sanctuary




sanctuary again
         in bed 
         in sleep
         inside silence:


my bedroom door
the aegis 
from life 
damned life. 






Poem ©2006, 2011 R. Burnett Baker 
Artwork pastels by Ina Jean Garner.  

Magpie Tales Photo Prompt 73: Relevance

People of Chilmark, Thomas Hart Benton, 1920

Photo courtesy of Tess Kincaid

relativity  

from the relevance of human experience 

to the relativity of human endeavor

love defines everything, even hatred. 

we need only to live its dimensions 

through moments of our lives, 

relative to the needs of ourselves 

and of others. 

Poem ©2011 R. Burnett Baker 

Adapted from an essay titled "Breaking The Dynastic Cycle:  China In An Interdependent World," by R. Baker, 1988, and 

a comment  by R. Baker 7-11-11 about love to a post titled "existence" by "citybouy". 

Observed Bliss: The Married Shoppers

consumed 




aimless consumers  
       vacant minds 
       rootless desires
       empty pockets on 
credit spent: 


a man buys a  
      bamboo backscratcher 


'cause 
his wife 
       won't 
touch him 
             anymore.

Poem ©2007, 2011 R. Burnett Baker 
Photo borrowed from Google Images 
Poem from a collection titled "manic muse and other observations" by R. Baker, 2007. 

Hell On Earth: The Defective Species Plods On...

This war.  That war.  This conflict. That one.  Uprisings, overthrows. "Arab Spring": (Bullshit).  Rape, pillage, and plunder daily.  Pirates.  Murder, more specifically getting away with it!  None of this madness will EVER end.  I'm not a pessimist:  Just being real.  I mean look around, read, watch, listen:  Can any of you really believe in the human race, this profoundly defective species?  


Yes, I know that many will say, "Oh but there's so much good to be found in the world, so many kind and decent people."  Yes, but are they actually making a difference?  Convince me.  Please. 

Related post:  "Defective". (Poem: "naked in the sand") April 4, 2009.

Artist: Chris Holden 

 Chris Holden

ghosts of the living 

destruction/creation may be the same force, 

but how to step beyond it all and rise above 

our defective nature? 

perhaps this human condition is that duality, 

and keeps us in the hell we attempt to relegate 

to an afterlife. 

atrocity is a vision,

a philosophy enjoined 

with human ghosts 

of the living. 

Poem ©2011 R. Burnett Baker 

Text  ©2011 R. Burnett Baker 

Magpie Tales Photo Prompt 72: Never Ending...

Photo courtesy of  Tess Kincaid

senzafine fields 

an artist's 

song of reason

beyond reason 

is never ending

beauty: 

senzafine fields of 

brilliant 

insanity. 

Poem ©2011 R. Burnett Baker 

The Shower

Photo: boostinspiration.com

Perseids Redux

there was 

that afternoon 

in tropical heat 

and stolen days 

we showered in 

minutes of love;

lying in the 

porcelain tub, with

nakedness surrounding 

every barrier, 

each whetted cleft

poured warmth 

like rain over 

meshed bodies of 

borrowed youth. 

Poem ©2011 R. Burnett Baker

July 2, 1999

morning reflection 
12 years later: Remembering 
Poon Pak Keen, 1957-1999 






preferring 
dark indoors against 
framed blue/green sunlight 
is not a preference but a 
necessity I can't consume 
at the moment.


I don't know 
why this form of silence 
is so compelling, but 
shrill typed words sometimes
make it so; 


leaning back - 
the chair - 
eyes closed - 
feeling my head 
throb in blood 
pumping staccato 
is oddly comforting, 
but hardly a 
comfort. 




Poem ©2011 R. Burnett Baker