Phibby Venable : Writing

Sea Swans

Sea Swans

A Poem by Phibby Venable


Some place, perhaps nearby,the waves high five the beach,a thunderous, joyful rush,as the sea swiftly withdraws in a cleansing of cool triumphI wonder..
Storms That Flash Through

Storms That Flash Through

A Poem by Phibby Venable


This morning is a thunderstormof lightning in high jumpsflashing across the silent peaksof mountains that hold their ownThe air is alive in a respirat..
Losing Things

Losing Things

A Poem by Phibby Venable


i am always losing things the small town i grew up in shrank beyond hand's reach my first kaleidoscope left with a daisy chain in the grass i lost my..
Mother, It Is Spring

Mother, It Is Spring

A Poem by Phibby Venable


Rain is still falling and we are cellmates abandoned in this false landscape of the dead now more alive than the living Lily, Stella, Paggie, chatte..
Brass Key

Brass Key

A Poem by Phibby Venable


This door was never hung properly to begin with, so my bedroom opens to a back stab of wounds I wade again & again & call it love - though l..
Dancing Prayer

Dancing Prayer

A Poem by Phibby Venable


I place you in a firmamentand you fall outa cornucopia of good intentionsthat stray sideways and spillinto this rural settingTogether we meanderinto t..
Wild Fern

Wild Fern

A Poem by Phibby Venable


Wild fern, unflowerable, rugged with rootsIn my country you ride a hard windin a fragile darkness of greenerylooking small before the sunYou seem so l..
 I Was Better At Loving Horses

I Was Better At Loving Horses

A Poem by Phibby Venable


I was better at loving horses A pension's worth of gentleness graced their large eyes and they were curious at conversation so I spoke q..
Inventing Small Places

Inventing Small Places

A Poem by Phibby Venable


In this poem, a bird rides the back of a plane, exerts little effort, stares into the sky, naming the famous faces he finds in cloud formationsDown be..
It Is Too Dark

It Is Too Dark

A Poem by Phibby Venable


It is too dark to see the nightShadows sharpen and expand,a cover up against the moonIt is too dark to see myselfmy eyes pretend to welcome blackMy th..