When the Lights Recede

Below the Sky and Sea

Sleepless mauve ribbons descend
the night one stair at a time.

The sky shimmering with blue painted clouds
beyond the fingers of hopelessness.

Footsteps of angel wings bounce
and whip gathering wind yellow.

The hues of loss sounded by conch
flying butterflies whispering hello.

Here below the sea regret waves green
whistles and tolls tomorrow.

Seahorse congregate and plan processions
of retribution mounted on steeds of neon
red.

This battle of banners wages on waves
ascending foam tides in charging armies.

Words lost in a shuffle of innuendo
propagate and stir the murkiness of victory.

Here among the titans nothing is wagered
entirely, no anemone souls, no starfish wishes,
nothing of any real value.

Everything is a pantomime played out in
real time beneath the sky and the sea.
Everything is collusion.

Kevin Harling


Ocean

Like pearl leaves crawling to the sea
driven by the desire for salt
the
brine like the colour of my thoughts
on a shoal made of coral
and the urchin
who held classes for English
preached about proper usages
of pronouns
and the blackboard
was erased by anemone
purple and kind of evasive,
the waves tried to wash everything away
as if it was fleeting
and time spoke like sand
in glass whispers,
and I could not help but think
that whirpools can cause you
to drown and be swallowed
by what the professor said
and the blue sky
was clearly visible although
somewhat blurry
and the clouds just acted nonchalant
after all it was only Thursday.

Kevin Harling


A Secret World

Between the lines decomposing light
in the spaces secrets that linger
faces and traces of dust stall
in the lulls where I vault ink
places I sit and think twinkling
star and foam of sea clouds.
Between the valley and grove
mist meadow dove and silence
the sheets and lace satin tear
like a pomegranate flower tree.
In this river bending meander
here amongst now and what was then
between air and sound whispering
the rain and traces of pen I sit
thinking moon sand and dunes I
who bleeds ink blue and red flesh.

Kevin Harling


Hold On

Hold onto this as if it was a thunderbolt
sent from above the sea sky sun
and wish to feel its breath upon your flesh
cheek skin
hold onto the soft rain blood and whisper
wind.

Grab hold of the minutes passing flow
and scroll sound wave and goodbye
touch chins and fall down grounded
by heaven bliss and love balloons.

Hold onto such air breathe ice and
upon cold show cheeks and grace
soak in the joy and remember
always remember to hold on.

Kevin Harling


Falling Into You

In whispers that inoculate the silence,
the brevity of these words mired,
by their own undoing, the wisps
that exist somewhere between,
caught among my breath and heart.

The things I really want to say,
that I usher away with a trivial flippancy.
I am treading my mind,
struggling to make sense of things I so easily dismiss,
the everyday stuff we overlook.

I have to stop myself, catch my words,
and take a deep breath, and
let myself fall into you.

Kevin Harling