a dance

i'm dancing loudly
on a rooftop readying
for the right rhythm
to travel across the rift
to where your feet melt with mine

damage

stare in the sunset
do not let dread and damage
color your future

stop the dinge, the dread
from coloring your future
stare in the sunset

the wandering fairy

sprinkling pixie
dust in love with wanderlust
wonder where to go?

in half

in a world of bliss
i tempt your kiss
your heart
of desire
i feel your fire

i run from you
like an ant from
a shoe

i run, i run
to the road's end
the time it takes
can not mend

my bisected heart
once as complete
as a puzzle framed

now shattered
in scraps 
it never mattered

the tattered heart
so easily frayed
the shredded mind
quickly dismayed

it wasn't always

this way

warm

sunshine settles on
my skin like pajamas fresh
out of the dryer

a summer day

in my green socks i
skip across a grassy knoll
drenched in dew and lust

my favorite crayon

i'll color today
a periwinkle rainbow
without any rain

"invisible"

lost among the dazed
and ordinary people
chasing happiness

Old Man walking

Old man walking
Strong but tired
Old man walking
Still inspired
Eyes burning
From the light
Off a spire
 

Old man walking
Decrepit, dying

Walking on
To the rhythm
Of the white noise
Of the city street

Ambling slowly
To this beat

Old man walking
Despite his looks
He is a character
Belonging to books

Old man walking

Because he can
Because he lives
Another day

Old man walking
I say hello
Looks my way
 

With solemn eyes
That have
a lot to say

Same old
Man, now
Riding a bike
Love oh love
This glorious life!

changing the world

i want to
write the words
that are spoken
by the person in charge

the words to change the world
from definite devastation
to likely preservation

possible salvation
for the hungry, homeless,
loveless and lost

for all the people
who know the cost
of society's greed,
that devil's seed

the aftermath
of the corporation
personhood
aside the grave
of Robin Hood

the lonely artists
the misunderstood

i want to write the words
that are spoken by
the person in charge
who is still at large

and when he speaks
and the story gets out
all will know
what it's all about

my words will
spill
covering all
with peace
with joy

wrecking the wrath
ravaging greed
dispersing the goods
that we all need

time for a change
overdue
indeed!

trying to speak

faraway eyes drift
shift, traverse across the room
wanting for the words

Dance

Green hula hoop swirls
pinwheels among Popsicle
sticks against the wall

4 years old

Sand castles and sock puppets
Stuffed animals implore
Please education leaders
Stop asking for more
It is playtime we want
And free time we need
To breathe and grow
Learn and know
How to be tall and
Not be afraid of
Being small
 

I'm not sure
What to say
Anymore
It's too much

Creativity grows
In minds that can see
Past the pencil
And lines
And fill in the blanks

Learning can be fun
No need to sweat
Pre-schoolers need not
Do algebra yet

In response to "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

her love real but tired
a heart, expired

and once he was gone
out came her song
of sadness and sorrow
and joy and tomorrow

and then when he spoke
as if a joke
she fainted and dwindled
and could not be rekindled

death by surprise
and self-told lies
death by love
and its demise

learning

a teacher's touch
could be enough
to change the day
to save the world

teachers are ...

keepers of secrets
builders of minds
creators of possibilities
new and plenty

finders of genius
of all kinds

some students
are great
at arithmetic
others at art

some are funny
and have a good heart

some can't
tell
their toe
from their shoe

but they'd give anything
to be noticed by you

so teachers look close
to the kids at your door
on your weariest day,
keep giving more

the tides are turning
and the children learning
from what they see
in you
and me

lonely rainbow

the restless rainbow
reaches up towards the sunset
for some company

find me here

in a toga
on the street
dancing, twirling
upon my feet

find me living
softly set
upon a swing
the wind in charge
of what to bring

breezily idling
through the day

dreaming where
the bluebirds sing
in the middle
of everything

find me inside
a small seedling
i'm a wildling
fresh, feisty
fearless, new

find me here
in love with you

blank/blink

vacant stare disects
the moments trapped in my eyes
afraid of being seen

brand new haiku

freshly painted walls
cloudy, coriander gray
grim and beautiful

bewitched

a beguiling smile
luscious lips painted by gloss
remarkably smooth

poem for periwinkle

my favorite of
my coloring container
a purplish friend

Nerves

feverishly still
the sweat of my palms dripping
afraid to touch ground

"inside my drawer or yesterday's word of the day - bricolage"

A bricolage of memories
Fills my crowded drawers
With years of delight
And disappointment
Dreams delivered
And dismissed

