Night Butterfly Thoughts | Antoni Ooto

On the Sharp Edge of Night

a trove of unsettling dreams descends;

    the buckling scaffold swaying
    the parked car missing
    running lost in an unwelcoming city

but lately,
while treading a new landscape,
my dreams have changed

fired with color and healing,
a comfort now,
stresses unhook 

and I walk slowly forward
following a spirit
into “a warm honey light.”*

                                                             *Jane Kenyon

Gerry Shepherd
Mysterious Landscape — Investigation Two
©2021

A Butterfly

Her heart skipped 
slowly     or  too slowly
fast      or too fast
a butterfly rhythm without discipline

concern was only for others
and too, her generous smile proving she was alright

when she died
all fears of loss left with her

so too, a favorite chair
the coral afghan    music    friends
and letters in a box marked “save”

Miroslava Paanayotava
Girl and Rose
©2021

Dropping Off Thoughts

Breathe

in 1 out 2…

Choosing a path toward nothing
offers no edges

People unbidden, visit openings,
and places postcard through

I’m never alone in my head
even crowded at times—playing host

in 3 out 4…

Tree-dropped pears of summer
the attar of pine
Aunt Wanda’s smile

and those childhood hiding places
erased for now—

try again
Breathe

in 1 out 2…