Thursday, December 1, 2016

ARTHUR TURFA

ARTHUR TURFA

REFLECTION ON MUSGROVE MILL AND TODAY

Along the Enoree’s banks, Musgrove Mill
lies among the Piedmont’s pines and hardwoods.
On a sultry, long-ago August day
Loyalist and Patriot joined battle,
neighbors and kinsman clashing, Scotsmen too,
blood flowing on green-ringed forest meadow.
Now rages renewed warfare all around
in cyberspace, chatrooms, and face-to-face.
Everyone a combatant now, none are spared;
Tarleton’s Quarter appears merciful.
Friendships severed, relationships broken
not only here but from coast-to-coast.
The Republic for which for which the victors bled
unravels like a second-hand overcoat.

Arthur Turfa, ©2016









AT THE ROSEWOOD ART AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

Standing in morning sunlight
young girl reading my poem
about Parnassus. Her mother
beside her, both hearing about
the Muse-loved mountain and
Castalia’s cleansing, inspiring
streams. Blond hair shimmer,
eyes aglow: do they behold the
graceful dance of the Muses?

Several hours pass- hikers fresh
From Virginian trails ask me
to read a poem of my choice.
I read “Three Woods” and we
find outsteps transported to
places long-loved and never-
forgotten. We stand on the
parking lot and feel sylvan
coolness and mossy ground
under entwining branches
reaching above us. Such
is verse’s power and glory.

Arthur Turfa ©2016










HER EYES

Her eyes I remember most…
Opened wide to capture
Adolescent hopes and fears,
Residual angst, concern
For others, nascent joys.

As time flowed,
As we touched
Places and people
Tangentially,
Her eyes, older now
Beheld fading dreams, wrong turns,
The what-might-have-beens
Singing like sirens.

Angel, why was your hand not
Upon her shoulder, why did you
Not show a glimpse of glory
To saddened, tear-laden eyes?
Perhaps you did, but her eyes
Saw what they wished to see.

For me, Angel, lift her eyes
Beyond present concerns.
Raise them to the light
Which will shine through them
Again, sustaining them,
Pointing them towards
Endless bliss and not
Previous struggles.

, © 2015/6
ARTHUR TURFA
  

ARTHUR TURFA lives in the South Carolina Midlands, but his poetry contains influences of his native Pennsylvania, California, Germany (where he has also lived), as well as other places. His first book of poetry. “Times and Places, Reflected”, was released in the Spring of 2015 by eLectio Publishing.   Published in the Munyori Literary Journal and the South Carolina English Teacher, in Afflatus magazine, In Mused Bellaonline Journal,  and in Altpoetics, he also maintains a personal blog, Some Poetry at aturfa.blogspot.com, , Goodreads, Amazon, and Facebook author pages, He is an Owner in POETS, and a moderator at words on Fire and Peppered Poets Google + online communities.

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