I can still hear the call of the loon
That most uncommon loon of the north.
When the moon rides high in the sky
And clouds go racing ahead of the wind,
A sound comes across those autumn lakes
That only the common loon can make.
It is as if nature is calling to its mate;
Or a lonely trapper is dreaming of love.
The haunting tremolo of sound strikes
The quiver of the heartstrings of men.
Sometimes in my lair above the city streets,
I seem to hear those loons flying south.
A picture forms of a special lake
Where the loon calls with hoots,
Tremolos and wails
As the fish leap and splash in the water.
Trees glow with the fluorescence of the moon,
While the Northern Lights flash across the sky.
I fall into a sweet-dream sleep
That ends too soon in the flush of dawn’s light.
Reluctantly, I rise to face reality.
AUTHOR NOTES
GLASS RAIN—the poetry of Margaret Roxby
“FOR THE UNFULFILLED,” was found among the poet’s papers. Though a realist, the author maintained an optimistic outlook at all times. The title has been supplied by the manager of this site. It is included for September 12, National Day of Encouragement.
REFRACTIONS—the poetry of Robert Roxby
“HOW BRAVE” is included this week in honor of September 11, National Patriot Day and National Day Of Service. The poem was found in his journal and reflects his strong feeling of patriotism.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“ON BOUND FEET” is included this week in honor of September 12, National Day of Encouragement. The poet wrote this about a dear friend of hers, a brilliant and talented woman she felt had been forced to honor the limited view of opportunities open to women common to the United States in the 1950s. The title is a reference to a time when a girl child in China had her feet bound to keep them looking small for “beauty” and to make her more likely to find a husband.
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 SEPTEMBER 2024
A COMMON LOON
I can still hear the call of the loon
That most uncommon loon of the north.
When the moon rides high in the sky
And clouds go racing ahead of the wind,
A sound comes across those autumn lakes
That only the common loon can make.
It is as if nature is calling to its mate;
Or a lonely trapper is dreaming of love.
The haunting tremolo of sound strikes
The quiver of the heartstrings of men.
Sometimes in my lair above the city streets,
I seem to hear those loons flying south.
A picture forms of a special lake
Where the loon calls with hoots,
Tremolos and wails
As the fish leap and splash in the water.
Trees glow with the fluorescence of the moon,
While the Northern Lights flash across the sky.
I fall into a sweet-dream sleep
That ends too soon in the flush of dawn’s light.
Reluctantly, I rise to face reality.
BLACK SEPTEMBER
Inside the garden
The players played
Balloons of laughter
Lifted lightly on the air
Color-curled promises rose like music
Above the garden wall
Drops of crystal sun carried
Far and wide
Outside the garden
The phantom lurked
Terror-dark and silent as night
And then….and then….
Tiger anger sprang
Swift, swift, the slaughter wind swept
Far and wide
Time passes
The broken toys are mended
The garden games bloom once more
But for some the party is over.
DYLAN OF LONDON AND LLAREGGUB
Spilling wet awareness,
A sudden unrelenting rain of words
Pours into the mind
Pools, then sweeps the senses
Into a flood surging to the sea
Like a gentle snowfall,
Words sift through sunlit air
To lie briefly in drifts
Upon head and shoulders
Until settling deeply
Onto the path of thought
Swirling like dust devils,
Words rise unexpectedly upward
Twirling round and round
Teasing and stinging flesh and mind
Dylan’s words
Changing forever
The flavor of the air
AUTHOR NOTES
GLASS RAIN—the poetry of Margaret Roxby
“BLACK SEPTEMBER,” expresses the author’s reaction to a tragedy that occurred in September 1972. The events began on September 7 when eight Palestinian militants affiliated with Black September—a militant offshoot of the Palestinian group Fatah—scaled a fence surrounding the Olympic Village in Munich kidnapping and murdering eleven Israeli athletes. Israel then carried out a covert assassination campaign, Operation Wrath of God, of vengeanance.
REFRACTIONS –the poetry of Robert Roxby
“A COMMON LOON” expresses once again the author’s love of nature. The poem is included week in honor of September 4, National Wildlife Day. This poem first appeared in his collection, Reflections of a Lifetime.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“DYLAN OF LONDON AND LLAREGGUB,” is included this week in honor of September 6, National Read a Book Day. As is obvious, the subject poet Dylan Thomas has long been a favorite of Kathleen’s, especially his Under Milkwood.
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 SEPTEMBER 2024
OUR POND
Across a stream as wide as a boy’s arm,
Four young boys had piled rocks and stones;
Then added twigs, grass, mud and sand
To form a small dam nearly three feet high.
The muddied waters didn’t clear till dark,
But the boys were back right after dawn
Eager to test the water’s chill bite
As this April day was not yet Spring.
They were ready to jump in
When they saw that a band of watersnakes
Had staked their claim to this pool.
But the oldest boy knew that watersnakes
Were harmless, so they all jumped in
And splashed about so loud and hard
That those watersnakes just gave up
And moved on to find a quieter place.