13 February 2017

Madness and Muse

By Bud Koenemund

For "Her."

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." - John Keats

I hold your memory against my will;
Sentiment which imperils sanity
When every thought and dream reminds me still
Of the fool who gave devotion blindly.
But, this world won’t stop for a broken heart.
Indifferent to pain, both moon and sun
Rise, shine, then retire without regard;
Beg heaven for pity, you’ll receive none.
These things I desire can never be
Real. Love, fidelity lasting past death –
Blessed by madness and muse – is fantasy;
Affection shrouded in the dragon’s breath.
   Misery, it seems, lives joy’s companion;
   Torment entwined with beauty and passion.


07 February 2017

The Brightness of Heaven Outshined

By Bud Koenemund

For Lindsay

What power lies hidden in beauty’s eyes –
Enchanting and mysterious – to seize
My heart; kindling passion undisguised
By modesty? Could any galaxy’s
Stars counterfeit the radiance I find
In those orbs? O, even angels enskied
Must praise the brightness of heaven outshined;
Mere ash compared ‘gainst emeralds rarified.
But, time has cursed me to live in shadow,
Lacking the incandescence of your grace;
And yet, I will stumble forward unbowed,
Desiring thy kiss ere death’s embrace.
   While words can celebrate organs of sight,
   These verses pale in your eternal light.