And when magic is lean and your mantra seems tarnished and messy, when courage is desperate for a way to escape and dreams are filled with regret, when being headstrong and proud leaves you sort of wishing for reasons to abdicate your throne, whatever that may be, remember… a vulnerable soul has power Stories of struggle exist to strengthen and even as crooks and … Continue reading Strength Claimed
The fire was mostly extinguished by then From the little shack up there on the ridge she could see trees weeping ash tiny deer gathered by the salt lick seeming almost drunk in their confusion eagles with singed wings still soared above it was a magnificent sight at least from the limited view she had returning to the old cabin that was anything but spacious … Continue reading Scorched
Tobacco hills and tangerine skies painting my way across cold memories with a heart, stoned and stowed away Practicing the art of self-healing Out west where gunslingers roam if only in symbols and chatter there’s order and beauty and a place to get lost for a while to practice the art of self-healing I climb red rocks and see forever Fear smells different here Truth … Continue reading Healing Spaces
I dreamt I was waltzing under the shade of a great tree unafraid as a ghost passed through the garden gate I caught our reflection, his and mine in a billabong swollen from the night’s rain He was more alive than I could ever be Hold the light, he whispered I nodded and threw one more coin in a fountain of wishes I longed for … Continue reading Simple Wishes
the scent of rain promises possibilities a chance perhaps to wash away the old and embrace the chill that follows as if to reckon hard realities against the soft ground that threatens to swallow me whole again the same hands that yearn to scratch are the ones who caress a wounded soul mine the scent of rain so familiar this harbinger of fierce storms the … Continue reading Tempestas
I am a thief I steal your words as they fall from your mouth I watch as you shrug off your ill-fitting garment and dance in the rain I capture the moment your face lifts slightly I memorize the way your beaming smile transforms the moment I explore the silence as you find your way I count the years as you stoke those fires I … Continue reading People Watching
A thousand lives and a yesterday an intermittent flicker of light a flash of understanding a new dawn a new day new dreams just because the moment is disguised in a malleable expectancy of rapture rustling doubt lingers a new dawn a new day new dreams always remember anything is possible between intermittent flickers of light and this, a flash of understanding photo: Pixabay prompts: … Continue reading Faith
If we were having coffee today, January 6th, I’d wish you a Happy New Year and invite you in. I’d make you a cappuccino with my new coffee maker and share some of the many cookies I have left from the family cookie swap. They are delicious! I’d tell you about that evening when we all gathered at my sister’s for a meal and how … Continue reading If We Were Having Coffee, January 6th
Tell me about those dreams you seek there in that vast wasteland that borders risk and reward and floods of joy all promised by a single drop of rain tell me about the hope you’ve found dancing across ripples on the water while looking for answers hidden in silvery trees in a forest of proud cacti tell me about it And as tomorrow floats like … Continue reading Tell Me
Paper-white petals tucked in a bouquet Winter’s bloom of cinnamon wishes and roses of red Paper-white petals tucked in a bouquet Tendrils of time joining circles widespread Lasting moments on this elderberry night Winter’s bloom of cinnamon wishes and roses of red Framed in love meant to bless this rite A celebration to mark the beginning and the end Lasting moments on this elderberry night … Continue reading Last Christmas
“I talk to God but the sky is empty.” – Sylvia Plath I seek wisdom in the sawdust falling gently beneath the polished mahogany bowl you carved with loving hands for it is not the finished product but rather the blood, sweat, and tears buried deep within its caviar ribbons that tell this story My eyes long for the beauty of paradise scattered like sunflowers … Continue reading Seeking Wisdom
As young boys, they left home bound for adventure, bound for war Courage still an illusion unknown Death, a distant enemy even as mothers dried tears and prayed that freedom was worth the cost Striving to be the best no matter the cost each would combat loneliness with letters from home Some read again and again while they prayed Restless as the rain, they fought … Continue reading Letters from Home
What wonders weave within silver skies strewn with stardust candid choices castigate lone lovers lost like lambs Brother, beneath broken leaves of burdock unrest undulates until the unlucky unite Dare to dash dilemmas Dare to dream Waiting with wavering wishes she silently serenades serenity kissing keys to the kingdom you yoke with a yeoman’s yearnings Together, tomorrow’s tale testifies with welcome and wonder Value … Continue reading Humbled Hymns
Seeking wisdom as I stood on shaky ground that rolled beneath my feet, presenting too many choices Desperate to find the learned man standing among false prophets, I examined each face, longing for answers The air was ripe with expectation as I searched for green pastures in an abandoned world smothered by smoldering grasses A sage among fools takes many forms In my youth, life’s … Continue reading Seeking Sages
