goodbye

if my words seem harsh,
maybe it's time to let go.
if the healing of my heart
comes with an icy cold bitter,
maybe it's just the thin layer of
protection, i cling too....
if time has changed nothing,
then the distance would be...
unrecognizable, yet there it
is, a long ago memory, the past.

value

it amazes me
that you could
be so cold, like
i'm so easily
forgettable.
time goes by,
i don't even cross
your mind. how
you can so quickly
turn your life
around like i
didn't even exist.
it's nice to know
your life didn't
change, come near
nonexistence as it
did for me. all
the risks are
for me to bear,
i get the guilt and
pain of your lies.
thank you for
showing the true
way...i needed to
see how little i was
worth.

sad

i feel the walls closing in
it's hard to breath, each
day i take in a little more
air and try to forget
one day it will all be a
distant memory, but
for now it is here, with
me, always lingering
making it hard to go
on.

how

she could hear her crying
from miles and miles away,
the distance had not changed
the ever present connection.
her voice still fresh , singing
songs of possibilities and
consequences breaking her
heart with every note.

3ww prompt

loss

the difference between
the ache in my heart and
the knowledge in my head
is the amount i suffer on
any given day....

again

i saw you in a crowd
and my heart broke in two
the pain washed over me
like rain, the tears fell
you were gone, your smile
your eyes, your laugh......
gone. just out of reach,
i could see you,
but you didn't see me...
i wish this pain was
gone, like the past...
a history to only read
about no longer see or
touch or feel, just be...

Totally Optinal Prompts

conversations

it was just a conversation
that led to her demise...
a few short words, shared
interests and an accidental
meeting of souls. if it weren't
for the growing life inside her,
things would have turned out
different. she would have taken
a new voyage, a life lived not on
the straight and narrow. a less
traveled path would have been
her fate, instead she walked the
narrow path to hell and found
her way to the other side.

friday five

It's been a while since I've posted, I thought I'd try my hand at one of the daily prompts I frequent.

gone

it is essential to my life
to get rid of the sour taste
you left behind, to become an
absent memory, i might
be able to take a catnap
if it weren't for the disagreeable
past i have to dream about.

friday five

chance encounter

the secret lay
hidden in a roll
of film, years had
gone by with no
one the wiser.
until the day the
doctor spoke the
truth over the
telephone. something
long forgotten, a brief
encounter in a stairwell,
resulting in a lifelong
change of heart. will
her family finally know
she can no longer hide.

So I haven't posted any poems in a while, but I feel like I need to do something with this site. I have been pretty busy with my photography business so I haven't been able to come up with anything creative on the writing side. I thought I'd post a poem buy a wonderful poet, a friend turned me onto her, the first time I read this poem it made me cry, and every time I read it I get tears in the eyes. I could not write anything more fitting for not only my mother, but I think this fits for most mothers. It is just so beautiful.

Elizabeth . 1832–1911

173. Rock Me to Sleep

Mother, come back from the echoless shore,
Take me again to your heart as of yore;
Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care,
Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair;
Over my slumbers your loving watch keep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years!
I am so weary of toil and of tears,—
Toil without recompense, tears all in vain,—
Take them, and give me my childhood again!
I have grown weary of dust and decay,—
Weary of flinging my soul-wealth away;
Weary of sowing for others to reap;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue,
Mother, O mother, my heart calls for you!
Many a summer the grass has grown green,
Blossomed and faded, our faces between:
Yet, with strong yearning and passionate pain,
Long I to-night for your presence again.
Come from the silence so long and so deep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
Over my heart, in the days that are flown,
No love like mother-love ever has shone;
No other worship abides and endures,—
Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours:
None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick soul and the world-weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms o'er my heavy lids creep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
Come, let your brown hair, just lighted with gold,
Fall on your shoulders again as of old;
Let it drop over my forehead to-night,
Shading my faint eyes away from the light;
For with its sunny-edged shadows once more
Haply will throng the sweet visions of yore;
Lovingly, softly, its bright billows sweep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
Mother, dear mother, the years have been long
Since I last listened your lullaby song:
Sing, then, and unto my soul it shall seem
Womanhood's years have been only a dream.
Clasped to your heart in a loving embrace,
With your light lashes just sweeping my face,
Never hereafter to wake or to weep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!

