Sage48's Poems

Blind Indirection

Preferred indifference, the Stoics say The arm’s length model where choices stray In for a penny, in for a pound The shield left naked —when outward bound (Dreamsleep: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

High Or Highwater

Love, in the end —betrays us all (Dreamsleep: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Out Of The North

Jet Stream Mother, your prayers go unanswered The beginning deflated, the ending in sight Dancing in place, the four winds become mistral Your children left orphaned —adrift in the night (Dreamsleep: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Bedfellows

Differing from our enemy, in one way the same Our conflict in common —to praise or to blame (The New Room: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Memory Beckons

Days go forward, nights in reverse Calling us back —to finish our search (Dreamsleep: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Cutting Both Ways

Trying to defend what you cannot describe All life on the edge —to affirm or deny (Dreamsleep: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Nowhere To Hide

Trying to escape… we are who we are Reality’s dream, misleading afar Time but a mask, delusion concealed The cover pulled back —more truth to reveal (The New Room: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Darkness Brings

We went through that night like so many others Waiting for the rain And one more chance to bring it all home Hope to wash the pain (Dreamsleep: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Telltale Signs

Life is most visible in its imperfections Cracks in the hourglass —us wanting more (Dreamsleep: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

In His Name Only

“By God anointed…” religions claim, then fight to steal His throne Devotion pledged in false pretense, to become the greater known A figurehead to suit their needs, they break His every rule To seize with power these ‘Chosen Ones’ —intentions h...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Kurt Philip Behm

My verse is like a bespoke set of clothes, fit the thing that counts Each article worn, new memories born, to tighten or let out My head to my toes, its covering goes, whose message spoken clear To tailor new moments, each stitch a new thread...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

One Last Chance

Yesterday, we freed ourselves… divorced from one another Trading forlorn bonded vows for the chance to be alone Yesterday, we said those things… to never take them back Replacing what the years have done with promise in the wind (The New Room:...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Broad Arrow

Rushing forward, pushing back Light entrances, then attacks Preying darkness, shadows hide Lumined future —demons cry (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tally Tally Ho

2 + 2 – 4 = Freedom Black + White – Gray = Vision He + She – Them = Anguish Yes + No – Doubt = Prescience (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tally Ho

2 + 2 - 4 = Freedom (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Cresting The Hill

Knowing today is the best day of your life —a terrible thing to know (To Philip Seymour Hoffman: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Gossamer Wings

Reciting verse, each stitch unthreads Freeing moments, before unread The air vibrant, all seams undone Tapestry open —silk re-spun (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Eternity's Ace

Can you have a mind and not have a soul Connection temporal, divorced from the whole Can consciousness live for only itself A hand with three aces —His card left undealt (Rosemont Pennsylvania: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Dark Chocolate

Eloquence of desperation, majesty in the end Elegance of sweet sorrow —dying to contend (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Sub-Zero

You know it’s the end when shadows abandon Memory fades as light is recalled No longer master, time is imploding Wishes undreamed —then nothing at all (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Backdoor

Today I went offline, tiring of the 14 poetry sites I write for longing for the closeness of a small rented room missing the darkness when it used to call me friend questioning if the voices I heard can find me now wondering—if I still wonder at a...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

10 Commandments Of Being

1: Be Yourself 2: Be Cheerful 3: Be Consistent 4: Be Spontaneous 5: Be Loyal 6: Be Courageous 7: Be Grateful 8: Be Tolerant 9: Be Open Minded 10: Be A Friend (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

While Looking Back

The past is a foreign homeland, familiar yet strange Where memories limits walk the line, and crossed—exceed our range (St. David’s Pennsylvania: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Forever More

If love had just one window that was open, never closed My verse would fly like turtle doves —into your heart bestowed (Thoughts Of Kathryn: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Winged Victory

You’ll never find out who you are among those things you lack You’ll never find a greater mask than a mirror looking back You’ll never find the answer to, as questions pass you by You’ll never catch that rising star —until you learn to fly (Dr...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Papa

Living every word he wrote —making all the difference (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

"When The Student Is Ready..."

Given to wonder, more perfect to know Muse’s awaiting —enlightenment flows (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Un-Claimed

Writing in obscurity, musings unrestrained Words to live both free and clear —nothing to repay (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Breakthrough

Living after love departs —life after death (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Fill In The Blank

The issue… only fate to know —and only time to heal (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Last Spark

The fuse was lit on the ending of my trauma Awaiting combustion —joy in the wind (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Cloning Of America

It’s the same form of difference, each place that I go Hotel chains and Walmart, McDonalds that grow The downtown’s breed stepfords, banks, dollar stores throng Identities corporate —our history bygone (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Thank You Dr. Spock

Over parenting… the child undone A cardinal sin —lost millennium (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Hollow & Silent

If a poem doesn’t live up to its title The moment is reclaimed by time Its chance to anoint when read disappoints A bell —unable to chime (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

"The Missing Shade..."

Is the self “a mere bundle of perceptions” If Hume’s right, are the rest of us wrong When stimuli exits, do we then disappear Existence abeyant, too weak —to live on (Villanova University Library: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Es Verdad

Truth independent of perception A falling tree crashing unheard Existing beyond what senses receive Essence eternal —by time undeterred (Villanova University: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Hermit Of...

All my friends are virtual online Arms-length fraternal, distance sublime Safe in my cave, with cursor in hand Downloading affection —beyond all demand (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Sandbars

Are you digging a hole you will never crawl out of, a prison self-made by your hand The metaphors mix as you lie there betwixt —the bars sinking into the sand (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Kindling The Fire

You can’t think your way into a poem Or feel your way out of a verse They first must conspire… your spirit inspired Words no longer forced —or perverse (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Parvum Pretium

If just one person understands, if just one troubled soul The effort and the pain involved —small price to make them whole (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Andalusia

Forever romancing that lingering question… Quixotic by decree —windmills turning free (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

After Hours

In the darkness it came, no more searching in the light Nothing burning to distract —shadows of delight (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Hell's Denominator

With all the talk that so divides —one bomb unites us all (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Night Mistress

Going to bed with the words, waking up to a song —music romancing my dreams (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Primo Et Ante

First, you need to have something to say Before, figuring out ¬—how to say it (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Good's Unholy Mate

Evil can never sail in triumph, nor can it be dismasted Dark symbiotic mariner —in natures perfect storm (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Twin Forks

Some will find out who they are then write of what they’ve found And some will write to unmask who they are as they expound One spawns introspection and a self-deliberate tone The other births a magic ride —whose terminus unknown (Dreamsleep: ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Human Beings

No one would claim their equal… each the promised man “Hunting what the others feared, drumbeats called from far and near, ghosts were dancing—vision clear” The Northern Cheyenne (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Some Things Don't Need Explaining...

