My new poem: Night Bound

[CaliforniaPeggy]

there’s a sharp cold tonight following me home
even though my car shields me
I am penetrated
a clarity of coldness out there
beyond my headlights
there are raccoons going over that wall
someone’s back yard is getting a visit
I thought they were cats
but the masked face turned my way said no

I almost feel as though I should be afraid but I’m not
my car is safe and locked and my garage is too near for danger
the street is gritty with trash, leaves and dirt
am I this close to being lost
that’s a tough thought
almost nobody is out at this hour and god knows why
I am
going to school for a distant dream
that I’m not sure of
I’m getting older and have doubts
it’s crazy
maybe
to want such a thing

the cold is so penetrating this time of year


© 2010 MLC

[Terra Alta]

1. Love it...

it made me feel like I was really there.. experiencing those things. What wonderful talent you have :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Thank you, my dear Terra Alta...

I appreciate your kind remarks so much...

:)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. "...a clarity of coldness..."

Those words reminded me immediately of something I believe I've shared with you previously:



It's a page from the book in Anthony Man-Tu Lee's "Zen Wisdom Kit."



That page was a life-changer for me, similar in sentiment (to me, anyway)...holding on to what we know, even though it might be killing us in inches, versus letting go...which might possibly redeem us.

I also liked your line about "almost nobody is out at this hour and god knows why
I am"

...lately I've been commuting in the wee hours of the morning...around 3 or 4 AM...and there are people out, and most of them are crazy.

VALUABLE TIP for people who drive in the hours just before dawn: Bike riders and joggers will cut right out in front of you and look right at you while doing so.

This morning an asshole on a bike with NO lights was riding the bike and "walking" his two dogs on leashes. HE was riding in the bike lane, and the DOGS were in the car lane (a two-lane road, one lane in each direction). Worst of all, they were BLACK dogs. I was driving in the opposite direction. I saw the chrome on the bike and the leashes in his hand WELL before I saw the dogs.

I wanted to pull the car to the side of the road and just KNOCK that guy on his ASS for endangering those dogs.

:-)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. My dear Amerigo Vespucci...

Thank you for your thought-provoking contributions to my thread today!

You may have shared that quote/illustration before, but I don't recall...

Still, I enjoyed it. It can be very hard to let go of the familiar, even if staying with it is killing you by inches...

It takes a revolution sometimes to see what you must do, and then actually do it.

I'm sorry you have to deal with those crazy folk out in the middle of the night...I'm home well before midnight, thank goodness.

:hi:

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Yes, the cold is so penetrating this time of year. You made me

shiver as if I were out there too. Beautifully done. Thanks.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. My dear Curmudgeoness...

I'm glad you found my poem that vivid, that real...

Thank you!

[seaker]

6. Yes

This is the time of year we reflect and consider the wisdom of planning for spring...just in passing. Seems the passing thought lays with me a little longer each year.
Thanks CaliforniaPeggy

:pals:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. My dear seaker...

Transitions are always interesting, aren't they?

I thank you for your good thoughts!

:pals:

[Arugula Latte]

9. Me likee!

I really felt I was in that car ... the thoughts we have, driving at night ... Very nice!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. My dear Arugula Latte!

I thought someone was there with me...;-)

Thanks, sweetie!

[MiddleFingerMom]

11. wrong place

(on edit wrong place)