Hour 15 /traded for hour 2/ “Raw”

Raw

You brought to my life the most raw sexual energy and experience I’ve ever had.
You found me while I was in hiding. A white woman living on the reservation. I had not entertained the idea of a much younger man. It did begin with lust.

The first time I let you in the house it was a frenzy. We never made it to the bed. But we were all over the rest of the furniture. You told me recently that you came to me when you were stressed – when you needed to get away from the rest of it.

You have allowed me to explore my sexuality and feel comfortable with my body suggesting new ways to find pleasure and bringing in toys. It took me over four decades to allow myself to have the experience without guilt or shame.

Despite the fact that I suspected it was based on lust, I was still with you alone for the period that I have known you.

I know it’s over now because you’ve moved on to someone more appropriate for you. I do grieve the loss. The main solace I have is that we were never in one another’s real day-to-day lives so never actually knew one another.

It began in the realm of lust and and it never really left that place. Yet I grieve that too. In some ways I feel as if I let society dictate how involved I could be in your life both because of our ages and whether we would really fit into one another’s cultures.

You admitted that you never told your family about me and the only person in my family that you ever met was my adult son because he was the one person who would not judge. But we feared being judged didn’t we – so we kept it in the realm of lust. That was an active decision we both made. It has made it easier to part.

Yet why do I feel as if I’ve lost out on something? I fantasize that I have a lot of money and I can hide you away somewhere so I don’t have to worry about what society thinks. Would you then be my secret – my dirty little secret – Forever?

Prompt 2 “Promises”

Promises

Was Robert Frost the first one to say,
“But I have promises to keep and
miles to go before I sleep…” ?

Maybe so but he certainly wasn’t the last.

“ Promises to keep…” – could that phrase/concept
– so heavy laden with the potential
to instill guilt and shame
should said promise not be kept –
possibly be a product of the modern age?

Might you lay all or most of mankind‘s
current conundrums/stressors at its feet?
I dare say you could, however it would do you
no good because we are stuck
with our burdens nonetheless.

What we can do though is begin to
slowly unburden ourselves
from the yoke of unmet promises
with one simple act.

Do not make them – not one – ever again –
simply do not make promises. Do not enter into
this potential set-up for failure in the first place.

Life is too unpredictable and it seems
better by far to refuse to make promises
rather than risk burdening ourselves with the
potential of carrying any more
emotional weight than we already have.

This is a lifestyle change that one
can implement fairly easily.

We couch it in love (the truth by the way);
explain to our loved ones that rather
than potentially risk our relationship we have
decided to eliminate promise making
(to be differentiated from commitment)
from our lives.

Try it – you might be surprised.

Prompt 12 – Devine Energy

Devine Energy

I have a desire to express… to bang and
pound until I’m spent.

Skins baby!

Put me in a room
with a dozen Japanese
drums; teach me to
pound them the right way.

Let me have my way…
I know the energy in
that space will literally
be Devine and will send
healing to my soul.

I am in need of this!

Hour 4 visual Title – Broken/cycle of Life

Broken/Cycle of Life (Art)

It’s all wrecked.

We once made beautiful music
but we didn’t take care of it.

Uncared for things
Slowly decay…rot…

Come back later.

Once revisited they
can sometimes be
turned into art
for a new eye
and a new age.

Grieve then renew!

Hour 7- visual park bench – title “Coupled Up”

Coupled Up

That’s what I call it.
having a life partner…
someone with whom to walk
In the world.

It seems to be everywhere I look
except in my house.
I’ve tried a few times –
It never took.

There are other ironies here,
other realities that live along with
my sense of missing out and that
is at times a gratefulness and a
kind of knowing.

For you see I am a therapist
working on occasion with couples
and what I often note
is that some partners should
not be coupled up.

It is a gift you see
and many waste it;
have little or no skill
to enjoy it.

Not knowing how to accept difference
in another, their words are sharp,
degrading, negative and hurtful
reflecting their own self-hatred.

Having forgotten how to laugh
or play, they seem lost
yet you can detect a desperate
desire to mend what is broken.

An irony too is that despite
or perhaps because of my
solitary walk in this world,
I have both the desire
and the skill set to help,
if only they would allow it.

Ego can be a rough mistress though
and the echo of “I’m right”
resonates as loudly in the therapist’s
office as it does in divorce court
where unfortunately it will have the
last word before it dies.

Hour 5 – visual prompt title – Tranquility

Tranquility

A blue sky
white clouds
as seen through
the open window

Of an old house,
it’s vine draped walls
speaking of another age
instills a peacefulness,

A true thankfulness to be alive,
the likes of which I rarely
get to explore.
It is delicious.

Do you think we’ll
Be able to keep it?

Hour 1 prompt title In the Pool

In the Pool

With my granddaughter
Is a perfect joyous space

The Arizona sun beats down
The water is warm yet cooling.

The child at ten still
Plays with abandon.

She is safe and knows it…
Has no idea what a luxury that is.

Hour 9 A WINTER HOUSE

A Winter House

My dream is wilderness,
Solitude, complete aloneness.

Space to create, to write,
Draw, throw clay pots…
A space to heal and
To be allowed to cry, scream,
rage as I heal.

“Civilized” society can’t tolerate
Real healing expression
Of that I am convinced.

We punish it, medicate it,
Get it out of our sight yet
the very lack of tolerance for
Healing expression
may be in part why we are sick.

Please put me in the middle of
Nowhere with survival means –
I’m not trying to forage or kill-

Just to not have to speak or listen
For a time – just a matter of months
Would be oh so sweet! World leave me be!

Hour 11

Delicious

There is a Feeling that all people
Can relate to,
An expression we have
Usually of joy and merriment
It’s mostly universal
And often contagious.

When viewing it from afar
You know it. You can see
The mouth open, then a smile
Will flood the face.
Some will clap or clutch their
Face or chest… some even
Double up or slap their knee.

BabIes can evoke it;
Other humans too with words
Or outright tom foolery
Will often bring forth
From other humans a lovely
often lyrical
Many times involuntary
Vocal emission…

The tell tale sign that
They are joyfully amused
And then miraculously
So are you.

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