We met at the edge ...

We met at the edge ...

we met at the threshold

... the world gets small 

standing on the edge

we let it spill

it dulled the pain

flooding the aches ,

the purging flows

the holding on

the letting go

sow the seeds

a song  might grow

then without a word ,               

  we just        

let     

go

♫

♪

♫

but , 

all of it       

was music ...              

   Harlon Rivers

October 22, 2013

incinerated sparks

now I stare at an empty space,

the singe on the surface is telling,

traces there was a scorching heat

and,

ashes unseen harbinger;

flames are sparks incinerated,

fanned smoldering embers

...enkindled

hot with the cold?

the throb of a muted rhythm still pulses?

dreams of reality?

reality in dreams?

Popsicle soothing chill's pang ?

scattered rose petals cooling passionate friction ?

It's a terrible thing to doubt what we feel;

restrict the sting of the salty tears on an open wound

hesitation to touch inside the fiery ring because of the blisters of the burn...


© Harlon Rivers

Upon Vast Unknown Oceans..

See beyond the vast sea’s foam.. 

Look west for to gaze fondly upon dreams

Feel the motion of breeze marking ebb and flow 

Of gravity's push and pull of hearts

Currents tides flow astir

Upon vast unknown oceans

Beyond where sky kisses the seaward sunset.

Intimately embracing 

Becoming one sigh

Unto twilight unbridled bliss...


© harlon rivers

"breaking silence" ...snippet 10

"breaking silence"..snippet 10

a square peg hovers atop a round hole..

silently the shape of angst

straddles...the threshold of emptiness

passion astir speaks volumes..

those who wish to speak but are mute

sighs...breaking silence

© Harlon Rivers

...snippets from thinking out loud

to be continued

Climbing Mountains High

walk with me as we climb towards the sky...

you take my breath away

breath no longer mine to waste

breathless impatience

now paralyzes this heart’s

unspoken silent reverie

your seductive allure

tantalizes my humble being

stillness exhales a oneness of heart and soul

mind and body assending hope

releasing a gasp of arousing breath

yearning for the passionate

brush of your sensual essence

timidly blushing from the very

thought of your intimate touch

a longing thirst from deep within

is undeniably ignited

a euphoric tenderness warms my skin

like an unconditional embrace

freely surrendering

to the object of it’s affections

loving submission to ardent desires…

© Harlon Rivers...2012

Dawning Whispers Spark a Burning Light

. . . an updated chapter from " The Whispering Moon Beams "

Whispers Spark a Burning Light

listening for whispered light

hearing the wind's song

sing through the tall grass;

breathing cadence sways

moon flowers essence shines

illumined spirit beckons

across terrestrial fields

in the space between distant shorelines

the long and winding surrender,

moon-rise to sundown;

love ricochets

the faint reflection of the stars,

setting fire to the flames

roused spirit is drawn to life,

daylight through the night;

knowing essence of souls

enchant the spark turned into fire

Spring Cadence

Spring Cadence

The coyotes’ wail shall
never again paint
a yellow moon so full
or tint its deep
pearlescent sheen so blue

Natural ambient elements
serenade the moon and stars
A plethora of all heightened senses
savor every sparkle
in midnight’s near and far

There may never be
another magical moment
sung exactly like the untamed timbre
bemoaned through these trees

Celestial incandescence reflects
the sky’s mystical mosaic’s afterglow;
transcendent resonance ricochets
from the angelic lily white petals

The native dogwood’s flowers
draw down the night sky’s radiant montage
Scattering a natural luminescent palette
as they sparkle with the twinkle of the stars

The coyote’s medley of mournful laments
echoes the moment’s budding essence
adorning the blossoming dogwood's bouquet ;
it’s natural enchanting ambiance
graces the awakening spring ,
within in the moonlit woods…

© 2013 ... Harlon Rivers 

Fantasy World of a Country Boy........ Snow Angels

~ Snow Angel ~

I live on the cusp of a fantasy world
Come! Be gentle, tenderly push me in...
Vivid memories etched in romantic traces
Ignite a ever smoldering glow from within

 Leaning out into the darkest frigid night,
Reaching out, needing, thirsting,
crawling and scratching for the touch
of your shine’s warming light

Daydreamers dream rainbow illusions of delight
Musician’s paint a symphony with an intoxicating brush
The rhapsody of a beautiful world where roses bloom,
on snowy wintery days adorned with angel dust

My heart is mesmerized by my lover’s trance
Passion stares through the cold 

into our naked souls blushing eyes

Frozen rose pedals fall thawing below us, 

as ardent pleasure surrenders with our moaning sighs

Our naked forms clinch the chill of supple flesh
Shivers embrace, goose bumps tremble heart’s throb
Sweat steams as our dark skins embrace,
Lust pounding snow into diamonds under glistening open arms

The Thrush cries out to lost lovers,
From ferns where he nestles in the warmth of its disguise
Bashful Coyote howls in day light,
Cries of passion is seen melting through nature’s eyes

Bitter sweet memory’s behold my snow angel’s beauty
Steam rises veiling our adoring wild eyed sighs
Our love has cast surrender's mold in snow
Love’s joyous secrets shared eternally,
Blissful snow angel’s promises kept untold

Drifting away into the silent reverie
I’ve fallen head first into the photos in my mind
Emotional lust…Erotic hunger... Starving… Yearning
Just a fading country boy’s dream … frozen chimera opined…

© 2012 Harlon Rivers 

" It is You "

" It is You "

The trap was set by the light of the shining moon

A simple blank sheet of paper and a pen .

