The oily residue of heavy cream coats my lips. I rub them together, spreading evenly. I polish off the dregs of collagen-laced coffee because I have to replace what I’m losing to gravity. A small effort in a losing battle that I don’t really care that much about. Cholesterol levels would say nix the cream … Continue reading Figs & Fall
The Roy Chesney Poetry Contest 2024 2nd Place Winner I have considered the lilies of the field. Etched a Lily of the Valley in dark ink upon the palest part of my wrist to remember. Tipped my hat good morning to regal Calla and brilliant Day bouquets fighting for space in my crowded beds. Winked at the … Continue reading the lilies
This morning my puffy eyes spilled over. The kind of pooling tears that poured out when I sat upright. They’ve been collecting for a while, accruing in between seemingly no-interest days. But it all adds up. I’d guess that the bulk of us work through perpetual upheaval. Unless somehow you’ve figured out a way to … Continue reading pour over
I’m not sure the proper pace of life for the things it ushers in without warning. For a moment it all stands still. The breath is held suspended in the lungs. The heart is drawn up to the jaw. Nothing moves for lack of knowing where to go just yet. It’s just… there. The next … Continue reading space
Last night the harvest moon hung so full and low I thought I’d grown taller. Thought I could reach out and touch the brilliant ball taking up most of the autumn night sky. Heaven felt close. Felt like a pinky-promise moment. After a season of looking down, watching a frail, heaving chest, it felt unfamiliar … Continue reading harvest moon
SomethingAnewFrom blackFrom blueThe faintest pinkOf flesh bloomingLike the firstOf my irisesLike the lastOf my dahlias So softA hueAn almostTranslucentVulnerableSubject to Like the soft spotOn a newborn’s skullPulsingWith a heartbeatJust beneathSunken surface FragileAs seedlings on the sillChinaOn the top rackA chicken’s neckThe human ego EarthyLike vetiverRootyAmassedDeeper thanIt is highIt grows The newFrom the oldIt can all … Continue reading back from a bruise
These days can bleed together like a red towel in a load of whites. I’m not even sure of the actual date most days and sometimes feel as if I’ve lived two in one. Other times it seems an hour can mysteriously disappear like homework, or anything else we can’t seem to keep up with. … Continue reading any given day
I’ve been considering many things lately. Things well beyond my pay grade and things I’ve probably over-learned in my efforts to understand. Years ago, I learned a tricky four-part harmony that was not the least bit natural to my ear. I played my part over and over, trying tirelessly to not slip into someone else’s. … Continue reading because
There are pumpkins turning orange in the garden overflow. It was a volunteer from the compost that I decided to entertain. Here we are moving into the hottest part of summer and I have the promise of fall growing wild, and I do mean wild. Pumpkins are monstrous plants. I can’t touch the vine with … Continue reading
Summer is yawning over me with its hot breath. Naturally, I yawn right back, true to the phenomenon. I slow as the temperature rises. Not my schedule or demands, sadly, but my energy. My inspiration. Can’t tell you what a cool breeze does for me. I’m a lot like the cucumbers that wilt at high … Continue reading
SHE GILDS THE LILY: a lavish waste of words and wonder 