September 26th , 2015 ... The final dawn

if love could have saved you … 

                             you would have lived forever ...

September 26th ... The final dawn

The final dawn paused in a fog of bewildering heartache
Oh… there has been the befallen malign
the passing of love bestows in other life altering moments
Unforgettable seasons change without warning
The circle game turning and turning … around and around; a seemingly indifferent world just redundantly spinning on without notice,  leaving only the memories of an unfaltering connectedness stirring the soul’s marrow

All pale in compare to the benumbing ache
the epic magnitude a final breath bequeaths ...
A lonely unanticipated silence beyond conscious thought
The only understood breadth of this heart of hearts
was never mine to keep, unconditionally given
as if fated to steal away unbounded,
over and beyond highest mountain top;
leaving behind an unmitigated light that will never go out
the spirit of a loving true friend,
transmuting, as if unleashed wild feathers
uplifted in the Autumn wind

There remains a burgeoning, unfillable void of indelible love; the dried salted stains beneath swollen tear soaked,
sleepless eyes ,.. unconsciously clenched closed
in an exhaled breath of merciful surrender,
a sigh too deep for words, soul grasping
for the fading vestige the final moment life reveals

A silent dusting blankets the golden autumn hued hillsides
Snowflakes white spangled carpet envelops the evanescent traces where a momentous shared joy once thrived
in the ebb and flow of waning summertide

The final dawn bequest an inextinguishable darkness
A haunting silence overwhelms
like the relentless impending loneliness
flooding the heartbreaking reality,
knowing nothing can stem the chilling wintertide
culminating an unstoppable concluding dawn …

Harlon Rivers © November 2015

there will always be moments in life we will never be ready for.

so sweetly sings the sparrow

“ So sweetly sings the  Sparrow “

... photos &   poetry  by  Harlon Rivers

~ ~ ~
so sweetly sings the Sparrow
in the warmth of summertide
Honeyed song doth waft with ripen Rose
the fragrant scent of summer love

come hither pines the  Sparrow
he warbles from fence post high
serenading psalms to the heavens
from aneath  sweetened blueberry Skies

harlon rivers ©

Sunday 6. 14. 2015

as waning springtime
blossoms  summertide

a softer, gentler river abides

~
note:   the ending picture,

(although poor quality)  

is this Songster writ
taken after this lil' ode was sung

~ ~ ~

if … you will be remembered by your poetry ,...

I wish to be remembered for my love of all creation

… that love is the purpose

being highly sensitive is not an imperfection but a gift - -

not a misunderstood dark &  broken star

in a Sky  full of  Stars

~  ~  ~

believe a poem can make a difference --

#love    #nature  #birds   #wildfeathers

Silence has no mercy in this land

i believe in the healing power of poetry yet i know not the raw excruciating weight to be borne crossing unknown deep and dark rivers .., fingernails clawing trying to climb up .., desperate to stop the sliding down frosty opaque glass, unable to see the other side, grasping to hold onto what can no longer be held…the fruition of a lifetime of ache raining down tears the heart's traces, the passing of love .., so briefly known -- 

    a prayer for my beloved soulmate, Arrow

Silence has no mercy in this land... 

The unseen choir thrums with the pulse of twilight
Ribbitting supplications pause like suspended shooting star
Listening to the depth of silence between fading heartbeats,
as if they wait to sense the next faint murmuring heartthrob
beneath beloved black and white fur peel ...

anguishing heart thumps loathed
more loudly during the waiting
Weeping the only waterfall of eventide
Impending shed the earthy mask,
fur, skin, all that shields eternal love

Only the torn of passing into silence
tarried echoes linger off treasured forest wood ,
tall as the shapeless midnight sky
The death of silence is heard
as loud the imminent passing

Sage message descried,
Great horned Owl’s learnt wisdom
hooted psalms insight
unto the hallowed
consecrated quietude

Spirit guardian echoes chanted;
totem’s supplications in wind beyond the skies…
Sanctified call of the wild’s beckoning pleads
"Untether an unstoppable love
fly free .., uplifted by the wings of love"

Prayers to bring the spirit of wild feathers
back home to mother earthen roots
seeds for to be sown again infinitely

