Lines

I wrote this poem while I attended the Sam Houston Writing Project in the Summer of 2012. Dr. Nancy Votteler taught the course. One day she said, "A day without a line..."  I wrote the phrase down and then just started playing around with the poem that bounced around in my head and finally onto the page.  I tinkered with it and went through numerous revisions and conferences.  This is what I have now.  It is subject to more revisions.  Hope you enjoy it!

Lines
By Maureen Ucles

A day without a written line is like
A life devoid of purpose
Ambling to and fro 
Into narcissistic oblivion
Flat lining and submerged 
Gasping for a final, labored breath
A moment, 
A second,
In the nano

Without a written line-
Unfathomable, churning, grinding, crawling
Inching at a snail’s pace,
Yearning to be released, 
Furloughed, 
Unleashed,
From the heart and mind,
To the depths,
Depths of the soul

I so do make a conscious invitation,
To warmly embrace the Mead canvas
So softly, swiftly, sweetly, and effortlessly
Imbuing the inked feather with
Uncanny inspiration
Along the tranquil sea of aqua
Rays travel from point A to point B to infinity,
Horizontally bathed in the perpendicular hue of a vertical rose, 
At the intersection of the twin parallel worlds

Congested scratches of mumbo jumbo
Fly on the autobahn 
Bring life
Emerge without notice
Steps in rhythm 
Reveal the unknown


The treasured pulped canvas
Demands more time than ever
To survey, reflect and mediate
Some semblance of meaning 


Traversing the road less traveled
Purpose pleads its case
Peace encapsulates my being
Chaos reigns supreme
Embarking on pilgrimages . . . without destinations


Forces merge 
Pathways unfold
Foraging this way
and that
Through  cobwebs 
Prisms of grey
Into the light, 
The light of day