aurora borealis

the butterfly effect
is the quintessential cause
of chaos

we cannot stop living
and so
we keep dying

time waits for us to look away
however briefly
to add tattoos to our skin

hope keeps us going
just long enough to walk into a room
filled with hopelessness

a snake sheds its skin as it grows
and glides into
a larger version of itself

mother nature’s patterns and
illusions only make sense
if you’re a cloud

refuse to look away

refuse to cry uncle

refuse to be broken

for just now

another set of wings
emerges
from a dried-husk brittle
cocoon

translucent

blue and brilliant

flying home

…….

….

.

Sending love and light to the victims of the aurora shootings
and those whose lives they touched.
.
.
.
dVerse poets Open Link Night

 

 


39 Responses to “aurora borealis”

  • Kathryn Dyche Dechairo Says:

    You transport me with your writing.

  • brian miller Says:

    dang…so much harsh reality in this….just enough hope to walk into a room of hopelessness….i love the message of strength though, and unwillingness to give up, just maybe change…

  • mark Says:

    we cannot stop living
    and so
    we keep dying

    —-

    These words and the feelings/thoughts/visions they create are stunning….wow….so very well done.

  • ayala Says:

    Powerful and real. just enough hope to walk into a room of hopelessness…I feel you and I love that you share a message of strength in the end. We can’t stop ..we have to go on. A beautiful write.

  • Debi Says:

    the butterfly effect. of course. yes. it makes no sense, ever. keep breathing, patch up the cracks. it’s all we can do. refuse to cry uncle.

    perfect, you know.

  • Stereo Says:

    Like a punch in the stomach. So powerful and so true.

  • Kim Says:

    Thank you. I saw the victims on tv last night and my heart bleeds. Why we cannot all die peaceful or somewhat graciously, even if young, is beyond. But I. Hope anyway.

  • Elizabeth Howard (@smallstate) Says:

    Thank you. I’d like THIS tattooed on my heart.

  • Louise Says:

    This moved me deeply “another set of wings
    emerges
    from a dried-husk brittle
    cocoon

    translucent

    blue and brilliant

    flying home …just beautiful & heartbreaking, Kelly

  • Claudia Says:

    much to like here…we cannot stop living
    and so
    we keep dying…. the ….hope keeps us going
    just long enough to walk into a room
    filled with hopelessness..and time waits..adding tattoes to our skin..great

  • The Gratitude Tarot cards revealed: The Empress Says:

    […] all of my fiery contradictions                   with my doubts and confusion             with my dedication to this […]

  • Brandee Says:

    refuse to look away

    refuse to cry uncle

    refuse to be broken

    for just now

    THIS is what we must strive for.

  • Steve Shultz Says:

    This is very touching. I live in Aurora (born and raised), so I am struggling to keep my chin up. Thanks for your love & light.

  • Mama Zen Says:

    “time waits for us to look away
    however briefly
    to add tattoos to our skin”

    Damn, this is brilliant.

  • Susan L Daniels Says:

    I absolutely cannot single out anything in here that speaks to me more loudly than any other image–it all has such sweet beauty, and also mortality to it. Wonderful.

  • Christi Moon Says:

    stunning tribute, beautifully penned.

  • Daydreamertoo Says:

    This is so beautiful. Sad, because of what inspired it and yet, leaves one feeling that little spark of hope for the rest of humanity that is astonished, and heartbroken at such a random, senseless act as carried out in Aurora. Your imagery of the butterfly evolving from the cocoon is so beautiful. Sad to think of those lives lost and those forever affected by this one person and yet, life is always life and for those of us left, goes on.
    A lovely, deeply touching tribute.

  • Anna Montgomery Says:

    Rending, this hits close to home; I agree it is stunning and brilliant.

  • jane hewey Says:

    exquisite. soft wording powered with strong images. love it.

  • Susan Says:

    Trying to raise the emergent butterfly as the aurora borealis works for me on the level of miracles–a neat reversal of the tragedies we’ve created in the name of the Butterfly Effect. Perhaps you are redefining that here. In either case the strong message of looking life and its impossibilities square in the face appeals to me as a central mystery.

  • Nara Malone Says:

    What a beautiful tribute. That repitition of “refuse” grabs attention and brings home the message that we can’t give up.

  • emmett wheatfall Says:

    The first thing that got me was the title of this poem. Secondly, I had a gut feeling based on the title this was going to be a very good poem. Then the first stanza did not disappoint. And the remainder of the poem was was wonderful. Thank you for releasing in our lifes this poem.

  • nana Says:

    God bless the people of Aurora, and bless you too for such a beautiful poem.

  • Heaven Says:

    Lovely share… my fav lines are:

    we cannot stop living
    and so
    we keep dying

  • Joan Roberts Says:

    A call to never give up and to face life head on even in the worse of times! Excellent message for us all. Thanks for such a powerful writing and dedication to the families in Aurora, Colorado.
    Thanks!

  • Manicddaily Says:

    Super pretty poem, and makes me hopeful just reading. k.

  • Steve King Says:

    MM,

    Inspirational and filled with hope. This one hit the spot tonight. Many wonderful lines. For me, “mother nature’s patterns and/illusions only make sense/if you’re a cloud” is especially fine. Nice job. (no need to visit back–no post for me tonight!)

  • Ginny Brannan Says:

    “refuse to look away

    refuse to cry uncle

    refuse to be broken”

    Beautiful words for a moment that has touched us all.
    You’ve touched on so many things here, many inevitable, many part of life. We must remember to keep the sad, the bad, from defining us and ” to stay strong, keep hope alive, and refuse to be broken. Thank you for sharing this.

  • wolfsrosebud Says:

    felt the struggle in your words

  • Bianca Says:

    Wow! This is powerful. Really beautifully written 🙂

  • Mohana Says:

    beautifully written…the despair, the pain…

  • Pat Hatt Says:

    So very true, got tattoos a plenty on me I never wanted and sure more will come.

  • Gay Says:

    The first read through I thought it was about the vibrant aurora borealis this year – the words captivated, the images seared. When I read the line that the Aurora included the references to the massacre, I re-read with different intent. This poem works on not only those levels but myriad others, grounded in philosophical observations, written in concrete images, this is an exceptionally well crafted poem. Thank you!

  • chazinator Says:

    There are some hard truths here, i think. The passion of hope informs this. Lines that are striking include

    a snake sheds its skin as it grows
    and glides into
    a larger version of itself

    mother nature’s patterns and
    illusions only make sense
    if you’re a cloud

    I don’t know whether that second stanza is cynical, but it is true indeed, since I do not think that thinking of natural processes in these circumstances console mourners. The lines that provide hope, at the end, are crystal clear, though they take a belief in possibilities that transcend the earthly.

    Excellently written.

  • lucychili Says:

    beautiful tribute

  • laurie kolp Says:

    So very touching, heartfelt.

  • Arron Shilling Says:

    sorry i am late – mad week…
    this is thoughtful and poigniant…
    pitched perfectly, and like Gay, i was taken in two directions – which i think is a tribute to the piece…

    great job
    sad times

  • stephaniesattic Says:

    I like this a lot. There is a sort of chaos, and also a sort of cyclical nature to it all. Birth and death and rebirth as something new…maybe a leaf (to me). Keep the fighting words going…keep ‘refusing.’ :hugs:

  • Semaphore / Samuel Peralta Says:

    A treasure, because as deeply buried as it is to find something like hope in so dark a tragedy, one must dig like nothing else matters, because without it we would find ourselves destroyed.

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