Kaleidoscope ~ Life's Rhythms ~ by Vickie Johnstone

Today a Wonderful Treat! Vickie Johnstone 

Shares 2 books of POEMS

Kaleidoscope
Published in March 2011

This is a collection of 119 poems - some long, some short, some haiku - that I have written on various subjects over the years. They range from serious to funny, covering subjects from the everyday to philosophy or the abstract. Some are snippets from the lives of imaginary characters or just ideas or reflections on nature.

The book is structured under eight themes: figures; nature; abstracts; love; haiku; creatures; childhood and dark wave.

Where to buy: Smashwords 2.99 ebook, Amazon paperback,
Kindle   2.99 ebook

Excerpts of Poems from book:

Vickie's favorite is the Fox and the Mole

We ride in cars

Slow to ride
Our comic days
All drowned in wine
In the stifling heat
We ride in cars
With windows down
Singing to strangers
Who cannot sing
Hold the tune
Against the summer breeze
With the dog’s head bobbing
He laps it up
The speeding cars
And the lingering lights
The ripped out trees
Shouting our sights
We ride in cars
Chase the tyre tracks
From dawn til dusk
We hold our fire back
And we scream and laugh
In the silencing
As the dark draws near
And we pretend to sleep
Keep the fires burning
As the dog nods on
In the piercing light
Of the summer sun

Rain

She sits and dreams of making rain
In the dark, shadows dancing mimic
Colours of the aghast
Sights and sounds and murmurs
Still breathing
Watching over the edge
Of everything
The glass splinters into a million shapes
Cast in a myriad of lights
Bright and sparkling, dancing
In the spring sun
And she dreams of making rain
That tears and crashes
Washing away the shards of glass
Splattering the colours rent
With droplets of ice-cold nothing
Cuts and caresses
Shards of grass peeking through
Clouds gathering
Dust.

Poppies

Marching in formation
Across distant lands
Enduring the unendurable
For a distant cause
Marching in formation
Up long, steep hills
Crossing mudflats and seas
For a patriotic cause
Marching in formation
Forever forward
Seeing things never forgotten
For a government’s cause
Marching in formation
For this the poppies grow
In patches of red blood
For the worthiest cause

Moon beams

Distancing the days
In her fragile accolade
The moon reaches down
Towards coloured boats bobbing
Twinkling she shines
Lighting the way
For every stranger passing
And old friends returning
She travels the skies
In a silvery glide
Always remembering
The shortness of time

I don’t mind

I don’t mind
If you stare
Or paint the room in blue
While I sleep

I don’t mind
If you walk a while
Or smile in your style
And mimic your expression

I don’t mind
If the urge to be is too much
Or the strength to see is gone
While I dream

The fox and the mole

Let’s rob a bank
Said the fox to the mole
I’ve got mouths to feed
And I’m feeling the need

Ok, said the mole
But you know I can’t see
I can burrow real deep
But I might fall asleep

Well, said the fox
I can offer my cunning
I will find a way inside
And to you I’ll confide

Wake me up said the mole
When you discover this
As I’ve got a hunch
We’re in a credit crunch

So the fox went off thinking
How to rob the bank
And came up with a plan
While eating a cherry flan

Well then, asked the mole
What do you suggest we do
To steal all the money
But not do anything funny?

Aha, said the fox grinning
I’ll tell you what to do
Just burrow under the bank
While I drive up in a tank

Oh, said the mole frowning
I never thought of that
I didn’t know foxes could drive
Have you told this to your wife?

No, we have to keep this secret
Said the fox to the mole
As she’ll have my guts for garters
And that’s just for starters

So off went the fox and mole
To begin their bank robber life –
They rivalled Bonny and Clyde
Living it up, the law they defied

LIFE'S RHYTHMS ~ 316 haiku

About Book

Ancient Japanese poetry with a modern twist. The old meets the new in this collection of 316 haiku, composed in the traditional pattern of three lines with 5-7-5 syllables. Subjects include: nature, life, food, animals, loss, love, longing, hope, dreams and time.

Where to buy: 
 Kindle ebook only .99 
 Amazon paperback

Sample of one of the poems:

Rain fallen like stars

Sprinkles silver-like touches,

Dancing beside me

Some distant day she’ll

Return when she sees beauty

In a rainbow sing

Under sparkling stars

She laughs like water cascades

Rippling endlessly

  

Raspberries blood red

Ripe, soft and so succulent

Chilled ice-cream slithers

Eyes turn to the sun,

River of blue-black shimmers

On peacock feathers

Leaves hurtle, twisting,

Dropping without an echo –

Curved, their hands open

About Vickie

Hi, I live in London, UK, and I’m a freelance editor. I've published 3 books of poetry: Kaleidoscope, Life’s Rhythms, and Travelling Light. My novels include: 4 books in the Kiwi Series for kids; 3 Heads & a Tail, and Day of the Living Pizza. Besides books, I love art, travelling, nature, the sea, gigs, dancing like an eejit, rock music, films, fluffies and tarot. Sleeping should be an Olympic sport. 

My Thoughts

Kaleidoscope and Life's Rhythms are full of beautiful poems.  If you want to be inspired then you should definitely read Vickie's poems.  I did not want to rush through either of the books.  How can I describe how I felt when reading the poems?  I wanted to enter the poem and feel the emotions.  Kind of like sitting in my rocker looking out into the piney woods that surround my house.  I feel the trees swaying, birds and squirrels playing.  Reading her poems were like that, inspiring, heart felt and full of wonder.  An emotional experience.

I like the way it was divided into subjects:  figures,nature, abstracts, haikui, creatures, childhood, dark wave

I have several favorites in Kaleidoscope but here are two. 

THE AFFAIR  and THE DARK WOOD.

I will share one of them.  Then when you get the book you can read THE AFFAIR.

The dark wood

In the deepest depths of the dark wood

See the spectre trees stand and stare

Stretching out their bony fingers

To trip up weary wanderers who dare

Go freely into the unknown air.

In the deepest depths of the dark wood

Catch the ghostly moonlight crossings

Of the languid shapes that sink and shift

Floating endlessly in the speckled frosting

That lies in sheets on the muddy ground.

In the deepest depths of the dark wood

Hear the plaintiff wails of the ever lost

Stuck in time along the virgin paths

Caught in the lair of the unseen host

Who travels alone with his silent scream.

In the deepest depths of the dark wood

Keep your wits about you in the night shade

Lest you wander too far from the spectre trees

And find yourself far from the grassy glad

Beneath the ever-present smiling moon.

Vickie, Thanks for Sharing your Poems with us!

Attn: Readers

Maybe we can convince Vickie to give us her feeling/meaning behind one of her poems.  If she agrees I will invite her back for a guest post.  

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure

I received a free copy of these books from the author for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.

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