we all try

February 20

We don’t all move in the
same direction, but each
of us wants to get ahead.
Our pace differs, as does
our attitude, as we all try
to step forward.
Do you know where you
are going? How will you
know when you get there?

02/20/2020 j.g.l.

2 Responses to “we all try”

Natacha Thoennes

February 20, 2025 at 7:56 am

I am going everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Reply
1. j.g.lewis
  
  February 20, 2025 at 12:26 pm
  
  keep moving forward… you’ll know when you get there.
  deep peace
  
  Reply

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j.g. lewis

original content and images ©j.g. lewis

a decade of days…

2025 is an anthology of thoughts du jour, unsolicited advice, messages of peace, philosophy, poetry, and photographs from the past decade of Mythos & Marginalia. In unchronological order, the years not as important as the dates, each post a reminder (if only to myself) that I do indeed write every damn day.

April 10

poetry exists

Poetry in the present dictates
internal presence, deep regard
for a past only accounted for
line by line.
Words blur into one cohesive
attempt to detail or describe
lovers, past and present, and
even those who were not as
kind or considerate.
Emotions realized, only at
the time, replicated in a
straightforward voice.
Moments are accounted for
word by word. Poetry exists.
Our lives become stanzas
documenting only what
we remember.

© 2023 j.g. lewis

April is Poetry Month

Leave a comment: poetry exists
April 6

recipe

Equal part dawn and dusk, a dash of
diesel and tractor rust. A root of youth
which once was mine, fleeting glimpse
of that city’s skyline. One mouthful
of rain, a belly full of fire, a hint of
the envy I confused with desire.
An ounce of misfortune to keep you
on your toes, a whisper of the truth
that few people know. Swift whiff of
autumn and its soothing earthy scent,
seven crackling leaves heaven-sent.
Two hearty dollops of acute curiosity,
diluted by a cup of casual simplicity.
The naïve blush of an unsure teenager
standing only in her panties. A smile,
hallelujah on bated breath and bended
knees. A spade full of soil stolen from
Indian land, with six blades of tall
prairie grass from where Wal-Mart
now stands. A layer of dust off the
library stacks, nourishment from the
lunches my mother packed. Clavicle of
the lover who should’ve known better,
who gave only because she took, and
only because I let her. Six droplets of
her blood add opportunity to the mix,
ground into tongue of a lawyer, or liar,
and his big bag of tricks. A shot of
Southern Comfort to combat any fear,
and the shock of this Northern wind
and my reality here. Off the lakeshore
where I first learned to swim, a few
grains of sand and a dead fish’s fin.
Several of my obvious flaws tossed in
for good measure, with the shadow of
the full Moon I’ve come to cherish
and treasure. Three white tears to
consecrate my intention, and a fourth
for the secrets I neglected to mention.
Wax of a turquoise-colored crayon to
bind it together, cured with the wave
of an ancient Eagle feather. Not elixir,
but a potion for dreams so she’ll know
where I come from, and feel all I mean.

© 2017 j.g. lewis

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April 4

mostly

we cannot help but

listen

not to the clamour of everyday time
but the space between

a thought

a smile

or

a goodbye

sometimes we tell secrets

mostly

the silence gives it away

© 2019 j.g. lewis

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April 9

try to comprehend

countenance
my vision is clear

most of the time

i can see what is going on

past
present tense
and emotional graffiti
blurring my landscape

surpassing commonsense or

my peripheral understanding

of what is beyond
what is expected to be explored.

i look

daily searching for a message or
answer to existential confusion

yours and mine

it is a mixed up world
and we create a part of it

I can see that

as plain as they say
any damn day

what I can’t see
I will try to comprehend

© 2021 j.g. lewis

Leave a comment: try to comprehend
April 5

thereafter

The Father they speak of accepts
                           the scent, custom or tradition,
                                          of burnt offerings

                   incense                                  incensed

                              God shall know
                             thou shall not

                                  confuse disclosures

             ‘Father, I have sinned’
            common confession
                      for those who

                      do not understand

               a candle lit
                                   provides protection from the flame

                                  Evil ways

         cast no doubt
         on disbelievers

                     The silent thereafter hangs
                      as smoke above an alter
                      I know so little about

© 2023 j.g. lewis

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April 2

this natural state

4:57 a.m.

at this hour

few are awake
fewer will notice

from warm beds

high above the streets

only the streetlights know
silence or the night chill

or both

quiet as can be

in a city that never sleeps
in a park that always listens

at a time for mysteries
of this natural state

sleep

darkness will soon be over

daylight will hide the secrets

the world will wake
and few will wonder

where you have been

© 2021 j.g. lewis

April is Poetry Month

Leave a comment: this natural state