Idols

        Idols

Places of the heart

Seeking comfort

In ways that can't satisfy

Looking to external in vain

Painful places to sit

Acknowledging desire to fill void

In counterproductive ways

Sabotaging the very thing need

Allowing self to be carried away

Exposure of Truth don’t want to see

To sit in ambivalence - torn

See what truly is

No more denying

Acceptance of what was

Of wrong ways to cope

Healing comes in surrender

Build no more idols

Knowledge can't save

Addictions won't save

Only surrender today

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.  (16-364B)

Long Nights Yield

         Long Nights Yield

Slice of moon hangs low in the sky

Tint of maroon reflected

Few moment before dawn deflected

Timidly fading into day

Long nights yield to cycle

As winter solstice has passed

Begrudgingly less dark

Every morning day breaks sooner

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-363)

Corn Stubble in Winter

   Corn Stubble in Winter

Pair of deer

Move slowly

On far edge of field

Foraging in corn stubble

Stiff wind reminds

To keep moving

Out into the pasture land

They fade into the brown tall grass

Now a dozen geese

In the stubble graze

What's left behind brings life

As they glean upon the field

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-361C)

Taunts Me

      Taunts Me

Dawn taunts me

Sleet pelts me

Insulated coveralls peppered

As sky spits on me

December's rudeness

Falls heavy on land

Bracing for heavy hand

Cold slap across face

Silence except tinselly noise

Sleet quietly playing on brown sleeve

I taunt the sky

Parading the dog about ten acres

I'm fully awake in our daily ritual

She is impervious

Dampness slide off her coat

As she sniffs and explores

Soon her night watch over

My day begins

When start the car

I'm already far away

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-351C)

Snow Moon

        Snow Moon

Waxing gibbous moon rises

Pale white glow

Illuminates fresh snow

Nature's cold beauty shows

Moon snow white

Radiates from such height

Gazing down so bright

Captured with beauty of night

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-346A)

Unconditional

     Unconditional

To live in Father's love

Unconditional expression

Engulfing intimacy

Safe in His presence

Walking together in that space

Husband and wife free

Shame no more

Joy to explore

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-350B)

Embraced in Three in One

Embraced in Three in One

Expressions so tender

Love's willing surrender

Moments for us today

No work, all play this day

Remember the goodness

Wash away all the pain

So much loss everything gain

Today is a beautiful gift

Father has blessed

The Son has kissed

Holy Spirit caressed

Embraced in Three in One

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-348A)

Into the Horizon

         Into the Horizon

Small flock of geese

Fly low directly overhead

As they approach with honks and squonks

Sound of wings moving air with each stroke

Sounds forgotten until hear again

Beauty in sounds as they fade

Back into the horizon

From where they came

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-359A)

Consider My Ways

Consider My Ways

In morning quietness

Thoughts flow

Pen to paper

Gentle ease

Simply be

Life expressed

Expressions manifest

Never knew within

Discoveries abound

Morning is my time

Where I thrive

Contentment washes clean

Lost in moment

Time fades

Eternity now

Fools wait

For another day

Living out a lie

Remember whose I am

Resets gift of the day

Life renewed before dawn

Consider my ways

Before light of day

What will I display

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-357B)

Fractured

              Fractured

Tectonic plate of relationships collide

Separated by shaky divide

Wound try to hide

So stick to own side

Fault lines navigate

Not seen or known

Fractured trust hesitates

Interpretation of reality shown

Projecting meaning on another

Truth remains undiscovered

What's lost needs recovered

Reconciled place with lover

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-357A)

Seasons Wrestle

     Seasons Wrestle

Early sunsets

Pre-winter evening

Struggle of transition

Fall to Winter to Spring

Winter's forceful statement

Bone chilling cold

Ball wrestles back

Taunting Winter with Spring

Written the last day of Fall about within 36 hours went from -27F to 47F.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-355C)

Spring Taunts

         Spring Taunts

In the distance a flock

Turkeys slowly crossing the road

Causing a pause in the afternoon

All creation out from hunkering down

74 degree temperature change

36 hours ago 27 below

Ground soft and gooey

Snow packing under foot

As melts into the ground

Creation on edge of extremes

First day of winter approaches

Spring taunts before winter

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-354)

