Wilderness Interface Zone

Down to the boneyard went the child to play
Rake-a-long snake-a-long
Laughing all the day
Laughing in the ashes
Leaping on the stones
Hiding in the graveholes, building with the bones
Down to the stickyard came the sun to play
Break-a-long ache-a-long
Shining all the day
Shining on the ashes
Shouting on the stones
Peeking in the graveholes, waking up the bones
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Mark Penny lives in a [...]

Since he was weaned, my son’s been hungry for the open sky—
so that now, at eighteen months, he’s a seeker and a maker of signs.
A simple knock at the air
comes first.
It means: open this door
and let me ascend the concrete steps
to that greater bliss and those long lines of sight.
It means: let there be light!
Or, [...]

It is pleasant
to drive in
spring light
so pure
it is not seen but
heard.
The shadows of
still naked
trees
are like flute
music:
frivolous,
momentary,
passing.
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To read William’s other Spring Runoff entries, go here and here.
*Competition Entry*

New palms of life
Cup the swelling breeze,
Braided together with sunlight,
Clutching at vaulted
Translucence
And time unspooling:
Teach me to hope
Against the broken branch,
The gnawing worm,
The bitter wind;
Show me the comfort
Of moments
Enfolded and
Flowering;
Help me converge
The dark root,
The crystal dew,
The burning light;
Unlimber in me
The loveliness
Of morning, the grace
Of night descending.
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To read another Spring Runoff poem by William Reger, go here.
*competition [...]

Who strew the millet and sunflower seeds,
Attracting these red-vested jots
To the wintry paper of my yard?
Black and square in my overcoat,
I pass them by, an exact counterpoint
To their gratitude who left
The dark wind for this plenty.
Seek, seek, seek, they chirp,
And ye shall find the oil-fat seed,
The berry full and sweet.
Better to pass through sorrow
For a [...]

Welcome to WIZ’s 2012 Spring Poetry Runoff open invitation haiku chain.  This is a non-competitive (that is, not part of the poetry contest), come-as-you-are,  just-for-fun, community word-dance.
A haiku is a classical Japanese poetical form, usually 17 syllables all in a single line in Japanese, but I understand that there are longer and shorter forms.  In [...]

Got spring?  Got verse sprouting up with it?
I don’t know about anybody else, but I can’t let spring arrive without making lyrical mention.
The 2012 Vernal Equinox arrived Tuesday, March 20.  I know, I know–WIZ is running a bit behind the sun this year, due to unforeseen circumstances.  I toyed with the idea of cancelling this [...]

I’d just like to say again how, in both quantity and quality, this year’s Spring Poetry Runoff exceeded my hopes. I’m deeply grateful for everyone’s participation and consider hosting such an outpouring of spring passion a high honor.  Seeing writers come together to play and ply their craft has been inspiring, and my hopes for [...]

It’s been a privilege and delight for Wilderness Interface Zone to host a spectacular flourish of spring poetry during this year’s Spring Poetry Runoff.  In the kick-off post, I called for a show of green language, of creative élan and prospect-opening words.  I asked for poetry that contained the recombinant stuff of fertile, world-making expression [...]

Thanks to a gorgeous stream of entries, WIZ’s 2011 Spring Poetry Runoff Celebration ran even deeper into the season than did last year’s.  And indeed, this year’s Runoff has been an inspiring show of green and fertile language, above and beyond what I had hoped. In fact, I’ve been wowed, not just by the craftsmanship [...]