Dave Ruslander

A Winter Morning


I saw breath rise from the swamp this morning.
Peat bogs were adorned with opals,
the rain pond wore diamonds
and boughs of holly masked the ancient cypresses.

Morning cold made the horses spirited
their heads swayed left then right, they bucked,
kicked, and cantered over the field.

It could have been steam rising off their backs,
but I think I saw angels' breath.




Memory Ghost


The look is crisp -
the color of wilted newspaper
crinkled and imposing.

It's invigorating -
a winter night's stroll across powder.
I see him precisely, now.




Impetus


Steel wheels grind against iron tracks,
slip and spin,
moan
resistance,
momentum
each revolution.
Stop,

chug, inch by inch forward
metal groans, pistons churn
boilers hiss.
Steam and smoke choke the sky, a whistle wails,
the bell clangs, clangs, clangs
and the station begins to recede.

Speed catches up, the Doppler
rumbles down the rail pulling
quiet calm in its wake where
bison once roamed.


from Voices in my Head
used by permission of the author





Parallel Universes


Somewhere a thousand miles away
a breeze whispers ripples to a pond.
Acrobatic leaves tumble like rhythmic gymnasts
performing over a reflection.

And we huddle around a fire
watching stone soup boil
as the wind lands blows against our backs.





A Moment


A bamboo flute sings through swaying reeds,
while dragon flies dance among mangroves.
lit lanterns keep mosquitoes at bay
and the warmth of a cool breeze tickles my skin.

My parrot's round black eye blinks with an idea.
He holds his peanut upside down in his foot
And with glee squeezes the shell
until it cracks up. His humor
is evident by the compound sentences
he begins to jabber, explaining his joy.

In the distance, Cloud Mountain,
holds back the river.





Dave Ruslander and his wife live quietly on a small farm in rural Virginia where their lives are enriched by the beauty of their horses, dogs, and cats. Dave began writing about five years ago and has learned to damn near mangle any grammatical rule known. His first book, Voices in My Head, has just been published. Dave suffers from Bipolar Disorder.






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