Three poems by Charlene Jones

Here

This quiet, mist drift

already rising from lake face,

this moment here

holds mind delicately.

Elsewhere the mind

finds dreams less tolerable

less soluble in the heart,

but here, this moment

in the grace of morning,

one second upon the next,

a sense takes a step

in imagination

inspiration flows

from the chest.

We seek divine in rare

but nothing more spare

than this moment

this moment dear

the one here.

Communicates

While the full heart tears

at the ragged sleeve

pulling like a dog in heat

the mind pretends it does not hear

you walk yourself down to the dock

or along the city street

humming the latest jingle

hating yourself for doing that

so you text someone

to keep the noise down

inside the head noise

to distract and you hear

under the waves

your heart

tearing at your ragged sleeve

its teeth fully engorged

with your own blood

but you're checking the computer

and by now so linked up

not a thought alone occurs

you keep typing tapping and

thumbing yourself

into a word addiction

a slush of communication

meant to replace that

beating of the heart

beneath your sleeve

Daydream

If all my dreams came flying through my window

landing on this newly carpeted floor,

bandying about on their skinny legs,

bulging bellies all soft and saggy

the big wishes and the little, the secret

ones and those wearing an open face,

I’d fall on my face

laughing.

Maybe I will,

anyway.

Charlene Jones’ poetry has most recently appeared on Commuterlit. This, poem, “Visitors to the ROM” was a runner up in the Ontario Poetry Society’s annual Arborealis poetry contest. Charlene also writes for her radio program Off the Top with Whistle Radio, 102.7 fm, aired every second Tuesday from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. (Note: Whistle Radio and CommuterLit have recently teamed up to run a monthly contest. Details here.) You can see Charlene perform her poetry and prose at Portobello Restaurant and Bar the first Saturday every month in Toronto. Finally,  Chalene’s first novel, The Stain was released in September.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara on the Lake, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.