– by the way home –
Le Pont du Diable… The Devil’s Bridge… Fr.
– by the way home –
I’ve long roamed
Where gods play,
Enchanting Rome
To Tuscany’s day,
By the way home...
I hold the memory
Of insistent places,
Has ye transformed
Afore its life passes,
Find a bridge known,
As by the way home!
© Jean-Jacques Fournier
written in Sweetsburg October 31, 2021 edit November 20, 2022 Imagery - Photo by Marianne Dessis
– should fate so will –
– should fate so will –
That I awake
Another day,
To live a fate
With little say,
Save to amend
My errant way,
Before the end
Thus to renew,
As to contend
Said life anew,
The while fend
As destine wills,
But a scant stay…
Time tallies still
Tho be few days,
For failing gods
Now dated skills,
Tend fall behind
Too aged to fulfil,
In garbled minds
Verge on placate,
Yet decreed still
Our waning state,
Hence so fate's will!
© Jean-Jacques Fournier
written in Sweetsburg ov February 19, 2017 edit published, August 15, 2022
Music - Ethereal Thoughts, by Victor Wayne Imagery - Wikimedia Commons Audio - Jean-Jacques Fournier
– of a catalpa tree –
The Full Bloom
– of a catalpa tree –
There’s a catalpa tree, A very short distance From where gods be, Unable to stay away Rapt so by what I see, As such beauty ways On a summer breeze, The while in full bloom Will render one at ease, Thus so we can assume By its clustered flowers, Trumpet shapes agreed Tells of floral splendour, Whose seeds life decreed Lay in long pods slender, Hanging where meant be Till fate cultivates its need, For the heart shape enders Of those o’er gigantic leaves, That be the life given beauty, Ornamenting the catalpa tree!
Intent of the floral gods,
© Jean-Jacques Fournier
written in Sweetsburg
July 15, 2022
Music - Trees in the Breeze – Hippocampus
Imagery - Wikimedia Commons
Audio - Jean-Jacques Fournier
– of a forlorn smile –
The Look
– of a forlorn smile –
I picture the look Of a beguiled face, That wants to brook Find an affable place, For the very long while Hence want not lose pace, Nor to misplace found smile Tho all gods shan’t pay grace, When irrelevant be man’s guile Who wouldst try calm sadly face, With the tacit mind, of a forlorn smile!
© Jean-Jacques Fournier Imagery - Amedeo Modigliani & John Singer Sargent Music – If I Should You – by Chet Baker Audio – Jean-Jacques Fournier
written in Sweetsburg
January 18, 2022
Will in time Knit façade, Like a mask For the mind, Blinds fate past!
Seem out of place Fate’s shades of time, Too soon effaced A once upon sublime, Find lost in waist Humanity’s sad define, Tho truth known Rashly yours and mine!
– adjudged end unknown –
As I recall now, Of early dawn The gods avow, Scant paragon Be held to end, As I grow wise Find so intend, To forever thrive, In minds eye norm Be of fates trickeries, Adjudged end unknown!
© Jean-Jacques Fournier All 3 poems, abridged for short version, written in Sweetsburg July 10, 2021 Music - Maurice Ravel, Excerpt of Sonatine 1 Imagery - Private & public Audio Recital - Jean-Jacques Fournier
– be notions of life –
Blunder, Bar and Bond
– be notions of life -Blunder
Blunder
Plagued we are
By yet another,
Held gone too far
Be trying blunder,
Tho per chance par
There ne’er be other!
Bar By raising the bar To reset your goal, You exceed by far A weakening hold That could so mar, A bid to live whole!
Bond Incline assume The gods so tend, Bonds we groom May bear a friend, With they in whom Affection finds send, A life ye want to bloom!
© Jean-Jacques Fournier
Written in Sweetsburg, May 26, 2021
Images - private MD Photo Images ...
Music - excerpt - of Promised Land...
Audio - recital - Jean-Jacques Fournier...
If Truth Be Told - how then discern -
If truth be told Will it yet reach, Its vision worthy Of ether entreat, Not bent in guile Of vitiate deceit, Yet who’s to say Man didn’t teach, The gods’ sly way Thus so to breach, How then discern Of which we speak, Thus be held truth Or but failed preach, Aimed credible to hold Tho history has its doubt, If man’s veiled truth be told!
© Jean-Jacques Fournier inspired from the poem Truth be Xenophanes Greek philosopher, theologian, poet for timeless words of wisdom!
Imagery - Public & Personal ... Music - Whose There by Peter Sandberg ... Audio Recital - Jean-Jacques Fournier ... re-written in Sweetsburg March 26, 2021
Validating
- an aging mind -
From apropos
to ye ought know,
would that we find
the how to slow,
an aging mind...
Yet far from reign
these gods that play,
our heads in game
be mindless way,
need feign shame
from apropos,
to ye ought know
afore ‘tis time,
Too soon will show!
A mindful raison d’être...
© Jean-Jacques Fournier Audio recital – by the author... Music - Almost Blue, by Chet Baker... Imagery – Private & Public ... written in Sweetsburg February 25, 2021
I am alive Today, The gods provide Another day, Thus be a gift To find its way, As they so deemed That I might stay, Be not a dream For on this day, Again it seems I am alive, Tho by all means Perhaps again, Yet be but for today! © Jean-Jacques Fournier
Poem recital, by Jean-Jacques Fournier Music - Excerpt of Time After Time, by Chet Baker ... Pictures – Private, unknown and audio closing, epitaph excerpt, of John Maxwell Edmonds... written in Sweetsburg January 9, 2021
Who is that man
We know as pope,
Speaks of his god
In guarded hope,
Yet but a notion
He finds to cloud
Anomic motion,
Thus pope’s nod
Tries realize,
Deeds worth born
Thru wise contrive,
Wants reach out
To obviate scorn
Of all who doubt,
Self-serve beliefs
Of ambiguous gods,
Begs we question
Ill fated concepts,
Whose insecure souls
Must suffer its tenet,
Said reflections of man mad
In a world of self-destruction!
ode to Udo for inspiring
this poem on now Pope Francesco,
possibly the greatest in modern history!
Poetry on a canapé 