writer's island prompt

it was unexpected,

that you would come

into my life and turn

it upside down. i never

knew how much i needed

you until you were here,

all 19 inches of you. it was

a miracle in many ways.

your arrival was late, and

you almost didn't make it.

i thought i would teach you,

about life, i knew i would love

you, but you taught me the world.

love wasn't even a word until

you came into my life. the sparkle

in your eyes, the defiance in your voice,

i knew you were destined

for greatness, with your iron will.

the way you look at life without

a fear in the world, you can take on anything.

my darling little girl.

3ww prompt: deny, smile, uncomfortable

i can't deny that
that your smile
makes me.....
uncomfortable.
the moment i
see it, my palms
start to sweat.
i get that fluttery
feeling in the pit
of my stomach.
the back of my
neck begins to
tingle, with just
the slight brush of
your hand. i go numb
all the way down to my
toes and for a second
i am lost in you, with
you.

two for tuesday: poetry contest

this is from a prompt over at two for tuesday we were supposed to use the line "all i remember is how i forgot", which i loved so this is what i got from it.




all i remember is how i forgot
that you were my friend. i did
not realize the impact it would
have on my life when you went
away. how i would want to call
you when good things happen
or when i am sad. i forgot to
treasure each moment, so they
could live forever in my memory.
like the time we got lost in a maze,
or went to the park to swing like
we were five again. there are days
when a song will play on the radio
and all i can think of is how we used
to sing out loud with the top down
getting the words all wrong. all the
times we shopped together, even if
it was just over the phone. i never
thought i would forget the time we
stayed up all night talking about
music and poetry and life without
kids. how you would give me the
squinty eyes when you didn't believe
me, or how animated you were when
you told stories of days gone by.
all i remember is how i forgot....

3ww prompt: blurred, illegal, match

The words became blurred as she read the piece of paper in front of her. She could not believe her fate, how absolutely perfect it had turned out that the test results came back saying they were not a match. This could not have been better timing as their little rendezvous was everything but illegal in some states. It would have shattered both their worlds if the child were his, not to mention landed one of them in jail. Now if only she could figure out what to do next, she certainly wasn't old enough to bring a child into this godforsaken world. She would wait to see what her daily horoscope said, before she planned her final move.

writer's island prompt

in another lifetime,,

we would spend

the day together

eating ice cream

out of the box

with two spoons.

in another lifetime,,

we would lay in the grass

talking about how nice it

would be if everyone

were as brilliant as us.

in another lifetime,,

we would stay up late

talking about all the

things that mattered

most to us,, in a world

where nothing mattered at all.

in another lifetime,

we would find each other

in a maze of people

wondering how we

could have almost

missed each other,

in another lifetime.

two for tuesday: cure and dirty

if only there were a cure
for the lonely at heart.
to feel loved and have
a purpose in life. is it
possible to be in this
world all alone and be
content with ones life.
is being content enough,
is there a better way to live...
to really live in the thick of it,
to get your hands dirty with life.
i think life is about connection, to
something... a living, breathing,
being. there is hope for the
lonely at heart in this world.

3ww prompt: delayed, focus, edge

closing time

unfortunately, i've been on the edge
of extinction for a while now. the time
delayed for only a few short
moments, before the end
comes quick. i must
learn to focus on
the task at hand.
before it all
passes by
and i will
have lost
my only
chance
at a life
full or
one
only
half
lived.

writer's island prompt

tenderness

on an impulse
i gave you my
heart, knowing
you would tear
it apart. i felt the
pain creeping in
long before the
betrayal happened.
i needed a new life,
a sort of liberation.
it's taken time for
me to heal, but soon
you will be all but a
memory.

