Poetry

Solstice

Astride the world, a friend and I,
Alone save the other, against the sky.
Clinging atop our antenna pylon…
Where naught but cloud obscures horizon.

One glance around at twin sun-dog,
I turned to call, breath misting fog…
And gestured out, cried “Look and see,”
“The exquisite colors of eternity!”

For as we stood, high off the ground,
The heavens spun their circuit ’round…
Casting shades across full spectrum,
A windswept, glass-less, lofted sanctum.

And from our lattice steel church-spire,
We gazed the ball of fusing fire,
That burns for-ever, or just as long,
As it will when we are gone.

Loss of Cable, Loss of Job

Loss of cable, ———————————– loss of job.
Broken arbor, ————————————- broken hob.
Wallered bearing,——————————— mangled cog.
Burning charcoal, ——————————– burning sod.
Auto cross-feed, ———————————- handle jog.
Slotted face-plate, ————————– lathe drive dog.
Angled cross-bar, —————————— de-barked log.
Dusty brick yard, ——————————- wet peat bog.
A beached Mercedes, ———————————– Unimog.
Tapping slag port, ——————————- melted blob.
Light the beacons, ————————— cut through fog.
Immaterial, —————————————- Demagogue.
Loss of Cable, ———————————– Loss of Job.

Chant

Follow the Line
Seek and you’ll find
Solemn disci-
Ples of the Nine
Subtle and slight
Twisting defined
Woven in wire
Ever so fine

Passing our time
Amongst the wind-
Ing ancient spires
Arching inside
Mountain resid-
Ence of the wise
Steady in file
Patient we bide

Shells how they shine
And hearts that pine
Waiting for gi-
Gantic, sublime
Cosmic align-
Ment drawing nigh
Watch for great Sign
Season arrive

Look with your eyes
Gaze towards thine
Rugged hori-
Zon from which rise
Ramparts so dire
Scraping the sky
Storm to arise
Stand and preside

Strike upon high
Cracking the sky
Opening wide
Heavens alight
Pillars of fire
Over the iron
Seas blazing white
Molten and wild

Hold ‘fore the tide
Feel immense grind
Heaving your spine
Land come alive
Visage of fright
Towering height
Face and defy
Blistering ire

Forwards we drive
Through fury pri-
Mordial might
Onwards our flight
Upwards we strive
Fortitude like
Your and like mine
All of our kind

Soaring in stride
Down to the mine
Whence you will sight
Smoldering prize
See where it hides
Crusted in rime
Glimmering right
Before your eyes

Brilliant chimes
Sounding, divine
Resonate bright
Throughout our lives
We Civilized
People unit-
Ed firmly via
Reason and mind

—-
Rhythm and rhyme
Thusly transcribed
Sigil set I,
Hankor the Blind

Copyright Jonathan Sherwood 2020-2025