tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938575683371444642024-02-19T01:36:53.842-05:00Falling Plum PoetryStaying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-51766457151118335512015-12-22T22:38:00.003-05:002015-12-22T22:38:33.507-05:00The Final Goodbye<br />
In the cold, gray days,<br />
you walked away<br />
with no goodbye,<br />
to carry through<br />
the cold, gray days.<br />
<br />Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-31822350844635718932015-10-08T21:29:00.000-04:002015-10-08T21:29:03.474-04:00Broken GlassThe pieces of broken glass<br />
lie scattered,<br />
their shades and tones<br />
of sparkling color<br />
crushed<br />
under an unseeing weight.<br />
<br />
Days and nights,<br />
fog and rain and snow<br />
follow,<br />
one after the other,<br />
over and over and over<br />
<br />
Before someone picks up the<br />
scattered pieces,<br />
bringing them together<br />
to make <br />
something new<br />
and beautiful. Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-29844626094105303812015-08-28T23:19:00.001-04:002015-08-28T23:19:07.570-04:00I wake up<br />
from a decades-dream<br />
to discover<br />
I wasn't sleeping. Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-37238672884984313262015-08-28T23:08:00.002-04:002015-08-28T23:08:27.201-04:00Regrets swirl around in my head<br />
like lyrics to an overused song.<br />
<br />
A water color glass<br />
where paint is added<br />
bit by bit<br />
until<br />
it is all<br />
muddy<br />
black. <br />
<br />Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-6092209080072679492015-08-28T22:58:00.002-04:002015-08-28T22:58:31.763-04:00On a Bridge with MunchFaceless<br />
and voiceless,<br />
I stand on the bridge<br />
between yesterday<br />
and tomorrow,<br />
a cartoon figure,<br />
fat<br />
and flat.<br />
I open my mouth,<br />
but out comes<br />
no sound.<br />
I open my eyes,<br />
but see nothing there.<br />
The world is a Gaussian blur<br />
of painterly impressionism.<br />
I have<br />
no<br />
face. <br />
<br />
<br />
Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-77668308450471408572015-08-28T22:48:00.002-04:002015-08-28T23:11:45.563-04:00The promise<br />
in an old photograph<br />
is in the smoke-filled room,<br />
rising seductively<br />
from the cigarettes<br />
perched precariously<br />
on the side<br />
of the coffee tables,<br />
it makes me squint.<br />
My vision distorted,<br />
I see<br />
what is not there. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-73935351152865969592015-08-27T13:12:00.000-04:002015-08-27T13:12:00.907-04:00Hypocrisy after Emily Dickinson The red and angry, swollen spot<br />
cannot be ignored.<br />
The reaching out<br />
becomes a hiss--<br />
instead of kindness,<br />
sword.<br />
<br />
What should be gentle<br />
hides its shell<br />
and prays for camouflage. <br />
The love, the helping,<br />
doesn't bloom.<br />
The grace, in sabotage. <br />
<br />
<br />
Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-12434611523591447502015-08-04T21:46:00.002-04:002015-08-04T21:53:48.606-04:00NothingThere are a lot of blank spaces<br />
<br />
as I look back<br />
<br />
but<br />
<br />
blanks<br />
<br />
are what I'm used to--<br />
<br />
blanks<br />
<br />
are what we got a lot of<br />
<br />
back then.<br />
<br />
The story<br />
<br />
has been filled in,<br />
<br />
drawn on,<br />
<br />
made up<br />
<br />
as I went along<br />
<br />
because fiction<br />
<br />
is better
than<br />
<br />
nothing.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-56271337783848012732014-09-25T17:21:00.001-04:002014-09-25T17:21:10.685-04:00In a parallel universe, <br />
children don't go hungry<br />
and their parents don't run away <br />
into themselves<br />
into the bottom<br />
of a glass<br />
that shatters all around them<br />
leaving them bleeding<br />
and<br />
alone. Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-74955826501782452062014-06-02T18:57:00.001-04:002014-06-02T18:57:22.048-04:00ShadowsStill lurking in the shadows after all these years<br />
like a faded old film<br />
making barely discernible projections<br />
in a darkened corner.<br />
<br />
I remained unenlightened.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-50377917111901715972014-06-02T18:55:00.003-04:002014-06-03T09:14:55.180-04:00Vintage VisionWe reach for the retro<br />
for a time--did it exist?--<br />
that we hunger to be a part of.<br />
<br />
We want to better understand ourselves.<br />
Are we so fundamentally different from each other? <br />
Would we have been friends?<br />
<br />
We want to understand *you*,<br />
the unmet enigma<br />
staring at something<br />
off in the unseeable distance<br />
from out of an old photograph.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-59348254958100931492014-03-14T23:31:00.002-04:002014-03-14T23:31:25.932-04:00<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">After
decades of walking through life’s gardens,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">discovering
the intoxicating textures and colors</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">together</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">driving
leisurely on roads newly-discovered,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">sharing
our lives,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">I
never want to lose the taste of it--</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">of
intense new flavors,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">like
being served exotic food</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">by
someone who can’t help but</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">love
you</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, Arial;">on
a warm, spring day.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-58438743082681317782014-03-14T23:30:00.000-04:002014-03-14T23:30:23.357-04:00The quiet one<br />
who can't<br />
have fun,<br />
she sits<br />
in the corner<br />
like Little Jack Horner--<br />
like the three little kittens--<br />
there is no pie<br />
<br />
<br />Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-84569194147605287932014-03-14T23:29:00.002-04:002014-03-14T23:29:43.787-04:00<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">His
eyes sparkle</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">like