Like the mist of an early morning rain and the love of an older dog Like the spontaneous hug from a passing child and coffee from a mountain fire Like a call from an old retired friend and the memory of one who left Like those boots now broken in ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Burden Sublime

The weight of your words… by the pound, by the pain The heaviest memories, forever —remain (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Shadows In The Night

Kingdom of Devils… majesty screams, poisoning the darkness —virulent dreams (Watching ‘Hemingway’ #3: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Leaving Tomorrow

Running toward my yesterdays, the future in pursuit The loosest ends when left undone —the past my guilt recruits (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Hidden Treasure

The deepest truth lay undiscovered in the buried words Like unfound gold existing only on a pirate’s map True value in the search required to seek and grasp Each phrase a burrowing pen digs into the readers mine Fortune concealing veins of disco...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Last Chamber Empty

Illusion to who or better to whom the window opens shut An image ingrained often betrays a rose that’s long been plucked The sun in the moonlight darkness to burn a promise made to none Glory unproud its victory profane —the truth an empty gun ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Ignoble Life

We live in the shadows of your cursed survival not being killed when so many of you were the endless rows of benighted headstones telling of memories never to be where you wander among them pledging your heart to what unrequited condemns you to ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Nunc Perpetruum

Shrinking time down to a factor of one The future and past cancel out zero-sum The moment, this instant the only thing real Unmasking the present —nothing left to conceal (St. David’s Pennsylvania: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Fall's Release

Out there alone, my thoughts zero-sum… the coyote’s lonely howl I search for redemption through cactus and sage… the silence of an owl Winter births Summer, its dream comes alive… the bear announcing Spring In thermal forgiveness, a following s...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tomorrow's Masquerade

I thought perhaps to steal the myth and hoard away the dream Mirages fade with pretense lost, things never what they seem A future darkness redefined, the past still yet to know Intention vested—moments spent with nowhere left to go (Dreamslee...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Cafe De La Paix

My fate to be a watcher… “Regarder Les Autres” and write from alleys dark but real, salons for words ill-bred (Le Grande Hotel Paris: May, 1978)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Its True Worth

What has no price holds little value Sweat and tears —outweighing gold (The New Room: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Open Wounds

Sutures of connection, words tightly sewn Seaming together —closing the unknown (Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Storm God Wakens

Clouds encircle sage colored dreams, ice crystals block the sky Today in shadows, yesterday’s warning, memories start to cry The stratus thickens, impending doom, prophesy to remind Aeolus has woken, his rain of tears —ablution most unkind (D...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

A Smokescreen

Science… bastard child of philosophy and reason formulaic delinquent of an answer in flux Serving itself as it shuns its true master bowing down to its tenets the truth —undiscussed (Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Tail Of The Dragon

Love regrets, promises return, comets in mourning —meteors burn (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Latebat Dolor

Cleft palate ill-fated splitting inside us, a hidden betrayal —memory’s scar (Dreamsleep: April, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Joshua Tree

Its special indifference and weathering smile, reminds every passer —its strength and its guile It stands in the desert alone and unbowed, to flower in protest —its nature avowed (Tuweep Arizona: January, 2018)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Epistemologiae

Knowledge is to thought as Thought is to intent as Intent —forever ordains (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Beyond The Ether

Neither one thing, nor three things, nor ten things —but nothing (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

From The Ashes

I’ve not forgotten you, but I can’t remember love as moments went unpromised, hours lost to wasted years The future hiding one last spark, memories yet to burn that Fall we spent in lust’s inferno —dancing in the flames (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

I Speak, Therefore I Am

Approaching the lexicon of what’s still unsaid, My words beg acceptance now silent unread Inside there’s a freedom once crossing the line, unspoken confessions —unfrozen in rhyme (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Heavens Tread

The last step to forgiveness —love (Dreamsleep: March, 2021) ‘From the 1st Book of Prayers’

– by Kurt Philip Behm

De Factorum

Reality is… how could it be any other way (Beaupre: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Song Of Espousal

The words came as gifts from the land of proposal, a voice of enchantment heard far, far, away Wrapped in the promise of a better tomorrow, new bows made of letters untie and defray Although undeserved but never unwanted, in the vanishing darkness...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Sincerest Form Of Shame

Plagiarism self-inflicted, it blinds veracity keeping us forever in the dark To wander in costume as others unnamed, their vision to herald and hark In shadows of obscurity doubt crossing fear, we steal what can’t be bought Reflecting false ima...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Last Road To Rome

Poetry fails when forced to explain A dead-end street with little to gain Stripped of meaning, one proffer to name Magic and wonder dead, self-proclaimed (St. David’s Pennsylvania: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Tracks Of The Bear

The places I’ve been all part of me now, roadmaps of intention tracking landscapes endowed The history I’ve written covers chapter and verse, of promises made and commitments diverse The road ever widens my scope narrows down, the past out o...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Heads Wins Again

“In God We Trust” the dollar we must Two-headed coin, minted unjust “Fides in Deum,” our fortunes to blame The past purloined —the future inflamed (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Degeneratus

The gambler’s asylum, a table waits in hell Your last card out, your first card in, aces all —pray tell (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

And Dwelt Amongst Us...

