Salty, sandy shore
Ocean brings a liquid gift
Tumble, toss, and spray
*
Moon at daybreak shines
Sparkling on the water’s edge
Light through window glass
*
Catch one tiny beam
For dancing in its shadow
Won’t you come and play?
And the earth’s holiness created a savory marinade for the lovers’ solitary winter dream.
If a painter chose these colors to paint a sunset, would you believe in its realness? Go ahead…believe.
Far from the usual and suspected is the place fused with sensual force.
Allowing an impulse, a sweet whim to overtake us in moments of fancy is to live
fully formed, radiant and crystalline.
Sing the song of today that has been carved from your pains and passions.
Embrace the welcoming reflections of the morning sun.
Do not waste your days on the insignificant.
Take instead some Baja painted, silken sky and wrap yourself in today.
FYI: Not to worry. The author (me) is not the speaker of this poem.
Candied pineapple sits upon my tongue
sensory, sweet, bursting with joy
makes full my heart, and offers
your closeness, clarity, illumination
…my needs and desires revealed
You feed me candied treats
to coerce me into loving you,
conjured next a marriage feast
to force more sweets upon my tongue
…in full measured spoons
Lunar eclipse too soon, a proof
when in each other’s shadow
we cease to exist unto our selves,
lacking magic atop our stage
… on the surface of our moon
Relentless in our hope for unity
we listen and make love,
swing in a hammock of trust
swallow moments of preoccupation
…together, always together
Wanting to touch and be touched
sensations turn in swirls of dust on
chairs that could not hold you,
and yet I see you sitting there
…darkly handsome with perfect posture
The rules bent and broken,
mostly warped from your deceit,
a sour candy melting on my tongue
nothing else will draw us closer
…no slight of hand, no trick or two
Naught is heard or felt or known
to stop the river of your betrayal,
I make instead a lone return
where summer dresses hang
…alongside winter coats
A new mantra:
You know how to give and receive loads of love! You’re a kind-spirited individual with a heart of gold who stands up for what you believe in! You always find the good in every situation, even when things seem difficult. You let your heart guide you through life and are open to new, fun experiences!
Wouldn’t it be the all-time best if this were true about you and me?
Looking for the good in every situation is not an easy task. That’s an understatement. Often it requires big dose of forgiveness. I’m slow to forgive. I admit it. I am getting better, no doubt, but I am still a diamond in the rough where forgiveness is concerned. I find it hard to forgive myself, let alone others. So this is another place for my energy to go. Focus on forgiveness and find the good in everything.
I’m going to tack this little paragraph up on my mirror to remind myself of these things. I like how its worded as if it were a done deal.
Maybe someday I can look at myself in the mirror and repeat the mantra and it will be 100% true.
I’m already pretty good at the “heart guiding” part. I’m going to work harder on the rest of it. How about you?
We know how to give and receive loads of
Yeah, that’s us!
who knew?
i just knew it,
it’s news to me
i don’t know how i knew it,
it’s not new
are you new?
i knew it
i know
no, no, no you don’t know
the more you know
i know no time that you didn’t know
to know you is to love you, no?
the farther i go
the further away from you i am
tell me, how much farther is it?
we will go no further with this discussion
furthermore…
we will go no farther on this trip
you’re starting to bother me
your lousy attitude is making me crazy
it’s your turn to go
you’re the one who has to go
when you’re with me i wish your lips were on mine
you’re here with your hat in your hand
wait for it
put your weight into it
it’s my way or the highway
it’s way cool how the scale will weigh
when you weigh yourself
the way i see it
you weigh so little
wait, don’t tell your weight
no way
yes, weigh
their town is that town over there
there is their town that they’re going to visit
there are more places
they’re going more places
their plan is to go more places
they’re going to that town over there to visit their friends
so there
who’s going to win the Seahawks game?
who’s in line?
whose line is it?
we found out who’s here and whose friends are here
who’s here and whose house is it?
whose owl is crying whooooo?
who’s on first?
the beat goes on
who likes the beet soup?
it beats me who likes beet soup
don’t beat up the cook who uses beets
i’m here now
can you hear me now?
i can hear you over here
but are you here?
here is where you’ll hear the best
We’re in our marriage ballroom,
A corsage upon my wrist,
White rose in your lapel.
#
We’ll boogie down the dance floor,
Hear the drum,
Feel the beat,
Shake it,
Rattle it,
And roll.
