Quarantined Love

Quarantined Love

Cardboard spool

of empty toilet paper roll

where love quarantined

no more squares to give

Now forced together 24/7

warmth not shared between the sheets

unkempt bed mirrors lonely hearts

pain of love grown cold

Empty shelves

greedy impulses hoard

what love remains

packed neatly in dark cupboards

Blow gently upon cold ashes

embers still to nurse

tenderly fuel what's left

rebuild what's been neglected

Each breath whispers memories

of what we still have

stoke the fire with explosive tinder

add the dead bramble

Stroke her cheek

caress the tears

of what was lost

and now is found

Once again tangle

roots and limbs

embrace forgiveness

begin again

In season of quarantined love

connection grafted together

touching most

tender parts

Poem 20-123U

#highplainspoet, #westernebraskathougtsandlife, love, walls, distance, connection, relationship, healing, hope, restoration, forgiveness

Joy

Joy

Union

celebration of us

soul smiles

Heart

still longs

to know you

Journey

many tears

many smiles

Heart

still longs

to know you

Endurance

not for faint of heart

willing surrender

Exploration

merging into us

after 31 years

20-045y

#highplainspoet, #westernnebraskathoughtsandlife,

joy

Blush Skies

Blush Skies

Blush skies fade as dawn breaks

silkiness of love's embrace

warmth rests close

beneath infinite horizons

Snow crowns peaks

they glisten in sharp early light

awakens tenderness within

holding space for another

All too soon fades

moment drifts away

clouds hide the brilliance

portal of beauty closes 'til dusk

20-017z

#highplainspoet, #westernnebraskathoughtsandlife

Winter's pre-dawn moments happen at a time when I see them and they have a way of sparking joy and beauty inside my heart and soul. Reminding me of the goodness of God and love.

Hope Whispers

hope whispers

     in the rustle of limbs

leaves

     lackadaisically float

memories

       dried leaves devoid of color

seasons of marriage as walk on what once was

      now dead

hope whispers

     in the sliver of moon

wondering

       if I am crazy in what I see

beauty

       for me found in ordinary places

that

       others walk by

hope whispers

     softly of restoration of brokenness

where forgiveness

     flows and mercy embraces

undeserved love

     expressed in spite of the pain

remembering

       the good times we have had

19-298y

#highplainspoet

Lean In

Lean In

She hangs on his arm

leans into him

bound together

they walk as one

In the cool morning

they glide among the crowd

sparking embers of fire

gloam upon the ground

Arousing hope in all

the young and old

of what can be

once again

19-285z

#highplainspoet

Inspiration - a younger couple, late 20s, walking around at the balloon festival in Albuquerque. So entranced with each other they clung together as they walked. A blissful moment.

Yesterdays

Yesterdays

Sorrow of yesterdays

a veil of inky fog

leaves a moist icing

upon the psyche

Until remember hope

breaks the dawn brilliantly

spills golden rays as

stone rolled away

Tomb emptied

waking up in

love's cottony embrace

redemption's power

19-174y

#highplainspoet

Pace and Wait

Pace and Wait

            -i-

Anxiety paces the floor

footsteps ever echo

down darkened hallways

ever looking for light

            

            -ii-

Peace waits with me

thaws icy memories

walks with me

to the other side

           -iii-

Anxiety paces the floor

repressed buoyancy

always held under

can't catch a breath

            -iv-

Peace waits with me

pulls me above trauma

out of the riptide

to rest on freedoms shores

            -v-

Anxiety paces the floor

taut spring suppressed

overwound emotions

cortisol wreckage

            -vi-

Peace waits with me

volcanic emotive release

bears my burden

never forsaken

Poem 19-152z

#highplainspoet

The complexity of being human and trauma experienced. There is hope, peace, and healing. Matthew 11:28-30