Spilling over
With the antics
Of a life
Mischievous
And great
Building up to

A wondrous fate

In the still
Of the quiet
I clean
Out this drawer
I read I seek
I feel in awe

Of a world
Full of wonder
All in my drawer

Reminiscence

the river runs through my feet
passes through sand, pebbles

it's neat

the gentle flow
around my toe
slows me down

I go slow

i read the sky
for shapes anew
name all the shades
I see of blue

i think of you

leaning up against
a car, looking up
amongst the stars

all day, all night
it once was bright

now it's many
shades of blue

I think of you

I go slow

I recall all the
things I know

I go slow
and think of you
as the sand
slips through
my pebbled soles
adrift in a stream
I reflect beside
a sunbeam
lighting
up my shin

i think of you
i breathe in
where did we go?

I go slow

word of the day - stonewall - a small haiku

the toddler stonewall
tougher than titanium
softened by a smile

better days

better days
with lemonade stands
and plans that are grand
popsicle sticks
a building of bricks

a giant mud pie
against your thigh

better days
not far away

with sun and shine
mistletoe and wine

words of plenty
wishes well

time's up
hear the bell
run out the door
into the wind

better days
blow against
 your skin
the day you
finally
get the win

the day
you send
tomorrow's
visions
away

you'll draw
today
a better
day

no promises
no plans
to stand
in your way

arriving alive
a spirit strong
living life as
a beautiful song

call my name

you're calling my name 

from far away

i'm listening close

i'm listening hard

i'm willing your words

to arrive

whisper softly

the wind will whisk

your words 

into my mind

your thoughts

i deeply feel

your feelings

i know are real

your words

all true

there's nothing left

to do

there's nothing left

for me 

to say

it's only your words

that give me solace

the unspoken soft

and pleading voice

hidden, tucked away

a victim of

my own design

paying the price

of a runaway heart

lost and apart

from the soul

that screams out

my name

across the sky

and waits

to be heard

i'm listening

hard

dance with me

if we dance
you'll find my feet
upon your toes

you'll feel my chest
against your clothes
eskimo kisses
upon your nose

we'll find
ourselves
a great
romance

if we dance

let's dance today
let's not wait
reign in fate
by the soles
of our shining shoes

if we dance
there's nothing to lose
sway away
those stubborn blues

dance with me
be my muse
things are best
paired in twos

word of the day - spume - or haiku to save a lost fisherman

lucent eyes exhale
sparkling sunny spume saving
a dark, distressed sea

wishes and porches

i used to think we'd be
together drinking coffee
on the porch
arguing about stories
neither of us right remember

talking outside
through late September

but that wasn't your plan
and it wasn't mine
when push comes
to shove
it wasn't the time
the heavens above
brought us
love
a temporary plight
through a dismal night

what i thought
our fate
was naught
and now it's
too late

our love is a memory
on a distant beach
where friends
talk for hours
and dream
of futures with fences
and hills for snow sleds

i am not you
for that i am glad
i wish you the best
i wish you find
what i have

a woman to save
you from the cold
and the dark

i hope she
makes it all
allright
and you're not
alone
for another
night

alone in love

the loneliness of freedom

is a shark that bites the 

surfer catching a wave,

free for the first time

and standing up on his own

a bitter pain swallows him whole

what's left of his fun

washes away with the 

last of the sand

as he showers

and rests alone

the loneliness of love

is a worn and irregular shirt

that once fit perfectly -

at a time not clearly

remembered, it

looked amazing

protecting your

fragile skin

the sudden realization

that you don't want to 

be the surfer

or the girl in the

forgotten shirt

a dilemma designed

to tear you in shreds

like the shark's sharp

teeth through the thin

remains of what is left

of the once perfect

sweater that you 

know is wrong but

still persists in

your paradoxical closet

of things you know

you should give away

but are worried that you

might need someday

a soft touch

today love blossomed
as soft rose petals floated
above silken skin

word of the day wildling or Elizabeth when Mr. Collins tries to propose

she is a wildling
emerging
precious,
feathery
telling time
by her
tail's
shadow

stepping backwards
blending into the wall
dressed in the newest
shade of green
for tonight's ball

her miffed mask
reveals it all
he's not bothered
it's just a fuss

the ways the women
think they must
"oh no" she pleas
your finest praise
would be to
believe me

he's nettled
her feathers,
full of fight
she's determined
to avoid
his odious sight

nothing about
this could ever
be right
for a wildling,
precious, fresh
and new

for wildling like
precious you

Guy on a first date - or word of the day poem - leviathan

a marathon
drive-thru
fountain
root beer float
sharing a straw, a
spoon
popcorn
hiding under
the sheets

a roaring
leviathan leaps across
rough waters, just about
into my seat
popcorn, soda
ice-cream, vanilla
land in my lap
and then
there is you
arm in mine
covered in goo

and there is me
sticky, awkward
not saying a word

my thoughts are a
mind leviathan
and i don't kiss
you because
my brain is too full

silence distracts us
from the leviathan
we are more scared
of ourselves
than any
screen monster

i drop you off
and as you lean
close
i worry about my
hair and breath
and so I
pat your shoulder
and say
"Later."