Trip the light fantastic, babe!
Hear the drum,
Feel the beat,
Jitterbug,
Swing,
And sway.
#
We’re in our marriage ballroom,
A corsage upon my wrist,
White rose in your lapel.
This piece is a vignette. It’s fiction and takes place when phones were connected to the wall and had rotary dials. If you remember those old days, you remember my old days! You only “hear” one voice. Here’s hoping you enjoy a moment back in time.
Phone Call from Long Ago
Hi Carol.
What? Well, don’t ask me. I don’t know much of anything, unless you count the 20 words that I spelled correctly once in the fourth grade in Mrs. Myers’s class. Did you have her?
No? Well, she was a piece of work, I’ll tell ya. I think she was a vegetarian before there even were any vegetarians. Poor Mrs. Myers probably never had a steak smothered in steak sauce.
What was it you wanted to know?
Are you for real? What came first?
That’s what you want to know, weirdo? Is it so important that you interrupt my perfectly wonderful Saturday afternoon, asking what came first, the chicken or the egg?
Yeah, I know you’re funny.
I don’t think true vegetarians eat eggs, so Mrs. Myers probably never had an egg in her life either.
It’s a shame. I agree. Deviled eggs, egg salad, poached eggs, scrambled with cheese—all so divine.
Quit asking me that. I’m fairly certain nobody knows the answer. You’re weird. Who cares? For your information, that’s actually what they call a rhetorical question. It’s only supposed to make you think. That’s what I think.
Mrs. Myers told us she wanted all of us to think. She didn’t tell us what to think either. I started thinking my dad is a creep (and it turns out I’m right). I’m actually pretty sure she wasn’t suggesting I should be thinking about my dad being a creep. But he is one. He picks the zits on his back at the breakfast table.
Yes, I’m serious. You’re right. He’s gross and disgusting. Like I said, he’s a creep.
Your dad is a creep too? I suppose we both have creeps for dads. We have a lot in common, ya know? Some dads are really cool though. Stephanie’s dad is really cool. She told me that in homeroom one day last week. He’s having a swimming pool built for her. That’s so cool.
My dad would never let us get a swimming pool. He says it’s too much trouble and then he told me I’m not worth the trouble.
That’s what he said. I’m dyin’ if I’m lyin’. And listen to this: just yesterday he said he forbids me to wear lipstick to school. He thinks I’m too young to wear make-up. What a creep.
No, I don’t have any idea why he thinks a 13 year old is too young. That reminds me, I’ve been meaning to ask you: what is your favorite lipstick color?
Really? Dramatic Red? Oh yeah, now that I think of it, you do look super good in red lipstick. I could never wear red lipstick. I absolutely love Dreamy Pink. It makes me look so pretty. It makes me look innocent too. I am innocent (until proven guilty).
That was a joke, stupid. You’re supposed to laugh.
Oh shoot! Sorry, but I have to get off the phone now because my dad (the creep) needs to call one of his stupid clients. He says I have to hang up now so he can use the phone. God, I wish we could have two phones like Stephanie’s family does.
He’s yelling at me again. Can you hear him?
Yeah, see what I mean? Shoot. I gotta go, okay?
Okay. I’ll call you later.
The pungent smell of dead fish on the beach mixed with salt air and the aroma of basil from the nearby farmer’s field is what greeted Isabela, my German shepherd, and me this morning on our day-break walk. We passed fisherman on the shoring casting and reeling (not catching yet) as we continued on the sandy shore to our destination.
What’s fun about Isabela is that she is so excited to do this and her enthusiasm turns on the excitement in me. Somedays she is the one who decides when we’ve gone far enough and need to head back. On those days I am just letting the day happen to me–no plans, no hurry. Today is one of those.
The sight of waves is always a joy. The sound of them too. The salty spray that reaches me is a spiritual blessing–a kind of baptism, without the religious aspect.
All my senses are smiling and my heart is full of gratitude for the goodness that surrounds me. I’m thinking of my dear friend who just left this life less than a month ago, after a long and graceful dance with cancer. I imagine holding her hand, laughing with her.
And I let the day begin.
