clouds – Colleen Keller Breuning

Dragon Hunters

Dragon Hunters

Linen clouds drift by,
dragon hunters swift and spry,
morphing in the sky.

Fluffy figures fair
cast their magic everywhere,
marching through the air.

Let’s chase the gold sun
like china dolls on the run;
the hunt has begun.

Through marshes we wade,
hues of emerald and jade,
as pastel skies fade.

The darkness descends;
hidden deep inside the glen
is the dragon’s den.

Dragon roars echo
louder than the cackling crow,
amber eyes aglow.

Black velvet twilight,
creeping shivers in the night;
just hold my hand tight.

In our veins fear flows;
should we stay or should we go?
heaven only knows.

Nothing’s what it seems;
slay that dragon with moon beams,
wake up from your dreams.

Hatcher and Posie,
won’t you dragon hunt with me?
I miss you dearly….

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
February 4, 2023

I just loved the whimsical topic of Dragon Hunter this week. It inspired me to write a rhyming haiku series, not always easy to do with the syllable limits. It immediately took me back to my own childhood days of cloud gazing, and when I did the same with my own kids. What a magical thing it is! I still do it when I get a chance, but often it is when Dan is driving and we both notice the beautiful cloud shapes in the Virginia sky. I probably take as many cloud pictures as I do cat pictures – well, maybe not. Certainly not as many pictures I take of my grandchildren Posie and Hatcher, when I get the chance to be with them!

This week’s poem is dedicated to Posie and Hatcher. They are my heart’s delight, and Katie sends me photos daily of them. They are growing and changing each day. When we saw them in October and December, I gave Posie a bunch of Katie’s things that I had saved from when she was a child. There was one particular pale pink satin leotard and matching skirt that Katie wore nonstop – and Posie wore it to her gymnastic class and riding her scooter yesterday! You can’t imagine how deeply that touched my heart. And little Hatcher is growing and just got a big boy haircut – WOW, he looks even more handsome than before! I simply cannot wait to see them and play with them again. Grandchildren are so very special.

I hope you have a chance to breathe deep and cloud gaze this weekend. It is so relaxing to just watch the clouds drift by and morph into different shapes. It’s good for the soul, and it brings immediate serenity to me. Have a wonderful weekend, all!

XOXO

Colleen

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 31.14 Topic: Dragon Hunter
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric by The Clash (Should I stay or should I go)
Easy Bonus: Include your favorite childhood toy (doll)

Hurricane Bones

Hurricane Bones

I woke to the sound of rain
hard upon the roof
gutters gushing streams of pain
mourning doves aloof.

Brittle bones begin to ache
as outer bands lope
ominous clouds roll and break
overshadowed hope.

The cat snuggles up to warm
soft gray, purring deep
seeking comfort from the storm
drifting back to sleep.

Astral spirits have been spurned
blue skies turn to black
too late, for the tide has turned
there’s no going back.

Cold winds thrash with great despair
ravishing the land
flesh, bone, there is nothing there
dust mingles with sand.

The rain falls like tumbling stones
melding sky and sea
sorrow carried in my bones
for eternity.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
November 11, 2022

I must be getting old, or else that hour long Martial Arts workout last night kicked my butt, haha. Today I truly did awake to the sound of rain (one of my favorite Sylvia Plath lines)… and pain! I had slept 8 hours, but literally felt like someone pummeled me. Neither Aleve nor Advil helped. I have been trying to fend off a sinus infection ever since our return from Florida last week. I did finally to go my PCP and was prescribed antibiotics since I just had pneumonia/bronchitis/sinus in July. Today, the combination of the sinus infection, the remnants of Hurricane Nicole passing through and two long work weeks have left me feeling whipped.

The topic “hurricane” is one close to my heart, having lived 24 years in South Florida and riding out many – starting from Hurricane Andrew in 1991 through Hurricane Wilma in 2006, which left us powerless for 2 weeks. It was one of the top reasons we left and moved to Virginia. My kids still both reside in Florida, so anytime there’s one churning in the Atlantic or the Gulf, we’re relentlessly watching the “cone” and following the hurricane’s track. It is so exhausting going through a hurricane, from the preparation through the aftermath. It can be absolutely frightening and heartbreaking.