Blue

Blue

Sorrow numbingly sings

 like rain dancing on tin roof

Heavy sky steadily cries

 thick dampness oppresses

Late Spring in Nebraska

 in a Seattle mood

Leaves one wondering

 where has the sunshine gone

Perhaps it is time

 to walk in the rain

Allow the chill

 to wash away pain

Allow dandelion puffs

 to paste themselves upon each shoe

Breath deep the earthy

  aromas unleashed

Grass waste high

 soaks blue denim

Bleeds out color

 not meant to carry

Saturated hoodie lays heavy

 weighs upon shoulders

Exchange dead weight

 to feel life in drizzle

Knowing tomorrow's blossoms

 are within today's loneliness

Pick up the pen again

  purge heart of blue ink today

19-137z

#highplainspoet

#westernnebraskathoughtsandlife

https://www.westernnebraskathoughtsandlife.com

Realignment

Barren limbs bounce

  against baby blue sky

  pink clouds at day break

January mourning

  roots run deep

  anchoring heart and soul

Remembering time of breaking

  pain splinters and shatters

  all that made human

Hollowed out to the core

  questioning if roots would hold

  deep and sturdy they grasp into earth

Hallowedness runs deep

  slowly grows again

  fractures bound tight

Own the places of choice

  what I believe about me

  how I show up

Painful place of alignment

  fragmented parts rejoined

  congruence bound together

All that’s been broken

  mended and whole

  beautifully restored

19-027A

#highplainspoet

For all those who have wrestled in and through brokenness allowing God to re-form and transform you.

Peace Rests Within

Peace Rests Within 

-i-

Peace rests within

 mind focused on hope

 dwelling in thankfulness

 remembering the goodness of God

-ii-

Peace rests within

 chaos crashes all around

 yet doesn’t unsettle

 solid in who I am

-iii-

Peace rests within

 even when familiar thoughts bombard

 replaying moments of pain and trauma

 I will not be moved

-iv-

Peace rests within

 laughter flows freely

 joy becomes familiar

 hope for better days

19-017A

 #highplainspoet

Renewal

Renewal

Aspen limbs arch

canopy of golden leaves

over abandoned road

Ponderosa pine forewarn

can hear it coming

in the crowns

With each gust

quivering shakes free

flaxen leaves flutters down

I alone watch

intruder in this world

awestruck in solitude

Rest upon a rock

eat my sandwich

drink in honey colors

Beauty awakens

dormant longings

restores hope

(18-265u)

Restoration

Restoration

Before Love, Grace, and Mercy

darkness cannot stand

Beauty in what once was broken

fractured place restored

(18-099D)

Author's note: What if Love, Grace, and Mercy are actually beings that fight on our behalf?

Confidence

Confidence

Confidence in my deliverer

His love floods into the darkness

I've invited Him into the hidden place

What once held power now powerless

(18-099D)

Not Alone

Not Alone

Turn and embrace the discomfort

shame quivers with each step forward

Light exposes as move close

no fear because I know He who is with me

(18-099D)

Amusement Park

Amusement Park

That place of

     don't go there

A Ferris wheel

     that picks up speed

As feed the fuel

     to bitter arguments

Yet unresolved

     perhaps never solved

So don't buy the ticket

     get out of line

A cup of coffee

     as friends

A place to

     start again

(18-107D)

Bolting Dreans

Bolting Dreams (18-198A)

Dream paints jumbled picture
Picasso like distortions of past and present
Place of past trauma imposed in present
trying to abuse another planting the trauma deeper

Bolt awake full of anxiety
realizing it's just a dream
Angry that would dream of such places
projecting onto another abuse they never caused

What does it mean
what can I do
How do I take responsibility
how do I forgive and set free

Haunting of past imposed on today
attack in the sleep, break the attachment
Break the power of generation cycle
God's love is real

Restoration

Restoration (18-208A)

Trust evident in

almond brown eyes

Words now

tenderly spoken

Forgiveness's fruit

fully accepted

Internally solid

externally soft

Vulnerably known

intimacy explored

Worth valued

truly seen

Rooted Passion

Rooted Passion (18-184A)

Desire lays just below
ready to burst forth
Awakened after harsh winter
and parched spring

Refreshing rain sparkles
hard heart now supple
Hope revives love
roots gone deep

Dresser

Dresser (18-150W)

Choose to unpack

This sick looking thing

Unfinished finish

Every time

Resistance encountered

As try to dismantle

Dresser mocks

Tattered old clothes

Worn by others

Not mine

Refuse to wear

No longer who I am

Covered

Covered (18-053C)

Oh the relief
body relaxes
mind at rest
heart satisfied

Covered in Father's grace
His love doesn't waver
I'm His favored
broken and reconciled

His steadfast lover for me
My defender when I fall
loving hands raise me up
kissing all the wounds

His breath soothes
closes all the wounds
words that salve the heart
peace that calms my fears

Alive today in a new place
shift from orphan
to receiving welcome as a son
healing with each step

About the Author:  Brian Bucks lives on a small horse ranch in Western Nebraska and is a husband, father, electrical engineer, and poet. (18-053C)