Poefusion prompt

to my kids

they say each fingerprint is unique

but, i know they leave a mark on

you. there is a little of me in each

you, some of the good and a lot of

the bad. i only hope you keep with

you the love i give and leave the

rest behind. you are the most

wonderful creation i have been a

part of in my life, the best of me

wrapped in three perfect little beings.

i can only hope for your happiness

and wish for you to learn from

your life all the things that bring

joy and love and hope. i love each

of you for who you are and how

amazingly you have taught me more

about life than i could ever imagine.

writer's island prompt: faithful and fantasy

betrayed

is it even possible
for one to be faithful
when the other lives
in a land of fantasy?
can we make it through
this life loving each
other from a distance,
longing for a connection
never to be received.
can the air that is so
thick with contempt
be breathed in to
forgiveness. a new life
something to grab hold
of tight, so as not to lose
it again. will the truth of
lies ever be made real.
the black and white of
life turn to the gray of
in between. the unknown
be something to long for,
rather than run from....

friday five

gone

in a house built on sand
i found our love written
on a crumpled note. i
took it to the beach and
let it go in a plastic bottle.
i thought the unhinged
door was a sign of things
to come, when i found
your dirty handkerchief
laying next to our bed.
i new it was over for a
lifetime of tears lay in a
puddle on my pillow.
sometimes, it's just
stepping on a hockey
puck, laying on the stairs.

a song?

if i wrote you a letter
would you read it, or
maybe just laugh and
throw it away.

if i wrote you a song,
would you sing it and
hear my voice within,
calling out your name.

if i painted you a picture
could you hang it on your
wall or just kick it to the curb,
like all those memories.

if i told you i loved you
would you listen, or just
think i was pretending.

And if you want
another kind of love,
you can have it, i'd
give you anything.

can i write you a letter
tell you how much i care,
can i write you a song
let my voice cry out for you
can i paint your picture,
so i can see every inch of you
i wanna tell you that i love you.

And if you want
another kind of love,
you can have it, i'd
give you anything.



I wrote this in response to a prompt for Poets Who Blog interactive and it sort of felt like a song as i was writing it.

3ww writing prompt cautious, human, maybe

maybe i would feel
the little human grow
inside me. i could
touch my hand to
my belly as it swells
to a glorious mound.
waiting for life to
appear, i am cautious
to build a future on
this, as one never
knows how quickly
life can be taken from
us. i pretend that
everything is going
as planned, start to
pick out names and
wonder if i should
paint the room pink
or blue. then suddenly
it is gone, in a moment
my body rejects all that
i had set my hopes on.
another month, and still
i wait.

Two for Tuesday prompt

i sit in a room filled
with complacency
and wonder where
it came from. was i
not just sad the day
before. i expect the
other ball to drop at
any minute, but i pray
that it doesn't. i see
the sun rising, the
trees blooming, and
i am well. the days
are long, and there
is light, i see life
in everything now.
i choose to follow
the light, leave the
darkness forever
behind. i choose
happiness.

sunday scribblings prompt

forgive me, for not being good enough. for not being perfect enough, or innocent enough. i have tried my best to be the perfect wife, mother, sister, daughter, lover, friend...but in the end i fear i have not been enough. all those times i thought i might hate you more than i love you, forgive me. for that night you had to come looking for me because i didn't meet my curfew, forgive me. it was a mistake when i blamed you for all my problems, for not being there for me when i needed you most, forgive me. oh and for all those c's i got on my report cards through the years, please forgive me for not trying hard enough. i can't imagine what you must think when i just lay on the couch crying for no reason, please darlings forgive me for not being strong enough. to those that i love the most, i sometimes leave because i'm afraid to stay, forgive me.

writer's island prompt

mama

sometimes the love a mother
has for her children can be
so ferocious, it scares her.
she wonders if she'll be good
enough, or strong enough
to endure this thing called
parenthood. she worries
about every decision she
makes, how it will effect
her kids, will it do more
harm or good. sometimes
there is her own identity
to worry about. if she stays
home to raise her brood,
will she become lost beyond
repair, or will she still find
ways to be true to her inner
most feelings. these questions
are on most every mothers
mind, and change daily like
the passing of time itself.
to be the best mothers we
can be, to love with such passion,
you will give your own life for
another, this is what motherhood is
for me.

friday five

a russian tale

walking down the road,
there was a pigeon, two
rabbits, and a couple of
tovarichs. the rabbits
wandered off to the
gravelines and the
pigeon fell dead on
the spot. the tovarich
said to the other, as he
was contemplating a
problem on an abacus,
"I think today's going
to be a good day".

