Burn

(Here's another poem from my chapbook "Exposed".)

Burn

Run the course, walk the flame.

One day gone, another dismayed.

Weeks go by; this too shall pass,

shelter yourself from the recent attack.

Close your eyes and wish for sleep,

push away images of broken dreams.

Pick yourself up and dust yourself off;

keep your head high and rep what’s been lost.

So much at stake, just push through the pain;

fight like hell for the happiness you gained.

Each day a new singe upon already aching flesh,

close your eyes as it burns, make a new wish.

Keep on believing, it’s all you can do.

Why give up after all you’ve been through?

Stairwell

Sunshine on a staircase;

light falling in every direction,

shadows cast on the wall; cracks 

present in cement.  A road map of 

indentations, show the journey through 

many years. Prominence comes with age. These 

stairs hold many stories, of love, friendship, even hate.

They know more than many people, many secrets they keep safe.

This I Know

Lessons Learned throughout Life:
1. There is beauty in everything if you are willing to find it.
2. Hope will always, always be holding on. As it is written: Hope is the anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6:19).
3. When I say, "I will figure something out," God says, "I have a plan." It is never about what I can do; it is what God is doing through me, for me and with me. Bad days are never as bad as they seem.
4. It's okay to allow emotions to overflow. Tears and laughter are not signs of weakness but of beauty and strength.

Music

Music hugs the soul,
allows the heart to breathe
and gives beauty to emptiness.
It gives the voiceless a voice,
the unspeakable, words
and hope to the masses.

For class we are supposed to do "artist retreats" or "artist dates" with ourselves or with classmates. I thought I would tell you about one that I didn't even realize was a retreat until afterward. I turned on my Pandora to work on some homework, and while working on homework found myself distracted by the words of songs I hadn't heard for awhile, or had never heard at all.  I started to look up the lyrics, and I became inspired by the words of other writers.  It was pretty wonderful... and whether or not you're in English 350, you should really try it sometime.

Callum

(This is another Snapshot piece. It was written as I observed an older gentleman on the tube in London last December. It's not finished yet, but meet Callum.)

Every morning Callum gets on the tube with his daily paper and a crossword puzzle. You might call him a regular, as he rides the same seven stops from South Kensington to Russell Square every morning, to his good friend’s cafe.  Callum retired many years ago from the theatre business, where he worked on the west end building and painting sets.  He’d done many different sets for many different plays.  It was the only thing he really enjoyed doing, other than his daily crossword puzzles, and he still volunteered in the theatre on some weekends.  Callum had been married for many years also, but Elsa had passed away at an untimely age, and he never saw fit to marry again.  Now he spent his days sitting outside Milt’s cafe at a tiny table for two, smoking cigarettes and sipping espresso.  Callum always wore two pairs of reading glasses around his neck, and his sweater never quite matched the bright blue stocking cap that barely covered the white tufts of hair sprouting behind his ears.