cherry blossoms bloom
robins sing and ferns unfurl
the old moon returns
but who is this dark stranger casting shadows over the daffodils, lurking unseen in the April air, stalking us as we move uncertain through an astonished world?
~~~~~~
Poem and art by clinock.
Danse Macabre, 14×17 in. 36×43 cm. Acrylic and mixed media on paper
Instagram: @johnclinock
Portfolio: johnclinockart.com
like an ancient comic book,
or carved rock face,
centuries forgotten,
but valuable, inside.
still available from the publisher,
at a price.
like the burning heart that reaches
and twists the lower spine,
hurt upon hurt.
like the never resolved
and never forgiven issues
from the past.
this face, i see,
reminded
by a smell,
a colour,
a dream.
when the black and white
back issues rise again,
so surprised to be woken
from early hibernation,
longing, reaching out, swollen…
it’s a stretch…
I thought I understood
this backbone of connection.
But Obviously
i was wrong,
all the way along the line,
I was wrong.
It is an issue of each past
of us all
and the future of illusion.
Not,
as I thought,
connection.
Back then of her and him.
And this face,
‘Sand Worms from Dune’
she said, emerging.
Me? It was always Alice,
searching for an entrance
to the beautiful garden.
Looking down at her feet
a lifetime distance away…
Connection lost.
Back Issue. 18×14. Acrylic on paper on panel. By clinock.
Not all full moons are filled with romance, some radiate madness and partings…
Poem by George Gordon Byron – Lord Byron. 1788–1824. Interpreted by Leonard Cohen.
Drawing: Full Moon by clinock. 18″ x 24″. Pastel and conte on Paper.
Focus;
move the eye or heart a fraction of an inch
and the whole universe changes
within this gleaming arc.
Concentrate;
in moments of inattention brides are stolen,
the careful line smudged
and the pencil broken.
Hypnotized
and enchanted by these graphite trails
hopelessly lost
in this curve of dreams.
Drowning
in rivers of light and sanguine seas
I breathe you deeply
as I swim the night.
Reflected;
the warped familiarity of the room
folds your body into
intricate arabesques.
Drawing;
my arm, hand, fingers and thoughts
curl away into infinity
stretching imagination.
Entangled;
you are trapped in mirrored labyrinths,
not recognizing me
as I search for you.
/ art and poem by clinock /
Sunday Haiku – Between:
everyday magic
she opens between flowers
enchanting this man.
you on a blue raft
between blue sky and sea
dressed in blue silence.
smushing strawberries
between stained lips and tongue
taste my sweet juices.
sweetest summer wine
passed between your mouth and mine
inhaling your eyes.
between us tonight
only a sighing of stars
the scent of lilac.
embraced between lights
shimmering on waves of sun
exciting the moon.
/ art and haiku by clinock /
it is not so long since
you fell away
into unexpected distance
and fragmented silence,
and yet, as in knowing you,
it fills a lifetime.
this summer night
wraps me in your absence,
warm and stitched
by wired crows
blackly drawn
on electric staves
scratching empty sky
with torrid blues.
dusked and lost
I walk in circles as
you crystallize in me,
a rose between my ribs,
wild surf in my eyes,
brambles penetrating bone,
hot winds across my thighs
and a dislocation
in my reaching hands.
I wonder how it is for you
to have me rolling
in your highway head
like a loose marble
in a roaring train;
rattling, tickling, falling
between bare legs
under your clutch,
sounding a different beat
to the radio’s song.
this is a space of consequence,
a chant of meditation,
a cello in an empty church,
the long cry of a loon,
howling of ragged wolves
in moonlight
and all the choirs of my heart
calling you home.
/ art and poem by clinock /