3ww writing prompt

the things we didn't say

the highway was empty
as we drove along in
silence. the conversation
still lingering, each of
us trying to avoid the
unspoken. often times
we could go for days on
end having ignored the
things we didn't say. it
became our reality, our
comfort. now as the dark
settled in, it was no longer
possible to ignore the words
not said. we would learn
the ways of our heart once
again, and begin our healing
process. time was on our
side, and there was only
one way to go. we would
turn down the road to
happiness and in the end
our words would find
their way back.

Two for Tuesday prompt

college days

i've learned a lesson
of the utmost importance;
it happened years ago
in college. a time in my
youth when drinking
and smoking were all
that i cared about. no
matter if i missed a
class or two, i'd make
it up another day. it
didn't happen often,
but i did learn a few
things in those days.
for one it is never a
good idea to write a
paper while high, and
never mix your drink
of choice, results can
be terrible. but the
most important
lesson i learned is
not to streak naked
down main street in
the middle of the day;
professors look down
on that behavior and
might even call home.

this was a prompt for Two for Tuesday, the words were lesson and streak of course it is all fictional:)

Read, Write Poem prompt

my daughter lives in a world
in which i don't fit in. a world
of IDK and LMBO or instead
of telling someone how much
you care you text them LUL.
what happened to just plain
english or here's a thought
talking on the phone instead
of typing. i get an eyeroll at
that one often, talking is so
out mom. IDK, is i don't
know and quite frankly it
pretty much sums up my
feelings about this young
generation of non talking
texters. if my daughter
were to read this i'm sure
i'd get another eyeroll
and perhaps a WE so
i'll end this with L8RG8R



the prompt was Jargon, and this is the "jargon" i'm most surrounded with right now.

weekend wordsmith prompt "carrying a grudge"

the grudge

i carry it with me
close to my heart.
not to let go of for
i might actually,
heal. it's something
i've become quite
good friends with
over the years, and
i would hate to see
it go. maybe if we
live together forever
i'll never really have
to be real with anyone.

writer's island prompt and easy street prompt

stranded

waiting desperately for him

she thought of how outrageous

it had been, the whole ceremony

from the beginning was doomed.

upon completion of their vows

he left her standing there, alone.

she couldn't believe her luck to

find the one person she could

share her life with, only to find

out he was in love with another.

they left together, as the crowd

watched in wonder at her lovely

tear stained dress. alas she would

leave alone in a taxi headed nowhere.

the picture is from easy street prompts and the writers island prompt was completion and outrageous.

friday five

flames

sometimes it's just
a splinter or a hair
that throws me into
distractions. like the
votive candle burning
on the mantle, how it
punctuates my every
thought, with visions
of your face and the
taste of your lips on
mine. as lives molder
in just a moment.
i cannot get the
thought of you
out of my dreams,
but i can release you
from my day to day.

a place to call home

i long to be in a place
of happiness, of joy
a place i can call home
where i am healthy
and will be better
for you and for them
i want to be the one
who you can lean on
the one of solace and
trust and forgiveness
i will be the rock that
we build a future on
a life i can be proud of

sullen

rocks lay moist

a gap in the rain

void of spring

this was for the two for tuesday prompt, gap and rock.

my villanelle

the journey

the road to sorrow is long and dark
a barren place no love can survive
where on the heart words leave a mark

our choices can lead to a future that’s stark
we cannot let the past hinder or thrive
the road to sorrow is long and dark

the song once sung in the breeze by a lark
on windswept hills we can yet feel alive
where on the heart words leave a mark

we bask in the sun on days at the park
have long, lingering talks on a Sunday drive
the road to sorrow is long and dark

but love no longer remains on this tree less bark
just thoughts and secrets on which connive
the road to sorrow is long and dark
where on the heart words leave a mark

Poefusion prompt monday mural

the perfect child

i thought if we planted
an extra special seed and
watered it and grew it
up right, we'd make the
perfect girl, but instead
we just got a kid made of
old rotten wood, with lots
of imperfections and a
pretty little dress. just
the shade of an old
umbrella with only a
squawking crow to keep
her company.