Satanic delusion, pagan confusion, the darkest illusion —redeemed by His word (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Rocket Fuel

Adrenalin… catalyst of fear and desire (Dreamsleep: December, 2020)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Out From The Shadows

The answers linger in the darkness While questions shimmer in the light All reasons alive with expectation Open ended in wonder —and delight (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Protect & Serve

What I meant, how I said it The meaning sacred —the words servile (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Nocturne Megahertz

The Poetry Channel when open, its wavelength sharp and clear Searching for me as it calls for my voice, in moments dark but dear The Poetry Channel if distant, remote, streaming above my thoughts Transmitting in silence, antenna to blame, whose f...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Beatific Denial

Better to be in Hell for all eternity, than in Heaven —on borrowed time (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Each—His Own

I never chose to write like you, it’s enough to write like me My feelings live to shape each thought, your passion foreign known I need to use those gifts bequeathed, while searching endlessly And leave to you your native tongue —and speak my word...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Coming Wind

Organizing each word unpenned, I gave myself to rhyme And offered up my humble skills in thankfulness sublime Each one a treasure unto me, with silence on the run Verses promised and drifting near —of memories to come (The New Room: March, 2...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Answering The Call

Truth can’t exist in the absence of courage Words of appeasement —freedom denied (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Vindicta

Buried in the shadows, hiding at night Valor pierced and left to bleed, hemorrhaging with fright Fangs exposed and deadly, searing from within Readying to pounce and strike —vengeance to begin (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Birthright

To understand the problem, look from deep within where logic and the sciences are both cut wafer thin Our thinking trapped and handcuffed, when seen by reason bound those answers we were given born —unquestioned and profound (The New Room: March...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Now Father To The Man

I grew up having never become an adult, the years to now betray My body infirm, my vision impaired, my hair has turned to gray I grew old while living within myself, false promises to none Retuning to boyhood each night in my dreams, my age still...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

X-Tiempo

Did you make the moment, did the moment make you Did you give truth a name —time forever renewed (Dreamsleep: March 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Higher Love

Transcending jazz, folk and rock, blues master’s stop and bow Winwood standing far above, we ask not why—but how (Watching The Master On AXS: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Pit Viper

To not appease the critics, success within our grasp The charlatans of written words, venom of the asp They bury deep inside their dens, ordained iconoclasts Passing judgment, casting blame —on what they fear might last (To T.R.’s ‘Man In The ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tu Dolebis

Don’t make things lighter by clipping your wings The jet stream is calling, truth in the wind Drop the excuses, there’re reasons to blame You can’t kill the darkness —banning the flame (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Reunion

The closer we get to yesterday, the farther away I feel The longer you stay within my reach, the more distant I become Memory lane a withering dream from a time the past has claimed Trading those things I used to want —for what tomorrow brings ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tendered In Blood

Disbursing our lives in a state of malaise, scars become currency —for debts still unpaid (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Beneath The Cover

Judging you by what you wear or by the car you drive the words forever hollow whose bees have left the hive Taking stock while looking back through scarlet colored glass the vision false, the judgment worse its memory to outlast Forming all opinio...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Et Tu Democracy

Stimulus check… blood diamond from a failed November, Payment to a dark tomorrow, Bribery —for a future stole (Dreamsleep November, 2020)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Live Fire

The voice of my enemy, the loudest of truths With death as the arbiter —to win or to lose (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Statues In The Park

If we can’t tell stories about our past —the future stays untold If judged by standards out of time —the fault beyond control Our history always both good and bad —correction on the rise What happened, happened, as time rolls on —and yesterday...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Curtain Falls

The tyranny of the majority, democracy oversold The power of the people to cut and paste, fat cats in control ‘Oh Ye Of Little Faith’ we are, like rats inside a maze Our government serving to best itself, entitlement ablaze The curtain rises...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Futurity

From here to eternity, breakfast to lunch The distance bespoke, new hole card to punch As yards change to meters, fruition in sight All travel inherent —day changing to night (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Milkwood Burns

The story of a Poet, more tragic than his words What then in fact his deeds conscript —his writing leaves infirm (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Something Again For Emily

To never make a lot of friends, though enemies were scarce And keeping both arm’s length away, my words alone repaired Splitting the difference tween comrade and foe, the measurement obscured One to the other, together as one —my loneliness en...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Rosebud

Bravery and recklessness riding together Death as the arbiter —glory abused (Crow Agency Montana: July, 2009)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Inkubation

Your form is strong, but your content weak Desire flowing, experience meek Trying to fake it with meter and rhyme Your words never ripen —green apples in time (Dream Sleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Timor

Fear exposes the underside of courage The weakest point of strength —a darker shade of truth (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Till Death Do Us Part

I stole from myself, never paying me back, rich in the spoils of war Identity gone, the body count total —larcenous guilt to endure (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tandem Memoriam

When time overcomes memory, and vision retracts The past sits in judgment, its verdict exact With yesterday’s reason, tomorrow to blame All hope left in ashes —truth mourning the flame (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Circa 1956

When the world was small my heroes were big living on a 12’’ screen the telephone operator knew me by name when the party line was open and free on Tuesdays it was the bread man on Wednesdays came meat Friday mornings the Fuller Brush man rang twi...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Something For Laura

If I could then be with you, only in my mind Your memory a lover’s tryst —in dreams again to find (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Goodbye Andromeda

Get it right once —and you’re free of forever (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Leaving Waimea

You’ll never catch that perfect wave or write a perfect verse The search that drives—the voice that saves, where all our dreams rehearse (Sunset Beach: April, 1982)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Achfary Highland

Fear came in numbers, bravery stood alone The battle intrepid —glory atoned (Scottish Moors: September, 1978)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Final Storm

I lay dreaming as the yardarms howl with ghosts upon the wind, screaming down: “Your crew is lost, it’s mutiny once more” One voice to dare my choices strong and shed that bitter sleep, my past the drowning child of its dark and rocky shoals A...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Yes-No Continuum

Alone while together, unringing the bell The darkness enlightened, new silence to quell Permissions refusal, denial admits The fusion of oneness —a hit and a miss (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Trashed & Burned

The fire’s been out for the longest time, there’s nothing left but ashes A pathway scorched, escape route torched —where light now sorely passes (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To The Last

Embattled here, entitled there One flag still flying, the smoke-filled air Horizons darken, as blood runs free The last man standing —whose will to be (Villanova University: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Occam's Retort

Competing infinities, which one to choose Existential polarities, exchanging their views Superpositioned, anthropic in scope The tradeoff endemic, whose difference elopes Twin parallel universes push and then pull Existing in quantum, the vac...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

William Tell Remembered

A flash of light, a cloud of dust, a joyous moment beneath the rust A hearty vision with silver streaks, unmasking boyhood —in memories deep (Garrett Hill Pennsylvania: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Ghost Writers

Letting the page breathe, my pen in its well The letters enchanted, recasting their spell Beginning then ending, beginning again Rewriting the master —their magic amends (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Brush Strokes & Margins

I can’t draw, but I paint I still sin, but a saint I talk best when I’m mute All I’ve lost in pursuit I begin at the middle And end at the start To give back to the silence This thing —we call art (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Old Woman Says...