In loving memory of Susan Swisher whose 64 years on this planet were a blessing to all who knew her.
pick up a dictionary because
happiness is in there
it comes ready for you to
pull it from the page
!
you don’t go to the bedroom silly
pick some potatoes from the ground
in your garden or lo and behold
from the bin at the grocery
!
and put them next to happiness
from the dictionary, then go ahead
it might just make you even happier
to add some ketchup (or catsup) too
!
well, I guess you’ll have to get your
lazy self out of bed first
before the sun itself decides to rise
or you’ll miss it for sure
!
you just might have to ask
your lover first, because your
lover might not like a piercing there
might he not?
!
all you have to do is
think smart, and I suppose
it wouldn’t hurt to act a little
smart along the way as well
!
single solitary little bit of good
advice I have given you
then go ahead, but don’t blame me
if your dreams never materialize
not safe in life’s amusement park,
pain takes lodging behind the eyes
I’d await the unrelenting sting
without intention to accept it
twirling on the dance floor
hiding hurt behind the beat
the ache so deep, so genuine
sucking life from inside out
despondent in an asylum of mistakes
craving a common or a temperate stroke
a touch of solidarity, can you please
set aside a cup of tea, grant a private smile
the rise and fall of hurried assessments
overtake nomadic searching of those
sad and slow good-byes
how appropriate and simple was the decline
mistake by sad mistake
judgments pronounced, decisions made
mixing with a sick and rotting pain
of failing, slipping, fading slowly
many years ago he whispered, “take my hand—
love yourself; take back your soul before all else”
and while a bit of wisdom never hurts
I could not embrace the promise of it
After having 68 years of practice for dealing with the things that can complicate life, I have learned one thing. You have to face the good and the bad, because it just can’t always be good. Sometimes I go as far as trying to appreciate the bad as well as the good. I am mildly successful with this on some occasions, but right now I’m struggling. There are some things bubbling around in my happy Baja world and I find that I must interrupt this interruption. By that I mean I have to come up with things to do that will give me back my happy.
Last night I had two neighbors over to share a nice lasagna dinner. We spent our time talking and laughing and sharing stories. Today I made cookies
and took some to my friends, Greg went to help a pal with a chore at his house, we took our doggie for a beach walk this morning (like everyday)
and this afternoon we went snorkeling. The beautiful tropical fish live right across the street from me. How delightful. This is the first time I’ve snorkeled here by our house and I can’t wait to do it again. Usually there are too many pounding waves, but today it was so calm. Now I’m going to settle into a hammock chair outside on my upstairs deck and read a book for awhile. I’m reading Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon that a friend loaned me.
Peaceful, easy ways like this can shake the troubles away. It means those icky interruptions aren’t going to stop me from living my happy life. Interruptions be gone! Life is sweet when I make it that way.
Silk Sunflower by Susie
Don’t be a donkey!
It bugs me when people ask me a question and then don’t listen to my answer. You know the scenario, right? Instead of listening, the question-poser stops giving you eye contact, repeats, “uh huh” in a distracted and almost inaudible manner and tone, and either wanders away or on to a new topic. It’s disconcerting to me that someone would feign interest by posing a personal question and then not listen to the response. And, so as there is no misunderstanding, I’m not referring to the question, “How are you?” That’s a whole other issue.
I have always pondered the purpose of someone asking, “How are you?” if this someone doesn’t want an answer. Oh, I know, we ask it so automatically (I am guilty of it occasionally) that we don’t seem to expect an answer to that question, let alone want an answer. We just say, “Hi. How are you?”
When I was much younger, I tried an experiment a few times. On an occasion of having a cold or flu when asked, “How are you?” I’ve answered, “Not very well.” Many times, before even a moment passes between the question and the answer, the question-poser (automatically) responds with, “Good.” or “That’s good.” In some instances even after this awkward exchange, he/she hasn’t acted like it was a weird encounter, thereby giving me the impression that he/she didn’t even engage enough to hear me.
Not to worry, however. I do not sit around and think about this kind of stuff often. In fact I am rather amused by the whole pet-peevy aspect of my being bugged about this in the first place. There are so many other things I could ruminate about. Things that might even be worthwhile. Some things do matter in the long run.
Like KIVA for instance. Now there’s something worth ruminating about. Kiva empowers people all over the world by securing loans from the likes of you and me. Kiva gives anyone with an internet connection the opportunity to make a loan as small as $25 to someone else to start or grow a business, afford school, build a house, switch to clean energy and much more. It’s the familiar “help people help themselves” philosophy. Check it out at: www.kiva.org
I’ve taken up plenty of your time. But I do want to know: What bugs you?
I promise to listen to your answer.
I’m not really a crab. This is a crab.