Sunday Scribblings prompt compose

this distance between us
has grown as vast as the ocean
unable to compose myself
after each new argument
i hide deeper and deeper
within only to find there
is nothing there to save me
from this solitude i've
created i long for the
days of redemption of
living life again with a
purpose, a happiness
of just being alive

Poefusion prompt

The Darkest Season

i dream a highway,
tomorrow is a long time.
i get a little lonely,
jealous of the moon,
when it don't come easy.
i want to sing, feeding
the angels afternoons,
language or the kiss.
we've gone so far,
i have lost my dreams.
how will he find me,
one night gone.
tenderness, comfort
forgiveness. Are you
out there?


this was a poefusion prompt to write a poem consisting only of movie titles, i switched it up a little and made mine only of song titles. thanks to these fine artists, in order of appearance, Deb Talan, Gillian Welch, Pete and J, Nickel Creek, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, Regina Spektor, Indigo Girls, Nicole Reynolds, Dar Willams, Deb Talan, Brianna Lane, Deb Talan, and Dar Williams.

broken

this brokenness inside
of me has become to
heavy to hold. the
darkness in my heart
is aching for the light,
of faith to come to my
rescue, freeing my spirit.
can i let go of this pain?
when we've become such
good friends. a void that
you can always count on
in the loneliness of the
night. shallow breaths
of hope creep in ever
so gently, to help me
get through. can it make
a difference to give in
to this hope?

Poefusion prompt

'the window had other views'
i'm afraid i didn't realize.
funny how you forget they
show things back to you.
like how insufficient
i am, or how dark it is;
inside. it's amazing to
discover, there's a whole
world out there, waiting
for you to accept it. if
only we could live our
true lives from the inside
looking out. then we'd
never have to worry
about all the missed
opportunities, looking
from our window view.

3ww writing prompt touching, visible, stage

thank you

it is so touching
that you care.
your concern
for my heart
is inspiring. that
you care enough
to stage one of
those interventions
on my behalf is
most endearing.
even though it is
visible to everyone
how well i am doing,
it's good that you
care.

Poefusion prompt and RWP prompt

Lost Child

"I've never seen his face",
cause he's a lost soul;
forgotten in a world
where adults make
the rules. He doesn't
get a choice whether
to be heard or not.
Never a choice of
where to go, what
to eat or where to
sleep at night. He's
shuffled around in a
world of papers never
found. Doesn't get a
say if he wants to play-
be a good little boy,
waste the day away.
Moved from one
place to the next
without a second
thought. Lost in a
system failed to
the millions.

this was for both the Poefusion prompt and the Read Write Poem prompt on speaking for someone who can't.

Two for Tuesday prompt

my muse

crappy as this may be

i'm going to write it anyway.

sometimes i lose my muse,

our connection gets broken

lost in the ethereal. it seems

i can't seem to find my way,

determined not to miss my

link, i sit in the dark waiting

for her to appear. often it's

the littlest thing, like chocolate

milk and Doritos to bring

back the reason for living.

Poefusion prompt

Aphrodite, goddess of love

by her own beauty she

creates lust among men,

dying to be with her;

even just for a moment.

fate plays a sad role

giving her loneliness

having never found

in another, true love

just obsessive passion.

kinship among men

lovers last victim

mostly woman's

naivety to truth, one's

own heart seemingly

painless; admissions of

queerness settling in.

ready for the next

sign from the gods

to plan her next move

unfortunate to those

various souls in her path

waiting for her beauty in

Xanadu, turning to stone

youth for crossing her. for

Zeus she waits.

this was a combination of prompts from Poefusion, the Monday Mural, and an ABC poem.

inspire me thursday promt: envelope

the letter

tucked neatly away in an
envelope not to be found
for years, is a question
that could have changed
a lifetime of choices.
a letter full of one heart's
longing to be forever.
a chance to share each
other in ways no one
could understand. then,
found one day many
moons later in the attic.
longing to be read,
yellowed with age,
and just the slightest
scent of you. a simple
request, unspoken
to the rest. but forever
in the envelope it was;
sealed with one heart's
desire.

grace

i give these fears to you
to take flight and be gone.
i let go of them, free my
mind and let the past be.
i will not wait for a chance
encounter to bring me down.
i will not allow myself that
luxury, again to wallow in
self pity. i will not fall into
self-loathing and pain, again.
i can be the person He
created me to be, awesome
and beautiful, loving and
compassionate. i will be
that person eventually.

this was for writers island prompt: chance encounters and flight, it also works for sunday scribblings prompt fearless.