“You’ve got more past than future,” she said without a smile “The hours lost will not rewind, your pendulum beguiled “You’ve got more past than future,” the hag said one last time “Your legacy a broken spring —whose clock no longer chimes” (V...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Mousetrap Revisited

Entrapping the magic, philosophers moan Theory after theory, no meat on the bone They label and mark, their didactics retooled Force feeding their ramble to dilettante-fools And when in the end they are then proven wrong They slink back to t...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Blurring The Lines

If being and the world are one and the same Then thinking and thoughts are together to name With freedom and consciousness semantically fused All judgment and will —symbiotically cued (Baldwin School: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Toll-Free

Verse is but a vehicle to where my words are bound The cargo much more precious than structure that surrounds The driving force empowered, hands firm upon the wheel The road to ever open up —with all I say and feel (St. David’s Pennsylvania: M...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Cross Currents

If we could touch time or taste a new dream Awareness exploding, beyond the extreme To see every fragrance or hear every wile Our senses emboldened —as memory smiles (St. David’s Pennsylvania: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Hope's Diamond

Not silver, not platinum, and surely not gold A mind eager to learn, something else to behold More treasured in essence, than riches untold Where a Newton or Einstein —begin to unfold (St. David’s Pennsylvania: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Link

Neurotechnology, a gift or a bane With thoughts simply neurons, case structure our brains Is humanity destined to merely plug in Will all beauty and truth be a programmer’s whim And what of our history that starts to rewrite Will all paradox ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

In Poverty's Name

How do you lay off a writer… unemployment assured In labored obscurity, his fortune unscored How do you invest in a future that’s devalued today When checks never balance —and words will not pay (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Graves Of Our Fathers

The Black Hills are crying, our Mother forsaken Enemy boot prints where moccasins claim To live just to die in noble futility All drums beat in silence —He Sapa in shame (Pine Ridge South Dakota: July, 2019)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Thine Self

One opinion that matters, its judgment vouchsafe Where mountains have melted, new rivers await The merit for others, but truth undenied Beyond feeling and vision —exists only I (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Day Turns To Night

A new century waits as the minutes progress into hours of vestibular begotten memory My thoughts being counted although I resist, my feelings in service to what’s left behind The sun and the moon trade in bartered romance, each jilting the ot...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Ramparts Of Freedom

Are you a servant to creation’s lord, every word indentured trope In towers of despair each phrase a step —on the stairs to love and hope (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Portum Tutum

Thankful for the one, the one who’s never asking the one forever constant the one who only gives Appreciative of the one, the one forever present the one beyond all judgment —the one whose heart bleeds free (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Lost Baton

…when there’s no one left to protest …when there’s no one left to blame …when there’s no one left to target …when there’s no one left to name …when there’s no one left to barter …when there’s no one left to pay …when there’s no one left to reason...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Robins Return

The bark of eternity, an armoring sure An oak or a maple, their majesty pure Below their dark cover, time circles in rings Where destiny spirals —as residents sing (Martha Brown’s Woods: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Self-Infliction

Explosion, implosion, tomorrow is gone A new self-destruct mode, old enemies throng We’re now on the poster, PUBLIC ENEMY ONE The canaries all dead —with zero the sum (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tashunka Witko—Beyond Self

A man clad in mystery, history would learn His face on the mountain, immortality earned A man from tomorrow, reliving today Intrepidly fated —truth on display (Crazy Horse Monument: May, 2008)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tracking Upwind

A hunter not skinner with quarry so vast Whose path through the forest is first —never last (Garrett Hill Pennsylvania: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

DNA Deception

The real nature in the term human nature… Anecdote of learned behavior —serving self (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Green Eyed Monster

Have you climbed to the top of your little mountain, only to find others looking down From heights far above you that unable to climb, you turn a blind eye to the ground (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Sampson's Locks

She never kissed you till she hated you Her feelings deadly —her motives dark (Aldwyn: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Lost & Unclaimed

Standing in baggage-claim, watching belongings go round again waiting for something that will never come, an army of strangers grab their bags and run leaving me distant adrift and alone, as the carousel stops —my location unknown (Shangri-La ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

War Party

Dancing out from the shadows, our spirits release The night from the day, fresh paint on our cheeks New fires in the darkness, where drums beat once more As voices call inward —their whispering roar (Devil’s Tower Wyoming: September, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Running Stream

Prose gets more from poetry, than poetry from prose Verse a wellspring where phrases drink —whose waters flow and flow (Villanova University: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Disarming The Past

With cannons of emotion, heartache was sunk The future retargeted —joy on the rise (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Debt Service

What makes you think you can mortgage a heartache What makes you think your payment’s unique What makes you think your indebtedness special What makes you think —you can leverage the pain (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Holy Road

Your voice like smoke, it calls from the distance Luring your enemy into winds of deceit The clouds of your fathers, hiding hailstones above Disguising the truth —as you lie in wait (Devil’s Tower Wyoming: September, 1990)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Christening Time

Shadows of tomorrow, reflections of yesterday Images of the moment —in whose Trinity we pray (Devil’s Tower Wyoming: September, 1990)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Searching For Crazy Horse

Remembering to forget, the road opened in front of me Remembering to forget, the past drifted away Remembering to forget, my today my tomorrow Remembering to forget —my tomorrow today (Devil’s Tower Wyoming: September, 1990)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Beckoning Wind

The road is your only companion When the memories won’t kill you —but the lingering will (Highway 93 Lolo Montana: September, 1990)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Into The Breach...