The Antique Cherry Grove carved poster bed stood alone ,

adorning four Bordeaux colored silk pillowcases , 

fluffed feather pillows impatiently laying in wait .

The stone cold down comforter that blanketed the loneliness was neatly turned down from where it lay tucked and rolled ...

I close my eyes with a surrendering sigh ;

the cold touch of solitude

brings a breathtaking shiver

to my longing naked flesh .

Curling up in a fetal ball , like a tiny abandoned child ,

while the sandman steals away

the remains of another lonely day ...

In the silence of the stillness ,

you could hear the blood

running through my veins .

The pounding of my heartbeat is softened

quietly drifting off into a dream ...

The first whisper broke the silence ,

as musings tiptoed through the silent reverie .

Songs sung throughout the secret places , 

safely kept out of view

Words murmured expose a hushed yearning .

An insatiable thirst that can not be quenched ...

Emotions ebb and flow
within the depths

of our sensual word play .

Intertwined in the infinite beauty

of enchanting chimera delights ...

We dance speechlessly

in the starlit moon dust , 

floating freely forevermore .

Mesmerized by a romantic essence

If only this recurring dream

could tenderly touch 
another impassioned heart of soul ...

The sweat soaked sheets are now tangled

Twisted traces tossed and turned

This awakening flesh is trembling 
with the morning chill .

My body feels drained and exhausted

as if there were never a moments sleep ...

The trap was set by the light of the shining moon

Placed to catch the secrets of the midnight spell .

Now I wake to find her illusion’s memory gone
Stranded on the cotton sheets of dawn ~

In the heat of the night ,
these three simple words  
were clearly scribbled on the paper trap ,
to remind me in blue ...

“ It is You ”

© Harlon Rivers….March 2013

" Breathe You in My Dreams "

Shining the Moment's Light ...Guitar Relaxation to read by...

A Shy Demure

I won’t be a burden
Baggage stacked to the sky
I don’t need to be your world
You’d sense the reasons why

I don’t need to touch you
Just want to feel the motion of your twirl
I just want to sense your love
letting real world hope unfurl

Would I wish to want you?
You know the reasons why
Could I be your whole world?
Should I shyly run and hide?

Could I wait forever?
Even if I tried?
Just as a casual observer
Seen from the corner of your eyes

Won’t you come and wipe away
the many tears I’ve cried?
Must my heart stay broken?
Now that most of the fears subside?

Can’t you hear my heart beat?
Feel the rhythms of my love’s flow
I will wait forever here
just to feel your heart and soul…

Secret Place

~ Secret Place ~

There is a secret place you go
where no one can follow your trace
A place to get what you want
but not what you need
 

Not knowing when you’re going
isn't like being left behind
It’s a place where only you
know what you’ll find
 

Sometimes when we’re together
you’re not near me
Sometimes there is a place
without me you’d rather be
 

Every time I think I've found
your heart’s magical labyrinth
There’s a light in your eyes that shines
from a secret place I can’t see
 

Your eyes glisten with the depth
of your spirit’s understanding
Trying to go there with you
has got me flying blind
 

I’ll just stay here watching
the river of time flow by quietly
Waiting patiently for your presence
to feel back at home with mine …
 

Harlon Rivers ... © 2013

 

The Epitome of Grace

~ a poem by Harlon Rivers about the evolution of love ~

The Epitome of Grace

we go where we don't know the way
whispering something only we can hear
your heart exhales a symphony in a passionate sigh ,
one can wait a lifetime
never being sure of what seems clear

faded memories left “etched in stone” traces ,
abandoned pathos on some distant horizon’s rocky shoal
lost in a muddled moment of wanting what was taken ,
more than what is given ,
leaving a daunting void , seemingly too big to fill

even lives infinitely evolving in continuous motion
can seem as if time stands remarkably still ~
when the deepest breaths become uneasy ,
speechless in the adoring blissful silence ,
falling forward ... surrendering into you

our poignant sensual release

is like awakening in a rosebud’s essence

the epitome of an amazing grace

sensitive to the most intimate touch ,

floating breathlessly on a fervent uplifting breeze ,

a warm breath of passionate blush

a loving yet vulnerable natural esprit
a ray of hope shining on my cloudiest days
your true light's essence shines through
even when the night turns blue
I will always love you unconditionally ~
No matter what destiny unveils …

