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C. BARRY BUCKNER - POEMS

8/9/2021

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Picture
C. Barry Buckner is a retired radiologist residing in Little Rock, Arkansas. Only recently has he begun to explore creative writing. He is currently working on a collection of poetry, prose, and short stories. He has two novels under development. His most recent poems to be published are “Bare Bones Reality” on “The Beautiful Space” website and “Eternity” through October Hill, his most recent flash fictions are “Jack and Jake” through Weasel Press and “Collecting Shells at the Shore” with the Ice Colony website, also his most recent short story, “Robert’s Room,” was published through October Hill.

​ETERNITY

​A sand crab scurries along the beach
Oh, what lessons it could teach
Innocent and unfazed
Paying no attention to my gaze

Long ago, I walked upon this shore
A young man, wanting for nothing more
Yet, now I stand here feeling so alone
Seeking inspiration, my soul to atone

Toward the sea, I stare past the pier
As the sun looms near the edge so clear
Infinity revealed before my eyes
Orange and yellow hues; my lovely, only prize

I muse now, surrounded by eternity
Hidden in an ocean’s swell’s certainty
Cranes swooping down unbound
With their taunting, mournful sounds

A few clouds gathering up high
I sense a rainstorm is nigh
A certain sadness now I feel
This power of nature becomes all too real

​MOM REMEMBERED

​I hold in my hands a thick crystal vase
Its glass deeply etched with gleaming flowers
Within that vase, I still see her smiling face
The image that had welcomed me into this world

Hot, baking summers that would burn any soul
Travel slowly down the shallow path into fall
Swirling crimson leaves of fall fill the sky
As naked trees give birth to winter.
 
A mound of snow gradually grows tall; beautiful but so cold
As months pass, it slowly melts to paint a gleam of green
Soon, tiny birds fill the air with their enchanting chirps
As blooms bright and fragrant appear on branches by a stream

I still remember her laughing face
Skin as smooth as silk
With eyes of mothering blue
To mimic the azure sky above
 
Tears shed both in joy and pain
Words both spoken and never said
Giggles shared in happy times
Embraces exchanged in times of want, of need

So many days, so many nights
Months, years, and soon a decade
Passed away into the ether of time
A slow tempo, yet beating so fast

Immortality relinquished to reality
The smile of nature that offers relief
Yet, so harsh, a brutal robbing
Of things that I treasured most

Reality as cold as stone
Yet, as warm as a summer’s day
For in my mind I will always feel
Her warm touch, forever to love and to comfort  

​EIGHT POUNDS OF LOVE

​Glowing eyes, like orbs from heaven
Earthbound, envelop me with love
Here to soothe and comfort my soul 
—My precious little Chihuahua

Sir Galahad prefers “Sir G”
Reborn from years long, long ago
Passed down through the ether of time
Resides by me every day

Noble, innocent, and loyal
Vastly superior to man
No deceit nor malice nor hate
Inviting as a cool spring breeze

Wars, religions, and politics
Define the human condition
Fuel cauldrons mixed with love and hate
Fear escalated history

Yet, my little boy simply smiles
Asks only for love and some food
Needs so basic with no contempt
Tells me, “You are mine; I am yours”
 
 

​TERROR UNLEASHED

​Rabid dogs roam the streets
Parents and children huddled in fear
Foaming dogs’ mouths indicate their plight
A town locked down in horror
 
Years of agoraphobia constrain
A young girl who sees bright blooms outside
Her heart races like a locomotive
As she secures the deadbolt on the door inside
 
A student stands in front of the crowd
Words struggle to escape her mouth
Her heart bolting like a ticking bomb
Embarrassment and despair cloud her mind
 
The convicted man peers at his ‘last meal’
Savory and delicious; even garnished with a rose
Yet, his stomach churns as a numbness fills his mouth
Thoughts of tomorrow make his soul so morose
 
It is a day passed away, long ago
A Jew cowers in a concentration camp
Will tomorrow mark the bitter end?
Cast into a chamber to suffer a horrific demise
 
A virus now blankets the world
Looking into every corner, every crevice
No one spared the risk of infection
The world slowly grinds to a total halt
 
Is anyone really at fault?
 
Through the clerestory window up high
Rays of sun lightly, gently pierce
Prayers hurled skywards as pain envelops
Will hope someday perhaps return?
 
Peace at last? Or is this only an empty dream?
 

​A DRUNKEN NIGHT IN THE BIG EASY

​Opalescent mists wafting down
Cast iron rails growing slippery
Bourbon lies quiet beneath my balcony
Debris flung in disarray
 
Broken beer bottles; beads and more beads
Large beads, small beads
Round beads, crushed beads
Ropes of beads in many colors
 
Vapors rise from cooling pavement
Ghosts float silently by
The stench of vomit rises
Good times pushed too far
 
Gone are last night’s throngs
A few boys dance their tap routine
A wheelchair glides slowly by
Homeless man with dog in the shadows
 
A street so symbolic of life
A short adventure doomed to end
Revelry captivates in the moment
Leaving an emptiness hard to explain
 
Haunting aromas of good times passed
Memories flicker in my mind
Realities stored; or perhaps mirages
Yet, something to hold on to
 
Cycles of life to repeat over and over
A path short, destined to end
The rains pelt harder and harder
I retreat back into my room
 
Falling quickly into my bed
Hoping slumber will drown my confusion
 
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