Letting go not holding on, the closing act of life To make the crossing burden free, past vestiges of strife Letting go not holding on, from years that pile high The greatest weight the last to leave that final one—goodbye (Dreamsleep: March, ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

RX

I do believe in therapy, but of a certain kind The type anointed on oneself, and in yourself to find A strength to make decisions, the will to see them through To best ignore what others say, while benefiting you These words are not capricious, re...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Stolen & Lost

Vacuous dreams and stolen joy Shadows at dawn, lost girls and boys Promises broken, tears deprived Light excepted —truth denied (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Silent Fear

The thicker the spirit, the thinner the bars That tiger once captive, now roaming afar His eyes stalk the distance, between hoping and fear Preying deeply inside us —eternally near (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Soul Surfer

What is a poem, be it long or then short When in service to others, to agree and consort And be it objective, to run with the pack Its identity loosened, its rope to go slack What is a poem, when written to please Each word second-guessed, ea...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Meta Chrysalis

To become what you look at, to say what you know Your eyes to retract, your wisdom to grow To live by a credo, to die only once Your soul to take flight —your spirit to hunt (Martha Browns Woods: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Twin Monarchs

If number is the ruler of form Then beauty the true empress of love (To Pythagoras: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Wovoka

From the Kiowa to the Cree, people sing and dance Prairies ringed with fire —a ghost returns at last (Pine Ridge South Dakota: September, 1994)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Grandest Larceny

With lightest hand and heavy heart My pen runs dry, bereft and stark That never given, I’m doomed to steal The grandest theft —my words conceal (Stealing From Laura (Muse): March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Kindling's Fire

She made me more real than I could stand, but choice was not an option And reaching in deep she pulled tomorrow out of yesterday’s regret Leaving me to find a home for all the wasted memories and time Loving me only just enough —to begin to start...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

A Seven-Year Love

Wanting you, knowing I couldn’t have you I called the devil my friend as he surrendered the key The lock to your heart reopening, the hourglass turned over In the flames of December —running back to you (Houserville Pennsylvania: December, 1971)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

All, Or Nothing At All

I don’t limit who reads my verse, only who I answer Each word-thick skinned and armor-clad all questions zero-sum (To Nelson Riddle & Frank Sinatra: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

A Borrowed Dream

I had you once before I lost you in a dream A dream that I woke up from where you stayed beyond my grasp Visiting me each night in the bartered hours of my sleep Holding me beyond hope ever cradling my fear Lending me back to myself inside this...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

What We Willingly Accept

California loses its finest citizens …acceptable losses America loses its drug riddled youth …acceptable losses Texas loses its southern border …acceptable losses Our manufacturing base auctioned away …acceptable losses Native Peoples crying o...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Trails End

Surrender a comfort, ambition rebuked Content in my history, old passions to suit New mountains stay virgin, those summits I’ve climbed All truth in reflection —whose peace I now find (The New Room: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

From The Rooftops

The more I figure something out, the less the words impact When trading dreams for cogent schemes, the verse comes weak and flat The more I chase the clouds away, the clearer are the doubts That misty haze around my gaze, whose whisper—now a s...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Beyond The Clouds

Risking it all in the earthbound sky Her summit was calling, the weather defies An avalanche beckoned, one Sherpa was lost A trek through the death zone, another one gone The temperature dropping, the oxygen sparse My crampons now heavy and f...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Unitatis

People tend to respect, respect, both given and received The dignity of every life, in one-on-one reprieves People tend to share the joy, while closeting the pain Humanity as best displayed —when we are all to gain (Austin Park: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Smallest Pond

Hey there, high school teacher, your talent to rebuff but when you try imagining your focus coarse and rough Your feelings mostly borrowed, your words ill-gotten gains your hours spent in false critique of someone else’s pain You’re outclassed h...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Equus Pallidus

The horse was pale, paler than the light off the mountain that reflected back in memories long abandoned Its mane was long, longer than the struggle to save what fortune had vehemently denied me twice The time was short, shorter than the flashe...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Saint Jude

The square root of an Epiphany —is hope (Villanova Sacristy: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Lost & Alone

A man without a shadow, has nothing left to lose Reflecting back, all memory gone —abandoned by his Muse (Dreamsleep: March, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

DEFCON 1

Weapons grade narcissism, nuclear results Fallout clear, scorching dear —free speech its main assault (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Memories Of Ouray

Nothing about life is impossible, viewed while looking up Nothing about death is reversible, viewed while looking down All in between is contestable, winds blow North and South Nothing promised, nothing cursed —the choice to laugh or frown (...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Toasting Erich Fromm

Positive freedom, nose in the wind Negative freedom, refusing within Shaking and straining, the spirits set free To pour or leave empty, at times disagree Positive, Negative, the labels of truth Distilled combination —like gin and vermouth (V...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Ah Liberty

If “Condemned To Be Free” as Sartre said, Then doom me forever —unchained and unled (Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

OORAH

The land of the free, the home of the brave Inclusive together —America saved (Valley Forge: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Accompli

The final poem that I write… a comment on itself (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Nom De Plume

It’s important what you get called has a name, one you can take to the ivory border It’s important what you’re called is remembered the same, today recollected tomorrow reordered A mark on the stone no longer unknown, your history and legacy re...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

No Escape

Alone with my thoughts —and the devil makes three (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

At First Sight

Wrapped in surprise —the greatest gift of all (Villanova Chapel: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Wandering

You can feel, but no longer find the love Surrounding, no longer inside the love Remembering, you cannot forget the love Lingering, you wander in search —of love (Danville Pennsylvania: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Memories Distill

The taste got sweeter as the bottle emptied Each sip more joyous —the label rare (St. David’s Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Frozen In Place

The coldest you will ever feel… a smile not returned (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Magistra Metus

Fear is a mistress with many suitors Hapless in spirit —beguiling profane (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Sarah Unleashed

A bevy of censures, to hit and strike back Each written reprisal to ward off attack A mother-son warning, once truant come true Her words now my weapons —to kill and renew (Beaupre: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

But A Promise

of a morning of a window singing freely /once heard of a longing of a distance in the memory /wayward of a darkness of a warning that prophetic /sojourned but a vow but a promise a betrothal /returned (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Lunar Savior

Out and back, its motion imprisons out and back, on an endless sea The ocean pulling both hard and wide the tides recalling —till setting you free (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Depreciating The Young

Grammar school speculators charlatan math trading the currency of borrowed youth optioning the investment in forsaken dreams hedging their futures with diminished returns margining interest —that will never compound (Radnor School Board: February...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Braveheart

The power in his words, the love in his eyes The truth in his heart —no time can disguise (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Adapertio

The cover pulled back, exposure full bore Protection gone —final judgment ensured (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Dan Fogelberg

