Evergreen

“Dream House,” a collage by Susan MacMurdy

The seasons changed,
And so did our love.
The fleeting, flitting, fickle first feelings of false spring before the second coming of winter floated on the breeze…
Gently, quietly, barely noticed, they swirled with the undercurrent of something more.
A sudden, not-so-unsuspected cold snap pressed hard against the uncertainty of emotion yet undefined.
Brief as it was, it revealed a blossoming warmth that gave hope for coming growth.
The green bud pushed forth, struggling against natural and unnatural adversities.
Cathartic sunbathing in blissful awakening, two hearts bound by evergreen boughs, transformed yet familiar…
Bloom in extant, stronger, and more reverent for their trials.

– Written for Rattle.com’s January Ekphrastic Challenge.

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Before Blue Eyes

A life before blue eyes
Saw darkness
even in daytime skies
Urgency in every sip
Slip of the tongue
on many lips
Chasing the trip
Down hazy paths
It didn’t add up
But, who’s got time for math?

A life before blue eyes
Saw self-deluding
Illusions painted with booze
And rouge
And loathing
I broke my own heart
Time and again
Exposing weakness
on every sleeve

A life before blue eyes
Was no life
At first hard to believe
Blue eyes saw a reprieve
No lies, no trying to deceive
Blue eyes saw me

A life before blue eyes
Was a different life indeed

The prompt was “a life before blue eyes” from Maria Giesbrecht @theguelphpoet & @campfirepoets on Instagram on November 1. November prompts: Confessions.

Winging It

A swing and a miss
I’m sorry miss
I took my chance
Though there was no chance
Perhaps in another life
We could’ve made a life
Together
Whatever
Did I mention
I babble when I’m nervous?
Are you going to eat that
Chicken wing?

– Written for dVerse Quadrille #164, prompt was “wing.” WC 44.

Beach Vacation Summer 2021

Surf’s Up

Surf’s up
And that’s not all
Sandy cheeks
In a Florida fall

Suntan lines
On a beach bum
High on tide
And coconut rum

Seagulls cry
Waves lick salty skin
As the sun sets
It sinks right in

Into me
Into the sea
With a sizzle

The fun’s not over yet

Bent

Brush the dust off your halo
Polish it till it shines
But don’t do it on my account
Because I’m doing just fine
Without you running lines
Like a desperate audition take
Can’t fool me anymore
I know it’s all fake

Convince yourself you’re innocent
I’ve got a space in your head
Without paying rent

Once I thought you were heaven sent
Now I think you can just get bent

Bless You

Bless you, I say
As her sneeze gives way
To a fit
I cringe inside as I try to hide
The fear that I’ve

Been contaminated
Infected
Afflicted

I’m surprised that I
Haven’t been taken to task
For not wearing a mask
But I forgot it today

In the way that I forgot to match my socks

Running on exhaustion
And expectations
Bad breath and bus fumes
O de public transportation

Political climate
Climate change
Loose change
Another stop

I shuffle through
A tightly packed group
Pass by patient zero
Holding my breath
As she spasms on

Bless you, I say
As I exit
And I mean it

Campfire One: Fall Twenty Twenty Two

I have a poem included in the inaugural Campfire Poets publication. Check it out! Drive-thru Lightning

Check it out on Amazon!