If I am lost I take a moment Deep breaths to steady myself Inspiration finds new hope True and authentic I am found photo: Flickr prompt” #OctPoWriMo – Day 14 Continue reading Finding My Way
Time after time after time again I’ve thought of you thought of moments we shared thought of moments we’ve lost I’ve written a thousand letters I’ve composed a million notes I’ve had endless conversations in my head alone In some, I rant my accusations pointed In some, I bargain to lessen this distance between us In some, I weep — the loss of you too … Continue reading Unbroken
I whisper a prayer as you paint a song A confession beneath layers of paint A list of all that is deemed wrong Lyrics disguised as truth’s restraint A confession beneath layers of paint Unattached from behaviors you own Lyrics disguised as truth’s restraint Hidden in seeds of deception you’ve sown Unattached from behaviors you own Cries of the innocent are too strong No longer … Continue reading Justice
Once I climbed the walls of a canyon just to release my voice beneath a sky tinged with red velvet and rubies it echoed hollow and flat before returning to fill spaces and cracks and indigence replacing thoughts of emboldened bitterness The Milky Way created calligraphy in the dark and I captured my tears in a cup before offering up the distress I was bound … Continue reading Capturing Hope
Be inspired by unarmored skies Remember beauty hides in the everglow Embrace strength as you whisper last goodbyes Know that sometimes even an angel cries Time will move on with a new tempo Be inspired by unarmored skies Trace my words in the clouds as I eulogize Believe in the love that lives in the shadow Embrace strength as you whisper last goodbyes Each memory … Continue reading In Times of Sorrow
Seeking quiet solitude I followed a morning path where the echoes of words were heard but not seen photo: mine prompts: #NatureVerse, #WrittenRiver, Sunday Writing Prompt “Collage Prompt #41” Continue reading Sustenance
He sings a song of praise glorifying the power of silence as ravens gather in the rain The stillness of shadows invite spirits to contemplate new ways to travel these twisted roads and paths And as those birds become restless beneath clouds too heavy in the sky he sings a song of more Not forgetting this monochrome melancholy meant to insulate against … Continue reading In Praise of Silence
I’m sitting in my husband’s office, just off the busy kitchen of this grand hotel listening It’s alive, this engine of clanging pots and pans – it’s heartbeat Snippets of conversation, the hollering across this cavernous room – it’s voice The heart reveals itself more slowly, quietly Iiving in those who work this space I feel its warmth as they bring me warm plates of … Continue reading Shared Meals
Thunder booms, undulating over roiling seas like a stranger growling at the door Some say it’s the devil’s voice Driving rain pelts the window smearing grime in greasy stripes Lights flicker on and off, on then off Bolts of lightning strike a small boat bobbing in the harbor and set it adrift A shy boy wanders down by the rocky shore to … Continue reading Devil’s Voice
almost close enough to touch out in this barren land where the song of the whistling robin is muffled by damp and cold these last vestiges of winter linger as I fall to my knees and pry loose petals captured by early April snow earthen clay clings to my chapped skin is it no wonder that I take secret pleasure in outwitting this … Continue reading Spring
Lost in this masquerade as snarling beasts howl at dawn Truth sings a sharp serenade Small and scarred, I stand apart — afraid wishing I didn’t see what I saw as battle lines were drawn lost in this masquerade Social graces serve to further this charade conventions dictated by a crooked echelon still, truth signs a sharp serenade Humility fails those falsely … Continue reading Masquerade
knowing in loneliness knowing in loving She waits balancing the distance between nowhere and here She waits points on a map disappear as time nullifies miles and minutes and minutia she wages war against desperation and wills the waves to stop rolling and waits standing alone as cold winds blow she feels the warmth of Spring even … Continue reading Love Perseveres
Imagine this long journey — a gift Never quite conscious of enduring bliss Weight of emptiness lifted as we drift Innumerable moments christened with a kiss Never quite conscious of enduring bliss We come together each year to celebrate Love, laughter, and a chance to reminisce We are one defined by memories we create We come together each year to celebrate Love could live … Continue reading Christmas Blessings
It had been a while since it was just us… We gathered together — a homecoming of sorts It came upon a midnight clear that glorious song of old from angels bending near the earth to play their harps of gold We … Continue reading Gathering
He was a boy back then sitting in my classroom, head down always primed for a fight as if the enemy that threatened to swallow all the oxygen in our cramped space was me, was him…just was There weren’t many days I could coax a smile from his crooked mouth but now and then, a glimmer of hope battled his perpetual scowl and won … Continue reading An Education in Regret
Take me to that place the shelter from this storm Gratitude mimics need as I try to find space Somewhere in the mist my walk becomes a chase I search for you by the pine and pebbles as my thoughts swarm Take me to that place I lose my breath as bells chime and my heart keeps pace Wilted petals dropped by the … Continue reading Dreams and Nightmares
