Category Archives: Ghazal

Vanishing Point (Little Sands, PEI)

Posted on Sunday, July 27th, 2014 11:14 am by John MacKenzie

I was sent a fine, short, dark image the other day about stillness in Little Sands. It precipitated this poem since I have felt at the water that sort of stillness that seems both complete and empty at once. I think it … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Art is theft, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Epistemology, Ghazal, Gravity, John MacKenzie, Little Sands, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, Process, Science, Space, Summer, The Moon, The Sky, Tide, Time | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Watching the Curtains in the Morning

Posted on Thursday, September 26th, 2013 2:13 pm by John MacKenzie

Thin gauze curtains move in the window. Mist on the harbour stirred by a heron’s wings. The wind in the night splashed the sea on the rocks. The taste of salt on your spine. Purple asters dot the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Asters, Astronomy, Autumn, Blue Heron, Charlottetown, Chinese poetry, Cosmology, Ghazal, Harbour, John MacKenzie, Language, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, The Sea, The Wind | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Before the Moon Rose

Posted on Tuesday, September 24th, 2013 6:26 pm by John MacKenzie

In the late September light crows were bold, crisp outlines sketched on power lines, above roofs. Afternoon flocks of gulls formed and reformed over the harbour; fraying white knots of hunger. Before the moon rose I moved pale and weightless … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Autumn, Charlottetown, Crows, Ghazal, Gulls, Harbour, John MacKenzie, Language, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, The Moon, The Sea | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Night is Long (But Wait)

Posted on Sunday, September 8th, 2013 11:58 am by John MacKenzie

Decided to try and write a birthday poem for a friend the other day. This is the result, and well … there’s a candle in it. The Night is Long (But Wait) The light of the mid-afternoon sun spreading like … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Astronomy, Charlottetown, Cosmology, Crows, Ghazal, Gulls, Harbour, John MacKenzie, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, Summer, The Moon, The Sea, The Wind | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ghazal in the Night

Posted on Thursday, July 25th, 2013 11:44 am by John MacKenzie

The wings of a gull over waves breaking on salt marsh and beach under the dunes under the moon. The reeds of the salt marsh stirred by a gull’s wings in the night. My breath on your thighs. The curves … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Art is theft, Chinese poetry, Consciousness, Epistemology, Ghazal, Gulls, John MacKenzie, Language, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, Summer, The Moon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Cruel Lindens (a July Ghazal of Haiku)

Posted on Saturday, July 13th, 2013 12:27 pm by John MacKenzie

Looking for something to write last night, I figured why not try marrying another two forms? And so I built a ghazal out of haiku. The Cruel Lindens (a July Ghazal of Haiku) Rose petals rust from salt heat you … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Art is theft, Astronomy, Ghazal, Haiku, Harbour, Japanese Poetry, John MacKenzie, Language, Lindens, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetics, Poetry, Process, Roses, Summer, The Moon, The Sea, Wild Geese, Wild roses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

After the Moon Comes Up

Posted on Thursday, July 11th, 2013 8:51 am by John MacKenzie

After the Moon Comes Up I thought to pick the flower of forgetting for myself, but I found it already growing in his heart. —Ono no Komachi, from The Ink Dark Moon translations by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko Aratani With … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Art is theft, Astronomy, Ghazal, Izumi Shikibu, Jane Hirshfield, Japanese Poetry, John MacKenzie, Mariko Aratani, New poems, Ono no Komachi, Poem tweets, Poetry, Summer, Tanka, The Ink Dark Moon, The Moon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Gulls Never Stop Crying

Posted on Sunday, July 7th, 2013 5:40 pm by John MacKenzie

The Gulls Never Stop Crying Somewhere someone has always just died. But we are alive and wet with the night. I tell you summer belongs to us and these wild roses beading the moonlight into fragrant dew. Can’t we leave … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Capitalism, Corporate Capitalism, Cosmology, Death, Epistemology, Ghazal, Gulls, Harbour, John MacKenzie, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, Political Commentary, Roses, Social Commentary, Summer, The Moon, The Sea, War, Wild roses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No Rock-A-Bye Baby (In the Cradle of Confederation, C. E. 2013)

Posted on Thursday, June 27th, 2013 1:23 pm by John MacKenzie

No Rock-A-Bye Baby (In the Cradle of Confederation, C. E. 2013) A north wind here in late June tears the petals from the Province House poppies. The limbs of oaks and maples creak under the weight of crows, gaping, red-mouthed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Capitalism, Corporate Capitalism, Ghazal, John MacKenzie, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, Political Commentary, Religion, Social Commentary, Summer, The Wind, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The June Evening Light is a Lever

Posted on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 12:37 pm by John MacKenzie

Last evening I revisited a favourite form, the ghazal. More about the form and why I love it can be found at this post on my old blog, which includes a link to a rambling essay about ghazals. The June … Continue reading →

Posted in Art is lies, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Biology, Chemistry, Consciousness, Cosmology, Epistemology, Evolution, Ghazal, John MacKenzie, Lilacs, New poems, Poem tweets, Poetry, Summer, The Moon, The Sea, Time | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment