Unresolved
Some relationships
(Maybe all relationships
Are like unresolved parentheses
We cannot close off with an end
Simply because they began
-Charity C. Tran
Posts tagged "poem"
“
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way.
Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman
The supermoon tonight reminded me of these poetry lines.
A Haiku For the New Lost Generation
My ears are ringing
From music too loud, with bad
Lyrics gone wild
Chapbook Sneak Peek: “UNYPL”
UNYPL
by Charity C. Tran
There is a tumblr based on
What New Yorkers are reading in the underground
Underground
New York
Public
Library
UNYPL
A compilation of photos
Of people reading
The books they hold
Bright covers
Mostly shown
Some obscured by hands
Obstructing views
(Clarified in captions)
Of bold texts that advertise
The book
The person
The mind
Replace each book
With an e-reader
The Kindle
The Nook
The iPad with
Kindle Nook iBooks
Obstructing view
Hiding (would be)
Bold texts
The book
The person
The mind
This poem is part of Digital Divide, a technology & social media poetry chapbook collection I released today on Kindle.
I wrote this after seeing all the great photos on one of my favorite Tumblr blogs Underground New York Public Library (who you should definitely follow). I’ve been mixing it up with hardcover, paperbacks, Kindle, and iPad, but there’s something about seeing people out in the open - books in hand - and knowing what they’re reading that is pretty fascinating. There’s something about it that speaks more volumes than bestseller lists because you see it connected to a person, a stranger - maybe it’s something you read, wanted to read, or never thought interesting at all. Maybe it’s all these things. Ultimately, it’s nice to know that so many of us are connected by words - that we travel with stories in hand - whether we can see their titles or not.
Digital Divide: Poems is available for 99-cents on Kindle. Learn more on my website.
-cct
Chapbook Preview: Sound Barrier Pt. I
The following is a preview poem from my upcoming chapbook, Digital Divide: Poems to be released tomorrow, April 6th.
Sound Barrier Pt. I
Listen to time
in sound
dancing
incorrectly
awkwardly
in the moments
before
performanceThe tuning of the orchestra
the practice of the choir
Bach in imperfection
Bach in seeking perfectionSound accumulated time
leading to this moment
you may be watching
on a YouTube video
with crackled soundOr perhaps
perfectly recorded
in renegade
as you
fail to soak in the sound
the church historic
the music and the stain glass
the church and its organ pipes
welcoming song
transforming worship space to
worship music spaceWhere were you in this moment
in its magic
flummoxing with the record button
balancing the screen with tiring arms
hearing, but not listening
as so many beforeMissing
Dona nobis pacem
If you’re interested in receiving a notification of Digital Divide: Poems release on April 6th, check back here, follow me on twitter, like me on facebook, or sign up for my mailing list.
A Poem for the Red Flower That Found Me
A flower in my pathway is a lovely sight to see
Bright red to contrast the day
Brought by the wind to me
And if such beauty lies in random strides
Behind a door
Difficult to open
Held steady as if closed
By the force of a Southern California gale
What surprises might lie
Behind doors we think are closed
But are really just in need
Of our patience, our action, our time
-Charity C. Tran (via intellichick blog)
“
‘When to the new eyes of theeFrancis Thompson, The Mistress of Vision
All things by immortal power,
Near or far,
Hiddenly
To each other linkèd are,
That thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling of a star;
The Dreams that Confront Our Hearts: A Poem to Martin Luther King Jr.
The Dreams that Confront Our Hearts
By Charity C. Tran
To Martin Luther King Jr.
When I think of you
I think of dreams
Not the fanciful kind
Where our minds might wander
Through the day
Of instantaneous wealth
Of peace of mind on
Foreign beaches
That takes us to a foreign place
Away from familiar worries
Because we have not solved problems
But run away
When I think of you
I think of dreams
The ones that require
time
patience
work
effort
investment
heart
risk
everything
To make true
Because we cannot run away
From the dreams
That confront our hearts
Stirring us from sleep
By reminding us of the injustices
That should not be
Because we cannot run away
Because you did not run away
From a dream
That rings in our lives today
That speaks of your legacy
Echoing at your sudden end
The price of dreams
The weight of sacrifice
And why
We should not give in
To silence
By Charity C. Tran
To Martin Luther King Jr.
When I think of you
I think of dreams
Not the fanciful kind
Where our minds might wander
Through the day
Of instantaneous wealth
Of peace of mind on
Foreign beaches
That takes us to a foreign place
Away from familiar worries
Because we have not solved problems
But run away
When I think of you
I think of dreams
The ones that require
time
patience
work
effort
investment
heart
risk
everything
To make true
Because we cannot run away
From the dreams
That confront our hearts
Stirring us from sleep
By reminding us of the injustices
That should not be
Because we cannot run away
Because you did not run away
From a dream
That rings in our lives today
That speaks of your legacy
Echoing at your sudden end
The price of dreams
The weight of sacrifice
And why
We should not give in
To silence
Note: Originally posted on my blog.
Poem: An Invisible Handshake – A Poem for Pvt. Danny Chen
An Invisible Handshake
by Charity C. Tran
a poem for Pvt. Danny Chen
I only know you
from these words
describing
your story
your life
its end
these words
are ghosts
unraveling mysteries
of why you died
but as invisible handshakes
shared across time
shared across space
they evoke passion
and crusade
they reflect the parents
who ache for you
in your photos I see
the essence that is me
my dark hair
my eyes
in roots that live beneath
a blanket of ethnic similarity
layered over life’s complexity
the altar in your (past) home
described as laying bear the gifts
of favorite American foods
is not decked out
as past altars I have likely seen and lived with
that speak volumes of a culture
that begins a hyphenated identity
it resonates of your life
solidified in colors of
red, white, and blue
solidifying being an American
time has passed
and complacency has set in
we are cloaked in the myth
of a 21st century
of delineated law
that erases border lines
in your absence bears the truth
this is not true
there is work – still – to do
in your silence
voices are charged
speaking
of love
of outrage
of strength
to push against
the force that
no one
should be asked to bear
that you
should never have felt
erasing the lines
of hate
of power
of colorblind lies
is done
with the shaking of hands
and the telling of stories
A co-worker sent me this New York Magazine article Pvt. Danny Chen, 1992-2011which moved me to write this poem. Pvt. Chen was 19-years-old when he committed suicide after terrible hazing and racism. It is sad when lives are cut short, especially under such means. This was originally posted on my writing blog.
Poem: Mother Nature Hollywood
for the weather that just came and went
Mother Nature Hollywood
by Charity C. Tran
Like Mother Nature arriving
on a Hollywood set:
you snuck past paparazzi
doppler radar sneak attack
the backdoor entrance
while rain, thunder, and dark distract
and for all of the money
and for all the fame
of tabloid predictions
of how we know your way
it wasn’t until the quiet
after you had come and gone
that the picture of your beauty
the measure of your talent
revealed the life that you own
greater than predictions
we capture only your corners
the movie will always be
yours to claim
and unlike celebrities
that sit on islands
you always know how
to remind us
of your name
Like Mother Nature arriving
on a Hollywood set:
you snuck past paparazzi
doppler radar sneak attack
the backdoor entrance
while rain, thunder, and dark distract
and for all of the money
and for all the fame
of tabloid predictions
of how we know your way
it wasn’t until the quiet
after you had come and gone
that the picture of your beauty
the measure of your talent
revealed the life that you own
greater than predictions
we capture only your corners
the movie will always be
yours to claim
and unlike celebrities
that sit on islands
you always know how
to remind us
of your name
