09.29.11 moonshine 2

moonshine

one swig will do it
heat the throat and burn the gut
time for another

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 9/29/11

09.29.11 moonshine 1

moonshine

a bit of silver
trickles through soft autumn breeze
into her hair

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 9/29/11

completion

completion

taking in a breath
Life of the Divine fills me
I am complete

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 9-4-11

summer

summer

dry crackling grass
breaking off in summer winds
tears the only rain
...
Michelle Balletton-Wooten
© 9-3-11

kitten

kitten

warm kitten sitting
begins to climb aging tree
oops! it is me!

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8-16-11

women

women

we the women
keep peace in a tumbling world
but we grow tired

forgetting from where comes strengh
we fade in winds of dispair

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8-13-11

winds of change

winds of change

blowing breezes
change the dancefloor in the trees
everybody twirls

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8-8-11

sunflowers

sunflowers

Sunflowers
shrinking in the summer heat
fade into winter

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8/5/11

raindrop

the raindrop
heaven falls from the sky
rose petals dance

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8-4-11

peace

peace

wanting nothing
desires vanish in the wind
then comes quiet peace


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8-3-11

today

today

night of fitful sleep
dawn's light streaming through window
begins a new day
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8-1-11

dawn

pink dawn breaks the sky
shifting clouds speak to the wind
where is the rain

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-26-11

a river of stones day 20

rain sputters downward
hopeful grass joyfully waves
it seems now ... good-bye

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7/20/11

I'm Adding This to My "I Can't Make This Shit Up" List

I'm Adding This to My "I Can't Make This Shit Up" List

They arrested another "illegal today,
been working the same job for 10 years, same pay.
Say he's a terrorist with bombs to display.

How can being a human being be illegal?

Another "illegal" shot dead in the street.
Crime - just wanted something to eat.
Food or no food, he just found defeat.

Now hunger we punish by death.

They're rounding up "illegals in front of the store.
Lock them in jails, we'll see them no more!
Isn't that what our jails are for?

Look at the dope-dealers laughing!

I can't make this shit up, it really is true!
Don't laugh to hard now, next one could be YOU!
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-19-11

A RIVER OF STONES ...(The Holocaust)

A RIVER OF STONES
(The Holocaust)

You cannot touch my Spirit -
you cannot touch my Spirit!
Torture my body, there's nothing in it;
upon this river's stones is not where I sit.
My Spirit soars!
You cannot touch my Spirit.

My Voice you cannot silence -
my Voice you cannot silence.
If you gag me it makes no sense,
I won't be quiet for you gents.
My Voice roars!
My Voice you cannot silence.

My Story will be told -
my Story will be told.
I will be brave, I will be bold
even if I've died and my heart is cold.
My Story is yours!
My Story will be told.

My Spirit will be free -
my Spirit will be free!
I'll float this river lightly
These stones once cast won't bury Me.
My Spirit soars!
My Spirit will be free!


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
©7-15-11

a river of stones day 17 #1

curling brown edges
magnolia and gardenia
sun-dried beauties

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-17-11

TÚ Y TU LUZ

TÚ Y TU LUZ

Reina de la noche
con luz nacarada
y cara brillante
veme en mi soledad,
Tenme un poco de piedad.

Protectora de mis sueños
guardando silencio
cuidando secretos
escúchame cuando lloro,
acompáñame en mi canto.

Ángel del cielo
con alas cortadas
bailando entre estrellas
llévame esta noche contigo -
soñando, siempre te sigo.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-14-11

magic

magic

swift wave of thin wand
in an instant all is gone
then ... only wonder

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-14-11

a river of stones day 14 #1

simply holding hands
strolling through summer morning
testament to love

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-14-11

a river of stones day 13 # 1

early morning heat
green grass glitters in the sun
while dew still lingers

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-13-11

a river of stones day 7

shimmer through the trees
weaving through branches
tapestry of light

Michelle Balletto Wooten
© 7-7-11

images, nothing more

images, nothing more


your eyes closed

rhythmic and deep your breath

today ... still a dream

.

sleep evades

eyes open to the light

body... carries on

.

lines upon your hands

fingers grasp at the unseen

what is it you seek?

.

pen scratches paper

lines appear from emptiness

birth of a poem.

.

