Jo Hannah Afton

original poetry posts and particulate matter
Colorful Silence The wind lifts the feathery Snow up and over the hill Through the trees to my feet A Lively colorful dance A celebration of Purity, of Order A clean pallet made of minutes Silence is the Holy Music of this Outdoor theater; I hear Only the brashness of my boots On the road leading back inside To watch the humble encore. 2/16/2013 (c) Jo Hannah Afton

Colorful Silence

The wind lifts the feathery

Snow up and over the hill

Through the trees to my feet

A Lively colorful dance

A celebration of Purity, of Order

A clean pallet made of minutes

Silence is the Holy Music of this

Outdoor theater; I hear

Only the brashness of my boots

On the road leading back inside

To watch the humble encore.

2/16/2013

(c) Jo Hannah Afton

Exposed

It is only now

After the trees have tossed their leaves

To the ground

In surrender to the darkness and bitter

of Winter

That I can see far into the Forest

11/13/12

(c) Jo Hannah Afton

Torch Song for My Daughter I know you like to wander Like to play in the sand and feel I know you like to imagine yourself A Princess with boots of steel I know you dream in colors And wake in the dark with tears Comfort cannot find you so Intoxicated by your fears. I know you like to be at home And I know you like to be far gone I know you’re a willow’s breath short of shy In a shallow field; a spotted fawn I also know your this way and that Your come right now and your leave me be Your floating along the coastline A petal placed upon the sea. It’s okay. You can come home. And leave again when the tide goes out You know I’m just sitting in my comfy chair After some time of blowing about… But I always have a golden piece of you Hanging outside like a torch It burns an endless flame for you To light your way to my porch. 12/19/2011 (c) Jo Hannah Afton

Torch Song for My Daughter

I know you like to wander

Like to play in the sand and feel

I know you like to imagine yourself

A Princess with boots of steel

I know you dream in colors

And wake in the dark with tears

Comfort cannot find you so

Intoxicated by your fears.

I know you like to be at home

And I know you like to be far gone

I know you’re a willow’s breath short of shy

In a shallow field; a spotted fawn

I also know your this way and that

Your come right now and your leave me be

Your floating along the coastline

A petal placed upon the sea.

It’s okay. You can come home.

And leave again when the tide goes out

You know I’m just sitting in my comfy chair

After some time of blowing about…

But I always have a golden piece of you

Hanging outside like a torch

It burns an endless flame for you

To light your way to my porch.

12/19/2011

(c) Jo Hannah Afton

Don’t Look Away The perfect moment melts into space As if it had never been here Had never called me As if I had never been here As if I had never called that moment Into being The perfect moment doesn’t linger Or trace footsteps through the dark It doesn’t announce itself Or say goodbye. (c) Jo Hannah Afton  12/13/2011 Photo by Janice Street

Don’t Look Away

The perfect moment melts into space

As if it had never been here

Had never called me

As if I had never been here

As if I had never called that moment

Into being

The perfect moment doesn’t linger

Or trace footsteps through the dark

It doesn’t announce itself

Or say goodbye.

(c) Jo Hannah Afton 

12/13/2011

Photo by Janice Street

That Owl A late night smoke On my back deck The silence humbles me I’m Home I came here to throw in the towel But changed my mind When I heard that Owl. (c) Jo Hannah Afton

That Owl


A late night smoke

On my back deck

The silence humbles me

I’m Home

I came here to throw in the towel

But changed my mind

When I heard that Owl.

(c) Jo Hannah Afton

STUMBLIN


I been here a while
I been here too long
I’m stumblin’ in the daytime, I know it’s wrong
I ain’t got my ticket
And I ain’t in no rush
My feet are too heavy, and my toilet won’t flush
Car battery’s dead
I’m fresh outta smokes
Can’t even buy me a pig in a poke.

KNOW THIS If you want to know me You’ll have to leave your name Forget what you knew Walk on stardust and fall into silence Let go of things being the same I’ll spin you along the sand Show you an ancient face Ask you to speak Walk on timbers and dive into deep Take you to an undiscovered place If you want to know me You’ll have to be brave You’ll have to be hungry To leap into empty space. © Jo Hannah Afton

KNOW THIS

If you want to know me

You’ll have to leave your name

Forget what you knew

Walk on stardust and fall into silence

Let go of things being the same

I’ll spin you along the sand

Show you an ancient face

Ask you to speak

Walk on timbers and dive into deep

Take you to an undiscovered place

If you want to know me

You’ll have to be brave

You’ll have to be hungry

To leap into empty space.

© Jo Hannah Afton

IN RUINS~~Out of the shockwaves ~~The tsunamis of our souls~~Washing clean but exposing~~The dirty secrets of our lives~~Gone untended~~Comes the gentle waves~~Of forgiveness Of awakening~~To that which can only~~Be seen when the ocean has~~Finally Receded.  (c) Jo Hannah Afton

IN RUINS~~Out of the shockwaves ~~The tsunamis of our souls~~Washing clean but exposing~~The dirty secrets of our lives~~Gone untended~~Comes the gentle waves~~Of forgiveness Of awakening~~To that which can only~~Be seen when the ocean has~~Finally Receded.

 (c) Jo Hannah Afton