Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Remnants Of A Dream


remnants of a bad dream hold me prisoner
choking sobs from my subconscious
the suffocation of emotion in a body
aware yet fully passive
 
suppressed fight bears heavy
spilling over into my waking state
rationale and logic unable to shake
the remnants of last nights dream

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Dark & Stormy Night: Dyche Designs Studio

I seem to have a thing for trees and the moon at the moment . . . . .
 
10"x10" Wood Panel Painting
 
. . . . . the latest addition to my online shop.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

What If

 
What if the moon really was made of cheese
and people said f**k you when you sneeze
that the world was flat instead of round
with everyone on a level playing ground

What if day was night and night was day
and we couldn't filter what we say
that yes meant no, red meant go
and we lived inside a tv show

What if it really rained cats and dogs
and princes, once kissed, turned into frogs
that it was only the good stuff we'd never forget
and each choice we made was by spin of roulette

What if we could fly instead of drive
and that some did more than merely survive
that war was fiction and peace was fact
and we spent each day of our life getting jacked

What if this and what if that
but none of this is real fact
for the world is often too real to undrape
so 'what if' becomes our place to escape


linking up with imaginary garden with real toads

Friday, October 25, 2013

New From Dyche Designs Studio

Just a couple of new pieces to share with you today.
 
6"x4" Journal/Sketchbook

8"x10" Mixed Media Art Painting

Those of you who saw my previous post will know that I was taking my citizenship test yesterday.  Despite the nerves (and the embarrassment of setting the metal detector off with my bra as I entered the building) I'm pleased to say I passed.  Just have to wait for a ceremony date now before it all becomes official.

Have a great weekend.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Birthday Reflections


Today is my birthday . . . I am forty one years young.  At least that's what I try telling myself (as though reciting some positive affirmation I'm trying to believe in).  Truth is I feel anything but.  The years seem to slip by and when I pluck up the courage to actually look in the mirror, I often don't recognize the woman looking back at me.
 
I don't mean to wallow but it is my party and I'll cry if I want to.  Okay, so I'm keeping the tears on hold but this past week has been a tough one.  I've had a migraine every day and my facial nerve pain has spiked which has left me feeling less than upbeat.  At least I have a craniosacral treatment this afternoon which I'm hoping will help.
 
They say that stress exacerbates pain so the citizenship test I will be taking tomorrow probably isn't helping.  I break out into a cold sweat at the mere thought of a test.  All common sense flies right out the window and words all to often fail me.  I'm hoping that tomorrow my brain gives me a break and makes an exception.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Breadcrumbs


stale and crumbled, marking the unknown
scattered like yesterdays breadcrumbs
marking the passing of time, a seasonal shift
on dirt paths that don't lead home

linking up with imaginary toads from real gardens

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Shoot From The Hip

Call me crazy but one of the things I love to do is hold my camera at hip height and randomly shoot images while I'm walking.
 
 
You can end up with a bunch of rubbish shots but I love the surprise of not knowing what you're going to get until you download your photos.
 
 
Sometimes I get so focused on taking photos that I forget to look past the camera lens and appreciate what is around me.
 
 
This just changes things up a little bit and even though people may look at you a little strange it's fun.
 
 
It also meant that I could spent time with my husband and dogs rather than them constantly waiting for me to catch up.
 
 
Do you ever do this?

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Battle Scarred


I fight you with silence
I fight you with tears
I fight you with knowledge
I fight you with fears

I fight you with art
I fight you with verse
I fight you with words
I fight you with worse

I fight you in the cold
I fight you in the rain
I fight you when the wind blows
I fight you through the pain

I'll fight you each day and night
I'll fight you to the death
I'll fight you with all I have
I'll fight with my last breath

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Kaleidoscope


envious of your ability
to dance with wild abandon
dressed in a kaleidoscope of color
for muted was never your style
winds breath upon your nape
as you twirl and whirl
                                  unfurl
                                          then curl
your color only fading as you dip
upon hearing the final curtain call

linking up with dVerse

Connections

 
I reach down and feel four ears.  Two cats intertwined so tight that its hard to figure out where one starts and the other ends.  Each night they sleep curled up against some part of me as though needing that physical connection . . . . the truth is I kind of like it, I find it comforting.  My husband one side, my cats the other.