.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten

© 7-2-11

.

summer images

SUMMER IMAGES



millions of yellow

petals upon green vines

bee's invitation



mound of loose dirt

hints of activity

fire underground



heat waves in distance

salutation to the day

moon hides her face



heavy-bottomed clouds

pregnant with a future rain

today, no birth



searching for watter

small bowl becomes an ocean

if filled



if you listen

crackin ground has a chant

water me water me



leaves once green

now backed in Summer's oven

float brown and lifeless

gentle summer breezes

provide no resurrection





Michelle Balletto-Wooten

© 7-2-11

a river of stones day 6 #1

out on a limb
curiosity and nuts
squirrel feasts alone

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-6-11

a river of stones day 5 #1

Pine needles rest, woven into a tapestry from Earth,
become the soil that soon will give to seeds birth.
Threads of life, fallen from the weavers grasp
delicate pattern on the path for eyes to clasp.
Pine needles once green, now red as babies hair
tossed gently upon the wind, for the one who's waitin ... somewhere.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-5-11

JUST BREATHE

JUST BREATHE

Fireworks exploding
a sensation of imploding
senses reeling
loss of feeling
one spark to ignite
turn dark to light
Why do I
continue to fight?

Touch me, I'm burning
swirling and churning
mind in a daze
walking a maze
one flash to sheathe
then crash! Let me seethe
I'd be ok
if i would just breathe..

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-5-11

OLD MAN'S GATE

OLD MAN'S GATE

Flowers grow a bit wild now.
He's killed the hog and sold the sow
Winter winds, they don't abate,
They just blow by the old man's gate.

Life got bad a year a go -
Lost his wife in a winter snow.
Never recovered from love's cruel blow.
She's buried by the old man's gate.

Spring may come again they say;
Flowers bloom another day.
All we can do is hope and pray
For fairer breezes through the old man's gate.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-5-11

a river of stones day 4 #1

coiled telephone line
speaks from the past
the distant future
its stones has not cast
coiled telephone line
says nothing will last

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-4-11

a river of stones day 3 #1

papers in a pile
pieces of life forgotten
waiting to be found
...
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-3-11

a river of stones day 2 #2

squeak goes the fan
as it sways and spins
harmony to another
that hums from within
gentle background
for deeper sleep
again

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-2-11

WHAT I SEE

WHAT I SEE

Sometimes my eyes glase as I look,
horizon seems so far away,
straight road seems to have a crook
that was not there just yesterday.

Sometimes my eyes just open wide
to all the wonder that I find.
Amazed, I can't keep it inside,
the force of it would leave me blind.

Open-eyed then, I view my world
to gaze past now to what might be,
intently watching what has swirled
from every side, to what I see.

I see with heart and mind and Soul;
I see us One, Complete, and Whole.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-2-11

a river of stones day 2 #1

Hair caught between lips
body's rude awakening
will sleep return

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-2-11

a river of stones day 1 #3

Marching ants
cover the counter
marching ants
wanting water
marching ants
march to their slaughter
they just continue
to march

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-1-11

a river of stones day 1 #2

endless chirping mixes with hum of silent speakers
hum blends with rustle of paper on walls
silence exists
only in the space between life

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-1-11

a river of stones day 1

Birthday hat hangs on the wall
flowers and stars send out a call
one lone streamer dances in air
reminds me live without care

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-1-11

victims

victims ...

green grows the grass
underneath the shade tree
while sun seeks victims
...
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 6-28-11

my passion

my passion

calming ocean waves
slip by as summer song
singing sand and gull
...
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 6-29-11

summer

summer

leaves dance
soft breeze brings the song
hot sun says no chance
...that rain will come along

ground cracks
ants bake
bye bye

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 6-30-11

the future

the future

a hidden raindrop
the future floats within her
and then is gone
...
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 6-30-11

river of stones

truth

truth

human beings
expressing their own Truth
are always right
...
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 6-29-11

blind

blind

shots fill the air
one more body collapses
and again we cry
justice is not blind
her eyes are hidden

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 6-29-11

normal

normal

streets are bleeding
singing songs of death and fear
there are no tears
..where's our reaction
..is this now normal

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 6-29-11

parched

parched

lillies raise leaves
silent plea to distant gods
please send us rain

scorched earth sends message of dust
only waves of heat reply

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-30-11

MONUMENT

MONUMENT

Let the guns cease to sound
and cannons cease their roar
So many lions, once caged and starved,
let them no longer find nourishment
on life's peace-filled shores.

Let all Bubble-heads surface
to breathe air fresh and clean.
Jar-heads, return home now,
live life fully, and dream!

And when there are no bombs dropping,
you Flyboys, come on home.
We will fly banners, sound trumpets,
now there is no need to roam.

Leathernecks, oh Leathernecks,
come face your new day
in a true monument to war's end
where in safety children play.

Let the night skies now shine
with every newly found star,
each one, a brave soul who once
fought long, fought hard, then
died, in some other man's war.