Today we just stayed home, did a little non-taxing accounting work (pardon the pun), laundry and ate some homemade chili that I defrosted this week. It was delicious and so warming on a dreary day like today. Anyway, the topic and the Sylvia Plath poetry lines were my muse this week. Just a little rhyme scheme composition I played around with, to reflect a passing mood. I’ll feel better tomorrow, because there is work to be done around this house in preparation for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays! Best of all – Katie, Brenton, Posie and Hatcher will be coming for a visit beginning November 30. I cannot wait! Have a good weekend, everyone!

xoxo Colleen

Mood: Achy Breaky
Inspiration: “I’ll Take the Rain” by REM

Blogophilia Week 19.14 Hurricanes Hope
Hard Bonus: Include a line from a Sylvia Plath poem (“I woke to the sound of rain” and “Flesh, bone, there is nothing there”)
Easy Bonus: Include your favorite animal (dove, cat)

The Darkness

The Darkness

The darkness descends with its gloom
Wrathful clouds release their cold rain
Alone, imprisoned in this room
Bold wind rattles the windowpane.

Wrathful clouds release their cold rain
On a canvas of purple gloam.
Bold wind rattles the windowpane
As wayward geese make their way home.

On a canvas of purple gloam
Hunter moon rises in night sky
As wayward geese make their way home
All hope lost, I begin to cry.

Hunter moon rises in night sky
An owl cries out in the chill air
All hope lost, I begin to cry
It seems all roads point to nowhere.

An owl cries out in the chill air
Daylight is doused and nights are long
It seems all roads point to nowhere
I lift my voice in a swan song.

Daylight is doused and nights are long
Alone, imprisoned in this room
I lift my voice in a swan song
The darkness descends with its gloom.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
October 14, 2022

I was determined to write a pantoum this week, as it’s been a while since I wrote one. After looking at a list of Kevin Bacon movies, there were some good titles… but “The Darkness” stood out for me. (TRIGGER WARNING: she’s taking a walk on the dark side again, haha!!!!) The poem just sort of morphed from there. I threw some lines down and worked it like a jigsaw puzzle. Fun!

I tried to take elements of autumn, darkness and the changes of this season to illustrate moods we sometimes feel. Darkness, hopelessness, feeling paralyzed, frustrated, like things are spiraling out of our control. We’ve been hearing an owl hooting out there in our backyard, and there’s been a bit of moody weather. It’s getting darker earlier, and sometimes that makes you just feel like nesting and not going anywhere or doing much of anything at all. I’m not really a prisoner in my own room, but after recovering from surgery and working long hours from home… it kind of makes you feel that way!!

I love writing dark, it’s my therapy and a constructive release of pent-up emotions. Sometimes it is just a fleeting thought or memory that comes out of the blue and doesn’t necessarily reflect anything negative that’s going on in my life. It’s just poetry – so no need for worry!

The good news is that I’m released from my surgeon, back to my regular exercise schedule and an ALMOST normal diet. I still have to watch fat intake, I rarely eat fried foods so that helps. Last night I baked a homemade veggie pizza on my new pizza stone, it turned out delicious. Our intention is to get out and enjoy the autumn weather today. The leaves are starting to change color, and I want to experience it in person (not just from my window)! So we will head out to a winery and listen to music. That’s our special thing. I am also hoping to get outside for a run tomorrow, as well. That is always good for my spirits.

Seize the day! Get out and enjoy something you love this beautiful autumn weekend!

xoxo
Colleen

Inspiration: “Rain of Feathers” Sophie Hutchings
Mood: Dark

Rogue Specters

Rogue Specters

Upon dark clouds did hope depart,
An iceberg dagger to the heart.
Dim shadows lit by fading light…
Rogue specters in the autumn night.

Ten thousand spirits strayed, adrift,
Cast out by societal rift.
Bound by vision to make things right…
Rogue specters in the autumn night.

They mount their saddles, carry on
To promises of blooming dawn.
Sailing on sunbeams, taking flight…
Rogue specters in the autumn night.

Upon dark clouds did hope depart…
Rogue specters in the autumn night.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
October 7, 2022

I’m so happy to see that Blogophilia, my old blogging group, has relaunched!! YAY! This group has always been very effective in making me write poetry consistently each week. I’ve missed it, and I have really slacked lately. Their format has changed a bit, with no scoring anymore. That’s cool, I don’t really mind. Actually, I rather like the freedom of using/not using the prompts. I’ll keep on trying to use them, as it sometimes makes me go in a direction that I normally wouldn’t…like this week!

