I am the willow stooped and ungainly from years of solitude and discordant thoughts They weave together to carve lines in my flesh but my roots run deep as I seek sweet water It’s a reckless love, this unquenchable thirst made worse as I dance in the dusty summer wind My measureless imagination conjures images of the long-departed here by the muddy banks I feel … Continue reading Willow
If we were having coffee today, November 3rd, I’d invite you to sit at the table with me. The day is bright and beautiful, but November’s chill has arrived. It’s a perfect time of year. As we shared some of the pastries from our local bakery, I’d confess that I’m happy October is behind us. It was a difficult month with a lot happening in … Continue reading If We Were Having Coffee, November 3rd
Phantoms of years gone by buried in a trunk starting to petrify Witness to both progress and regression through wars and the Great Depression As strong as diamonds, as fragile as a butterfly Desecrated in the name of progress despite the outcry that old tree began to die embodying betrayal, one more concession Who will honor years gone by? With forests and farmlands nearby lost … Continue reading In Crisis
More than the air, still and stagnant, more than cloudless skies and blue, blue water, Silence uttered the warning, a foreboding to beware. Rolling hills met the ocean without a care, yet not a creature moved. No field mice scurrying here and there. Cats hid and dogs cowered beneath abandoned porches. Livestock disappeared behind tall grasses, clustered tightly together. No children laughing on the lonesome … Continue reading Blue Sky Warning
She endures She defines Defines the beginning and the end Defines life after life Life captured between the glory of fire and water Life gifted with infinite wishes Wishes meant to be serene Wishes to serve as reminders Reminders to pardon ignorance Reminders to pardon greed Greed borne of ignorance Greed growing with escalating impact Impact running the rails Impact becoming crisis Crisis has no … Continue reading Definitions of Hope
If we were having coffee today, August 18th, I’d invite you to come sit with me on the back porch. There’s a fresh breeze blowing and a plate of warm cookies next to tall glasses of iced coffee waiting on the table. I’d ask you to join me in wishing my youngest sister, Maureen, a happy birthday and tell you about the day we spent … Continue reading If We Were Having Coffee, August 18th
If we were having coffee today, July 21st, I’d invite you to sit on the patio with me. We’ve been having a heatwave with temperatures reaching 100+ but with my huge umbrella and a fan, it’s bearable. This week promises to bring more reasonable weather. I’d rather sit in this heat than take winter’s cold anyway. Would you? If I had to summarize this summer … Continue reading If We Were Having Coffee, July 21st
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