Where do you go at the end of your dreams Where do you go when the daylight moves on Where do you go once your voice has run dry Where do you go —when tomorrow is gone (Pagosa Springs Colorado: July, 2019-Rewritten 2-23-2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Black Elk's Prayer

“Fire of my words… vanish like smoke into a raging sky Blanket forever the memory of my being” (Pine Ridge South Dakota: July, 2009)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Merlin

Freeing the myth, begotten to dream Ramparts to crumble —Sorcerer’s scheme (Rosemont Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

A Way Back

Buried reflection, pits of regret Reasons to wander, darkness forgets Images rising, blessed by the sun Timeless reversal —forgiveness begun (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Akicita

One may lose his honor —but it can never be taken from him (Pine Ridge South Dakota: July, 2009)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

A Prisoner Of Time

Drifting into the past, tomorrow slipped further away Drifting into the past, my writing had little to say Drifting into the past, the moments became moments no more Drifting into the past —being no longer certain or sure (Dreamsleep: February...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Stirring The Pot

Life abhors a vacuum, writing hates it too So many questions, so much space, meat to fill the stew Emptiness is calling, for words to write the wrongs Where idle minds take up the space —left vacant for too long (Austin Park: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To My Children

For now, I want to see your face, and gaze into your eyes To hear your voice within my ears —I’ll text you when I die (Rosemont Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The North Wind

Killer of dreams —the moment says goodbye (Pine Ridge South Dakota: July, 2009)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Garden Path

How do you balance the kind and the cruel The good and the bad of life’s golden rule As reason pulls tightly, treason pulls back Living in conflict, together intact Tragic, comedic, while often as both Angels and Demons commingle betrothed ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Rushing Toward Mediocrity

Let’s all just be average, no rich and no poor Excuses our quotient, single digits the score Masquerading as fairness, our heritage veiled In lock step we march, voices mute—nothing hailed (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Reflections Of Self

If a genius chooses not to embrace his gift, will he live to endure deeper pain If an artist doesn’t strive to create and unfold, will she die in a chasm of chains If a Prophet loses faith and abandons his path, will he wander a desert unknown ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Word Massacre

Ravagers of Poesy, spear points of denial Mongol hordes of fancied verse, spewing dense and vile Free words they herd together, to drive toward a cliff Trampled once they hit the ground —by verbal hippogriffs (Buffalo Jump-Sheridan Wyoming: J...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Dark Minds

Owning the consequence of all that you do Intentions when pure, dark minds misconstrue When twisted and spun, then torn into shreds The words once pristine —denounced when misread (Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

For Just Once

If your courage lasted for just an instant Overriding your fear, all excuses behind If one choice you made could then reimagine A world once illusioned —stepping out of your dreams (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Legacy's Birthright

“Only those things not made less by division —are to be inherited” (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Another

Leave me alone, I’m deaf to your pleading Leave me alone, I can’t feel what you feel Leave me alone, my time not for owning Leave me alone, our history repealed Leave me alone, the bridges are burning Leave me alone, the entrance has closed ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Final Equation

Humanity + Divinity = Eternity (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Waste & Folly

We are ill-served to give those who do nothing and know nothing —everything (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Lip Service

We speak of truth, our souls delight, but actions prove us wrong If words alone could make it so —each day would end in song (University Of Pennsylvania: May, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Hope In Chains

The tyranny of modernity —aspiration enslaved (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Lakota Wisdom

The wolf demands what the shepherd can’t protect A busy hand helps the angry heart forget (Pine Ridge South Dakota: July, 2019) ‘To Mari Sandoz’

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Yes & No

All discovery —but one grand paradox (University Of Pennsylvania: May, 2020)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Pit Vipers

Hiding in their basement caves, the ‘journalists’ deride The light of facts and truth cast dim, a downward fatal slide Where once out in the open, clear vision far and wide Credibility buries deep —their fear a den of lies (The New Room: Febru...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Taste Of Memory

The shape of my spirit, the weight of my soul To measure the longing of wishes unsold Tomorrow the color of yesterday’s stain The taste of each memory —this moment retains (University Of Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

A Deafening Pause

Silence… often the loudest voice of all (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Emperor's Tide

Mesmerized by his own success, swimming naked and alone in the dark Drowning in what he forever professed, he rose and fell with each critic’s remark Hypnotized while diving for fame, he sank while caught in the tide His pleadings washed up, d...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Recording Our Folly

What is the human perception of time If measurement stops and clocks will not chime Seconds to minutes, minutes to hours Pendulum still —Big Ben disempowered (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Time Frozen Deep

Buried in the leaves of a Fall gone by, memories wait for Spring Entombed in hope as Winter reclaims, till birds return to sing Cold and dark, the seeds of change, lay dormant ill disposed Snow is falling, the wind blows hard, escape routes al...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Goodbye Tomorrow

“Free speech for me, but not for thee” All bridges burned —an ashened dream (Dreamsleep: February, ‘Nat Hentoff’ 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Preaching To The Choir

News to confirm, and not to inform A slap on the back, new patrons reborn To pander or slander, a partisan line No minds to be changed —their chorus reminds (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Je Ne Je Ne Sais Quoi

Science is a tool to skew the world, in form its weakness shows To measure, rate, and catalog, what in essence stays unknown I’m not against its formulas, but the philosophy it breeds Its laws to serve and fertilize —a deeper planted seed (To...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Juxtaposition

Reasoned emotion, the right and the wrong Obverted direction, both weak and both strong Impassioned, enlightened, the mind and the soul The moment on fire —humanity whole (Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Now Crying Inward

Philosophy is not an act of discovery, but an act of creation the difference sublime Poetic verse is not conscripted but inspired, whose direction cries inward —its essence Divine (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Gale Force

A tempest swept in, transporting my thoughts The past to the future, and back to today Recapturing memories, beginning again Untimed reminiscence —the present relayed (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Evident Sui

Any proof for God is oxymoronic God needs no testament, only man Not to be indicted, not to be confirmed Beyond all dialectic —God is (Bethlehem Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Diamonds In The Rough

I write for the diamonds, all quartz to be damned The populace deafened, and jaded demand That anything selfish, their wills to be pawned My jewels though not many —sparkle beyond (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Desert Wind

Identity is derivative of distance endowed Space the Grand Sultan, its winds to uncloud (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Beyond The Rim

