Words and Pieces

Straight jacket on, mad arms wrapped tightly. No wiggle room to express desperation. A balancing act for a stressed mind. Rivets made of plated metal hold a solitary position. Menace to self. High risk of failure. Added padding to emotional space. Eyes roll, muscle tension, a bellow forms at the heart, preparing for the lungs  to vent the pressure before blood boils. The scream halted at the throat, lump swallowed hard like the large pill of stress forced down dry. Life is crazy. A fine line sometimes between straight jacket and lucidity.

  This morning I check the weather app on my mobile to see what kind of jacket I should wear to work.  It's been a long, cold winter that has lasted well into April. One day it's sunny and warm then the next day you have to put your parka back on as the temperature drops 20 degrees, Ugh!  I'm hoping it's a warm weather day as the app opens and I see 50's and 60's.  I put on, what I call, my mid level jacket.  It's warm enough for some chill but light enough for fluctuating weather.  I leave the apartment and immediately feel hopeful as the sun warms my skin while shutting the apartment door behind me. I notice right away a lot of voices and look down the block to see a parade of teenagers, probably from the local high school. They must be doing some sort of mandatory drill this morning? The line of chattering young humans are walking parallel to me one block away so I increase my pace hoping I do not have to cross through their masses when I’m ready to turn

Today I found myself feeling very much deflated as I was getting ready for work. There were multiple reasons why I was feeling that way and quite frankly I just wanted to stay home in bed!  As I was trying to finish up my morning routine before jumping in the shower I saw my stack of journals sitting on the shelf and decided to pick up one to just take a quick look inside.  I'm not sure why, maybe to wallow a little bit more or possibly to find a little inspiration?  With my writings it could go either way.  So I pick up the top journal, open it up,  and the place I land on is the page where I wrote a poem back in 2007 called "Deflated" !  I kid you not!  It's so weird how the wavelengths of the Universe line up sometimes!  Maybe someone else needs to read this today and not feel alone?  I'm with you friends, feel free to leave comments if you can relate.   Deflated I feel like a deflated balloon trying to float. No strings attached if you can help me

A poem dedicated to our friend Donna Georgio who we lost way too soon on April 5, 2018.  My condolences to her family and friends near and far.  She was a rock star in my book and she will be missed terribly.  If anyone wants you can make a donation to the American Brain Tumor Association in her memory. Donna(middle) photo by Adrian Shepard Your Place In Our Hearts The air seems different now that you are gone. The current whispers your name and spreads the news of your soul’s departure. Time seems to click by slower, a slow motion drama that we are all unwilling participants in. Words don’t come as easily to speak of our loss but feelings of having known you stumble out easily bringing tears and a sense that things will never be the same. That is the way it is when a light goes out. We must stand still in the dark and wait for our eyes to adjust, for our hearts to reconcile, to comprehend reasoning that you are no longer he

Leggings by Beth Achen bach Leggings stretch, clinging to the skin. A pattern inches upward, the spandex succombs. Hips push outward forcing some breathing room. The waistband rides the curve, parks near the navel base. Skinny legged, magically expanding, human woman outerwear! Buy the thin facade! Charge now... pay later.

I generally do not make New Year's resolutions.  I look at it like this, I am already hard on myself 365 days a year!   I can choose to diet, save money, make art or spend more time  with people I love on any day or month I choose.  That said, I am not without a tradition friends.  What I like to do is write  a poem, usually, about looking forward with  a bit of hope to the new calendar year.  For 2017   I came up with a  blog post that expressed the sentiment I stated  above, which is that you don't only have the beginning of the calendar year  to make changes. You have the power, the ruby slippers, to make fabulousness  happen all the year long! That's 12 months, 365 days to make a change! So approaching 2018 at the end of this December I was thinking a lot about  what I might write but honestly,  I wasn't feeling much inspiration at all.  Not one bit! Quite frankly,  it had been quite a while since  I had written a poem, period. I had not even managed