The night is their time.  I smile at the soft purrs emanating from my side during those evening hours.  At 6 am they become restless, eager to be fed, but I cherish those hours when I hunker down under the blankets and get to savor purr filled moments with my feline friends.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Light & Darkness

 
where there is light there is surely darkness
darkness that brings both hardship and growth
growth that expands us and makes us more
more than we ever were before

before death and grief, sickness and pain
pain that makes us question this life
life that we cling to with every breath
breath hard and heavy as we contemplate death

death seems an easy way out of this space
space to stop feeling and simply be
be nothing more than a story to tell
tell as a warning to others who dwell

dwell in the darkness instead of the light
light that creates those shady spots
spots to acknowledge but are no place to stay
stay and those demons get their own way

way down deep you know that you are brave
brave and strong and up for the fight
fight for a life that is surely worth living
living and loving, hurting and forgiving

Linking up with imaginary garden with real toads for this weeks challenge of loop poetry and poetry pantry.

Friday, October 11, 2013

My Kind Of Day

Today was a great day . . . not in a big grand gesture kind of way but in an every day way.  One of those days when you wake up and everything simply feels good and right. . . . . I'm sure the sleeping tablet and a restful nights sleep had nothing to do with the zen feeling!  It could have so easily gone south the moment I walked out of the bedroom and discovered Joey chewing our front door mat but remarkably I was able to shake it off and let it go.


 
I decided that some selfish time was in order so armed with just my camera I headed out to Cincinnati Nature Center.  Literally the moment I stepped out of the car I felt a sense of calm as I became attuned to my surroundings.


Squirrels ran across the woodland floor, leaves rustling in their wake.  Birds sung from high up in the tree tops while frogs croaked their own form of song.


A chipmunk ran across my path, an acorn held securely in its mouth, perhaps preparing for the coming months. 

 
Sitting on a boardwalk by the lily pond I watched as tadpoles surfaced to feed before diving back down into the murky depths.  Bubbles and ripples formed on the waters surface, suggestive of movement down below.  I looked at the lily's, now in a state of decay, and found myself drawn to them. Still beautiful as they neared their end, bent silhouettes with all the grace of dancers.


Returning home I was greeted by two dogs so happy to see me.  There were games of fetch, snuggles and nose nuzzles with my cats and kisses from my husband once he got home from work.  Today was a great day.

What kind of day have you had?
 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Sleep


I lie here wanton
longing to lose myself
in the expanse of you
 
wont you claim me
beneath these sheets
 
sensing desperation
you turn your back
as others lay claim
 
I am left restless
while you visit another's bed

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

In The Studio

Yesterday I was painting when all of a sudden my surroundings came into focus and I couldn't get past all the mess.  That's how it is with me . . .  a build up until I just can't stick it anymore. 
 
 
Fortunately I don't have any 'before' photos but after a little rearranging of furniture and sorting out I felt as though I could finally get back to painting again. 
 
 
I know some of you will be looking at these a little confused and thinking "Wait, these are the 'after' photos?" but this is pretty organized for me.  I can't work on one thing at a time, I have to have multiple pieces on the go.
 
 
I was really pleased to get some new paintings finished.  They are currently down in the basement getting their final coats of varnish and I'll be back to share them with you once they are dry.
 
What creative projects have you been working on lately?

Monday, October 7, 2013

Bugging Out


Ravyn, our black lab, was intrigued with this praying mantis.  She was desperately trying to eat it but thankfully it was hiding under an ornament in the bottom of a large empty flower pot.  I'm sure she would have received a nasty bite had she been successful in reaching it.


I try to appreciate the beauty all around me but no matter how I look at them, spiders always freak me out . . .  especially up close through my macro lens. 

 
Now that I've finished creeping myself out (maybe you too), I'll leave you with a quote from Pablo Picasso . . . . .
 
"The artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web."

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Bared To You


try not to breathe
other people's love letters
on bullshit
they **** you up

there are no accidents just
tales of mystery and madness
bared to you
with my body

the probable future
fifty shades of grey
reflected in you
awesome

Linking up with dVerse where we are encouraged to write spine poetry using titles from our own bookshelf.  Interesting challenge!

The Death Of You

 
I languish in the death of you
smiling down at your scattered remains
kicking at them for my own pleasure
watching as your color drains
until there is nothing left but bare bones
and the frail, brittle form of what used to be

linking up with imaginary garden with real toads