Teak, The Poet Tree

  GRIEF’S GIFT By Teak Kilmer   A steel tray of magnetized words was passed to each of us at our Cursive Writers Group.   I chose to write a poem using only the words that were on the tray;   Therefore, please read the following notes explaining italicized words previous to reading the poem … “She” is Spirit and my wife Jo Anne. “Language” here refers to thoughts, the busy mind. “… the end” refers to a belief in an end: death. “… little eye” refers to the third eye.   She says: “Find me a dark tear In there’s the pink caress of Heaven Release your grief, Sweet Sugar Moon Laugh tiny, soft and happy rhapsodies   Delicious rivers ever innocent as merry mornings…search… wishing to be you   Touch the peace, the sleep, the dance Touch the singing sea Look home; listen to your work   Find the hero universe; it is at once your ward and will and wild   Be forever in between Language and the end   And so your little eye in choice with me – forever still        

Cruise Diary    By Teak Kilmer   This is the first poem I ever wrote (Nov. 1996) - beyond greeting cards.  A friend had given me “Writing Down the Bones” years earlier. On this Royal Caribbean cruise, I started reading it; began a poetic diary; read this part of same at the amateur competition; was stunned at the degree of positive audience response and sold fourteen copies @ $15.  The first person offered me $100 for a copy: I told him that was too much as I would offer it for less to others.  He stuffed $50 into my shirt pocket and said that he would not pay me any less.  He then offered to support my wife and me on his dude ranch, so that I could focus just on poetry writing.  My wife didn’t want to leave Minnesota because her family is here which I supported, but I sure missed a chance.     Of snorkeling I’ll begin this cruising journalese with fish in coats of many colors and personalities floating in the water to the rhythm of the earth as my soul is gently nurtured into moments

  What a Poem Is By Teak Kilmer   My Mind is a poem My Heart is a poem My Soul is a poem My body is hungry … I sell cars  

  To Jo Anne on July 22, 2009 Our 20 th Anniversary By Teak Kilmer When I am with you, I am When I am not with you I think of you and I am I see you in the garden my heart lifts. I am happy for you you tend and weed me too   I rub you when you hurt make dinners; remove the trash even when I am scarcely present because these and more are due you no matter the wage A thought of you propels me   I am with you and I am    

  I WILL MISS YOU By Teak Kilmer   I will miss you.   Did I kiss you?   Did I hug you long enough to last through parades of moments distancing this adieu ever farther into the past? Did we share sentiments that matter – thoughts that so often whisper from heart and soul?   Did we let them touch our lips and fall as rain       thus bridging yearning hearts again?    

  A WALK IN THE WOODS By Teak Kilmer   Flowers with bright faces smiling in full circles whites and yellows, red-oranges and purples marching in procession, saluting, often waving We can tell they’re glad to see us   Ask if we’ll be staying        Trees—in grand abundance reaching out to say “You’re welcome!”… like Great Uncles, tall and weathered   streams and lakes that offer solace lily ponds, marsh and comfort songs of loon, grinning red fox vulture’s flight that puts a startle vales and views of panorama hum of tires at the pavement   and fishing line bent by lake lone angler there for Spirit’s sake    

  Teak, The Poet Tree My name is Teak Kilmer, well really, it's Thalas Garadus Groospeck Macelious Quackenbush Michael Meiers Kilmer Jr. (and that's the reason I’m an alcoholic). Truth be told, these are more names than are on my birth certificate, but I grew up believing these were all my names (a joke my family played on me). I really am an addict and have emotion sickness from trauma and genetics. My life has been a wild but challenging ride. I have accomplished much, met nearly 50 famous people, and have a plethora of amazing stories. I'm also an observer of life, a poet, writer, copy editor, amateur 'spiritual' etymologist, fine furniture artist, former and co-founder of the Minnesota Woodworkers' Guild (now second largest in the nation), reformer of the American massage equipment industry from basically nearly junk quality to having maybe the best equipment anywhere.    At age 15, in 1956, I successfully began a civil rights movement in my high schoo