Sometimes just being in the moment or a thinking on a prompt inspires a poem. The wind started whipping up a little bit last night and kind of reminded me of Halloween coming. The line from Blake “thousand spirits stray” kept sticking with me. I envisioned some estranged spirits in the netherworld being in a kind of purgatory. I changed this up many times and ended up with a Kyrielle sonnet. I tried experimenting with a pantoum, but just couldn’t make it work.

Autumn is finally in full force, and I love the changes it has brought. The temperatures are cooling down, and we’ve had a fire in the fireplace a few nights this week, which is so comforting. This week there’s been an owl hooting out in our backyard, too! I love this, that sound is so soothing. This is my absolute favorite season of year, and living in Virginia we truly get to embrace the beauty of autumn! Some of the maples are already turning red in town, most of our own trees are young and haven’t started turning just yet. Today is a beautiful day, we are going to go to get some pumpkins for the front porch from Nall’s Farm Market. I will also pick up some squash and mums to add some color.

I’m doing much better recovering from my gallbladder surgery last week. Many thanks to everyone’s advice and kind thoughts. I have a post-op appointment next week. Food has been hit or miss, if you know what I mean. I’ve been trying to stick with a low-fat diet. This week, I cooked up some homemade chicken noodle soup and some teriyaki salmon with roast yams & asparagus last night for dinner. Both of these meals made my stomach very happy! The good news is I’ve gotten my energy levels back…can’t wait to return to my running and workout routine once I’m cleared. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

xoxo Colleen

Inspiration: “By the Roes, and by the Hinds of the Field” Johann Johannsson
Mood: Thoughtful

Perfectly Flawed

Perfectly Flawed

Paper thin
pale porcelain skin
aching bones upon the wake.

Sullen dawn
a hole in the clouds
and I’m thinking I might break.

Dark sky bursts
rain pelting, melting
glacial heart that never thawed.

Fragile soul
bleeding wounds that healed
and I am perfectly flawed.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
July 30, 2022

Mood: Grateful
Inspiration: “Porcelain” by Moby (my ringtone)

Aim for the Stars

Aim For the Stars

She dances, a tiny beauty
Leaping through cloud formations
Blonde hair flying in the breeze.

She gallops, full of laughter
Perched on her pink silk pony
She steals your heart away with ease.

Her smile glints golden sunlight
Radiant, warm and lovely
Follow all your whimsies, little sweetheart
Follow all your dreams, little sweetheart
Whirl on, twirl on,
Aiming for the stars.

She runs free, elusive spirit
Changing with every moment
She’s such a beauty to behold.

I wish time would freeze forever
Memories branded on my heart
But days fly and I’m growing old.

Her smile glints golden sunlight
Radiant, warm and lovely
Follow all your whimsies, little sweetheart
Follow all your dreams, little sweetheart
Whirl on, twirl on,
Aiming for the stars.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
April 2, 2022

I needed to write something happy and light today, after posting that heavier poem “Withered Sunflowers” last week. So this week, here is something a little whimsical and uplifting!

This is dedicated to my sweet granddaughter, Posie. I’ll share with you a little insight into my poetry writing process. I started this scribble scrabble back in January on the plane ride back home, after attending her 2^nd birthday. As usual, I had my music on and my notebook at the ready. I wrote parts of this piece as I listened to Radiohead’s song “No Surprises.” It kind of follows the rhythm of the lyrics from the first half of the song, not exact, as I tweaked the syllables and stanza structures a bit. I jotted out a couple of stanzas and then this poem was left unfinished in my notebook until this morning. I played that song again and put on the final touches.

That’s always a fun way for me to create a poem, to be inspired by the music! And Posie, of course – she is a true delight, and she is my heart!

Mood: Whimsical
Inspiration: Posie Mae and “No Surprises” by Radiohead

Broken Clouds

Broken Clouds

Ashen gray clouds
hang low to the ground
a thick layer of fog
rising like dense smoke
infusing the atmosphere
with its petulant moods.

All I see is alabaster sky.
The moon has gone missing,
the sun hidden in a sempiternal stretch
of colorless stratus, dull like
a bolt of sparkly silver tulle
that has lost its shine.

And I am walking on broken clouds,
knee deep in ambivalence,
rain falling beneath my sodden feet
to the barren earth far below me.

And I thought I heard
the ocean siren call to me,
with her song of hollow promises
echoing against the crash of waves.

The seas have eluded me.
The skies have betrayed me.
The sun has ignored me.
The moon has shunned me.
The clouds have denounced me.