Picked Clean

    Picked Clean

When I falter

Torn between

Internal altar

Bones picked clean

Make a choice

Take a stand

Use voice

Enter the land

Fork in road

Baggage to lose

Lighten your load

No longer used

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-355D)

Default Places

          Default Places

Default places to survive

Going through motions

No longer alive

Mind full of commotion

Weight of dead thinking

Stuck in mental replay

Mental corpse stinking

Break free today

Embrace life giving Truth

Shame flees in the Light

Release memories of youth

Forgiveness lets go of my rights

Mature love requires

Dropping lies hold tight

Placing self in refining fire

Years of debris blazes bright

Pure and clean deep within

Peace settles in vacant space

Free from all that's been

Experience Father's love and grace

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-344A)

Secrets Laid Bare

      Secrets Laid Bare

Days slip past

Sinking below surface

Leaving not a trace

Of what once occupied the space

All things fade

To ashes they turn

Time works on all

'Til renewal of all things

In that day

All made right

All secrets laid bare

All love finally known

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-326B)

December's Cold Moon

      December's Cold Moon

December's Cold Moon
Hidden behind clouds
Curtained in darkness
After ground kissed by clouds

Light hidden in thick clouds
Long Night's Moon grudgingly yields
Glow begins in the East
Dawn's curtain slowly drawn open

Last full moon of the year
Flees from sight
Displayed by sun's strength
Piercing thick cloud curtain

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-350C)

Fading

                   Fading

Strength of a generation fading

Memory and legacy dwindling

Soon to slip silently into the night

Just a wisp remains of what was

Carried on through children

Willingly or unwillingly

Who I am

Layered generation upon generation

Layers of geology

Lay one upon another

Archaeology boring down

Exploring each layer

Piecing together history

Secrets that glare

No long hidden

Brought to light of day

Freedom in the light

Don't have to fade

If live a life of love

Loving well walking in Truth

Memories float

Like cotton off cottonwood

Air thick with memories

Moments and events of formation

In twilight moments of life

Not too late for redemption

Periptery of legacy still possible

Transformation in the end

Unspoken spoken

Splitting hardened hearts

Reconciliation like honey

Binding fault lines together

Love breaking through

Displacing bitter resentment

Hearts at peace

Pieces puzzled together

Stain glass of family

Put together in artistic joy

Playing with light

Colors of truth prism'd together

God's bigger than brokenness

Making right all that's not

Trusting He'll deliver

In fullness of time restoration

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-327A)

Gives Way

             Gives Way

Morning's chill gives way,

On the wonderful Nebraska day.

Sandhill cranes call above,

Sounds like cooing of doves.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-282A)

Core Bonds

            Core Bonds

Core built on shifting ground,

Heart moves back and forth.

Vacillating between truth and lies,

Double mindedness tossed around.

Reality of need of God,

More than lip service.

More than performance.

More than legalism.

All the ways make my own way,

Are ineffective at core change.

Ugliness of double-minded,

Severs intimacy fostering separation.

True and solid heart,

Stable and firm.

Open and honest,

Intimate and together.

Walking together,

Secure and confident.

Out of core bonds of love,

Bound together in unity.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-285B)

Chatham

          Chatham

No longer my home

Feels foreign and cluttered

Like surreal movie set

That I once lived here

Boyhood memories

Long cleared of debris

Past gives way

New built in old places

Trains go by

Rickety Amtrak

Plies the rails

Goes so fast

Space of grandpa's garden

Gave way twenty years ago

Apartments planted in soil

Different green to grow

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-286C)

Acceptance

     Acceptance

Reality of age

Soaks in soul

Like gently rain drops

On dry soil

Accepting reality

Clears the heart

Like air cleanses

With moist air

He walks

With a cane now

No longer fighting

Body's limitation

He sits

Dozes off

Awake hours in night

Time to be alive

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-288B)

Seeds

        Seeds

Preciousness of time,

So much to express.

Tick of clock,

Nail in lid.

Each moment,

Fill the space.

Choice in instant,

Defines a life.