~ it's okay to fly away with mourning doves ,

       ~ Arrow dog and butterfly ~

        ... ♥ - - - amen - - - ♥ ...

harlon rivers ©  June, 6th 2015

Coyote Was Going There

Coyote’s mournful howl echoed
in the new moon’s faint sultry ether

He seemed to sense a soul reincarnation
      within a pervasive spirit light
      an oft misunderstood
      common thread shared
      this hallowed land’s night

An uncommon Zen stirring from within, 

stifling dormancy ..,

. . . of rumble deep beneath
      a volcano reawakening ;
      what lies undiscovered just before
      the ruptured moment ..,

      dust and ashes taking flight

Through open window insomnia churns
      fifty shades of blue ..,
      cast in shadowed hues of broken silence

Coyote stirred the stillness
      with hauntingly familiar cry
      reading the ridge-top echoes
      like the book of my mind

" YIP YIP A W O O H !!! " . . . the somber plea

For it is in these final hours chosen chore
      the recurring torn
      these chains and things

Coyote was going there - -
      to stand these crossroads
      this hour of need

Accepting brother has always been lonely
      sometimes anything
      means something - -

and so it goes ..,

Coyote communes in pulse
      from ancient realms
      this sacred blood ..,

      wounded healers ,
. . . one mutual spirit
      runs marrow deep
      where dogs run free

The moan of doves whisper to the impending dawn
. . . always known these days
      too soon do come and gone

What once was a life well lived ,
      s l o w l y     e v a n e s c i n g
      like the summer river’s flow

some say ..." you never miss the water
'til the well runs dry "
. . . regrets a waste of time - -

Rumination , a loathsome silent reverie
      a taunting unsolved koan

      an unplanned oxymoron ,
. . . dust sleeps with indifference
      veiling a beautiful handmade
      unstrung guitar
      muted - - abandoned,
      tone poems, unsung

and so "re-begins" the task ...
      come what may rise up
      into the dark star's light ...

Coyote was going there - -
      a dawning metamorphosis
      under another nebulous sky
. . . refreshed by a new moon's
                                 spel­lbinding sight ...

harlon rivers ...5. 21. 2015

sub-entry:

all roads lead to all roads.., 

poetic pathways do cross
seeds of heart and soul sown ... nurtured
birth tendrils of a thousand flowers
nascent buds to blossoming fruition
do come to wilt like the black rose

full circle in seasons changing light…

just because the blossom did not last forever
does not pale the impassioned light

be remembered by your life's poetry ..,
believe a poem can make a difference - - -

Kingfisher's rattling psalms ... Earth Day

Paying homage to Mother earth is something I enjoy often as a nature poet.   We can never be reminded enough to appreciate the delicate balance and symmetry of this planet's ecosystem.

 In this offering I have linked a collection of nature based poetry I enjoyed from a collection at Hello Poetry, where I am a regular contributor...These are other fine poets I enjoy and I hope you will as well ... the link is noted as writers notes just below  this poem or just click the black & white Kingfisher below... thank you for visiting please come back :)     

"Kingfisher's rattling psalms" by Harlon Rivers...

painting by Vic Erickson      

Kingfisher's rattling psalms

Belted Kingfisher perches atop leaning alder branch throne

just watching the river flow over shallowing pea gravel shoal 

Swirling crystalline waters reflect unturned stones 

shielding tawny Crawdad depths , only known 

by those who look beyond that which veils aneath 

unfaceted agates sheared from the roots of cut bank carved mines

Metamorphic rocks gathered and gravity drawn 

falling from Mt Hood headwaters to Zigzag, 

                       below Ripplebrook..,                                beyond...

bright banded agates smoothed by time and perpetual motion, 

vestige from majestic mountain miles high

Fiddlehead ferns unfurl
beneath crested blue top notched eyes

creation sculpted with the amazing grace 

of nature’s babbling headwater songs 

Swelling river tail out’s undulating riffle 

holds the Kingfishers' silver hope

Conspicuously  hovering over 

sacred salmon smolt filled waters flow
ennobled by unbounded innate purpose

abruptly diving for renewed sustenance
singing willful rattling psalms 

Fuzzy feathered continuum nesting in riverbank holes 

intently communing with the rivers' rippling anthem;

keenly apart to the parity of higher visions of grandeur 

perched above the river margin's
delicate murmuring symmetry 

where Alder latticed roots cling in hopeful harmony

with the faith that moved mountains 

unto this distant rocky shoal ...

harlon rivers © April 19, 2015   #Earth Day

Notes:  Paying Homage to Mother Earth ... Earth Day 2017

Paying Homage to Mother Earth...Earth Day 2015

It's an old Native American tradition that when you take something from the Earth, you must put something back.  Earth Day, April 22, 2015 will be a global "give back to Earth" event, as an "offering" for all the planet gives us.

Paying Homage to Mother Earth

With ear to ground upon violet carpeted splendor
flesh embracing terrestrial bosom, to feel each breath she takes
Violas breathe through my body with whispered hallowed song,
brushing the moment amidst delicate petals hypnotic lilting sway
Choral mantras from her molten heart did flow, plentifully bestrewn
across creation, for to glean the grandeur ... affirm the essence of being

With soul lobe to bedrock her feral heartbeat echoes
voices uplifted in earthen timbres intone
verses singing of true natures ardent supplications ascending flight
wellsprings upraise with the cadence a spangled starlit sky
beholden to the sweetest view of Heaven’s vast azure

With eyes wide open her open arms enfold me
springs’ presence blossoms wholly from her bowers soil
ancient spirits meld in the earth mother’s chanted joy
gathering like callow birds left fields of budding innocence
drawn into the mystic murmurations in endless blue skies

Her igneous diamond soul doth avow . . . the intimacy of the universe
these humble fingers written pleas from open palms
Beseeching prayers arouse the verve of ennobling souls
to endow creation with the faith of one love
beloved earth’s most intimate silent needs . . .

Authors note:

It is my challenge to anyone who walks this earth and are mused by all the splendor bestowed, please write something to publicly publish that pays homage to what the earth has given to you and #hash-tag #earthday to raise worldwide awareness

For other Global Earth Day information visit:  http://www.earthday.org/

Thank you,
Harlon Rivers

“PLEDGE TO PLANT – EARTH DAY, APRIL 22, 2015” Be a part of the biggest grass-root effort in history by planting a seed/tree as a “give back” to Earth.

Attribution for introduction and Earth Day information is unknown and from Google search...Provided strictly for informational  purposes 

Paying Homage to Mother Earth...Harlon Rivers © April 2015

#nature   #earth-day  

Hope for the dawning of unpromised somedays

...an ode to Spring's impending bloom

Nascent yellows emerge

          from late winter atrophy,
          juxtaposed just off
          the well-trodden woodland trail

Cloven hoof prints beckoning a closer Frolic

          The passing of time
          is neither kind nor unkind
          in this abundant forest sanctuary;
          leaving winter’s stagnant palette,
                                                           pale in comparison,

The everlasting secret dandylion wishes of yesteryear

          Wafting cadences fading
          with wintertides' cast away hope,
          august dreams of spring tableau
          and a rising hope
          for the dawning of unpromised somedays

          Recurring memories of burgeoning wildflower meadows
          vibrantly alive with the awakening call of the wild

Knowing time takes time,

          alive with flourishing anticipation …,
          the unbroken circle's perpetual motion turns,
          continuum ..., again and again, renew;
          leaving tiny cloven hooves bestrewn traces
          in the wake of creations',
          Spotted wobbly legged, amazing grace

Though transfixed to the hush we quietly tip toe..,

          hearkening to follow the unshod traces,
          nipped buds and dewdrop adorned moss mangers  --
                   - gifts of creations sown seeds -

          Born soft as the ferns underneath them

          Drawn wordlessly deeper and deeper
          into the gentle mountain greeneries' synergy

          Steller’s Jay… "shaack"--"shaack"--"shaack"
          with the verve of a tattletale gossip

          - Warning all give heed to -

          the salt and pepper bearded encroachment,
          a sage whisperer to the woods
          inaudibly searching
          for a hidden commencing yellow and,

The Frolic of newly birthed lilting babes in the wood  ~ ~ ~

          Nascent yellow petals  emerge
          from late winter atrophy,
          juxtaposed just off
          the well-trodden woodland labyrinth

          Where dandylion wishes set asunder in the autumn breeze,
          incarnate undreamt dreams

Manifesting a better hope 

          for the dawning of unpromised somedays ...


harlon rivers © March 2015

Excerpts from a diary of heart on sleeve : Poets come and Poets go…

Excerpts from a diary of heart on sleeve :

Poets come and Poets go . . .