Harlon Rivers ... February 14th. 2013

"Waterfall" sung by Gavin DeGraw

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

enthralled... by the silken warmth

of spontaneous attraction

poignant possibilities inspire a metamorphosis,

awakening on the moments threshold ~

 profound transformation

evolving from an embryo

of new beginnings

transcending hopeful awakenings ~

 a step away

from ardent affections

thriving within the moment’s harmony

believing dreams can come true ~

 enveloped by a womb of sanctuary

alive with compassionate understanding

the hush of surrendering to inner stillness

placidly graces a tranquil calm of acceptance ~

 the seed sprouts~

where it’s been naturally sewn

nurtured... in the essence of shared kindness,

to reap the harvest of the complete metamorphosis ~

 the true nature of loving hearts and souls

evolving~ into the oneness

of the indivisible spirit

of fact of light …

Harlon Rivers … 12/20/2012

"Mystic Desert Rivers"

Crawling across the barren cactus wilderness... Chasing this impossible dream... He followed the mirage of an exotic wild river wide, flowing effortlessly through his mind made illusions, beneath the sweltering desert sky...

a poem by Harlon Rivers

Crawling across the barren cactus wilderness

Chasing this impossible dream

He followed the mirage of an exotic wild river wide

Flowing effortlessly through his mind made illusions

Beneath the sweltering desert sky

Rippling down stream towards the refreshing Ocean’s tide

He searched charily through a labyrinth of chimera

While standing on the brink of delirious splendor

Spiny leaves awakened all senses of uncertainty

Mystic static air excites his sun wilted skin

Enticing infinite reborn senses to come alive

Imagination’s dreams evolve into distinct possibilities

A daydream of an erotic fragrant, vibrant flower

Pricking his heart, drawing blood with her cactus quill

A figment of a poignant hallucination

Inching slowly, slithering and frayed

Wearing his heart on his sleeve

Too thirsty to drink, once bitten, twice shy

At the crossroads of an oases

The illusion of a meandering basin river turned far, deep and wide

The mysterious desert flora hid bashfully

Behind a sun faded shadow of solitude,

With her taproot in a desert spring’s bedrock

Her beauty reflected in the twinkling of his eye

A prairie wolf paces in the distance

Vultures are gliding in the arid desert skies

Silhouettes gracefully soaring in hazy solar disguise

Coyote, was just listening to the blustering wind howl

Blowing the drifting sand over

the lonesome travelers’ trail of trials

"Taunt and tease prickly pear blossom

Share the simple life of the prairie breeze

While I’m crawling through pebbles and cobbles

Over bedrock through sand dune fields to the sea

Your splendors draw me to your spring water oases

The spirit of your abundant soul set me free"...

© 2012 Harlon Rivers

"Shine On"

This poem was inspired by a profoundly enlightening human being...

...far brighter than these words could ever express...

Shine on  bright light...

Shine On...

 Shining with the effervescence of an eruption on the sun,

The Essence of her heart of soul glows brilliantly into the universe.

There has been every possible human raison d'être

To ebb her inherent spiritual soul shine
Compassion weeps from inspiration’s brilliance,

As if it were a shower of solar wind and rain

Energizing her ethereal poignant ambiance

Sun flow seems to shower down from the starry sky,

Igniting an emotional air of flooding bright light

From the aura of this angel of mercy

No Sun’s Moon could eclipse the luminosity of her being.

A spiritual radiance from another enchanting realm

Transcends all illumination

Heightening each intertwined plateau of her true nature

As destiny’s tangled and knotted roots embed

Into the oneness of indivisible unity

Surrendering willingly to love’s spontaneous flow

While yielding without resistance in a destined leap of faith

Trusting glowing feelings of an ardent free spirit

Blissful singing overwhelms me

The glistening aurora awakened a vibrant symphony of hearts

Enlightening the adoring moment,

Vividly a bird serenely sang …

“My moon… there is so much more to love than we see”~

December, 2012…Harlon Rivers

"Could I Stay Away?"

Should I stay away from love's garden?

Could I even if I tried?

Reading you feel you don’t know me,

came as an unexpected surprise

Knowing you felt safe with me,

gave me a sheer force of will to survive …

The garden of the heart and soul

needs a caring gardener’s passionate touch

A moment left me shyly withdrawn and wondering,

being tested by passing season’s lessons of trust

Tender loving caretakers breathe in every breath knowing

the heart needs a home ...

Was the world spinning around so fast,

I missed the season's fleeting time?

Seasons can change so quickly,

the patient do not even notice when or why, 

you feel like you're constantly left swimming 

alone against the tide ...

A garden of love flourishes from deep within

the spirit of the heart of soul

Never afraid of making love ~

with the earth beneath our nails 

The desires thriving within our passion  

are harmonious euphoric dreams left untold ...

 Love has a living fostered heart

You never see the warning signs

Budding spirits blossom 

through compassionate nurturing,

deeply rooting what naturally

blooms over needed time ...

In the silence of the garden of happiness,

embrace  the peace that’s found within

Knowing if I stay here forever,

won't you listen to my heart's song ?

How will you know 

when you hear my voice calling in the wind?

Will you feel the rhythm of the heartbeat of my soul?

 Should I stay away from love's sacred garden?

Could I even if I tried?

Please whisper in the gentle breeze 

your heart of gold's reply ~

Speaking softly I sigh to you ...
" You are my home " 

Harlon Rivers…January, 2013