change

the lead window
that falls
poisons the light
behind it

shatters long-held
expectations
of a future filled
with days
that swing back and forth
lightly with the wind
and easy conversations
about the day
the weather
the couple next door
that gives us the creeps

the new face of life
swallows its person
a captive of circumstance

once completely devoured
an awakening rivets
the crumbled remains
of what was
and becomes
what now is

the solemn ride

Your words stain my ears
with regret
of days and memories
that have drifted away
like sailors lost at sea

and I, alone on my canoe
steadily unbalanced
keep moving forward
with one oar

I hope it won't break
as I listen again

"A New Day" - word of the day - operose

this operose day

cheerfully fades fast away
brightening the next
sunrise that blocks the power
of yesterday's gray

For my mom

I am my mother,

my grandmother.

I am growing a soul

She is me,

she is my mother.

She directs me

to today’s light -

to build her a world

full of peace.

She is me,

and I am her -

She is my mother

my grandmother,

she grows and grows.

hitchhiking in the stream

raft on the stream thrives
on a  tumultuous trip
steered by a drunk man
in pink sunglasses picking
up swimmers with thumbs held up

Pumpkin Patch

I breathe in cool air
my mouth is alive  -
my uncomplicated chest
wraps my heart
with fall wind.

My legs skip,
voluntarily
I jump into
autumn's  surrender -
a cushion that dresses my lawn
red, orange, yellow -
I remember kindergarten
the little boy that chased me,

He lives somewhere now
with a wife and a child
who, like me
loves to skip and jump .

Inspired by "A Thousand Kisses Deep," song by Leonard Cohen

a thousand kisses
dead sexy
i'll bathe in his
deep raspy words
succumb to the fire
in his lips

one kiss
face to face
hand pressed
gently upon his chin
eyes question
will it happen -
all at once
two pairs of
tingling lips,
nervous - unite
are independent
from their keepers

a thousand kisses
sizzle, burn
rage through
the night

one kiss
kindling for the fire
a thousand kisses
irrecoverable from
the blazing mire

living the dream

you are your dream -

the vision you hold on to
rules each moment you live

you speak, warm your toast,
cover it with butter and jam
and revel in its simple satisfaction,
settle further into a complacent life

it haunts the back of your mind
a loud, giant monster that
refuses to be killed

let the dream in
let it creep closer and closer
to the front
let it ride next to you,
your soul companion -
a gentle beast to guide your way

let it startle you as it starts to happen
your steps speed up, your two
hands and one spectacular mind
join forces
you build it

through the windy woods

twigs and lilies
line my dress -
i saunter easily
through the unmarked path

my pale thighs wait to
feel the sun, summer deficient
I have held them back
behind cotton wares

they yearn to play with
my bare arms, shins, toes

wind swoops in,
cotton skirt floats up
sets them free

the last stop

there is one surprise
waiting

that pines for us
begs us
to acquiesce

nonetheless, we live
forget its existence
until it stares at us
through the glassy eyes
of a grandfather
that tells his story
again
he wants to weep
with regret
but is dry

our early life -
a broken compass
that leads us back
to the same shady
place
the same dreaded
face

this goes on forever - for some
life leads them astray
while others are out
seeking clarity,
finding their way

whichever the road
that you choose
slowly travel it
keep the friend that listens
by your side
love the day
love the woman or man

we are all on the same road

we all are dropped
off together
by death

the new girl

unaccustomed to the ways of the wicked
corrupted by hunger, the need for flesh

she is born, craves new skin
she is free and alone
until she meets everyone
and they are all talking

their words are absorbed like a delicate lotion
that seeps and settles until she becomes them
she is suddenly the thing that she had never
imagined being spoken out loud

She runs, nearly naked, dressed in blue feathers,
demure, painted on undergarments
she is suddenly the world, vivid
her viridity emanates from like sugar from
her pores, she attracts flies that endlessly buzz
until she builds a barrier, a veil for her heart

It is easier, she realizes, to run naked through the streets
than to lie alone, covered, clutched to her pillow

word of the day - viridity

innocence is lost
not with the naked body
but with a veiled heart

Poetry to share - This poem is a work in progress

My hands, covered with midnight blue gloves, dance along your back as we embrace.
A sudden earthquake shakes us apart and my face, stark white, loses track of yours
You fall onto me, tightly hanging on, pulling me into a safe corner of the dance floor
Pieces of the party hall crumble around us, speckling our attire with loose, grey dust
Like a man in cape, you whisk my body, gloves and dress into your underground shelter

my novel

I'll never write the novel
about the boy who falls in love
with the girl next door
because of her amazing
morals and serious brown eyes
because he has
silently admired her through
his window
for so many years

Instead I'll write about the girl
who loves the boy
she only sees in her dreams
a vision that seeps
deep into her blood
in her sleep
and transforms her upon
awakening

she never meets him
but she knows somewhere
he is real

during her desperate search
for this unnamed man
she becomes trapped
in an underwater tunnel
with her last breath she realizes
that this man is...

the sound of night

My dress crinkled
each time I took a step
the moon dipped in the distance
as if trying to escape the world

Night fell hard upon me
as it grew largely quiet
my dress became the
sound of the street-

With each soft step
the moon slipped away,
people  closed windows
to silence the world

I happened upon a small child
wearing ragged knickers
and a worn smile

I reached into my sequin
purse for any money I had
a grey-eyed figure
emerged, toppled over
the child in his effort
to snatch my clutch

the scuffle that ensued
exceeded the sound of my dress
the man whimpered as he
tore at my dress in hopes
I would flee
My hoop fought free
and I used it catch him

It was the first time I killed a man

Distant Wish

the wind lifts her off
her timber seat is stiff
swift, swift
go her feet

out of her pocket
she enjoys her treat
this day is sunny
her dress is neat

up, down
go her feet

this swing
it is safe
no others
will see her face
the swing's too swift
the wind, wind
it's her gift

in, out
go her legs
to her mind
she begs, begs
let this wind
whisk, whisk,
wish me away
to the clouds

up, down
go her feet

playing a violin

whines are the boulders
that burden the patient wall
built with brittle bricks

I know you

perched on the edge of your bed
peeking out over the lake from your window
light seeping in through the aging logs...
cold

you are waiting for something
so you never leave

your own path
a job in the forest
tracking down new trails
painting blue triangles for others

it's been lost by the confines
of your perceived purpose

but I know you better
and I hope you find it