Hanging on to starry-eyed contentment's ,
beyond the hour, a time for letting go
Stifled in a haze at these mazy crossroads ;
silence betides tired supplications
from this diary a heart on sleeve - -
Propensity stirs up eddies in the ether dust ,
while dizzyingly pacing a gilded cage
I cannot find the labyrinth through it ,
nor the strength to carry the weight of the arduous load ,
to swim wearily against the prevailing tides
forbearing an immeasurable gravity borne alone ,
knowing we cannot be . . , if we cannot be who we are - -
Seasons do inevitably change
without conscience or sympathy ,
invisibly eroding the shape of life ,
forevermore turning the tides again . . .

harlon rivers . . . feb 2015

harvesting poetry from the tree of humankind

image by Claudiu

Harvesting poetry from the tree of humankind

Refreshed perspective gather words

 like ocean riptides gather the rivers’ flow - -

repurposing back-eddies , 

rejuvenation of stagnant brackish waters , 

inherent soul-shine purging 

from the ancient core of earth mother 

Light arising from the depths of inner stillness

as if a refilling wellspring burst forth , 

reawakening muted sighs too deep for words , 

forming poetic constellations 

to lighten afar the nebulous darkness ,

like a sea of ink transformed into poetry 

A sage opus renewed 

by the muse of a migrating flock ,

striving to discover new sacred grounds 

yet there is an undeniable song sung 

in the howling winds of change 

an incitement from a higher dialect 

that empowers a restoration of the spirit ,

oeuvre uplifted by rogue waves of wind 

arousing that which time erases

A renaissance manifest 

among the rousing nuances 

of poetic continuum ,

judicious to rediscover 

the enthralling vastitude 

of every breaking wave 

in a boundless sea of poesy

Where prevailing currents 

stir oceans of verse eternal ;

provoking verve revival ,

the magnitude of an unbroken circle ,

ocean swells merging oneness 

with the omnipresent colour 

of uncharted depths 

As if thoughts are assuaged 

by a union of touching souls 

in intangible realms , 

sparking subtle shades of meaning

spanning poetic immortality , 

transcending barriers of unexplored lexicon 

to manifest the immensity, 

enkindling rhapsody of hearts and minds

  

Deeply rooted soul replenishment 

harvested from the tree of humankind ,

willingly sharing without regret ,

enabling an enlightening metamorphosis 

of the human journey ...

harlon rivers

January 22nd, 2015

passing on the poetic torch

Oh beloved poetry ! Entrusted steward of my soul ... by harlon rivers

                                         Oh beloved poetry ! 

... entrusted steward of my soul

Oh beloved poetry !    My blessed confidant ,
entrusted steward of my soul ,
my one and only intimate friend !
You bestow a solacing comfort I cleave to ;
beheld like no other divinity ,
a cathartic salve blended
from flowing ink and mind
      
Together perpetually entwining
an interwoven tapestry ,
the moment’s threads entangled
in an indelible compassionate embrace ;
wholly bequeathed like an old friend’s amity ,
open palms beseechingly beckon
into a sea of ardent sanctuary ,
an asylum for to surrender
wholeheartedly
unto the arms of the soul

Therein lies a soothing acceptance
beheld in the misunderstood
colour of darkness
But cast seeds sown
from a solitary heart ,
where allusions of mighty oaks
from acorns grow
rootlets to leaves

Wherein a restless silence accords
the sweetest breath of new life
like the yearning wind song
breathlessly in search of the lost chord ,
as the winds of change
blow against the untamed tides
tirelessly singing passionately
with the one who writes
with heart on sleeve

Poetry is the endearing epitome
an unconditional loving friend
There is not judgment cast ,
as if thrown stones
upon latent unspoken poesy borne
Only a bona fide comfort in the knowing
there is no longer an inherent need
for merciful surrender
Alas ! leniency to forgive myself
for all I've become