Poefusion prompt

painted house

in a house painted yellow,
our memories grow old .
created years before
with pictures on Polaroid.
it had a metal roof and an
antenna made with aluminum
foil. the t.v. never got good
reception, but we hardly
ever watched it anyway.
to busy making songs
out of scrabble words, and
castles out of sands of salt.
but the fun we had...
like the time the skunk
came in the front door,
and you had to bathe
for days in tomato soup.
how the memories do fade,
those Polaroid pictures are
now to brittle to hold. our
house painted yellow, has
turned a darkened gold.

the words this week were: brittle, aluminum foil, polaroid, skunk, salt

3ww writing prompt; funny, remember, theatre

memories


it's funny the times
i remember you most;
when the stars are out
in full and sounds of
nature surround me.
i think of you when
i shop for groceries
or while i'm working
on a new poem.
sometimes i think
of you when i go
to the theatre and
the movie is one i
know you'd like.
it's really unintentional
these times you slip
into my life. i'd like to
think i could make it
through one day and
never have you cross
my mind, but the chances
of that seem slim.

Two for Tuesday prompt

question

a ribbon frayed at the edges
unraveling like the truth
before me. each thread a
sign for me to follow. a question
for me to answer...to know.
when all i have is uncertainty
to keep me warm at night.
can i wear your strength
like a sweater, toasty on a
cold winters eve. a steaming
cup of coffee, brimming with
the kindness of a stranger.
a song wrote for a lost
love, notes singing in
the sky with the stars.
would it make a difference
if i believed in the truth?
if i followed the answers
before me. or would they
just sit there begging me
the question.



i wrote this for Two for Tuesday prompt the words were truth and sign

Read, Write Poem prompt

love knots

sitting in a circle,
woven with love.
i marvel at the
wisdom learned
through the art
of making homemade
tortellinis. my mother
and her sisters
with flour covered
hands fold dough
around their fingers
to make perfect
little knots. representing
our family tied together
forever in Italian love.

writer's island prompt "lost highway"

i found a lost highway in you,
one i forgot existed. you opened
up my heart, so i could see all the
parts of me. i knew i was in there
somewhere, it just took a moment
to find my way. now your gone
and i must travel this highway
alone; for what's the use of finding
something lost, if you never end up
using it. i've become the real me
and will now forever be, the truest
and most profound me i can be.

late

once upon a butterfly,
a heart rose like the steam
of an engine. she let out a cry
for her lost lover in a dream
with the long locks of hair.
she drown in a lake
of sorrow riding on a mare.
she knew she was late,
but the results of the test
were inconclusive. could she create
another human in this world, already a mess.
the pills she knew would solve it, sedate
her and the child inside, her scheme
worked as she lay dead in the bed made of wicker.


this was a poefusion prompt it's a "Bout-rime" you can find the words here. this was a tough one, as all the words had to end the lines.

spring

trees blooming. flowers
sprouting rainbows of color.
babies sleeping now.


a little haiku to get me through, haven't had much time, but i did write two yesterday. this poem a day is going to be rough.

Sunday Scribblings promp "photograph"

forever

i keep a photograph
of you in my mind.
it never goes away
with all the time that's
passed, it's there just
beyond my reach. a
memory fading like
the film it took to
make you. i keep it
at a distance, so as
not to hurt too much.
never truly able to
forget, yet wondering
if i'll remember.