Where do I go now in this netherworld,
in this endless purgatory?
As twilight beckons, shades of indigo
dissipate the broken clouds.

The crescent moon glides by
with a shy smile and thin hopes,
as a vagabond wind transports me home,
an escalator to waiting distant stars.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
January 13, 2022

This idea for this poem was sparked in the Atlanta airport on a recent trip to Florida. As we were walking through the terminal to make our connection, the current weather board sign caught my eye. It simply stated, “Broken Clouds,” and I immediately knew I would write about it. It stuck with me as I scribble scrabbled some words, listening to mood music on our final flight to Florida. It was very cloudy, foggy with a bit of rain and yes…. broken clouds everywhere.

Then this stayed dormant in my notebook due to work commitments, until I finalized it last night. It morphed into this mood piece, after two rainy, gloomy winter days of editing.

Funny how the writing process can be. It’s been a while since I wrote consistently due to travel, holidays and work. I feel out of practice and intend to get back into my weekly writing routine. It is a form of therapy, and I sure do miss it when I can’t find the time to write! Stay warm, everyone.

xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Cloudy
Inspiration: “River of Rain” by Jami Sieber

Cloudburst

Cloudburst

There’s a low hanging kind of gloom
stretching across the twilight sky
like nefarious, ugly castaways
pregnant with foul regrets
truth tinged with suspicious lies.

A cold western wind rises up
and the clouds burst wide open
torrents of raindrops tilt sideways
a raging river in the asphalt
foils my ill-timed escape.

And I am running for my life
cries and curses drowned out
in deafening crashes of thunder
as lightning flashes around me
my heart pounding in my ears.

Suppressed anger pours out
secrets spilling to the soggy ground
tears dissolve in the sacred rain
my salt and bones buried deep below
ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The trees sigh in collective exhalation
as my heart bleeds in rainbow hues
forbidden thoughts of malevolence
wiped clean from my furrowed brow
and the distant stars fade from view.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
August 20, 2021

Mood: Stormy
Musical Inspiration: The Son of Flynn – Daft Punk/Moby Remix

Mellow Drama

Mellow Drama

I watch the colors in the sky
lazy wayward clouds drifting by
twilight morphing crimson and gold
as the mellow drama unfolds.

I smell a fragrance light and fair
night blooming jasmine fills the air
its white blossoms of grace exude
infuse my soul with gratitude.

I hear the plaintive catbird calls
a sad serenade as dusk falls
melancholy song in my ears
with heavy heart and misting tears.

I feel the ever shifting wind
gentle caresses on my skin
like nimble fingers warm and light
guiding me to the edge of night.

I savor distant shooting stars
flavors exploding from afar
so sweet and tart upon my tongue
reminding me my soul is young.

I dance across the night aflame
and take a bow to wild acclaim
the lead role in this cinema
star of my own mellow drama.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
August 13, 2021

Touch the Alabaster Skies

Touch the Alabaster Skies

A distant future waits for me
Beyond the black, turbulent sea
My hopes and fears to be reckoned,
Multiplying by the second.

Clouds break above the bare oak trees;
A distant future waits for me.
Dark thoughts pile in as wave crash down.
Limbs flail as I begin to drown.

I hear the mourning dove’s sad cries
and touch the alabaster skies.
A distant future waits for me;
I cast aside bad memories.

The golden moment has arrived,
Realizing faith and love thrived.
Running wild, feeling oh so free,
A distant future waits for me.

Colleen Keller Breuning @ 2021
January 1, 2021

A quatern for the New Year…. It is time to cast aside our bad memories and experiences of 2020 and have a positive outlook on 2021. I have been pondering 2020, and though it was a challenging year, there were some blessings. (The biggest one for me was the birth of my granddaughter, Posie, of course!) And now a brand new year awaits us like a clean slate, with the opportunity to create love and peace in our own lives. I hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy 2021! xoxo ❤

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 43.13 Topic: A Distant Future
Hard Bonus (2 points): Incorporate a lyric by JJ Grey (“Dark thoughts pile in;” “The golden moment has arrived;” and “Running wild, feeling oh so free”)
Easy Bonus (1 Point): Include a math term or equation (multiply)

SECRET BONUS GUESSES:

1.  Space Oddity
2.  Astronaut Girl
3.  Moonwalk
4.  Space, the final frontier
5.  Star Trek
6.  Life on Mars
7.  Star Wars
8.  Red Planet
9.  Moon rocks
10. Man on the moon

Topic: Dave Coon Pic: Christine