Allegra, sweet child, pretty girlLet’s see that smile (and she smiles).Oh, she dances and singsAnd brings life back into her mother’s eyes.Innocence from adulteryLife from lustA jewel from miseryReturns to dust.Eternally an innocent mind,Never tainted, never toldThe kind of man her father was.The kind of ground from which she grew,The fate from which her spirit…
Category: Poems
After Religion
A wilted rose,Shattered mirrorAnd fragments of a face I knew.Lost, dying, breathless—Disintegrating. In the darkness I hear the demonKnocking behind the vaulted door.Only in the dark, only in theSuffocating walls of isolated thought—Those which never see the light—She knocks. I lock the door, but tuck the keyIn the pocket of my jeansThat have seen too…
To Forgive
I. I will not conform,But I will complyTo bear this pain you bring So I can loose the chainsOf bitterness andFeel wind again on my wings. I choose to bear thisPain you’ve caused—The pain you could not dispel— So I can focus nowOn healing andMaking all within me well. II. You extend your handAnd in…
Caged Bird
Oh, the golden chains of practicality. Trading one childhood for another for the sake of comfort and stability. But what of those who live their dreams freely, recklessly? ~~~*~~~ Trapped.Always a caged bird. They clipped the tips of my wingsSo I wouldn’t fly away;Drew lines in the sandWith tiny metal bars. They stroked my feathersAnd…
Prayer
Please, I say.I lay it down.It falls, then fluttersAnd flies. It rises upAbove the roof,Brushes the clouds.And soars. Caught. Held. Heard. 18 October, 2019
Mother
I see you smiling at them,the boys, your jewels.They always were yourprecious stones, and Iyour polished silver. They beautiful as they were,I only so when polished,positioned and preppedfor the world to see,to gaze upon and admire. I’m no longer fit for your display.My tarnished spots nowsing an ancient song—in your world they offend.In mine they…
Hand, Why Do you Tremble?
Hand, why do you tremble?Why do you draw back, hesitate?For months you have assembledThis jigsaw of truth. Piece by piece.Can’t you lay them out and place them downBefore those who first evoked such fear?And what of fear? What calls it up? They are not hearers, but sneerers and willFind a way to break apart the…
My Ghost Opens the Gate
My ghost opens the gateAnd I walk through.I glance up and smile,“That’s very kind of you.” He leads me down a hallErected in my past;Dark then eerie light,We reach the end at last. There’s a thick closed door,And I jiggle the knob.“It’s open!” I start,And he gives me a nod. I turn it real quickLike…
To My Family
Won’t you speak to me?You didn’t speak to us.I couldn’t then, can’t you see?You’ve changed too much.We cannot speak. No, I haven’t changed at all.All I am is all I’ve been.All I want is all I wanted —To talk of more than just what’s wrong With me, with others, or with my God;To feel refreshed…
So Many Philosophies
So many philosophies,Thoughts and hypocrisies.Too many bridled dreams,Hopes, and silent feelings. They well up within me — my ownFaults and failings; theirPains and wailings; ourState of being, living, breathing — Let it all drop. Look to the light, And be. But what is the light?And how could I presume the rightTo look upon it? No,…