Poefusion prompt

daddy

the avocado green chair
sat empty in the garage.
the smell of gasoline lingered.
there were remnants of the brick
house; barely attached to the garage
now. no windows were left,
just shards of glass, where
once we stood waiting for
him to come home. we knew
what kind of night it was going
to be by how long he was in the
garage. happy nights he would
sit in his chair fiddling with old
engine parts. bad nights we would
hear the chair get kicked on the
way in. the smell of alcohol filling
the room with his presence. all we
could do was stare at the paint chipped
ceiling and pray for it to end soon.
those were the nights we wished
we lived on another hemisphere.


the friday five were avocado, hemisphere, gasoline, ceiling and brick

Fortune Cookie Poetry

Happier days are definitely ahead for you. Struggle has ended.

You will watch the sun rise over a beach.
You will watch the sun set over a mountain.
You will live long and prosper.
There are rough times ahead for you.

If only life could be so predictable, that we could read our future in one little slip of paper. Neatly folded in a cookie of sweetness. We could make informed decisions based on what we know to be true. Not depend on some faith or higher power. Get it right the first time and not have to learn the hard way. If only.

All your sorrows will vanish.


This was for a prompt on Poefusion, using two lines from a fortune cookie, one for your first line, and one for you ending line.

3ww writing prompt parallel, mysterious, bounce

a painful life is
parallel to a happy,
full life. one you live
out loud for all to see;
the other you hide inside
like it's not there. mysterious
ways become signs of danger to
those we love. growing ever, ever
so concerned. we think, "oh, they will
bounce out of it eventually." only to find
them one day in the bottom of a bottle of
sorrow where they have always kept a secret.

Two for Tuesday prompt

writer's block

a poem driven

by a need to create art

during a brain fart

So this is my little haiku, trying to attempt to put up a poem a day for Poetry Month, but as you can see the pressure is really getting to me. In an attempt to humor my brain, this is all I could come up with.

Parenting 101

"Well you know it isn't a first kiss if it lands on the cheek." "It's only a kiss if it's on the lips." How do we go from "mommy what color is that?" to the ins and outs of a first kiss. These are the conversations I am hearing and being a part of with my soon to be teenage daughter. Time has somehow morphed into warp speed and my once innocent little girl is contemplating her first kiss. How does a parent learn to make it through each day of monumental changes that happens to a teenager. We are considering getting a drug dog next, just in case. There is no amount of books to read or classes to take to prepare you for the ever evolving life of parenting. We go into it essentially blind, hoping not to totally screw them up. Begging God to watch over them when we cannot be there and praying that we are doing it right.


this was inspired by this weeks read, write, poem prompt, in listening to conversations and writing in the form of prose. i haven't been out much, so all i have to go on is my daughter and her friends conversations.

stary night

we lay in the grass
watched the stars
fall from the sky

"did you see that?"
momma asked
"that wish was for you"
"and that one was for your brother"
we wished on stars all night

she said each star
had a wish on it tonight
for each one was made
for you, my little angels

the sky was clear
no city lights to
cloud our view

just me and mom
and brother, too
the starlit sky

we lay in the grass
watched the stars
fall from the sky

this is from the sunday scribblings, the topic was out of this world or space. it made me think of a memory from childhood, when there was a meteor shower and it was such a big deal. my parents had everyone over, friends, family and neighbors to watch. we had homemade popcorn, like on the stove drowned in butter, and homemade grape juice with a touch of sprite, and everyone laid on blankets in our field and watched the stars falling from the sky. it makes me sad that i live in a city and my children have never experienced anything so magical.

writer's island prompt... torrid and the gamble

the gamble

they had a torrid affair,
gambling all life's pleasure
to seek the satisfaction
of their own desires.
the pain it caused was
never ending with each
life affected, crumbling
piece, by fragile piece.
to learn all life's painful
lessons in one seemingly
innocent moment. it ended
abruptly, as each had a
moment of conscience to
stop them from the destruction.