Harlon Rivers ©January 29th, 2015

from roots to leaves

from roots to leaves

The earth cushioned each footstep 

with the intimacy of kit gloves , 

leaving a weary heart to ponder 

whether or not there were 

even any steps ever taken at all ; 

aware these feet had walked on 

through an intangible threshold , 

well into the other side of yesterday

These eyes felt dry , closing awkwardly , 

blinded by what they've seen

Visions far beyond 

any memory of familiarity , 

senses peculiarly broadened 

for to feel an ethereal touch 

of an all-encompassing symmetry ,

from roots to leaves

Intricately touching an undiscovered life

with unobservable fronds 

entangled in all aspects of an enigmatic tapestry

Hearing nothing but 

the colloquial ether ebb and flow 

of each nourishing breath ,

feeling a tremulous motion ,

as invisible wisps of luminosity

formed an uncommon movement

The sky flowing overhead beckons focus

Rorschach clouds pass 

like fleeting abstract dreams 

of ancient horizon oases ;

visions of grandeur transcend 

beyond the familiar

at the speed of thunderhead

The rain washed away the last chance 

to see beyond the stars ;

at the time , I often thought it impossible 

to stay grounded while yearning 

to discover that enabling labyrinth to fly away 

coursing beyond something more than 

the bemused minutiae of recurring impasse , 

mindful there is nothing more to grasp

than this passing moment 

Powerless to chase fleeting dreams any farther ,

my heart's grown weary

struggling with life's incongruences , 

accepting an unearthly incarnation

rooted in the marrow of a reverent soul ...

Harlon Rivers © January 2015

the perfectly dark box

the perfectly dark box
 

 dare not reveal
that what fits inside
the perfectly dark box ..,
repined the dweller
by a dark stream
 

keep your secrets hidden
in the perfectly dark box
where a profuse ,
imposing silence ,
withers on the vine
like the last winter rose

 vestige of what once was light ,
another season
soon forgotten ,
in the perfectly dark box

 dolorous abandoned petals ,
left for dead ,
estranged remnants
entangled tendrils
of the womb of time
 

one day I swear .., I’ll spread my wings - -
knowing I no longer fit
   into this box I’m living in ...
 

  harlon rivers © January , 2015

staring up at a sky full of stars

staring up at a sky full of stars

                                                                 by harlon rivers

just a flock of birds
in the midnight sky
rhapsody beheld in dreamful eyes ,
staring up at a sky full of stars

oh !
      oh !
           sweet creation !

what a hallowed solace
enchanting near and far

wolf moon atop
the rising wintertide ,
lies low and over head ;
halo around
the winged moon’s
old yellow aglow ,
reflecting from
a higher plateau
--- upon
the snow covered fields
                      of winter

and if I had a broken wing ,
lost and forgotten
in the cold fields of winter ,
who’s to say I cannot fly away ?
for love is
the greatest healer known

                                                 rise up !
                                     rise up !
             above shadowed
winter night ,

spirit of all wind
uplift the wings 
of love and light ,
for love is
the foremost purpose bestowed ,

love is the greatest harmony sung
joyfully --- taking flight

jan 4th, 2015 © harlon rivers

that which often whispers

that which often whispers

                                          by harlon rivers

frost heaves unbuckle

the frozen earthen trail ;
an uncommon crunching
breaks the silence
of the frozen winter woodland

unshodden footprints speak
in ancient earthen timbre ,
bestowing an awakening
primordial homage
heralding enlightenment ,
as daybreak’s tangerine rays
are cast over snowcapped majestic

song sparrows thrash and scour
organic vestige awaiting repurpose ,
foraging near pathway ahead ,
scattering the broken silence
aneath the venerable trees'
lichen latticed scaffold

their glistening
moss blankets enfold
an invigorating repose ,
that which often whispers
the sounds of silence ...

harlon rivers © dec 31^st, 2014

daybreak observations from the last clear,

cold and crystalline dawn walk of 2014.

an ode to natural endings, 

renewal and forever beginnings...

#life   #nature   #thoughts   #conscious-moment   #presence