new snow on a moon-lit night,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif;">fiery</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"> jewels in a now-weathered face.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">His
warm complex smile draws me in,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">well-mixed
as it is with a sadness</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">indistinguishable
from the laughter</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">as
much as sweet cream is indistinguishable</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">from
the bitter coffee it flavors.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-38544813278034046302013-05-14T10:06:00.001-04:002013-05-14T10:27:19.101-04:00The Silent WomenThe silent women,<br />
<br />
go in and out of our lives<br />
<br />
secretly suffering--<br />
<br />
seeing their doctors<br />
<br />
or not<br />
<br />
taking the endless series of variously effective prescription medicines<br />
<br />
or not<br />
<br />
being hospitalized<br />
<br />
or not<br />
<br />
Remembered by their families for generations?<br />
<br />
More likely their lives are covered up and silenced<br />
<br />
because they do not fit the family myth<br />
<br />
of easy functionality and unbridled superiority.<br />
<br />
After all, they did not fit in--did not socialize--<br />
<br />
or if they did,<br />
<br />
they were too irritated<br />
<br />
and out of control<br />
<br />
of their own tumultuous emotions<br />
<br />
to be able to restrain their anger<br />
<br />
at a world<br />
<br />
where fate<br />
<br />
dealt them the short straw<br />
<br />
of mental illness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-91964284676416007162013-04-22T12:26:00.002-04:002013-04-22T12:26:57.299-04:00I am blown back and forth<br />
like a child's plastic swing<br />
in a hurricane,<br />
it's flimsy chains<br />
becoming hopelessly tangled.<br />
<br />
I'm trying not to<br />
throw up. Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-68638961011898387502013-04-02T08:37:00.003-04:002013-04-02T08:54:23.750-04:00Easter Grief <span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Lord is risen. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>We are in the garden, </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>surrounded by palms</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>and the heady scent </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>of Easter lilies </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>and spring flowers.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>We are sweating </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>blood. </i></span>Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-34576666006301722182012-08-01T09:30:00.000-04:002012-08-01T09:30:12.431-04:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.454545021057129px; text-align: left;">Olympic boxing. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.454545021057129px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.454545021057129px; text-align: left;">One guy in red. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.454545021057129px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.454545021057129px; text-align: left;">One guy in blue. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.454545021057129px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.454545021057129px; text-align: left;">Rock 'em, sock 'em robots</span>Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-21196400091974276492012-05-22T14:10:00.001-04:002012-05-22T14:10:50.065-04:00Karma and the Colorful PurseToday I bought<br />
the <b><span style="color: red;">c</span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: blue;">o</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">l</span><span style="color: lime;">o</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta;">r</span></span><span style="color: orange;">f</span><span style="color: red;">u</span><span style="color: blue;">l</span> </b>purse<br />
that will either match or clash<br />
with everything I wear,<br />
and a red wallet<br />
with room enough<br />
for discount cards<br />
from every store I've ever<br />
walked into.<br />
They were on sale<br />
and I got an extra 20% off<br />
just for being<br />
over 50.<br />
<br />
<br />Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-92158553218189298032012-04-10T13:39:00.000-04:002012-04-10T13:39:29.606-04:00You are here,<br />
again.<br />
No, not "again".--<br />
Only in the ether<br />
of an old woman's mind,<br />
whose subconscious cannot see<br />
the grey hairs<br />
on her head.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-50704958726005022612012-01-30T08:58:00.002-05:002012-01-30T09:20:26.475-05:00Mini-Series@ 14,<br />
I hung onto<br />
the romance,<br />
tantalizing, subtle,<br />
and somehow, intelligent,<br />
it became what I longed for.<br />
<br />
@ 50,<br />
I cry for their lost chances.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-82015508267211299332011-12-27T18:52:00.000-05:002011-12-27T18:52:46.150-05:00Mistaking him for her brother,<br />
he cuts off<br />
thirty years.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-65920396317729949582011-12-27T18:50:00.000-05:002011-12-27T18:50:16.198-05:00RealizationAn old woman,<br />
too plump to be pretty,<br />
my lipstick travels outside<br />
the lines.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-27280905276857070912011-12-25T16:05:00.002-05:002011-12-25T16:11:56.242-05:00A Christmas PoemIn the bleak midwinter<br />
the Christ Child again<br />
asks to enter into our hearts<br />
and melt the ice that insists<br />
on forming there<br />
against our better judgment --<br />
our attempts at thawing<br />
only serving to set it afire<br />
in a soul-consuming explosion--<br />
our attempts at cooling<br />
turning it once again<br />
to ice.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93857568337144464.post-38823672370751707782011-11-05T20:37:00.000-04:002011-11-05T20:37:41.905-04:00To rage against<br />
humanity,<br />
fist clenched<br />
and eyes--<br />
is to be blind<br />
to the effect<br />
of the rage<br />
on ourselves.Staying in Balancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729612779930162079noreply@blogger.com1