Let the sun proclaim vict'ry,
let the clouds witness joy,
let the rain come and cleanse us . . .
wash away pain, wash away guilt,
for all girls and boys.

Yes, let the guns cease,
let blood cease to spill.
Let our monument to war's end
be the last one we build.

If we just imagine it, it will.



Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 7-7-07

MEMORIAL ... COME HOME

MEMORIAL ... COME HOME

It's time to come home.
We'll not forget the price that you've paid,
nor the sacrifices you've made ...
It's time to come home.

We must lay down our arms, now.
We mus wake up, get out of this trance,
with open hearts, give peace a chance.
We must lay down our arms, now.

It's time to come home.
It's time for peace and prosperity
now that you've fought for liberty -
It's time to come home.

We must all cease to war, now.
Hate and fear breed alienation,
peace and love bring salvation.
We must all cease to war, now.

It's time to lay down our arms
and cease making war.
It's time, for us all, to come Home.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-29-11

night haiku

Night

darkness
spreads out like a blanket
covers us all

slowly light fades
shadows lengthen in silence
then all is dark

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-26-11

heat

heat

heat scorches
grass too new to be green
baked earth is silent


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-29-11

RAGE tanka

RAGE

blood pounds brain
trembling hands can't hold a pen
the heat is too much

without a way to leave
rage slowly destroys


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-29-11

sunflower

SUNFLOWER

Yellow dot blue sky
Guardian of the garden
Praises the sun

Michelle Balletto - Wooten
© 5/22/11

WORLD'S END

THE WORLD'S END

A soft blush fills the horizon
Sunrise comes to dazzle again
A random light sparkles on the waves
Of morning.

In a blink, gulls arrive and call
Splashing and crashing, wild waves fall
Green grass dances at sands edge
In the morning.

Amethyst dreams come to an end
A lovely way last day to spend
Grass, sand and waves ... world's end a lie
Another morning.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-21-11

more waiting

more waiting

mockingbird flight
grey line over grey sky
waiting for rain


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-21-11

more drought

more drought

thick humidity
quiet distant birdsong
still no thunder


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-21-11

waiting

waiting

grey clouds hang
rain scent dances in the air
the grass waits


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
©5-20-11

birdsong ...

twitter reply

beautiful birdsong
nature's gentle reminder
again comes the sun

...

morning breezes rise
anticipation lifts heart
one note calls us all

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-19-11

ahora

ahora

este momento
ve a un botón abrirse
lágrima caer


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-18-11

now

now

in this now moment
somewhere a blossom opens
a new tear now falls


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-18-11

EARLY haiku

early

morning song
chorus reaching crescendo
light explodes the dawn


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-8-11

A SHADOW FROM THE PAST

A SHADOW FROM THE PAST

She dances through life
with a smile
a kind word
a gentle touch
a laugh that lightens
any dark day.
Eyes sparkle
strong hands
and effervescent presence
that bubbles
with pure glee.

She is
the joy you can count on
the strength you may lean on
the courage you may call upon
the wealth you may rely on.
So ...
when you see
one single tear
traipsing down her check
just remember
it is only
a shadow from the past
and in your light
it will fade away
to nothing.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 8-11-2009

WHEN WATERS SWIRL

WHEN WATERS SWIRL

She stands at water's edge
waves lap at her feet
wet puppy tongues of loyalty
and trust.
The waves,
the waves would never betray her.

Tides rise and fall
foam curls around her ankles
soft sweater of comfort
belonging.
This foam,
this foam will never leave her.

Sunrise, moonrise
light reflects from all around her
water envelopes her in birth
in death.
Warm water,
warm water will never leave her.

But
when waters swirl
all is lost
and all is gained
by the sea.

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 5-2-11.

NIGHT (napowrimo #30) a response to NIGHT by Elie Wiesel

NIGHT napowrimo #30
a response to NIGHT by Elie Wiesel

screams in distant past
can we hear their cries today
or is there silence

wake up to their agony
let it not have been in vain

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-30-11

blossom napowrimo #13

BLOSSOM

gardenia blossom
blazing white in field of green
nature's purity

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-13-11

rainstorm phantom napowrimo #7

dusk comes early
air smells of wet leaves and grass
the moment passes

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-7-11

VIOLIN STRINGS napowrimo #6

VIOLIN STRINGS
Vibrating
They resound.
Pressure them
They change.
Look closely
And they’re singing
To the frog again.

Change
The pressure,
Change
The string,
The tired frog
Says good-bye
The tip is now the friend.

