The Poetry Marathon

I love my clothes

but didn’t always treat them with respect

as proof is seen in my closet

this is a long story…

as a child I had to share a closet with my bratty little sister

it was overcrowded  and over messy

years forward, again I had to share a closet, this time my husband

this gave us things to fight about

you’re too far over on my side…I don’t have enough ROOM!

next we moved into a big house

I didn’t have to share anymore

we each had our own closet, but we found other things to fight about

I had my clothes arranged in categories

blouses, skirts, slacks , etc.

one SNAFU…I had no place for my shoes

moving forward, I’m with husband number two

in a walk-in closet that we both share

I’m on the left, he’s on the right

he’s an engineer with an engineer’s mentality

everything in his life is orderly

including his side of the closet

so as not to be embarrassed with my side

I bought all beautiful matching hangers

now finally everything is neatly categorized including my shoes

Life is so sweet!

going off to the flower nursery

to fill my empty garden with a mix of flowers

I have to start with a design

so much to consider

color scheme, height and sunlight

when and how long they will bloom

standing by itself, a flower is basically ordinary, lonely

if only one was planted, the garden would be sorrowfully sad

it has to be enhanced, livened up to be special, not ordinary

we need flowers to attract bees and butterflies

to flutter over my garden

kiss the petals as they pass

birds will sing sweet melodies

tell their secrets as they sway above

land on my flowers to chirp symphonic songs to one another

arranging the flowers is like a puzzle

each piece has to fit in just right

together they create an exquisite and extraordinary masterpiece

the marigolds are just yellow

love is holding your newborn baby for the first time

love is sharing a bond

love is respecting your partner

love is being kissed good night

love is being kissed good morning

love is getting a hug when you’re in a bad mood

love is being tapped on the arm by your cat to get petted

love is an adult child worrying about their parent

love is getting a gift for no reason

love is going to Paris with your lover

love is sharing a secret

love is having a best friend to grow old with

love is a surprise birthday dinner

love is saying I’m sorry

love is cooking food for your family

love is turning on the TV for your husband who can’t figure it out

love is a pet sitting on the bed waiting for you to open your eyes

love is being told that you are loved

love is being taken care of when you’re ill

love is watching a sunset with your granddaughter

love is having dinner at a fancy restaurant with your grandson

love is having the family over at your home for dinner

love is profound

I felt a tremor shake the house

on the night of the storm

thunder roared as lightning shattered the sky

I heard weird sounds in the night

like an elk crying

a buffalo snorting

I hid under the blankets

with just my elbow sticking out of my jacket

I pulled it in, when it got chilled

I summoned up the courage

to investigate an irritating banging noise

I heard it coming from the carport

slowly I climbed down the stairs

one step at a time

the noise seemed to be getting louder

the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling

was swaying back and forth and banging

a bucket on the floor was filled with red bloody liquid

what’s going on?

I stuck my pinky in to identify the bubbly

OMG…it was delicious beet juice

just then I heard my alarm clock go off

my mother yelling at me to get ready for school

grateful to end this nightmare of a dream

she was the age I’m now,

on the day she died

too soon to say goodbye, so much to be missed

she kept the family tied together

with an invisible thread she took with her

on the day she died

I thought we were a cohesive family

enjoying everyone’s life

having dinners around a table

I think it was envy

that made them all turn on me

I was closest to our mother

we had a relationship

not just mother and daughter

we were best friends

first to cross the line in the sand was my own daughter

then followed my sister, then my beloved brother

then my father, who had always been mean to me

my family is lost to me

no more holiday dinners

no happy birthdays to share

I survived a profound depression

trying to understand why

why my family could do this to me

I still love my daughter unconditionally

I could find it in my heart to forgive her

but no one else deserves me

I suppose we weren’t so happy

how could we have been

to fall apart so painfully

on the day she died

I held her hand till she passed

I felt her soul leave her body

I feel her presence in my life

her soul touches mine

I’m not alone…she loved me

afraid to run out of time

I look in the mirror and don’t recognize the face

what ever happened to your skin, I ask

where is your bottom lip, it’s shrunk

your eyes look blurry

afraid to run out of time

You keep squinting to read

they say it’s cataracts

how many more springs will you take delight in

how many more sunrises will you wake up to

afraid to run out of time

how many more kisses are left

you can’t find youth in the mirror

just someone who’s beautiful in the inside

a new day is yet to come, I will no longer be

afraid to run out of time

I awaken to find it’s still dark

I know dawn will be upon me soon

I open my eyes to see the possibilities of a new day

I am near the ocean, I can hear the waves crashing

smell the salty air

I run to see this glorious site

as I approach, the sky becomes majestic

colors ignite and singe the sky

it’s a watercolor world win of oranges and pinks

of purples and greens

a medley of an artist’s palette

the colors burn the sky

and glitter like firecrackers.

I’m in rapture, with spiritual connections

the sun has peaked its head from behind the horizon

how could the world be round?

when all I can see is a flat edge straight across the sea

my cousin, Ingrid, is so careless with her important jewelry

if her diamond earrings irritate her ears while she’s out

she’ll take them off and simply throw them in her handbag.

one time she called to say

she lost her diamond bracelet

it wasn’t in her handbag, she looked

this time she found it wrapped in a tissue in her bathrobe

miraculously, she had always found her missing jewelry

she was lucky…until the day her luck ran out.

she had a habit of taking off her ring while doing the dishes

but this was a diamond ring she inherited from her mother

it couldn’t be replaced, it meant so much more to her.

on this particular day, she was having her house painted

it was filled with painters in every room all over the house

after the painting job was finished and the men went home

at some point she remembered she left her ring on the windowsill

well, it was gone!

was it misplaced or stolen?

she knew where she last saw it…now it wasn’t there

this time the police were called in

and the men who had painted

were all asked to take lie detector tests

all, except for the one man who flew home to South Ameriica

right after the job was done.

all the other men checked out.

to this day the mystery of the missing diamond ring has never been solved

was it merely misplaced or stolen?

both single, both going to a formal party alone for the first time

we find ourselves assigned to sit at the same table

no coincidence, this was deviously planned by the hosts

we sit next to each other, make introductions

I secretly observe him, I know he’s doing the same

handsome, polite, but looks younger than me.

music is playing, dance floor is coming alive

I, who measure dancing with a couple’s compatibility

take a chance and ask him if he can do the Lindy

feeling quite satisfied with his answer

I watch his blue eyes ask me to dance

and there on the dance floor I knew he was my future

end of the evening,he walked me to my car

I kissed him right on the lips

while I surprised and shocked him

he sheepishly smiled at me with those blue eyes

on our many dates after that first night

we shared our souls

slowly I started to fall in love with him

I felt secure in his love for me

he became my lover, my partner, my friend

years later, we decided to formally join our families

adding more children and grandchildren to each of our lives.

his blue eyes led me to stand with him under the chuppah

we exchanged our vows

to love, respect and be faithful to each other.

looking back on our twentieth anniversary

I look forward to twenty more!

Poetry…always part of my teaching.

observing my students, I recognize the poetry within each one

their potential is craving to be put on paper

they all have capabilities, they all have something to say

it’s up to me to encourage, help them find their voice

our project is to make a class poetry quilt

they get divided into six groups, each with four children

each group gets to design a quilt block using fabric,

then all blocks are sewn together.

complicated! complicated! complicated!

ever so slowly they each write and edit each other’s poem

they’re all masterpieces!

put the cloth through the printer

cut out the blocks

their work is done, now mine begins

I sew all the blocks together at home

Voila…prize winning project is done!