Soul Mates?

That day when

it rained

and the wind

was blowing hard…

That day when

I missed

the bus and

had to run…

That day when

you walked

right past me

we didn’t know…

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Magic Hour

Through the open window
I hear the world
Outside…

Tap tap tap
Lori’s cane constant
As she takes her midnight walk

Vroom vroom vroom
Andres’ clunker as it coughs, warming
Before it carries him to work

Tinkle chinkle tinkle
The delicate chimes
Whispering in the gentle breeze

Midnight’s habits never change
Midnight
The magic hour
________________
I don’t usually try poetry but today, while browsing for a writing prompt to try, I came across this one at Something New Daily and thought I would give it a quick once over try. The poem above is what spilled out. My poem is not great but it’s a good first try that I might play around with later.

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Old But Good, #2

An old poem that resurfaced today:

Southbound On the I-5
Middle lane of the southbound I-5
listening to the classic oldies
singing along
“… oye, como va mi ritmo,
vamos a bailar …”
rudely interrupted
by that noisy Harley
coming up on my left

just as it reaches me
I am jolted, snatched, and
catapulted
backwards
to a time I barely recognized
my teen years
a foreign place
a different time zone

I see that girl
she’s wearing hot pants
the lime green ones
they have a matching top
sleeveless
sailor collar
that awful huge bow
right in the middle

She’s laughing
I hear it clearly
She’s happy
I can almost feel it too
The girl is filled with youth
filled with joy
filled with the unknown
the future

The girl knows little
not what life is about
not what the future will bring
not about the sorrows and the losses
not about the joys and the triumphs

The girl knows only NOW
she knows only wonder
she knows giddiness
she knows That Boy
and the dizziness she feels
she knows That Boy
and the way his leather jacket smells
she knows That Boy
and the way he looks at her
she knows That Boy
and the safeness he brings

The girl wonders
wonders about the uncomfortable feeling
in that secret area
wonders what her name would sound like
next to his
the girl smiles
not knowing much

Then I’m back in my blue Camry
“… you put a spell on me Baby…”
back in the middle lane
going southbound
and I smile
knowing so much
I still smile

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Old But Good

Revisting an old poem I wrote some time ago and published here in 2009.

That’s Where I’m From
I was born from passion and lust
into a world of hunger and thirst

I am from the feelings kept
inside of me, always voiceless
that’s where I’m from

From pain and broken promises
from betrayal and from anguish
that’s where I’m from

From lies and drunken nights
from addiction and from mistrust
that’s where I’m from

I am from the laughter in my heart
from hope seen in my dreams
that’s where I’m from

From darkness deep inside of me
from vanished dreams and tears
that’s where I’m from

I am from the strength inside of me
strength that emerges when needed
that’s where I’m from

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That’s Where I’m From

Some years ago, while a participant in the UCLA Writing Project’s Summer Invitational, I learned to teach writing by having the students respond to other writing and/or to use published writing as a “form” to follow for their own writing, substituting their own words and phrases and ideas.

One poem we used was by George Ella Lyon, called Where I’m From.  In class we had to write our own response and share it with the other adult teachers.  I wrote several versions and was persuaded to use one upbeat one for our published anthology.  Tonight, while going through some old files, I came across another version, written at home, probably during a particularly low point.  I was stunned.  I reworked it a bit and am sharing it with you now.

That’s Where I’m From

I was born from passion and lust
into a world of hunger and thirst

I am from the feelings kept
inside of me, always voiceless
that’s where I’m from

From pain and broken promises
from betrayal and from anguish
that’s where I’m from

From lies and drunken nights
from addiction and from mistrust
that’s where I’m from

I am from the laughter in my heart
from hope seen in my dreams
that’s where I’m from

From darkness deep inside of me
from vanished dreams and tears
that’s where I’m from

I am from the strength inside of me
strength that emerges when needed
that’s where I’m from

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Ordinary Things

This week’s Manic Monday prompt word is WANT.  I offer you a poem…

 

Things I want
to do
with you

look at photo albums
walk in the night
share a meal
hold hands

Ordinary things
watch a movie
discuss the weather
take a trip to the store
share a lazy afternoon

Ordinary things
that we will
never  do

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Secrets Kept From Me

Little did I know

as I watched you sleep

the secrets you kept

locked inside your heart

the ones you used to

destroy me

the moment you chose

to awaken

annihilating the safety

of my ignorance

 

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