Expressions today,

Seeds sown for tomorrow.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-289C)

Differently

         Differently

Present self differently

With love, kindness, gentleness

Broken yet filled from Father

Offering something worth having

Past can't undo

Can offer something new

Trust Father to make it right

Allowing Him into that space

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-328B)

Fifteen Below

            Fifteen Below

Ten miles away see the sun
Piercing through Mitchell Pass
Radiating soft orange light
Partial orb of fire revealing itself

Dropping into the river valley on highway 92
Sun's hidden again by Scotts Bluff
Approaching the river bridge
Heat radiates away from river's winding course

Beauty of hoarfrost glistening
On islands and banks of the river
Vapor rising off sluggish water
As frost clings to tall grass and scrub

Captured in the moment
Centers the soul
Purity of brilliant white
Glimpses of what's supposed to be

About the North Platte River on a -15°F dawn near Scottsbluff, NE.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-343B)

Gratitude Anew

       Gratitude Anew 

Ghostly hoarfrost
Grass brittle
Each step
Footprint's impression
Retreats reluctantly
Rising sun
Day begins
Gratitude anew

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-328B)

Reconcile This

        Reconcile This 

Harsh words spoken
Attachments broken
Hiding the pain
Heart's bane
Love's risk
Reconciles this

For an allpoetry poetry contest

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-328C)

Desire

         Desire 

            -i-
Desire to be known
Like honey on finger tips
Sticky and sweet
Golden yellow of sun seasoned flesh

            -ii-
Desire to know
Thick sweetness dripping from honeycomb
Lost in lush undergrowth
Blazing new trails in wild union

            -iii-
Desire to be touched
Softness burns
Marking two souls
Unseen brand

            -iv-
Desire to touch
Textures gossamer and burlap
Fiery heat conducted between
Reading each page of body in braille

            -v-
Desire to be claimed
Invisible fence's unseen glue
Woven together in silky cocoon
Radiant hearts adhesive union meld

            -vi-
Desire to be seen
Beauty of precision cut diamond
Facet splitting light of passion
Prismatic rainbow
Longing's complexity unlocked of another

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-308)

Unrecognizable

            Unrecognizable

When dreams come crashing down

You find your face bent low to the ground

Hope's been shattered

Don't know if you can go on

Wishing to be invisible

Unrecognizable on the inside

Adversity consumes all that's been

Foundation's crumbled in the heat

When day after day re-live the events

Ashes scattered, long gone cold

Burnt up memories residue

Sorrow cloaks heart once bright

When can't see what can be

Darkness plunges over mind

Let go and be swept away

When fully lost can truly be found

Out of the ashes rise

What was lost now found

Mettle tested and tried

Dead skin of doubt sluffs off

All the loss redeemed

Resurrection after depth of tomb

Unrecognizable on the inside

True image displayed

Face to face eye to eye

Inspired by a quote I heard by Bill Johnson, "don't waste your pain."

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-340)

Joy of Curves

         Joy of Curves 

Joy of curves
Ties my thoughts in knots
Straight lines are boring
Before you know it snoring
Curves are curious
Adventures around each bend
Beauty discovered on journey
Symmetrical loveliness each arc reflects

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-228)
For poetry contest.  

Softly

           Softly

              -i-

Tenderness of love

Comes softly

Embracing and conforming

Two into one

              -ii-

Crashing energy of love

Comes wildly

Adventure and life aroused

Melting in forge of love

              -iii-

Sorrow of love

Present something

Not worth having

Love requires change

              -iv-

Craziness of love

All of me accepted

Safe in being known

Healing of love

              -v-

Love unexpressed

Is love not known

Risk voicing love

Sweetness of love's melody

              -vi-

Joy of love

Sharing life together

Bringing a smile to another

Satisfaction of love

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

(16-339B)

Thunder

         Thunder

In mist at bottom of hill
Distant outlines
Herd of horses
Grazing

Bolt
Thunderous hooves
Reverberate ground
Beauty in motion

Streak past
Cutting through
The grasping fog
Manes and tails in sync

Hard freeze
Friskiness in air
Jostling one another
Playful as charge past

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-281)

Terrible Cost

         Terrible Cost

In a creek bottom years ago,
Adventures, so much to explore.
Just a boy, naively so,
Memories learned to ignore.

