

built for endurance

ensuring safe passage through

last frontier landscape

miles above the sea

views of glacial waterfalls

pass between mountains 

across steep chasms

feats of engineering hold

withstanding pressure

Accessible Heights

 

I was walking down the street in Juneau when I happened to see this series of diagonal lines climbing the hillside out of the corner of my eye. I had planned to snap a photo of it anyway, but once I realized it was a ramp, I knew it would inspire a poem at some point. 

Life presents a series of stumbling blocks

Endless obstacles in our paths

Perpetually climbing, seeking

Seemingly unattainable height

Up stairs jagged, narrow, steep

Imposing boundaries that hold us down

Keep us from reaching, narrowing

Our options until we fit some mold

Pre-determining our destination

Before we reach the next level

Possibility clearing the way for more

Blinding us to our own potential