that's mrs. mediocrity to you

the day you swept my heart out to sea

the sun hung in the sky like a beacon

always the point i could not reach.

.

i swam through a safety net full of

holes as sharks bruised my legs

but left me to my misery.

.

salt water tears mingled with

fresh water expectations and

kept me afloat despite my desire

to sink

into the depths of disillusion.

.

years later, a raft floated by.

:

i could have reached out and

hoisted myself onto

that sparse, dry bed but

instead, i closed my eyes,

bobbing, skating, skimming

the surface of my

sanctuary.

::

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

what happens to all
the questions
that go
unanswered?

what space do they
fill,
what mirror reveals
their reflection?

i see them sometimes
at night
when my eyes are filled
with insomnia

they glow in the dark,
a little

offering up silhouettes
and sibilance

but the edges
are always

blurred

and

when i reach my hand out
in the dark
there is nothing

there

but

i hear whispers

tiny bits
of vowel and consonant
syllable
inflection
rejection
perfection

hints of laughter

it’s funny though,
the way i never
hear

music.

::

::

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

you fold me into
your arms
and i cry
the tears
of existence.

i borrow my
grandmother’s
shoes and
dance in a veil
of moonlight.

you peer into
a dark mirror
and find
nothing but
silence and stars.

i take your hand
and i fill it
with the
beat beat beat
of my heart.

you reach
for the sky and
spill tattered bits
of worn blue velvet
to the ground.

we are all just
questions of hope
wrapped gently
in the cloak
of reality.

::

::

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

no man is an island,

though we try

to stand

on our own

fighting demons

with swords of wit and sarcasm,

we are always bumping into

different versions

of ourselves

and

tripping over the heart

that gets left on

the floor,

broken.

::

::

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

I stand in the back yard at dawn
and breathe in the color of life.

I am circle, I am square,
I am curve and zig zag.

I hear only sounds of nature,
birds calling,
leaves rustling,
wind whispering.

There are no secrets here,
in this morning.

Everything I see is preparing for winter,
each in its own pragmatic way.

The kiss of frost
kills softly,
softly.

I am hollow.
I am empty.
I am taken.

the moon circus calls

and i curtsy in the corner of contrition

the stars are here to witness

this comedy of error

my pirouette of promise

dance, she calls

and leaves skitter

howl, she cries

and trees bend

i stay up on my toes

spinning

spinning

plié

spinning

free

::

::

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

loss is a word

that lives like a snake

all coiled up and hissing

slithering

through tunnels

of comprehension

and coming out

the other side

found

::

::

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

it seemed like such a simple question

what would you take with you
if your house was burning down

but it came with too many answers

and then

not enough

and then it sat just there
staring back at me like a mirror

taunting me
daring me
double dog daring me

to answer

if you want to know
i will tell you

on my way out the door

i picked up books and photos

my grandmother’s
gold and white teapot

the christmas bell
my father gave me

the drawings my son
crayoned as a child

a favorite teacup

my journals and poetry

the rose-colored glasses
my mom handed me
on my thirteenth
birthday

cards and letters

my favorite soup pot

the flannel shirt
my husband wore
at our wedding

lace doilies crocheted
by my oldest friend

a necklace made by my sister

my arms grew tired
my burden, heavy

when i got to the door
i turned
and set it all down

all of it

arranged it neatly
in a shrine
to memory

took one step backward
and then another
and another

then finally turned
and walked outside

empty handed

empty handed

heart full

::

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

this is the corner i live in

…….ripe with seed and detritus

burdened by sun and potential

…….promises, promises

i have

music that will never be heard
stories that will never be written
wisdom that will never be learned

it’s not tomorrow.

…….it’s never tomorrow.

this is hope, all hard and prickly.

you always thought
it would feel like velvet

…….didn’t you?

:

::

this post is part of dVerse poets Open Link Night join us!

yesterday i read old poems
and laughed at myself

all that anger
leather
tethered
to skinny arms and broken heart

made up armor for mixed up girl
tough skin to hide behind
all painted red and pretty

somewhere along the line
i let it go

all of it

released it into air
that cradled and promised

watched it float away

waved goodbye

shed no tear

now, now

i sit in this same old kitchen
hard chair
curved back
worn slightly by years
of useful

use

i know the scars and scratches
that run beneath my fingers
each one could have been a sentence

or at least
a perfect word

etched along the surface
of sanity

marking time

yesterday i read old poems
and laughed at myself

:

::

this post is part of dVerse poets OpenLinkNight join us!