Curiosity lost within soul,
Kill the memory kill the pain,
Life fragmented, not whole,
Frostbite's agony as life regain.

In the creek free from all,
Solace even though already shards.
Before knew broken already called,
Deception of innocence when already marred.

At the creek was safe,
Days filled with fishing and forts.
Time exposes what must face,
Lost memories need a port.

Scars that leave mark unseen,
Body tense though memories lost.
Truth washes away all unclean,
Paid a terrible cost.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-272)

Soil of Soul

           Soil of Soul

Brisk air arouses lungs

Coldness purges conditioned air

Alive another day full of gratitude

Liminal place between night and day

Walking Molly in predawn

Owls still hooting in waning darkness

Deep breathes gathering in life

Exhaling stagnant pools exchange

Another breathe in expanding being

Senses awaken to minute details

Vision of light soft on clouds

Grayness giving way to color

Sounds of horses, dogs, and chickens

Stirring at first light

Gift of another breathe heard

Quietness renews soil of soul

Inhale stillness's renewal

Receiving so can give

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (16-337B)

Feeding Fish

          Feeding Fish

Fish floating gracefully
In ponds in which they're raised
Tossing fish food hastily
Herds of them graze

Late November day
Waning days of Fall
Snow won't delay
Winter issues call

Short sleeve weather
As we hike the hatchery
Memories untether
Connection's itch scratch 

Inspired by visit to DC Booth Hatchery in Spearfish, SD.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-319B)

Bobcat

       Bobcat

Lurking on fringes

At the edge of darkness

Probing for access

Stealth in action

Seen from afar

Horses sense presence

At property line

Seeking opportunity

Paw prints at den

Soft loamy sand

Cat tracks deceiving

Underestimating foe fatal

Element of surprise lost

Who hunts who now

Boundaries watched

No longer easy prey

Nocturnal half border collie half pyrenees

Vigilant bark has new meaning

Rifle kept close to protect

Any encroachment of farmstead

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

(16-334A)

Memories Stowed

            Memories Stowed

In darkness I drive
Before daybreak squinting my eyes
Off to work mode
Down the dirt road I go

Down the dirt road I go
Yesterday's memories stowed
Weekend leave thoughts of work rusty
Mind lethargic and dusty

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-333B)

Kneel in Submission

    Kneel in Submission

Wind pushing the grass
Forcing to kneel in submission
Sound of rustling blades
Whispers of rebellion as they chafe

Invisible foe
As it blows
Resistance grows
Powerful flow

Spit upon
By cold rain
Resentment builds
Meaning made

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-329A)

Ground Iced

               Ground Iced

Biscuit size white flakes floating
Softening the light gray horizon
Ground iced with sticky coating
Slushy late November day

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-327B)

Rocking Chair

        Rocking Chair

Squeaking rocking chair
Telling its story
Many families know
Passed dark nights of soul

Each creek a worry expressed
Released from wood deep in grain
Arms worn smooth over generations
Comfort found in motion

A parent's fear dissipated
A son's anxiety transferred
Therapy of rocking
Cleansing the soul

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-325B)

Cold Blazing Kiss

         Cold Blazing Kiss

Sun hides just below ridge
Fiery cloud cuts the sky
Juxtaposed against cold
Greeted with attention getting snow

Contentment in awareness
Seeing beauty others miss
Awakens sleepy places
Coldness like a blazing kiss

Slumbering thoughts no longer still
Pink horizon arouses eyes
Cheeks embrace the chill
In serenity hear heart cries

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-323B)

Snow Silently Floats

Snow Silently Floats

Silently snow floats
First snowfall of season
Western Nebraska's white coat
Beauty beyond reason

Hush hugs dormant things
Huddled herd finds shelter together
Fluffy whiteness to hide clings
Cool touch soft as feather

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-322B)

Frosty Moon

                     Frosty Moon

Frosty Moon low in the west
Resting upon layers of pink, purple, and blue
In a shared light as dawn breaks
With a clear sky in the east

In the liminal space
Beauty of November's Beaver Moon
Gracefully surrendering
As the light of day bursts forth

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-320C)

