Toni Atchison
Toni Atchison Poems
Oh, what far-westering moon
into the early morning winter sky
does crowd that sapphire plane
in abundant silver light?
...
I wish you hadn't grown up just yet.
Things were so much easier
when I could fight your dragons for you,
and you thought I was the smartest mom
...
the quality of light seems
to be of great interest to me.
Within it I see change
of weather and season.
...
Somewhere in the realm of candle,
the light strikes a beam from your eyes.
A lover's voice calls a name so soft,
hands touch warm cheeks and thighs.
...
I don't love January rain-
at least, not like I used to.
Maybe it's being in a different house
...
I lay in the dark and listen
to the sound of rain on the glass.
Comforted by the gentle pattern,
swaddled in my blanket.
...
(for April)
this was a joking comment on writing poetry when short on sleep (I suffer from insomnia) . I wrote it for my daughter, who dared me to put this on here. Forgive me......
...
In this new house in the spring,
I must learn the light anew.
Fresh lessons of dappled bright and shadow,
a quiet street,
...
Round and round and around they go,
fourty-three men in a long double row.
They teach us of passion, of teamwork and hate,
and so every weekend I make a date,
...
Tell me tales
of women and wizards,
of heroes and weavers.
Take me to that place
...
My dear friend,
how long has it been
that I have put pen to paper
and transcribed my soul to you?
...
Summer-
and the beloved unwelcome damp heat
that lets me watch in awe
giants in studies of gray,
...
Driving into a winter's night
I watch as billions of snowflakes
dance in the yellow streetlight,
keeping time with U2
...
Can I be beautiful in your eyes, love?
Could I hold you close,
no matter where you are?
I'm trying to remember me before you.
...
We rode the silver highway,
Mike and me,
chasing after midnight and the moon,
singing along with Jerry and the boys.
...
In those days we could dance.
For our hearts and bodies were not so old
that they could forget what a joy there was
in that freedom of movement.
...
tonight it feels
it smells
it looks like rain,
and it seems to me I wear it
...
darkly, darkly
I wander the night,
without friend or care.
No hand to hold,
...
Toni Atchison Biography
I was born in Lincoln, IL. in 1961. My parents divorced when I was quite young, and my mother remarried, to a man she'd been crazy about for years. My step-dad has been my dad since I was 3. My extensive family is still around this area. When I was about 7, we moved to Taylorville, and I spent most of my youth and young adult life around that area, until around 1991, when I moved to Bloomington. There, I lived and worked until I met my husband, Dennis. We lived in Atlanta until we seperated and eventually divorced in 1998. In '98, my daughter, April, and I moved to Indiana, where we worked in a factory. I met the woman who inspired the poem 'Apologies to Nosa' at that factory. When the plant shut down, we remained friends, and to this day continue to write, email and text back and forth. My daughter and I moved back here, to be near family, mostly because my dad's health isn't the best anymore. She just bought her very first house, at the age of 28, and this is where we live now.)
The Best Poem Of Toni Atchison
Winter Moon
Oh, what far-westering moon
into the early morning winter sky
does crowd that sapphire plane
in abundant silver light?
What dreams of fragrant flowers
or wishes of love, are cast upon
sleepers bathed in beams of magic light?
What memories of a primitive place,
or tall-masted ships, come a-trickle down
like precious jewels on the slumberer?
And have I never danced in the arms of a lover,
that the full-lipped moon should touch me so?
Or is there enough primitive beast inside me,
brought to life by the eternal silvery glow?
I long for the arrival of the near-distant spring,
when this same full moon calls me to fly,
or to run through the forest with the pack,
or to lie simply in the dew-jeweled grass and remember
the far-westering moon, awash in a winter sky,
accompanying me of a sleepless night.
2006
Toni Atchison Comments
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
1/16/2026 1:21:43 PM # 1.0.0
