as autumn plants her feet,
cities burst into smoke, shades
and silence, until I can only sit
& grieve as a ruby-dream fades

into the mist; tell me this is earth
breaking feasts to mark the birth
of our bond, tell me this remains
the season where hearts rain

like leaves as they, as we, fall
in love beneath golden trees
& we'll only need to loosen our all
to cling tighter than we please;

tell me that when the perils flee,
you'll return, arms open-- tell me.

Can anyone help me? Is
there a minute particle of
a sympathetic soul in the
residue of a life loudly
lived?

I don't really have a
syllable of rain to tell
of the need of personal
experience.

Someone run to me with
an outstretched hand
that I may not flail
in the cold.

God knows of my need
and He cries at your
indifference.

Go away from me, I will
struggle to keep from
showing you my unrequited
solitude.

I am called The City of
New Orleans.



Caroline Shank

I can see what's new in
what people are doing
who's watching
who flew in
and all on the internet,

no need now for real interaction
I can just plug in and play and
that
is the attraction,

one day we'll all fly solo
with everywhere to go and
no one who'll know us

and that'll be a shame

Some solicitude can not be penned,too much for words to clench,an affliction heavier than poetry,i can't carry so I store it away,shield it in asafe space deep down.
maybe that's why am so whirlwind to drop to my knees,lung filled with pleads for the sky because it hurts to stand with weights I can't say.so I have learned to remember everthing with my words,pen and paper the only connection I have with life.....

nebulous galaxies
                          spiraling forth
stars collecting
                          in clusters              lost
configuring
               constellations           in
                                  
                             ­         space
and
                time-
                                  travelling
   through
                        light-years
duly                        ­                     revolving,
              aligning
     with                       the Sun  
                    and                           the Moon
suspended
                      in the interstellar