Mark Ekstrom

Annunciations

A poem for Christmas Eve Borne on a star’s breath suspended like butterfliesagainst the night skywings pinned on velvet blacknessthree angels singing

I live my life on full alert justwaiting to be found out and declareda damned fraud (“you really are a weirdlittle pseudo-intellectual.”) It is only a matter of timeuntil someone discovers that Ido not have an invitation, thatI stumbled in through the service door and then I will be escorted out.No wonder I jump atContinue reading “waiting for the other shoe”

another gray area

Nothing is definitive. Or so I tell my daughterwhose color palette tends toblack and white. Black and white, I tell her, arealways merging to createdifferent shades of gray. Light and shadow also playtheir parts, I tell her, but shehas the certainty of youth on her side and an artist’seye. While maturity hastaught me the usefulContinue reading “another gray area”

ghost

my essence shattersquietly refocusingand refracting quietly, quietlyoh so quietly window framed I watch –a gray shadow among shadowscareful to avoid the light quietly, quietlyoh so quietly despair hides among thedead but ventures out to hauntand taunt the living quietly, quietlyoh so quietly i leave no footprintsno recordno trace of a life lived quietly, quietlyoh soContinue reading “ghost”

learning to float

wynken blynken & nod set sail on thesea of thorns unconcerned withthe crashing waves and the gathering dark. from the crow’s nesti implore them to turn back – land ho!i shout -but they float blithely on. it is stupid of me, really; i should justkeep quiet. but i fear being afloat,at the mercy of theContinue reading “learning to float”

Absurd Living (Advent Two)

Let me begin with an apology. I am doing some ‘remodeling’ work on my site which entails adding new poems, editing old poems into their final form, deleting a bunch of things, and recategorizing some other things. Unfortunately, this means that you may be getting a bunch of notices of new posts, etc. I reallyContinue reading “Absurd Living (Advent Two)”

Holy Week Triptych

Gethsemane A poem for Maundy Thursday As if in a dream I see your silhouetteframed against the impassivemoon and cold, distant stars. I would reach out for you,but I am merely a shadow,a phantom of no real substance. My spirit is willing to rise butmy sleep-dulled flesh is held fastin its sandy cradle. You callContinue reading “Holy Week Triptych”

Apocalypse Meow (Advent One)

I don’t know what it is about Christmas trees, but cats just can’t leave them alone. Or decorated. Or standing. We used to have a cat that would climb up into the middle of our Christmas tree until all you could see were her glowing eyes. The only evidence that she left of her presenceContinue reading “Apocalypse Meow (Advent One)”

Joyful Noise

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth… Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100 – appointed for Christ the King) As one of my spiritual disciplines, I haveContinue reading “Joyful Noise”

Reality Check

One minute you’re hereNext minute you’re gone Bruce Springsteen Grace and peace. I hope everyone is well. Some posts are easier to write than others. This one is particularly difficult, because I have run out of words. Well, that’s not entirely true. I just don’t know what to say these days. I could talk aboutContinue reading “Reality Check”