2018 / poetry / author

CELAINE CHARLES

 

FIRE WALK
…

I will walk through the fire with you,
take my hand and slow your pace.
Steady your heartbeat
through the flames.
They only burn when you greet them,
so let us walk
with tight lips
unafraid.

Can you hear the bird-song call
from the other side? Low and steady
through the crackle
of the pyre.
March on my love, and never
look behind.
Let the ash lay
on the wooden floor.

It softens the path
for other sullen souls adrift
in the fervor of heartbreak,
of loss.
Enkindle your regrets and despair
on this journey,
they are meaningless
aglow.

Let your skin set ablaze, fall away,
feel your bones snap
in the pressure
that isn’t yours… anymore.
Listen to the chorus, let it declare
your new body,
soaring in the cool wind,
healed.

REFUGEE BOY 
…

The bright light of night,
violet,
from the corners of your eyes
when you can't see,

behind lashes woven tight,
as if each stitch
could protect from the terrors
of even one day.

Saddened, his head lulls,
low to the ground,
dried up brush ball,
drifting, cast away,

a speck amid the ugly, as
real demons come to prey,
from black holes once called
home… to nowhere.

Spherical fear, forgotten drifter boy.
Wonder glows metallic
in angry moonlight,
under cold skin,

dirty;
his growing view of humanity...
violet,
from the corners of your eyes

when you can't see.

 
 

…

CELAINE CHARLES Celaine Charles lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States where she teaches, writes poetry and fiction, and blogs about her writing journey. The world around inspires her to write, and she loves to encourage others following in their own creative paths. She has a poem forthcoming in The Sunlight Press. She shared poems with Tupelo Press and their 30/30 Challenge Project in February 2017. She has three poems published with Nature Writing, two poems in The Seattle Star, one in the Dime Show Review, and was a poetry finalist in the PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association) Literary Contest, July 2017.

where to find celaine charles: website

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POETS IN MORSE CODE explores the role of interpretation in storytelling. By incorporating Morse Code, one of the most widely used and recognized ciphers in existence, Saiterux juxtaposes lines of poetry against photographs and technical illustrations of flora & fauna from the early days of scientific exploration. Through the text and image pairings, the illustrations lean into the abstract elements of a story, recognizing that storytelling depends on the written word as well as the imagination, experiences, and knowledge each reader brings to the occasion. More from Saiterux