Neighbors four
Together sing,
Frog and tip
Harmony bring.
Listen closely
And you’ll hear
Them call your heart again.


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-6-11
Napowrimo #6

QUESTIONS, ONLY QUESTIONS napowrimo #5a

QUESTIONS, ONLY QUESTIONS

Why can't my students come prepared
with an open mind under their hair,
with food in their bellies, a smile on the face,
knowing they're part of this human race?

Why must they come with their vacant look
as if it's a chore to just open a book?
Why must they grumble when given a task,
like curiosity is too much to ask?

And why don't they know how great they are,
that each one shines, that each is a star?
Why do they clamour that life's not enough?
Who filled their heads with that silly stuff?

Could I have done it when I said, "That's not right."?
Could it have been me who stole their delight?
Was it something I said? Did I make it wrong
to be wrong, hoping they would be strong?

Was it the time I said to them, "No, wait!
I can't teach that now. According to State
Board of Ed regs, we must learn that later."
Did I stiffle desire when it could have grown greater?

They come to me and give me their trust
as best as they can, so to teach is a must.
The dilemma is, what do I do to ignite
the spark that has faded deep into THEIR night?



Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-5-11

WINTER BLAST napowrimo #5b

WINTER BLAST

When the wind comes roaring
and the eagles start soaring
something's about to change.

The air, a bit crisper feels
it comes and warmth away it steals
and life is left a bit strange.

When the frogs stop their croaking
it's the fire we'll be stoking
if the howling winds have come to play.

Crickets go to hiding
and on ice soon we'll be sliding.
Winter's here for yet another day.



Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-5-11

Cooling Spring

Cooling Spring

sun sets to bird call
cooler weather brings them in
night song then silence

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
...© 4-4-11

ON BEING HUMAN napowrimo #4

ON BEING HUMAN
Is there a pain
involved in writing?
Some unspoken hurt
crying out to be expressed
so that it does not explode
bottled up within the tight confines
of the mind
and heart?

Is it pain?
That dull, throbbing reminder
that unfortunately
I still live and breathe
even though my fondest reasons
have been ripped from my grasp
have scurried through my fingers
leaving me with empty hands
and empty heart?

Well, is it?

Content, blissful –
poetry becomes “too good to be true”
a pollyanna version
of what the world is “really” like.

Is the world really pain?

Come join my joy.
See my beauty!
Hear my symphony.
Feel my aliveness …
I am overflowing
with goodness and vitality!

Why is it that what reverberates
among the souls
of strangers

is the shared pain
of being human?
Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-4-11

REVOLUTION napowrimo #4a

REVOLUTION

I suppose
One must propose
To have a thought
That is not bought
For which no one’s been paid
And no one’s been laid –
An original idea
One that is real
That comes from the heart
With the possibility to start
A revolution.

It makes me wonder
If when torn assunder
There, in the brain,
Exists a small drain
Where thought simply leaves
Blown away by a breeze
Of question and doubt
To take a new route
A new path to create
More thoughts to elevate
This revolution.

An idea emerges
Suddenly suges
Into my mind
Making me find
Some form of expression
Maybe make it a lesson
In originality
In creativity
I’ll write it down
Take it to town …
MY revolution.Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-4-11

fireflies

in growing darkness
fireflies begin their dance
raindrops send them home


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-2-11

SPRING MIST

soft green halo
shimmering hovering
new beginning's breath


Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-2-11

EDUCATION

EDUCATION

We don't need no "edumacation"
is the cry across the nation.
Our youth, in anger, shout this declaration
demanding their own liberation.
They'd rather rot in stagnation,
leave the world in desperation
destroying the very foundation
that they live upon.

Screaming about emancipation
they know not of reality
the things they face that they can't see -
they live lives of mediocrity
vacant, meaningless, empty -
devoid of the possibility
of growth.

If an apple falls from its tree,
they wonder not of gravity.
They take the world for granted.
They take what has been handed
to them without ever earning,
without ever yearning
or feeling the burning
to know more
to do more
to be more.

So we must construct an education
that makes sense to this generation
--- begin a sort of cultivation
of wonder and of exploration.
We must begin to change the way
we structure each day,
we must bring back play -
let reading and mathematics
become strategies and tactics
for solving the problems our youth will face
problems of the human race
of hunger and of poverty
of poor and rich society
of clean water and clean air
of peaceful living without a care
of saving wildlife and flowers
of having clean, fresh April showers
of making sure that all feel loved
instead of pressured from above.

All this can come with imagination,
problems solved with information,
and the world improved through the application

of a real-life "edumacation"".

Michelle Balletto-Wooten
© 4-1-11