Runaway attempt 1

crackers, juice, cooler
overfill his small hands, "Mom-
my I love you, bye."

word of the day - nettle

screeching
and scratching,
crunching poking
purposeful picking
and pestering

specifically the original
tormenting bug
teeming with bother
pleased with his gall
the smirk on his face

says it all

he lurks unnoticed
in the corner
near a wall

muttering words
while puttering 'round

others shrink away
from the sound
souls disappearing
and fearing
his nearing

a nar nettle
he is
and one day
he'll be
plagued
by the space
swelling to
a sizable, empty
periphery
with no one
left to irk
spinning in circles
becoming berserk

the fate of a jerk

word of the day - melange

a grand gathering
together at the
rainbow's end
sharing gold
with a leprechaun

rare archaeological finds
a vhs player that still rewinds
archaic rabbit ears
technology fears

a melange of the
melodramatic stars,
stellar as they shine
stellar as they
glow together
in the sky

without a notion
or commotion
not a thought
to the place
or the color
of a face
the length
of the hair
or type
of clothes
they wear

a merry melange,
a medley of
magnanimous
minds
running out
of time

reproving
fear of the
unknown

enduring
to save
the world

word of the day - adret

at the adret

upon a blanket
fair-skinned and I
settle and sink,
dream and think

the day away

lost in my daydream

I

awaken on
a scabrous mass

startled I
deliberate my predicament

how will I
evade this lurid space

suddenly
sun stings my face

awake and I
love this place
i'm filled
with a sudden

grace

a bunny's design
to inhabit
this fertile ground

softly stomping,
hopping around

enthralled

and I
live the dream
on this lavish land

raised anew
by a sunbeam

word of the day - soothsay

the crystal ball
within forebode
the light, the storm,
the fire, the end

the beginning, the new
the world on the mend

what say you
my fantastic friend?

Our forebears warned
of such destruction
but we went on
with our construction

buildings tall
and taller yet
smoke so grey
so thick, so wet

the price we pay
for the easy way
higher than
our steepest tower

Earth's vengeance
a tenacious power

she and her
tall grass, voluminous
flowers
she will destroy us
and our
terrible towers

it's getting closer
we count the hours

many soothsay
they'll find a way
technology will
save the day

but i say she
is done with us
unless we lose
our power,
our lust,
our desire
to always
make such a fuss

back to earth
we must pray
look to her
for a better way

her sacred solace
she may bestow
for only
if
we truly know
our trash, abuse
world
destruction
ugly smoke
lack of hope

it must go

illicit use
of our
mother earth
will cause us
to live in dearth
and then
death

open your door
draw in  a breath
absorb the sun
revel in this
resplendent life
respect her
our mother Earth
feel her love
honor her worth

word of the day - tarantism

the light shines
through the dark
foreboding cloud

the lightning strikes
the rhythm of the rock
rolls over the rowdy
street kids

in the summer
the sky opens up,
spilling out singing stars

everywhere
draping the people
saturating
sound
transporting
tarantism into

the shaking, swaying
dancers in the dark

word of the day - vane

swirling around
swish, whoosh, whirrrr

ready to run,
ravage the path
fast
no direction
connection
affection

lost as a vane whipping
wildly in a sandstorm
stuck and trapped
with no way home

nowhere left
to roam

no place to call

home

word of the day - grabble

grabbling for some grub
some bubbles in the air
grabbling for greatness
a giant animal at the fair

with a grimace
i grabble and struggle
so far out of reach

stop
at the nearest beach

grabble with my toes
for a shiny shell

dabble and dip
in the water, a flip
in the water, I slip

i grapple to get up
i grabble for air

gasping

i'm alive
i am great
with grit
because I grabble
and grapple
until i
arrive

word of the day - ad hominem

overtaken with emotion
drowning in devotion
to the big giant man
with an apple in his palm
and a mouse in hand

without you
i must die
for i will not
know
the reason why

i will not have
the money

i will not walk
the path
accelerating
to the tallest tower
where would i be
without my power?