Poefustion prompt

fling, cranberry, winsome, prey and quacky some hard words to work with this week.

i watched them

fling cranberries at

one another with

winsome delight

they were a little

quacky in their

flirtatious ways

one being the hunter

the other being the prey

3ww writing prompt

in this glass house

i feel exposed to

the world. i feel

pressure to conform

to the expectations

of society. i question

the validity of my feelings.

the token of your shame

i wear like a medal. i carry

it with me everywhere i

go. it is my cross to

bear, alone on this

voyage. i see no horizon,

just the dark gray sky ahead.

lost

i wanted to read
the last page first.
to see the end
before the beginning.
i couldn't trust
the answers without
the truth revealed to me.
i thought i knew you,
but you broke my heart.
you were the one
who told me how
it would be okay;
then left me standing
alone in the dark.
without a beacon
to guide my way,
i am lost to the
insignificance,
it covers me
like a blanket.
it's warm and cozy,
like a Saturday
morning bed.
i need your light
to guide me out
of this never ending
pain.

Two for Tuesday prompt

goodbyes

will our paths cross again
will we act as though
we are strangers on a train
will i be able to breathe
again in your presence
or will my heart stop at once
for the pleasure of your smile
will time stand still for us
to catch a glimpse of the sun
to stare at the stars
will there be a moment
a hesitation of the soul
for the final goodbye

Paradise

in this land of paradise
i can breathe again
palms sway in the wind
ocean air cleanses my soul
as the seagulls fly overhead
i can see freedom up ahead
its in the flowers and trees
calling me out of this slumber
the sand softens my skin
as i walk along the beach
softens my heart as i let
the waves crash over me
i can see freedom up ahead

night

i saw you in a sea of stars
i knew it was you
by your constant sparkle
i laid in the grass
to stare at the night sky
looking for that special one
i thought i'd miss you
sometimes they all look the same
but there you were alone
shining ever so brightly
i thought i might reach out
and touch you, but that would be
to much for one heart to hold

Read, Write Poem prompt

the old oak tree

weak and weary i grow
my branches brittle with age
the ice from this storm
weighing me down

spring is soon coming
blooms will replace the ice
soon i will be full again
the damage will go unnoticed

surviving another winter
snow, ice, wind and rain
the darkness of winter
slowing fading

i am

i am a colorless human being
not black, white, red or brown;
i refuse to be labeled one or the other.
i am a person who has feelings,
i love; men, women, kids, dogs, cats
maybe not birds, but i love.
i will not be labeled gay, straight, or bi,
God created me to love; all people.
i am not only a mother, wife, or lover.
i have many different talents, jobs, hobbies
you cannot wrap me neatly in a package;
one size fits all. i am many different layers of me
ever changing, always growing into the person
i was meant to be.

writer's island prompt

awakening

it took her years to realize
she was someone she didn’t recognize.
her days were filled with tasks
she felt compelled to complete.
doing things before being asked,
that was her motto, just keep the peace.
she surprised herself the day she left,
it was an awakening, a freeing of the mind.
there was a quiet in the house that day,
unlike any other, when the noises climax
somewhere between, chaotic and ear piercing.
not the day she left, no it was calm, a hush
fell over the house as she said goodbye.
it was beyond her control now, they
had her in a straight jacket, as she was
headed for the padded room, down the
hall with the number 7 on the door.

3ww writing prompt apartment began, numb

anew

her new life began.
today she moved in.
her apartment was
small, to say the least,
but it was hers alone.
in the city, the lights
danced in the night sky.
she could see the world
from her window. she
felt hopeful, maybe
the numbness would
finally go away.
she would finally
begin to feel again.

sunday scribblings prompt "experiment"

faith

it's experimental, this faith i have in you.
it hasn't always been that true.
in fact there was a time in my youth
when my faith was unfailing. devout even,
never questioning, as i knew the truth.
now my days go by with a question;
around every corner, in the dark
in the light, even in when i sleep,
i doubt. am i good enough, do i work
enough. this lack of faith makes me weep,
for you, for clarity, for something
to get me through this failing
faith.

Two for Tuesday prompt.....plain and fits

there were two of them,
one plain clothed, the other
in full uniform. she new it
was bad when she saw the
chaplain. all she could think of
was the hateful things she
had said to him right before
he left. when they gave her
the news, she fell to the
floor in fits of rage and
sadness for her loss.
how would life go on,
would she survive?
then there was the
children, how do you
give children such
awful, horrible news?
she couldn't do it,
that much she knew.
life as she knew it was
over. the grief would
last for years to come.