No More Fury

           No More Fury

Sins burnt up
In the fiery hell
Purified

Where sin once resided
Memories released in smoke
Holy ashes remain

Dark smoke released
Flame licking the sky
No more fuel to feed

Smoldering days
Glowing coals at night
No more fury to ignite

Cleared of the pain
Free of debris
New foundations lay

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-299C)

Feathery Clouds

          Feathery Clouds

Clear morning sky
Solitary feathery cloud
Horizontally hangs
Fleshy skin pinkish red

Lover in red dress
Pinkish lips full
Inviting the dare
To press my lips to hers

Crash together
Pieces sluff off
Shedding of old
New maturity and growth

Edges soften
Where one ends
And another begins
Continually woven

Twenty eight years
From day we wed
Wake to beauty beside me
Fully feminine, fully different

Mystery of union
Becoming
Two complete individuals
In union

As become more complete
More to give
Expanded ability to receive
Transformation radiates

Dynamic movement
Willing exposure
Deeper connection
So much still to explore

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-315B)

Communion of Union

Communion of Union

Father's love
Falls from above
Tasted in flesh and blood
Communion of union

Communion of union
Takes many forms
Manifest beauty
See and saw

See and saw
Teeter tauter
Balance of splendor
Know and known

Know and known
Physical expression
Heart connection
Soul to soul

Soul to soul
Drink 'til full
Love's consummation
Communion of union


About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-300A)

Feathery Clouds

          Feathery Clouds

Clear morning sky
Solitary feathery cloud
Horizontally hangs
Fleshy skin pinkish red

Lover in red dress
Pinkish lips full
Inviting the dare
To press my lips to hers

Crash together
Pieces sluff off
Shedding of old
New maturity and growth

Edges soften
Where one ends
And another begins
Continually woven

Twenty eight years
From day we wed
Wake to beauty beside me
Fully feminine, fully different

Mystery of union
Becoming
Two complete individuals
In union

As become more complete
More to give
Expanded ability to receive
Transformation radiates

Dynamic movement
Willing exposure
Deeper connection
So much still to explore

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-315B)

City Lights

                  City Lights

City lights dot the darkness
Looking down on the never sleep
So much effort to still the soul
So much soul candy to fill the hole
Empty calories that never leaves one full

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-307B)

Doors

                Doors

Doors and thresholds
Open, be bold
Thaw what's cold
Let go of old

He stands to open
Grant Him access
Let Him in
He's not afraid of hidden sin

When He approaches
Doors He wants to open
Invite Him in
Tenderness He walks through

Allow love in
Displace the debris
He'll set me free
Be amazed at what He sees

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.
(16-311C)

Gnarly Tree

         Gnarly Tree

Gnarly tree life long gone
Stands in memorial
To what once was
Carcass time flogged

Artwork reaching skyward
As run hand over surface
Rough weathered texture
Connect skin with barkless hide

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Shrinking

             Shrinking

Shrinking person
Assigns motive and intent
Pride blinds to consider
Always a victim

Hunched behind her desk
Gollumly crouching
Waiting to trounce
Trivial items so she's dismissed

Her anger arises
Her voice starts to raise
Here comes a lecture
Bitter brew spews and nobody cares

She thinks it's intentional
Creates her own mess
No longer has power
Rage has turned sour

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Hewn-man (Hu-man)

Hewn-man (Human)

             -i-
Rough form hewn
Image of a man
A hewn-man

             -ii-
Each shaving
Character discovered
A hewn-man

            -iii-
Fragments on ground
Uncovered depth
A hewn-man

             -iv-
Cooperate excess sluffs off
Bracy each stroke bleeds
A hewn-man

             -v-
Each knot amplified
Each scar flavor
A hewn-man

             -vi-
Each day refined
Exposure of grain
A hewn-man

             -vii-
Beauty drawn out
Buffed and polished
A hewn-man

            -viii-
True self known
Revealed in tender strength
A hewn-man

             -ix-
Broken in love
Drawn out by Sculptor
A hewn-man

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Creativity

        Creativity

Rustling of tall grass
Leaves and tumble weeds scoot past
As sun sinks gust subside

