After 60 years of penning verse with no end in sight John Thomas Dodds, a Can/Am expat retired in Mexico, continues to write poetry exploring relationship, spirituality, creativity, and his romance with life. Since moving to Ajijic John has, under the pen name J.T. Dodds, published several fiction and non-fiction books.
He is presently working on his 18th poetry collection focusing on “The Art of Being Human”
BECAUSE OF YOU
It was the last sigh of a century, a gold nugget, ankle deep,
in a cold mountain stream, that captured the eye of a dreamer.
Forevermore: a bougainvillea the color of her lips, her smile,
a pale red blush of sunlight breaking through the cloud train.
The winner in a game of chance. A reality check, not unwelcomed
having weathered unquenchable thirst, tempered in stillness.
This tangled vine, called love, freehearted, yet constrained for
want to know no other than her. The impossible, improbable you.
Love, lust, faith and dreams; the taste of honey. Divine digestive.
In the afterglow, slow moving in a headwind. All because of you.
With Pelican courage authentically dancing in a turquoise sky.
Clarions ringing the bells in wonder; silence of favor and content.
This solitary lover. hands made to grasp the wind. No longer trailing
in shattered crystal. Searching empty pockets for memories. Now.
Finding myself in you. This millennia, a soft ending to call home.
Welcoming a journey’s end. A gold nugget of love in my pocket
ESTO LO SE
This you know
is where the water springs forth
where we bathe
in the luxury of life
and slip beneath the surface
barely a ripple
for having been here
some of us hang in here
like energizer bunnies
daring the universe to let go
some miss the morning
wake up call
and leave a hole
in the evening sky
where once a star shone brightly
others just tired of it all
we send on ceramic vessels
to where good memories
come to rest
in the underwater shrines
of Lake Chapala
This you know is where
we all come to say goodbye
GONE DANCING
at first we danced the mazurka.
we were younger then
our steps in tune to the beat
of our hearts, waltzing
in and out of each year
always chasing rainbows
in a whimsy fantaisie.
now that life is a polonaise,
a slow dance on the ivories,
we can look forward
to an evening nocturne
and on this special day
a romantic ballade
to dance
to the music of you
POET
I adore you Pablo,
poet of the seashells
crawling from the sea.
poet of the bleak landscape,
jeweled realm of Beetlebacks,
and small touchable everyday us.
poet of the foam of sea
chaffing on a stark shore,
the grain of us, the red & blue of us.
I eat your words and they consume me.
after your death.
after your broken sea polished glass
was swept into the dustbin of memory
myth, story, poem,
wearing mourning black
children of words
waiting for the sky to unfold
waiting for the precious stones
buried in your forever mind
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After he retired and moved to Sedona, Arizona, he taught literature at Yavapai College in Clarkdale, Arizona.
He and professional artist Bev Kephart bought a small motor home in 2003, sold most of their possessions, and traveled the U. S. for seven years. After visiting Mexico several times, they settled in the village of Ajijic, joining the ex-pat artist and writing communities.
Mel’s writing has been published online and in print in The United Kingdom, The United States, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia. He is the author of three novels, a book of short stories, and several books of poetry. He and his wife now make their home in the village of San Nicholas de Ibarra.
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