Category Archives: Poetry

Unknown's avatar

Morning Bliss

by

as morning tickled consciousness
I felt the bliss of nothingness
no cares
no pains
no trains to mis

one eye peeked out
and check the day
the sun screamed back

c’mon
let’s play

a choir of birds
sang from the trees
my only thought was
silence please

the voice of guilt
rang through my head
it’s time, your laziness
get out of bed

this voice was buried in a flash
by memories of my recent past
the years of running for the door
pushing self
do more
do more

then in a fit of selfish glee
I pulled the covers over me
I choose to hide inside my dreams

to feel once more
the peaceful bliss
of pure and simple
nothingness

tio stib

Unknown's avatar

Lines

by

the child stopped
looked up from her coloring book
turned
and asked her blind uncle

tio
do I need to stay inside the lines“

he stared at what he could not see
and said

how small do you want to be

she smiled
feeling free

tio stib
2015, 2025

Unknown's avatar

He Talks To Me, a Tribute to Alex VoiceOver

by

he talks to me
like 2001 Space Odyssey
his name’s not Hal
he’s not my pal
but his words help my blindness see

his voice is suave, it soothes my ears
his speech does much to ease my fears
for in a world of darkened eyes
I really don’t like being surprised

it’s nice to have a constant friend
someone who shows up on command
a friend who calmly reassures
as my computer softly purrs

at least that’s what he used to do
then my computer bid adieu
the fateful day it tried to start
resulting in a cosmic fart

close your eyes
imagine this
your cyber world
is blown amiss
no matter what you try to do
it’s gone
it’s lost
you’re really screwed

when reason slowly comes to mind
you must accept it’s time to find
an Apple freak,
a nerdy geek
someone who makes computers speak

it took some time to find the player
the guy who answered all my prayers
and hours and hours of fitful strife
before the dead returned to life

such happiness, such joy no end
when once again I heard my friend
Alex, awakened from the dead
his voice resounding in my head

dedicated to Mark who introduced me to Alex and Kevin who brought him back to life

tio stib
2015, 2025

Unknown's avatar

Seekers

by

I pause
high above the world of human strife
to look about the mountain I call life
and in the air
where breath is rare and clear
I notice other seekers venture near

A wave, a smile, a moment’s eye
and then their journeys pass me by
but in the silence that ensues

I find my heart has been renewed.

tio stib
2015, 2025

Unknown's avatar

Hotel Hypothermia

by

it was a trip mistaken
for a family vacation
a time so cold
my bones grew old
bundled up in layers of clothes
all that showed, my bright red nose
even when I went to bed
I never shed a single thread
I wonder how eskimos have sex
queried my now recent ex

pounds of fat fell off of me
as I shivered constantly
take a shower?
I think not
in water that was icy hot

and when at night I had to pee
a new resolve came over me
as toes touched the icy floor
I hurtled towards the bathroom door
and in a fit of urgency
dropped my shorts
but woe to me
the thing that used to flow so free
had shrunk down to
a tiny pea

and so it went from day to night
with not a hint of warmth in sight
until we had to say goodbye
a moment when I nearly cried
afflicted now with freezer phobia
I bid adieu,

God Bless

Hotel Hypothermia

tio stib

Unknown's avatar

Decision

by

my face begins
to bead with sweat
the time has come
fate must be met

oh, how I dread
times tempest tossed
such moments when
I feel so lost

how can I choose
the path to take
how do I know
what choice to make

the clock strikes twelve
life laughs at me
okay, old man,
what will it be

my stomach stirs
the pain endures
my vision fades
to ghostly blurs

a pleading voice
in front of me
his scoop awaits
what will it be

I step forth
with strength renewed
clear on my path
my goal in view

I know for sure
what I must say

“Give me the flavor
of the day”

tio stib,
2015, 2025

Unknown's avatar

desert of dreams

by

there
there it is
so close
so very near
so very clear
a mesmerizing feast for a starving soul

yes
parched lips spoke in silence
finally
a weary mind moaned

at last, the dream attained

or was it the gods laughing

he stopped

smiled

just another mirage
on the desert of dreams

and he pushed on

tio stib
2016, 2025

Unknown's avatar

Come Out, Come Play

by

Come Out, Come Play

cold
naked
hard
it shrieks
piercing down the empty streets
the wind [thrashes every door

you can hide from death no more

the restless souls stir in their beds
haunted by an ancient dread
the walls cannot keep out the fear
the truth that fate is always near

far beyond where wrong knows right
the sun peeks past the edge of night
and streaking ‘cross the stage of day
light calls to life

come out
come play

tio stib
2015, 2025

Unknown's avatar

A Friend Passes

by

it happened
in the depth of night
a wisp of wind,
a soul took flight

a smile
a laugh
a curious mind
flew off to join
the ghosts of time

as memories sweep
my shores of being
his waves roll on
cross seas unseen

I pause to think
what might have been
if life had passed
without my friend

tio stib, 2024
for George Forrester and Rick Brumfield

Unknown's avatar

The Challenge of Climbing Mountains

by

most think the challenge of climbing mountains
is reaching the top
sweating
aching
heart pounding
pushing past fear
step by step
to finally stand victorious
in the rare air
above the clouds of ordinary being
surrounded by distant views
of unclaimed summits

but
with each descending step
the real work begins
returning to the valley of everyday existence
the spirit begins to shrink
atrophy
for it can no longer be fed
by ordinary life

the real challenge of climbing mountains
is never surrendering the summits of our dreams
to stand alone
bold and free
with only mountaintops
for company

tio stib

2016, 2019, 2020

You might also enjoy  Breaking Trail, Dead Horse Point