we were all chosen
ad hominem
by the board
that wears their status
like a bold
billboard
bigger than
the highway's height
an atrocious
and monstrous sight

none of this right
no way out
head for the hills
refuse their pills

refuse the
path of
the unreasonable
man

do your best
do what you do best
love what you do

do your best

word of the day - frippery

i knew your soul
when I saw your light

beautiful, brilliant,
billowy, bright

a luscious sight

precious bride

you cannot hide

please, please
stay by my side

need you not
your frippery frock

your hands not
need
darn a sock

away with your
worries
wants
wishes

throw out
the dishes

it's all here
for you
i'll keep
you from blue

i built you a home
with a garden
gnome

a place for us
all frippery aside
a place for us
groom and bride

my mom

definitely the best

when the sky slams shut
she opens doors

she's raising the bar
and ascending the floors

she's reached the tip
of the bluest sky
she knows the answer
to the question why

if I am lost
she brings me back

if my stuff is lost
she's got that too

definitely the best
fierce and fair
fights like lightning
will always dare

to stand up for
her son
her daughter
to uphold
what's right
in the most
contentious
of waters

where the world
sees war
she sees peace

when the day
is sold
to the highest
bidder
she's trading
her goods
to show the world
there's a better way

definitely the best

word of the day - matrifocal

the most
matrifocal
of all

today

as we shower
down flowers
and wine
adulation
and time

a unified world
in awe
of the beauty -
the grace
the soft touches
kind hearts

the kisses
that make
it
"all better"

the essence
of a mom

the voice
that resides
in our minds
forever reminding us
treat others right
treat ourselves right
forge ahead

in tumultuous waters
she finds the lost raft

in a clouded night sky,
she is the star

scattered in a dry field
she's the flower
that survives
the harsh weather
neglect
self-sacrifice

blossoms
and lives on
to raise another
child
to love
to be his best
to rise above
the dreary
and bask in
the sun

word of the day - zephyr

flat

gazing up

a branch bowing,
extending its arms
to the edge of my heart

blessed by Zephyrus
and the love of the small
boy
resting beside me

upon our berth
of grass

word of the day - diction

like a work of fiction
he goes on and on

the words
that are heard -

known by all
to be
absurd

except one girl,
fancy and fair

she stares at him

she spins
her chair
and twirls
her hair

her eye
lashes
lively

as she hears
his tall tale

she cannot tell
fact from
fiction
amidst his deep
water eyes
and beguiling
diction

Word of the day - caprine

in caprine fashion
he gobbled the paper,
the towel, the lotion

caused a commotion

moved on to ramming
his ears through a door

quite caprine
that little bean

and oh i say
oh please do not
a goat, that is
something
you're not!

and then the giggles
reveal the path
of the tiny
paper villain

with laughing eyes
that smile at me
with spirited
surprise

word of the day 2 - wanderlust

i'm off to a place
called wanderlust
i'll get there or bust

it's not too far
if i take my car

not sure which way
it's everywhere

if I'll reach it
i don't know
i'll stop a moment
and then go

there is no
end
to the wandering
soul

no place
in mind
to return

the mind's eye
weary of
wanting more

the heart taxed
with misguided
affections

the vagabond
goes on
with no direction,
a pinwheel in the wind

Word of the day - Flit

into the spring sky
i flit by
fluttering free
fancy me

polished nails
chasing puppy
dog tails

i say good-bye
to winter  woes
forgive, forget
my old foes

worry not
about my follies
as I ride
city trollies

central park
the evening dark
warm and light
buildings bright

the air filled
with flippant glee
out for lunch
you and me

hitch the ferry
bask and bathe
in spring's
lovely
love parade

you and me
we'll take this thing
that we call spring

we'll laugh
we'll sing

we'll do everything

wear out Spring
and then let her be
to rest her mind

meet you next year
at the same time

Lost

swigging down

eerie memories

of a broken past

stumbling, weak

can't find

the remnants 

of a

poisoned mind

the liquid leaks

he gets closer

to the answer

he seeks

and farther away

until he

reaches the end

lost forever

in time elapsed

consigned

to oblivion

Thank you class

Wondrous words stated
On stars in a paper sky
Capturing moments

a dream

Let peace rest over
my mortal soul tonight as
I slip into sleep

Dialogue of a blustery day

a single winter’s

word faded into cold mist

frozen forever

Yellow

My skin is scented
fruit loops swimming playfully
Skipping through the day

What I am

I am a girl
who wanders
libraries
searching for meaning

who wonders
about existence

who winces
at pain
both mine
and yours

who worries
who wants
who will do
what's right
even when it's not fun

who wills things
to actualize
not by wishing
but by work

who wishes
we'd all
wonder
and wander
just a little more

who wishes others
well
and lets wind
pass through
her hair

who wants to be
noticed

I am a girl