Is identity a reference to all that I’m not or something else again Is what I’m becoming and what I am in contrast clearly plain Or then is it more and crossing over to what I’ve not yet been The border amorphous where gravity pulls —to dance beyo...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Ugliest Stepsister

Truth minus freedom —equals Academia (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Excerpt

The wound bleeds free —that kills the angry heart (From My Novel: 'Jumping Into The Darkness'- February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Breaking Ground

Shovel ready verse, new soil to disturb Whose well to make deeper —its draft future heard (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Bigotry's Troth

Being, becoming, though different the same All motion reflexive, where time rules the game Being, becoming, whose vow is enforced When married to both —refusing divorce (Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Behind The Gate

Living a life of isolation… writing became my friend Celebrating the day’s events, fresh names inside my pen Though others think me lonely, the truth is far from that Comrades made with each new word, in fiction and in fact But only to a writer ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Touched By A Demon

Dancing with the devil. we waltzed across the floor Past the spot the band was playing, through the open door The darkness called to him by name, he answered with a smile And looked at me and said: “This way, damnations forked turnstile” With ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Until

Time is a drug, both good and bad Infecting and curing, the happy sad Time is a stipend, to cash at will Its fund ever spending —to last until (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Overdrive

Shifting into tomorrow, today passing through the exhaust The RPM’s marking time and space —direction all but lost (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Last Break

Surfing the crest of a midsummer night’s dream, the waves became my friend Rising and falling in sets of remembrance —last break to never end (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Subliminal Ink

I refuse to remember what I can never forget Words lost to my memory lined deep with regret The faster I write, the deeper I hide A reckoning hovers —forgiveness denied (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

New Light

The answer unquestioned… a circle begins The question unanswered, enlightenment wins The answer cries lonely, a tree with no bark The question roots deeper —new light from the dark (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Baring Its Teeth

Deception comes richly, new lies in its purse Old wolves on the mountaintop —Gideon’s curse (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Meta-Morph

You could, but you can’t You would, though you won’t You did, then you didn’t You were —and you weren’t (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

One Voice

A place though small enough to write, still big enough to dream My pen, a passport out of time, with phrases to redeem The North Wind calls, a purple sky, on wings my ear enchants And hears but one voice through the clouds —to make the letters ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

New Offspring

Does your writing dance above the words or somewhere down below Do voices borrowed and feelings loaned, occlude your diction’s flow Do phrases couple and stanzas mesh, in new harmonic forms Does music waltz proudly from page to page —to score n...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Dew On The Lilacs

Surrogate reality, divorced from what’s real The news on your cable, and movies conceal The brands that you purchase, the labels you wear Convince you of something, the ‘Emperor’ shares While consciously vacant, unconsciously lost The dew on ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Dignity's Wealth

An eighty-buck hairdo, an eighty-year face The two now in conflict, all balance erased With age as a symbol to search and destroy All vanity coddled, to plunder and toy Bejeweled and bedangled, she limps from the chair Her stylist left smirki...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Truth Inflected

The question you didn’t have to ask… the only answer you need (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Matthew 7.7

Truth is a question, all answers abstain Its dream open ended —wonderments gain (The Book Of Prayers: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Moving The Goalpost

To what extent is reality persuadable Are the fence posts in concrete, the commas unknown Are the laws of existence as such, redefinable The axioms fluid —truth more than is shown (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Unholy water

Has evolution gotten bigger than God With Darwin the prophet, a wink and a nod Has almighty reason rechristened itself To worship false dogma —in spite of what’s felt (The New Room: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Warming The Night

In the beginning there were cold rocks with painted animals that chose which way you’d run toward or away from tomorrow’s undoing in search of what the present can’t find looking into the future with blind refusal at the corner of time and space t...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

On Faith Alone

While hidden deep from nature’s wrath, waiting in disguise Below the ground a season born, its birthright undenied As winter trees now bare their souls, whose limbs reach out in pain Tomorrow the most promised wish —till spring comes back again...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Last Laugh

Told over and over, the lie became true As memory inverted, the falsehood imbued My cornerstone crumbling, sticks piled with straw A last self-deception —the fantasy law (Rosemont Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

By Default

If nothing can be done —do nothing (Dreamsleep: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Now Until Then

My Pen… an extension of my thoughts and my prayers, underlining my feelings for others to share The ink is my history its tracks to begin, a journey connecting what’s now —until then (Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

A Last Waltz

“I’ve come to the very end of myself,” the day cried out to the night “My expiration date lined in blood, tomorrow less than bright “My beginning and ending dancing a last waltz, destiny writing the score “My wick has burned down, the music has...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Angels In Transit

Death is a journey that’s taken alone Released from the tempus, our spirits to roam Death is a servant indentured to slave A Master beyond —new Angels at play (The Book Of Prayers: February, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Chasing Its Tail

Language has limits when backed to the wall Its truth self-defining by sages et al. Language deserts us as meaning retreats Its light self-diffusing —when destiny speaks (Villanova University: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Tigers Cage

Freedom comes packaged entrapped and confined How big is your cage, to roam and define Always constricted, with borders that move Its bars of detention —forever reproved (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Mesa Verde

No one’s ever gone until forgotten Their memory etched like words in stone —canyons to remind (Chama New Mexico: January, 2019)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

By Design

They separate us by gender, and segregate by race They separate us by intellect, and isolate by taste They separate us by fortune, and detach us by fame They separate us by family, nepotism to blame They keep us divided through life ever long ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

By Design

They separate us by gender, and segregate by race They separate us by intellect, and isolate by taste They separate us by fortune, and detach us by fame They separate us by family, nepotism to blame They keep us divided through life ever long ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Flumen Meum

My Pen My connection, My thoughts and My prayers My words My extension, My gift through My air My time My gestation, My daughters My sons My dreams My redemption, My river —that runs (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Flumen Meum

My Pen My connection, My thoughts and My prayers My words My extension, My gift through My air My time My gestation, My daughters My sons My dreams My redemption, My river —that runs (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Flumen Meum

My Pen My connection, My thoughts and My prayers My words My extension, My gift through My air My time My gestation, My daughters My sons My dreams My redemption, My river —that runs (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Complacentia

When you find yourself sheltered in your own little corner, it’s time to move on When you find yourself buying what your echoes are selling, it’s time to be gone When you find yourself spinning in a circle redundant, it’s time to step out When ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Dreamscape

The night brings solace, its darkness friend Forever now —forever then (The New Room: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Athletic Rape

What is a man, what is a woman… solved by the stroke of a pen The genders now mix, the game has been fixed —playing fields only pretend (The New Room: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Hitchcockian

I’m actually tired of being myself… can I be you for awhile I hide from the mirror and monogrammed lies, as I run from an image defiled I thought I was safe and had made my escape, when memory reminded again “You can run, you can hide, your ind...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Soldiering On...

