EL Nino in capricious mood had made
A desert, bare as moonscape, and life-springs fade
On the Altiplano
The hills and valleys once alive and green
Are now gray dust; no flower, no plant is seen
On the Altiplano
Some, hopeless, leave the only home they’ve known
To vanish, like sand, scattered, wind-blown
On the Altiplano
And leave behind the few who choose to stay.
At night, they dream the past: sweet falling rains.
At dawn, with heavy hearts, see drought-dead plains
Still on the Altiplano
On the Altiplano the hungry children cry;
Death stalks the barren fields as their world grows dry.
Oh, pray for those of the Altiplano
Pray, friends,
That soon the rains will come
So hunger ends
On the Altiplano
AN EQUITY
The struggle for equality is—
Having a place to just sleep safely
Or a square meal to eat each day
To walk in the moonlight unafraid
With the innocence of a child
To look upon the new neighbors
And be glad they are there
AUTHOR NOTES
GLASS RAIN—poetry by Margaret Roxby
The poem “THE HEALING ART” was found among the author’s papers. It appears this week as a counterpoint to the poem by Kathleen Roxby.
REFRACTIONS—a poem by Robert Roxby
“AN EQUITY” was selected to accompany the other two poems for this week. It first appeared in his collection, Reflections on a Lifetime.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“If There Is No Trace” does not reflect the author’s opinion but is a record of what she heard from many places and times. The initial inspiration for the poem came from interviews conducted among the survivors of the Bosnian War, but the poem is not just inspired by the aftermath of the violence of war but also that of resource inequities.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Readers who write in response to one of the prompts listed each month in Splintered Glass, may see their work presented here on the last week of that month. Though poems are preferred, short prose work will also be considered for publication.
Guidelines for submission:
SPLINTERS FOR JUNE 2022
FROM THE NIGHTFISHER’S FRIEND
“…I live
trying to catch moonlight with paper
on which I send you this night”
—Dan Gerber from A Last Bridge Home
Like the particles of dust
seen just as the sun shifts
the balance of shadow and light,
I have danced weightless,
graceful and beautiful,
upon the sliver of moonlight
gleaming from where your words
held captive the night you wrote to me.
FOR THOSE OF THE ALTIPLANO
EL Nino in capricious mood had made
A desert, bare as moonscape, and life-springs fade
On the Altiplano
The hills and valleys once alive and green
Are now gray dust; no flower, no plant is seen
On the Altiplano
Some, hopeless, leave the only home they’ve known
To vanish, like sand, scattered, wind-blown
On the Altiplano
And leave behind the few who choose to stay.
At night, they dream the past: sweet falling rains.
At dawn, with heavy hearts, see drought-dead plains
Still on the Altiplano
On the Altiplano the hungry children cry;
Death stalks the barren fields as their world grows dry.
Oh, pray for those of the Altiplano
Pray, friends,
That soon the rains will come
So hunger ends
On the Altiplano
SURPRISE ENCOUNTER
Yesterday I was surprised
at meeting with an old friend.
He was as I remembered him—
full of enthusiasm,
at ease, and happy.
I had long forgotten
the pleasure of his smile
and the love we once shared.
For, dark have been the days
in the long years since last we met—
years stalked by a brooding stranger
who closed cold night
between the two of us.
Until in sweet surprise,
just yesterday, I met again
my brother
who could smile.
AUTHOR NOTES
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“FOR THOSE OF THE ALTIPLANO” is included for World Hunger Day. The poem was inspired by an by article from World Vision, “Another Face of Hunger – Altiplano Drought Victims Struggle for Survival.” Quote: An ocean-warming condition, which occurs around Christmastime and named ‘El Nino’ by fishermen, in a reversal of tradewinds and ocean currents created the most extreme ‘El Nino’ since World War II.”
REFRACTIONS—a poem by Kathleen Roxby
“SURPRISE ENCOUNTER” is included for Brother’s Day (April 24). Her brother, for a time, seemed to cut himself off from his family, a time in which his strong sense of humor failed him. This poem reflects the end of that time.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“FROM THE NIGHTFISHER’S FRIEND” first appeared in Tangent/Allusion, 2001. The poem captivated the Kathleen when she first heard it performed by the author, Dan Gerber at a local bookstore.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Readers who write in response to one of the prompts listed each month in Splintered Glass, may see their work presented here on the last week of that month. Though poems are preferred, short prose work will also be considered for publication.
Guidelines for submission:
SPLINTERS FOR MAY 2022