A day outside is better than any day in the office
Just a few moments at dusk
Washes all the slime away

Creativity comes easy
In open spaces
In open places

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Powerhouse

            Powerhouse

Concrete powerhouse
Long abandoned
Gothic and forlorn
Once brought power to the valley

Turbines abandoned half a century
Penstock turned to scrap
Foundations of operators' houses
Holes in floor to afterbay

Silent for a generation
Haunts of the wild
Voices of the past
Whisper in the breeze

Transformed communities
Power stepped up
Synchronizing communities
Altering power structure

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Orion Greets Me

Orion Greets Me

            -i-
Orion greets me
In the early morn
Step out the door
In the Southern sky

           -ii-
Orion greets me
One week left
Before he's asleep
When I step outside

          -iii-
Orion greets me
Hunting far above
Immense space between
Reminded of smallness

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Mercy

     Mercy

       -i-
Broken places
Deep wounds
Crushed soul
Mercy

       -ii-
Awareness
Despair
Hope
Mercy

       -iii-
Beyond repair
Shattered
Remade
Mercy

       -iv-
Beauty
Breathe
Restored
Mercy

       -v-
Scars
Becoming
Beauty marks
Mercy

       -vi-
Glory
Rescued
Claimed
Mercy

       -vii-
Intimacy
Love
Received
Mercy

       -viii-
Whole
Complete
Union
Mercy

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Last Day of the Season

Last Day of the Season

Sounds of life fill the air
Whistles of referees
Sounds of kids voices
In excitement of game

Green fields at the end of October
Thump of soccer ball kicked
Sporadic cheers of parents erupt
Red and neon green flags at the corners stiff in the wind

Fields become quiet
Only four teams remain
All the age groups gone
Except the oldest age division

Coolness drifts onto the field
Sun grows low on horizon
Breeze chills the players
Parents huddle to stay warm

Then it is over
Another season drawn to a close
Disperse quickly in fading light
Cleats and shin guards put away

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Two Tracks

                 Two Tracks

Two dirt tracks on the edge of the field
Cutting through the prairie
Exposes packed loamy soil
Quiet space fills the air
Pushing out internal noise
Swirls out the soul drain
With each step peace rise
Displaces anxiety
Recharged

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Written for an online contest.

Mercy and Grace

     Mercy and Grace

Soul in liminal space
Between longing, love, and lust
Pulling you close
Praying mercy and grace

All I haven't been
Not what you deserve
Change comes slowly
Truth hard to see

Been let down
By self and others
Belief comes hard
That can be remade

When mind replays
Past failures and heartaches
Hope comes hard
That love can be renewed

Praying mercy and grace
Pulling you close
Between longing, love, and lust
Souls in liminal space

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Action

             Action

                -i-
Love expressed in belief
Exposes poser of reason
Can't explain heart and soul
Embrace what really know

               -ii-
Love expressed in action
Not a stoic journey
Doesn't yield to scientific method
Yields to heart

               -iii-
Love expressed in risk
Overcome past and fears
Laid open and vulnerable
Only way to know

                -iv-
Love expressed in passion
Giving self away
Defying logic
Crazy desire to know and be known

    
About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

In the Forge

In the Forge

In the forge's fire
Malleable and soft
Smithy's hammer blows
Forms and shapes

Coals glowing
Immersed in purifying
Heat purging
Humility's softness

Heart forged anew
Each strike on anvil
Remade into original
Recycled and renewed

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Written during worship at church today.

Wind's Caress

Wind's Caress

Wind caresses my skin
Hair on arms feel its light touch
Like lips softness teasing
Seducing in the warm light

Arouses loving memories
Awakens hopefulness of what can be
Beauty wraps mind
Pulling me close

Submerged in warmth
Rays of love illuminate
Colors of autumn
Seasons of intimacy

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Feather

                Feather

A perfectly shaped feather
Waiting to be found
Brown, black, and deep burnt red
A pheasant's loss my gain

I proudly carry it
Keep it close
As continue walking Molly
A treasure found

Boyish curiosity awakens
In a simple discovery
Beauty and softness
In fading light of day

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

A feather I found walking Molly.

