A Cozy Spot for Poets & Lovers of Poetry

ALL POEMS ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR

AND MAY NOT BE USED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER

WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. 

TRY IT AND YOU MAY BE DIPPED IN EGG,

ROLLED IN SEASONED FLOUR

AND FRIED UNTIL YOU CRY "UNCLE!"

 

 

Graffiti on the Toilet

 

Who had so much free time

to stop and carve her current

love's initials on the

welcoming horseshoe?

 

Was the door full up

or were the initials of a former

amour already posted for

eternity perhaps with a vow

for eternal devotion?

 

Who is she to think it romantic

to etch her love's ID where an

unending parade of bottoms

will rest if only for a brief

moment in time?

 

fleshy, skinny, wrinkled,

sagging, freckled and firm

these are the behinds

that move through the

sterile-white doors

 

I hesitate. I hover.

The other stalls are in use.

Will "E.L." feel some pressure

from the eter as I sit my own

gluteus-quite-maximus

gently over his representation?

 

Forgive me, "E.L."

"T.F. you should be ashamed.

 

(2004)

 

 

First Time

 

For the first time I allow myself to open my heart.

For the first time I look deep inside, see the true you.

 

For the first time I feel a connection that is real.

For the first time I know pure trust.

 

For the first time I am the real me.

 

(2005)

 

 

So it Goes

 

So it goes 'round and 'round -

racing from chore to chore,

taking care of it all.

When do I take care of me?

 

So it goes, unending, I think -

until a tap on my shoulder

begs my attention - Hey, you!

Wake up, you're in a fog.

 

So it goes, I'd better listen -

pain is a wakeup call.

It means I'm alive,

but straying from the path.

 

So it goes, 'round and 'round -

dancing on the edge of a coin.

 

Precarious. Imperfect. Precious.

So it goes.

 

(2004)

 

 

Vantage Point


July 4th.
No fuss, no fireworks
at our house.
A family barbecue
or picnic with friends.
Just a relaxing day.

But then..
July 4th
In another country.
No celebration.
No barbecue.
No picnic.
Just another day.

No fuss.  No fireworks.

But in my heart
fireworks spin
bright and beautiful,
pierce the sky
with brilliance.

It is Independence Day.


(1984)
 

 

Chaos


Words tumble and toss
in my mind, looking
for  nests and partners
searching for a way
to make sense of what
drums in my heart

Dizzying emotions
weave their spell
I am energized and weary
at the same moment

Restless spirit
won’t you settle
down and give me
peace for a while?


(2002)

 

 

Set the Music Free


Wind chimes in A6 chord -
I bought them at the shore
from the fresh-faced woman
who made the music.

The sounds stirred my heart,
sending dreams soaring.
She let me take them,
reluctant to release her
lyrical child to me.

I lift my granddaughter
to set the music free
and see delight
shining in her eyes -

the magic continues.


(2002)

 

 

Haiku: Look Up


Barren gray branches
graceful arcs explore the sky
like wings of a bird


Island in the clouds
in dreams I find myself there
basking in the breeze


(2003)

 

FANTASY FLIGHT

 

If only I could fly

soar over land and sea

hang on the wind

without effort

need no path to guide me

behold with wonder

the vista before me

feel my heart flutter

and be endlessly free

 

   I would not envy the birds.

 

(1985, revised 2003)

 

 

CHORES                                       

 

I wrestle with words

          instead of a vacuum cleaner

 

I chase images

          instead of dust bunnies

 

My house is less than perfect

          and I am shining inside

 

(2001)

Previously published online:

June '02 - Poetry Life & Times

Clever Magazine

 

 

RIPPLES

for Norma Shapiro

 

a teacher tosses a

pebble into the pool

of knowledge

 

causing a ripple

that creates another

 

and that ripple

creates another

 

and that ripple

creates another

and so on

 

across the pond

across the lake

across the river

across the ocean

across the world's seas

 

rippling down waterfalls

tumbling over rocks

licking sandy beaches

 

one ripple is magnified

covering the waters of

the earth forever touching

lives unseen

lives yet to be

 

and the knowledge goes

on and on to people who

will never have heard of

the teacher

 

but will drink from her wisdom

 

(2003)

 

 

VOID

 

sorrow-filled nights

follow desolate days

 

empty arms

remember your touch

     and yearn for what was

 

(1986)

 

 

LINKS TO MY WRITING ONLINE

 

Motherbird:
farewell, Crystal Citadel, A Reverent End http://motherbird.com/cara.html  
 
Poetry Life & Times, February 2002:
Junction
 
Poetry Life & Times, June 2002:
Echoes in Time, Hunger, Altered Course & Chores
 
Artvilla:
Butterscotch Cat, Echoes in Time, Comfort Zone, Sign of Life, Pet Adoption Day (prose)
 
Autumn Leaves, Spring 2003:
Nature's Gem, Tears
 
Clever Magazine
Chores
 
Poetry Life & Times, May 2003:
Blessings, Come Along!, In Retrospect, The Music of Silence
(scoll down past mid-page)
 
Autumn Leaves, May 2003:
Transition, 4:37
 
 
Autumn Leaves, July 2003:
Loss Revisited
 
Pulse
A Litigious Fairy Tale, Reassurance
(see the righthand column)
 
Hazel Street, beginning Jan. 2004:
Fairy Tale Fallacies (under columns)

 

Crystal Citadel with music by Laura Remson Mitchell:
MP3 Version
 
MIDI Version
 
Listing for Millennium Dawn anthology:
Constancy, Double Exposure, Emptiness, Faded Images, Inside Me, Isolation, Legacy, Lovers, Paper Refuge, To Whom It May Concern
and Crystal Dawn anthology:
Before and After, Chores, Did You Ever Dream of Me?, Dreadful Memories, First Sighting, Mystical Wanderings, Nature's Gem, Query, Reassurance, Feling Folly (short humor), Just Like Any Other Day (short humor), Light of Life (essay)
(This is a link to purchase the anthologies.)
 

 

 

 

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Copyright © 2005 . All Rights Reserved.

Favorite Links | Archives
Copyright © 2004 . All Rights Reserved.