sky – 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)

Tide

Tide

I pray like falling rain and light
Hiding within shadows of night
Drowning in the shallows of pride
For I don’t want to fight this tide.

My veins pulse with a quiet dread
Clouds in my coffee and in my head
Unleashing all the tears I cried
For I don’t want to fight this tide.

High above, the sky is broken
So many words left unspoken
Release my fears, arms open wide
For I don’t want to fight this tide.

I pray like falling rain and light
For I don’t want to fight this tide.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
January 21, 2023

Hello, family and friends. Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA. I’ve been offline much of the week due to work. I’ve worked more overtime the past month since my days in the 80’s working at Arthur Andersen & Co during tax season. Of course, that was 40 years ago when I was in my 20’s…. Suffice it to say, I’m exhausted – because I am, well…. older! My life is: Drink coffee, work, eat, exercise, drink wine and sleep. And repeat. That’s about it lately!

I’ve been trying to stick with a healthy diet through all this, and that has been tough. I have managed to resist the sweet treats and temptations at work, and at home. However, tonight after my 6 mile run, my body was craving some comfort food. So I whipped up a quick meal of Boboli pizza crust, with sauce, parmesan, mozzarella, freshly cut basil, green/red/yellow peppers and seasoning. Yum, and Dan was happy about that too! A guilty pleasure that was, but I think my body just needed some carbohydrates, even if they were not good ones. You just need to give yourself a break after eating oatmeal, salads and soup every day, ya know?

It was really nice this evening to exercise the right side of my brain with a poem. It was a stress buster. There actually haven’t been clouds in my coffee, there are NUMBERS in my coffee LOL!!!! I dream about processing 1099s, W-2s, 941s and running my 10 key calculator. I still have one, and yes, I tape footed numbers to my workpapers just like back in the 80’s. That’s how I roll. My eyes can’t take reconciling bank statements from a PDF online. I have to print them and tick off transactions. Yeah, I am old school.

Well, that’s all I got. Only 10 more days until January ends, then the overtime will ease a bit. I can do it! Have a great weekend.
xoxo Colleen

Mood: Exhausted
Inspiration: “The Sky is Broken” by Moby

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 29.14 Topic: Clouds in My Coffee
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric by Moby (“I pray like falling rain and light;” I don’t want to fight this tide;” “the sky is broken.”)
Easy Bonus: Include carbohydrates

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

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

Gentle Rain

Gentle Rain

Listen to your heart beat softly
as summer burns in effigy
restless crickets voice sad disdain
to the rhythm of gentle rain.

Piercing cerulean sky yields
to the soft bloom of cotton fields
nimbus clouds releasing their pain
to the rhythm of gentle rain.

Peace beckons where green river flows
night falls in shades of indigo
mourning dove grieves in dark refrain
to the rhythm of gentle rain.

Listen to your heart beat softly
to the rhythm of gentle rain.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2015
December 8, 2015

Cloud Hopper

Cloud Hopper

The skies gleamed with crystal blue persuasion, beckoning me to the water’s edge. I stared in wonder as the seagulls frolicked and dipped into the sea. Wispy cirrus clouds floated by at a leisurely pace, and I longed to touch them. A slight breeze stirred, and the crash of the breakers called to me. I couldn’t have asked for a more picture perfect beach day.

This is exactly what my soul needed. The anxieties of life had worn me down, my nerves were frazzled and sleep eluded me. I was in search of peace. God knows I would have been content to just lie in the sand, toasting my skin to a golden brown. A rum flavored cocktail topped with an umbrella is all I really wanted. That, and perhaps a good book to immerse myself in.

But my friends were insistent. It would be the experience of a lifetime, they said. Life’s too short. Go big or go home. Don’t be a wuss…

So I swallowed my apprehension. I gave in to the pressure.

As I stepped tentatively onto the stern of the idling charter boat, my eyes were drawn to the name hand painted on its hull. The Whatchamacallit. Not a very reassuring name for a sea worthy vessel. The wind began to pick up, and the boat responded, bobbing back and forth beneath my Skechers. My heart beat furiously, and pit of my stomach burned. I wasn’t sure if this was excitement, fear… or a little of both.

The boat captain smiled broadly, thrust a life vest into my hands, then buckled me into a harness. I held on for dear life, gripping the leather straps. Returning to the midsection of the craft, he gunned the motor and ventured forward at a slow clip toward the western horizon. As the rushing wind gathered beneath the colorful parasail, it puffed up like a curtain blowing in the window. The tow rope grew longer, and my body was lifted like a balloon, high above the aqua sea.