Hidden Treasure

   Hidden Treasure

Unseen glory
Hidden treasure
Unwritten story
Abounding pleasures

Battles well fought
Fulfilling our duty
X marks the spot
Uncover the booty

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Bank

       Bank

Brick building
Holding money
Power wielded
In fortress

Solemnness of church
False importance of clergy
No risk for them
Love the worship

God like power
Empowering or disempowering
Dream breakers
Dream makers

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Branches Leak

        Branches Leak

Moon plays hide and seek
Between Autumn golden leaves
Soft light between branches leaks
Quaking in the gently breeze

Caress of lovers
Interplays gently
Season discover
Awakens accidentally

Timing is everything
Pressed together
Rustling leaves sing
Matchmaker so clever

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Unseen Bully

   Unseen Bully

Sound of the wind
An unseen bully
Pushing trees violently
Stripping them nude

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Truth Slap

      Truth Slap

When truth slaps
Attention captured
Thunder claps
Soul's explosive mixture

What once made sense
Blended and garbled
No longer a defense
Losing marbles

Unsteady as gaze
Change in gravity
Reality ablaze
Exposes internal cavity

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

West of Jacksonville

          West of Jacksonville

West of Jacksonville on I-72 there he was,
In woody cover near the on ramp.
Peering out from the edge at midday,
Cautious coyotee studying the world.

Traffic speeding past,
Goes unnoticed.
Wildness in our midst,
Just an observation away.

Wild parts within,
On the fringe of consciousness.
Lurking for opportunities,
To surface and hunt.

Places of passion repressed,
Eruption of love expressed.
Restraints removed,
What's dead resurrected.

Fully alive,
Fringes of me welcomed.
Integration of being,
Washed in love and flooded with peace.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Catch a Smile

               Catch a Smile

Dust wafts in the air
Down the dirt road I go
Filling the cab with talc like powder
Transporting me back to a happy time

Puffy dust cloud streaks behind
Vapor trail of time travel
Memory flares
Dust's taste and smell a gravitational pull

In the mountains with father
Dirt roads in mid-Summer
Rough as a cob he would say
Until we reached our destination

A stream in the Sangre De Cristo's
Trout dancing on the water
As reel it in
Catch a smile on my face

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Topsy-Turvey

       Topsy-Turvey

World is upside down,
What's wrong is right,
What's right is wrong,
Orwellian (1984 and Animal Farm). 

Lie becomes truth,
Lawlessness becomes law,
Ignorance becomes knowledge,
Gilliam (movie Brazil).

Guarantee no risk,
Safety no freedom,
Persecute all who oppose,
Bradburian (Fahrenheit 451).

Civilized become animals,
Criminals becomes elite,
Violence becomes peace,
Miller and Kennedy (movie Mad Max).

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Insulated

                    Insulated

Sullen sky hides the sinking sun
Gray clouds cast gloom
Sowing disappointment in the air

Coolness of a Nebraska October day
Schizophrenic day between hot and cold
Stealing green and leaves from the living

Resignation falls like a winter coat
Insulated from season's bitterness
Darkness falls earlier now

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Lurks

                        Lurks

Through the cracks darkness creeps
Daily it lurks and peeps
Death lurks in its lair
Stench in the air

Seal the cracks
No more broken back
Let it rot in its den
Write its obituary in pen

Twinge of pain to let go
Smash it with truthful blow
Grief and suffering surge
Sound the mournful dirge

Love's calm sea settles
You've discover your tough metal
Scarred and bruised
Strengthened and renewed

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Loosen that Grip

             Loosen that Grip

Why the clenched hands
Oh son of man
All that anger held in fist
Such a bitter laundry list

What will it take to loosen grip
Driven by own mental tormentor's whip
Memories burnt into soul
Distorted into hunched up troll

Feeding the victim thar become
Seared mind to overcome
Pain is a harsh master
Relief if loosen grip faster

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.

Sunday's Surprise

            Sunday's Surprise 

Suzette is pure Arabian of Egyptian blood lines
born today.

Suzette's a surprise in the straw,

At break of day.

Suzy-Q a new born bay,

Beautiful gift in days of awe.

Name means lily,

White and pure such a prize.

Courageous little filly,

Sunday's surprise.

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet.