.
.

This Silence.

Foremost among my woes:
_This silence as it grows,
__My mind fatigued from listening for your voice;
Amid the constant buzz,
The thought of what once was—
__Your gaping absence overwhelms the noise.
.
.

.
.

Just Fine_

We’re made of breath and dust
And sundry other things;
We live where moth and rust
And thieves can undermine,
Yet on we go, nonplussed—
The captive bird still sings;
We know we’re doomed to bust,
But smile and say, “I’m fine.”
_
_
_
_

Off-kilter_

So closely juxtaposed are love and hate;
Violence and passion; hope and black despair;
Though vastly different at the two extremes,
So vague, so subtle where the center lies;
In vain I’d strike between—too soon, too late.
Impossible to gain my balance there:
To flutter back and forth I’m bound it seems,
One moment to adore, the next despise;
__No antidote for my wild heart and head—
__I shall be cured when I am cold and dead.
.
.
.
.

Barometer Falling_

My outward life is just a poker face,
A grand façade, a shield for what’s within;
While secret turmoil roars with fearful din,
My cool exterior oozes calm and grace.
I cannot seem to find the time or place
To fix myself, my patience worn so thin
I nearly burst. But still a crooked grin
Adorns my visage—I won’t dare erase
This pasted smile, lest anyone should trace
Within my troubled eyes the thoughts that spin,
That never end, just ebb and rebegin
And leave me gasping for some breathing space.
__This downpour brings relief—the strife is going,
__And no one knows it’s my tears that are flowing.
.
.
.
.
A Pennsylvania native now residing in Colorado, Anna J. Arredondo is an engineer by education, a home educator by choice, and by preference, a poet. She also has poems published (or forthcoming) in The Lyric, Time of Singing, Light, Blue Unicorn, Better Than Starbucks, and WestWard Quarterly.

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24 Responses

  1. Russel Winick

    These are intense poems Anna, relatable at least in some measure to many, I suspect. I especially enjoyed Just Fine. Thanks for sharing each of these.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Thank you, Russel. You are a master of the short, pithy verse, so your special appreciation of Just Fine means a lot. 🙂

      (my apologies to you and other commenters for such a delayed response. I was on vacation with my family. Now sitting at the computer to put off unpacking…)

      Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    These are four mindful melancholy musings probing the inner turmoil of personal loss and sadness that challenge each reader to come to grips with their own sensory state of affairs. So many are able to hide the depression and troubles that beset them, and we need to be cognizant of that possibility. Nicely done.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Roy, thank you for your alliterative comment and relevant observations. It is surprisingly easy to hide inner turmoil, as few people bother trying to look past one’s pasted smiles. It is helpful to discover the cathartic release of poetry (whether reading or writing it).

      Reply
  3. Paddy Raghunathan

    Enjoyed them all, especially Barometer Falling, and the rhyming scheme used.

    Best regards,

    Paddy

    Reply
  4. Mary Gardner

    Anna, these express clearly the paradox-ridden experience of sadness. The first poem tells of solitude’s burden and the rest describe the difficulty of engaging with others. You’ve skillfully eased the heaviness of sorrow in the fourth: The rain (like any occasion at which one is not expected to be cheerful) offers temporary relief. These poems are superb.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Mary, thank you for your insightful comment. These poems were written at different times and on different occasions, and I’m pleased that you clearly see my reason for grouping them together.

      Reply
  5. Rafa Moras

    Anna,

    Beautiful poems all. I enjoyed them all, and especially, Barometer Falling. Regards from another engineer by education and profession, and poet / musician by preference and passion.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Rafa,
      “De músico, poeta, y loco, todos tenemos un poco.” 🙂
      What a thrill of kinship to discover a fellow engineer-poet! Did you also have notebooks where formulas, diagrams, and sundry scientific jargon were interrupted by scrawled lines of inspired verse?
      I see that you hail from Mexico. I lived there for about six years, during which I met and married my husband (and also welcomed our firstborn). Saludos, and thank you for your comment.

      Reply
  6. Paul Freeman

    Wow! The simplicity and clarity of language belies the complexity of the topics being so expertly handled here.

    My favourite is the truncated sonnet (if that’s the term), Off Kilter.

    I think I’ve said it before, Anna – you have a unique and distinctive voice.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Paul, I don’t know the correct term for it — I just considered it as almost-a-sonnet. I feel that perhaps its being “truncated” adds to the off kilter feeling being explored… Thank you for your comment!

      Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    A splendid group of desperate laments in different lyric forms. They all achieve the emotional depth described, but I prefer “Barometer Falling” for the clever title whose significance is fully revealed and confirmed by the final couplet, and for the appropriate use of closed quatrains on the same rhyme sounds (abba abba abba). Most of all, though, you achieve the required sonnet turn with a mere enjambment at lines 8 to 9, because the subject demands emotional sameness throughout. Well done.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Margaret, thank you for your comment. Your words “desperate laments” reminded me of that quote (which I just looked up) of Thoreau: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” For those who are able, writing is a wonderful way to quietly release some of that desperation.
      Your analysis of “Barometer Falling” shows that, as usual, you are more aware of what I have done than I am!

      Reply
  8. Cynthia Erlandson

    I agree with the comments above. I love both the content and your creative forms. It’s good to see your work here again, Anna.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Thank you, Cynthia! The first half of this year has been inexplicably and uncomfortably busy. I hope to find more time to be present “here” with my fellow poets.

      Reply
  10. Leland James

    Really glad to see the lines of different feet and the imperfect rhyme. SCP gains from the diversity, without, of course, straying into land of the “free.” Good work.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Thank you, Leland. I’m quite fond of sonnets, but I also enjoy experimenting and playing with different meters and rhyme schemes. I’m glad you appreciate the variety!

      Reply
  11. Gregory Ross

    I really enjoyed “Barometer Falling” and your use of the metaphor of a storm coming to pass to describe how you feel inside. Also loved the enjambment and internal rhyme at the end, which I thought brought home the approaching catharsis or release with the “downpour” of tears. I look forward to reading more of your poetry.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Thank you so much for your comment, Gregory. That feeling of catharsis is exactly what I was going for. I hope to submit a fresh batch in the near future, but in the meantime, I do have a few poems previously published on this site…

      Reply
  12. Shaun C. Duncan

    This is a wonderful set of poems, Anna. I particularly enjoyed “This Silence” and “Barometer Falling”, but all are great examples of poetry which feels extremely personal but speaks to all.

    Reply
    • Anna J. Arredondo

      Thank you, Shaun. I appreciate you describing them as personal yet speaking to all, since this was my aim. The underlying feeling, or catalyst, for each was certainly quite personal, but I do always hope others can relate personally to what I write, and maybe also share in the release.

      Reply

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