The dead never get to say goodbye, as they charge across the line Finality left to those who live, still victimized by time The dead never get to say hello, a bust that’s now recast Their sacrifice a milepost —beyond the futurepast (Valley Forge...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Raison D' Etre

What purpose Poetry, if not to transcend The mundane, the broken, those roads with no end With every feeling new words are reborn To speak to Creation —and live readorned (The New Room: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Farewell To Arms

Where do you go when your war has been won The enemy vanquished, the legion’s undone What do you do when your purpose is gone The feelings still burning, the will to fight strong Where do you go, the last battle adjourned The fields lined in ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

"Condemned To Repeat...

The Pharisees vengeance, unleashing again To kill a ‘false’ prophet, their fear redescends The cross is made ready, like ages before The nails though still rusty, hammer deep and secure Their memories short sighted, rejecting the fact The la...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Wolf Comes Knocking

The pinnacle of abuse is preying on your own Jackal, politician, mercenary, or priest Their cloak of deception hiding unspoken lies Approaching your doorstep —in the guise of a friend (The New Room: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Perpetuo Adest

We serve the moment, bespeaks the Lord To live eternal —in time untoward (The Book Of Prayers: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

"In A Small Pond"

While safe in my corner, so sure of myself I criticized everything, what’s thought and what’s felt Secure in the fantasy, my back to the wall Returns to diminish —the big to the small (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

To Catherine Deneuve

I gave my heart to someone in the rain, the clouds exploding, witness to my vows The water carrying away each fervent wish —to stream in happy aqueducts of love (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Highland Meadows

Planted where I am, I watched you blossom in the field Time being what it is, I picked each moment that would yield Love that’s to be shared takes on new meaning as it sows Joy to spread and flower —beyond where limitation grows (The New Room:...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Final Lullaby

I didn’t go far, but I went far enough I could have reached deeper, though finding so much I could have seen more, but my vision remains I could have hoped longer, though wishes retain I could have stood taller, but my back is still straight I c...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Fait Accompli

Everyone hates me eventually, so why don’t you do it now Saving us time, uncoupling the rhyme —your anger my presence endows (Martin’s Dam: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Buck Fever

Lightly armed and uncommitted —the question always turns to why (Martha Brown’s Woods: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Foundry

What is… inherent, what’s not… implied Epiphanous moments —waiting inside (Bryn Mawr College: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

In A Golden Eye

Do you have to become what you observe to really understand To claim a new identity, your psyche contraband Must you pass straight through the mirror, reflections left behind To truly know what lies beyond —whose essence you must find (Bryn Ma...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

New Seeds

What you ask me to deny, I in many ways affirm The truth will not belie what your apprehension spurns Believing in myself and the voice that speaks within I cast new seeds into the air —and beckon the four winds (Haverford College: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Blood & Pain

I shun the words you long to hear, my heart and spirit cry The votive candle burning down, its flame a dimming lie My pen to struggle against your will, and scribe the message owned That blood has drafted and pain rewrites —not borrowed nor the...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Twin Fusion

With one pen in the inkwell, eternity got wet The words to dance and laugh and pray, phrasing’s still unmet With one pen in the inkwell, the future kissed the past The moments now, the moments then —Siamese at last (Haverford College: January,...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Flash Point

The immediacy of time, its reference untold The beginning repeating, not young—and not old (The New Room: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Time Deposits

Spending the future, saving the past Tomorrow debentured —moments that last (The New Room: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Trust Fund

The poorest among us only have money The richest endowed —with nothing but time (The New Room: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Gold Standard

In the currency of dreams —you can never make change (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Ever Changing

Music can only be heard one way, words have a different refrain Melody imprisoned by note and score, what’s written when read apt to change The ear a prisoner to the composer’s delight, to listen—a captive within But reading the lines that ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Only The Dead

The drums have restarted, the chanters proclaim The dancers with coup sticks in shadows remain The flames burn in tribute to death songs before Because only the dead —know the end of war (Radnor Pennsylvania: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

That Human About Us

The lack of humanity drives zero-sum Away from each other a darkening sun What science explains its methods conceal Frustration attacks lost cogs on the wheel Desperation in charge its point ever sharp To pierce into nothing but leaving its mark...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Rebirth & Reclamation

You don’t have to abandon previous beliefs to embrace what presents to you now As windows long open whose portals of light wrap around each new vision—enshroud Those messages ancient and all messages new interlock like the fingers of God ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Broken Mirrors

It’s easy to criticize… harder to know The poison unleashing, reflections aglow Assumption to breed where temerity hides The lie in sheep’s clothing —truth buried inside (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Ode To Keats

Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, let me count the ways Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, so near, so far away Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, one chance to cross the line Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, love is so defined Beauty is truth,...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Unanswered Cries

Do you need to be born in Africa or Haiti to be saved What about the single mother in the ghettos of Detroit Will an actor or politician or philanthropist deem you worthy Of a rescue from a situation that as assuredly kills Cable TV asks for your ...

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Tres Dimensiva Tempus

Time passes through my watch, as function follows form Most sacred of mysteries —the final sojourn (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Back Side

For fifty years I laid out the traps that I find myself in —as old age attacks (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Dolorem

Sorrow… penultimate killer —handmaiden of death (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Final Crusade

Destiny knighted —vanity scorned (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

Wellspring

Not distracted by fame or success, the floodgates sprung open —truth running clear (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

The Ends Of Infinity

Beyond permission and the endowment tree The wind blows constant, it calls to me Freedom is born past entitlements whim The ends of infinity —knotting within (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm

From Grandfather

Waiting for yesterday, I was delivered the voice Whose tongue universal, beyond reason and choice Waiting for yesterday, my time had arrived Death hunting itself —my spirit alive (Dreamsleep: January, 2021)

– by Kurt Philip Behm