The balmy breeze kissed my cheeks as I skimmed weightlessly across the fields of blue. My chest filled with euphoria, adrenaline pumped through my blood. I let out a squeal. So this is how it feels to be a bird! I reached out my hands to touch the soft cotton clouds, hopping from one to the next. The people on the beach below me looked like ants, and I waved to them from my perch.

Pure joy coursed through my veins. I was so lost in the delights of flying that I didn’t hear the snap. A sharp jolt, and suddenly I was adrift, scaling to new heights. Then as the parasail lost momentum, I plummeted feet first toward the sea. Terror seized my heart.

I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. My body hit the surface with a loud slap, and plunged underwater violently. The impact rattled my bones, the sound shattering my eardrums. Dead silence. Everything faded to black before my wide open eyes.

Floating, the undercurrents pushed me down. A brilliant white light beckoned in the distance of the ocean depths. I swam toward it, my limbs gliding effortlessly beneath the frigid water. Never before had I held my breath this long. Oddly, my lungs now were one with the sea.

In time, I rose up beyond the confines of my watery grave to the sanctity of the cottony clouds. I watched as my loved ones built a memorial on the beach. Saw them wipe the tears away, then drive off to laughter-filled gatherings. But time marches on, and misfortune tests the sincerity of friends. They eventually stopped coming to pay tribute and moved on with their lives. They forgot about me.

But up here, I am never alone. At night, I am cocooned in the warm arms of the maternal clouds. When daybreak spills across the crystal blue skies, my heart soars. I ruffle my feathers, spread my wings and join in with the seagulls, dipping down toward the sea.

Peace, at last…

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2015
December 1, 2015

The Finish Line

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA — Photo Courtesy Morgue File © 2015

The Finish Line

Clouds hang overhead
geese crowd the banks
when the rain starts to fall
the farmer gives thanks.

The harvest has passed
with bountiful yields
winter is fast coming
there’s frost in the fields.

Feel the push of the wind
and the bite of the cold
his skin etched with time
bones fragile and old.

But the sky won’t snow
and the sun won’t shine
no more walks in the wood
at the finish line.

See the colors dissolving
in the cold steely sky
as he crosses the threshold
with one last mournful sigh.

Amethyst Sky

Rain has fallen five days straight.
The levee breaks, hope comes undone.
Tears from heaven flood the grass,
Sparkling like diamonds in the sun.

But it’s all right, I hear your voice
Whispering as twilight draws nigh.
Your smile beckons from distant stars
Twinkling in the amethyst sky.

Now westward winds stir restless,
whipping up the anger and wrath.
Flames shadow dancing in the dark,
the fire casts its light upon my path.

But it’s all right, I hear your voice
whispering as twilight draws nigh.
Your smile beckons from distant stars
twinkling in the amethyst sky.

I don’t want this pain anymore,
It’s been far too many years.
Give me shelter from the storm,
Ease my anguish, dry my tears.

But it’s all right, I hear your voice
whispering as twilight draws nigh.
Your smile beckons from distant stars
twinkling in the amethyst sky.

Those Were The Days

The moon glides slow in sky of gauze
as dense fog shrouds golden sunlight
sinking down beneath the mountain
deep into the indigo night.

Hush now, summer is fading fast
say goodbye to the firefly’s glow
the lily will not long endure
in pure white fields of early snow.

We move against the hands of time
guided by some remote control
longing for carefree yesterdays,
for memories that make us whole.

Those were the days, those were the days
unending laughter, young and free
those were the days that shaped my soul…
oh, won’t you bring them back to me?

Speak softly to the rising winds
and listen to the sage’s words
eyes focused on the morning light
ears bathed in sweet song of bluebirds.

Time flies onward, we live and die
as hope and wisdom flow our way
cry no more for those days long past
with open arms, greet the new day.

Summer’s End

Summers Endjpg

Summer’s End

The destination of my dreams
is not as distant as it seems.
Watch the fading summer sun start
the liquefaction of my heart.

While eagles soar with high esteem,
the destination of my dreams
is painted in the sky’s blue fields,
where hope abides and sorrow yields.

As raging seas soon turn to glass,
the pangs of your sadness will pass.
The destination of my dreams
infuses my last breath, it seems.

Shut softly your watery eyes,
no time for tears or mournful cries.
I’m free to ride the gold moonbeams,
the destination of my dreams.