Selected Poetry

Breaking Apart

Breaking Apart

The fission of my soulCreates energy to destroy Or power the world around me.  Its awesome power is created in one simple small nucleus. That builds a bomb to flatten everything I’ve builtOr power and sustain it all forever.  But more likely, it’s a dud. That just collapses on itselfAnd leaves the elements hollow and withdrawn From everything.

1910 2560 Stafford Wood

The Totem

The totem stands against the wall, Just askew as the night before. Reminding us of all we knewWhen it crossed the threshold door.  Should you seek to find the meaning thereYou’ll never know, I’ll never tell. For to repeat what’s held insideWould open Dante’s eternal well.  The totem stands against the wall. It looks at me, stares full of…

150 150 Stafford Wood
Milk Toast & Cinnamon

Milk Toast & Cinnamon

The milk toast you think you craveWill never satisfy And she’ll always know that She’s not as smartOr witty or worldly or wiseAnd she just barely gets your jokesBut she giggles when you say “ta da”Because when Phineas is on stageEveryone cheersBut she’s never go backstage when you take off your costume and cryYou don’t like someone…

2560 1920 Stafford Wood
Artifacts

Artifacts

Evidence of reality on the canvas birthed by the three of us creation of ours alive and real I can hear the painting sing a song of place and being.

1920 2560 Stafford Wood
Crepe Paper Skin

Crepe Paper Skin

Watching my crepe paper Skin Slide  Over the muscles I move As I reach for the tonic Each morning  To give me the energy Of youth To age  Through another day And see my skin  Wrinkle And slide  Again  Tomorrow  I think Of my mother’s hands As they aged around the Star sapphire That retained its…

1679 1676 Stafford Wood

Gerund is easier than noun

Speaking is easier than being a speaker Leading is easier than being a leader Fighting is easier than being a fighter Writing is easier than being a writer Teaching is easier than being a teacher Preaching is easier than being a preacher Loving is easier than being a lover Mothering is easier than being a…

150 150 Stafford Wood

Fairy Tales & Tragedy

Little girls dream of a happy ending  With the prince of charms and all the gold and beautiful things Dream of weddings and children and legacies  And the life of fairy tales They fear the tragic end and the broken promises The heartache the pain the loss They are taught to be frightened of the…

150 150 Stafford Wood
Wild Thing

Wild Thing

A wild thing cannot live among usWith the house cats whose clawsHave been removed and debarked dogsWith groomer cut hair and sweaters. She cannot be domesticatedAnd no matter how sweet herDisposition, she will eventuallyRip out his throat even thoughShe loves him. And some people will blame himFor loving a wildcat. And some peopleWill say it’s…

2560 1920 Stafford Wood
Walk-In Appointment
Waiting Room

Walk-In Appointment

Sitting in the empty waiting roomHoping to get the first walk-in appointmentI marvel at how comfortable the room isWith a cozy couch, Avant garde chairsAnd traditional decor. The first appointment arrives.She’s in and out in momentsBut the room fills up.It’s standing room only. I step outside to the hallTo take care of businessAs each one…

2560 1920 Stafford Wood
Wonder

Wonder

Obsessed like a childWith a wondering mindWith a wonderful playthingWith a wondrous smileIn a wondering momentOver a marvelous mileWhen we float throughThe memories Joyful and mildAnd I lie in stillness Considering the wildWhere you’ll dance in my mindOr even insideMy life.

2560 1920 Stafford Wood
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