invigoration

The electricity you generate
invigorates and supercharges
my perceptions.
In your presence
even my shadow acquires
the sensation of touch.

©2010-Art Belliveau

swimming again 2/24/10

the water surrounds me
covers me
the coolness of it
stimulates me
as i stroke down the lane
arms pulling
feet kicking
my breath bubbles out
i turn my head out of the water
breathe in
breathe out
the old rhythms
so long disused
so long unpracticed
return as though
i swam only yesterday
but
much sooner than i remember
happening before
my arms grow heavy
my breathing labored
and i am reminded
of how long i’ve spent on land
and how much i feel
that i have now returned home

©2010-Art Belliveau

Bailey's Gone 2/23/10

I usually don’t make comments here, I try to just let the poems speak for themselves, but this is the exception. A little over a month ago, one of our dogs died. We had Baily for 14 years. Molly knew her since she first came home. Recently Molly told me she wanted to write a poem with me about how she felt about Bailey being gone. We talked and I took down what she said in my notebook. The poem here is all her words. All I did was arrange the lines.

I feel like part of my heart’s broken off,
Because part of my family is gone.
I’m starting to forget what it felt like,
When you licked my face at night.
Whenever I come home--
It just doesn’t feel right.
It feels like something is missing,
At the end of the day.

©2010-Molly Belliveau and her daddy

trust

when i look into your eyes
i see such trust
and all i want to do
is be worthy of it

©2010-Art Belliveau

imagination

trying to connect
always/never reaching out
imaginary walls
keep me penned in
imaginary gags
keep me quiet
the sight of you
that alone is enough
to render me
catatonic
even though
i want to move
i want to talk
but i am held back
by the imaginary chains
i forged
so long ago

©2010-Art Belliveau

shadorma 2/20/10

where has she gone?
brief panic blooms as I look
trying to spot my daughter

from across the park
i hear her joyous laughter
and see her play without fear

©2010-Art Belliveau

observer

all around me
life is unfolding
laughter
tears
love
hate
fear
joy
and i watch
i sit and watch
nothing else
i watch without
touching
talking
interacting
i observe the world
and the people in it
like i am a species apart
trying to learn how
how to be human
watching as they love
and live
and never
never ever
with the slightest feeling
that i actually
belong

©2010-Art Belliveau

haiku 02/18/10

children's squeals of joy
echo throughout the playground
on a false spring day

©2010-Art Belliveau

the book lover

i LOVE books
the fragile pages
the stiff spine that
(too often)
bre
       aks
             rather than b
                                      e
                                         n
                                      d
                                     s
the smooth cool covers
the delicious aroma of newsprint
the whisper of turning pages
even
the solid, hardy THUNK!
     of a heavy hardback
slamming shut

©2010-Art Belliveau

haiku 02/16/10

welcome arctic chill
settle gladly in my bones
soon the heat will bake

©2010-Art Belliveau

Snow Day, Snow Day, Where Are You?

Snow day, snow day, where are you?

Please come to visit, I love you.

Another day to sleep late? Shout wahoo!

Snow day, snow day, where are you?

©2010-Art Belliveau

rothko 2/14/10

St. Valentine’s red

Like heart’s crimson

Colors love rose

©2010-Art Belliveau

Certainties 02/13/10

Some things in life
I know will always happen
When I awake each day
The sun will rise
When I drop a hammer
It will fall
When I reach out for your hand
It is there
When I call your name
You answer
When I think of love
I think of you

©2010-Art Belliveau

rondolet 02/12/10

Seeing you smile
Pulls up my spirits from below
Seeing you smile
Makes all the saddest days worthwhile
Across your face I watch it grow
I feel my soul begin glow
Seeing you smile

©2010-Art Belliveau

entwined 02/11/10

you breathe
and i feel
my lungs expand
and fill
my heart pumps
the blood through
your veins
as yours does
through mine
when i am tired
you yawn
when you are joyous
i laugh
we fill each other’s
blank spots
and shore up
each other’s
weaknesses
without your brain
i could not think
without your soul
i could not love
without you
there is no
me

©2010-Art Belliveau

senryu 02/10/10

two hearts entwining
cling tightly to each other
never letting go

©2010-Art Belliveau

acrostic 02/09/10

ineffable


i
n
e
f
f
a
b
l
e

©2010-Art Belliveau

Scattering Seeds 02/09/10

I scatter seeds
throw them about me
with no regard to the soil
no thought of the climate
no expectations for the future

some may sprout and grow
others wither and sere
yet others produce beautiful fruit
full of internal rot

what comes of these seeds
is not mine to control
all I can do
is try to spread more than enough
so the future may
be fertile

©2010-Art Belliveau

sedoka 02/08/10

walking through this life
seemingly invisible
as the world just looks through me

always out of place
their mocking laughter makes clear
I’ll never be accepted

©2010-Art Belliveau

I hope... 02/07/10

I hope you know
how hard it is
hard for me
to walk up
walk up to you

I hope you hear
my hesitation
struggling to draw
the breath
needed to speak
to speak to you

I hope you see
the hope in my eyes
the hope that you will be reached
reached by the words
as they leave my mouth
and enter your ears

I hope you know
how hard it is
hard to work up the courage
to break through my shell
my shell of isolation
of fear
of loneliness
of safety
to take the chance
to reach out to you

©2010-Art Belliveau

senryu 02/06/10

I’m trying to think
but other’s words invade and
lay waste to my mind

©2010-Art Belliveau

overload 02/05/10

information doubles
and redoubles
forming
an endless sea
covered by unrelated
flotsam and jetsam
miles wide
shallow enough to wade through
even as a relation is made
between some byte of info
and another
even as some sense is made
of some portion of this mess
more and more info pumps in
ensuring that
the whole picture will be
forever obscured

©2010-Art Belliveau

Last Minute 02/04/10

Deadlines come rushing, they’re almost here
Obstacles pop up, around them you steer
The finish line looms—you’re nearly done
Last minute means panic, and stresses, and fun

You feel your heart pumping strong in your chest
You know that you’re giving it your very best
For sheer exhilaration it can’t be outdone.
Last minute means panic, and stresses, and fun

So you laugh to yourself as you finish the task
The labors are done, in the glory you’ll bask
At beating the deadline by seconds, you’re number one
Last minute means panic, and stresses, and fun

©2010-Art Belliveau

senryu 02/03/10

quiet afternoon
lightning strikes from a clear sky
i am thunderstruck

©2010-Art Belliveau

2/02/10

the words go whizzing past
mine at you
yours at me
flung like spears
pointed and barbed
preconceptions reign
new points of view evaded
we dig in
entrenched in our own ideas
our own righteousness
never allowing for the word weapons
to be deployed
in more peaceful ways
for the facts
would only be in the way

©2010-Art Belliveau

haiku 02/01/10

cold rain drizzles down
stars blotted out by grey clouds
how long till morning?

©2010-Art Belliveau

senryu 01/31/10

time is too fickle
it can never seem to choose
too fast or too slow

©2010-Art Belliveau