the shadow of the ladder (a parable of women’s lives) seems fitting somehow for a woman to be looking at the shadow of a ladder to an unseen ceiling in a space where everything around her is incomplete contrived or just out of reach……

the past draped about us like a cloak after diana khoi nguyen the present tied tightly to our feet like skates the future sliding underneath  and out in front  and out behind and all around  like a body of water somewhere cold turning to ice…

And I have been to Paris The sweet city of dreams I have been to the Eiffel Tower And wished for a love so sweet I have been to Paris And loved the ancientness and yet modernity of it I have been to Paris I…

four blank walls, a white so void of color, they seem to blend into a cube. an inkling of thought reds, blues, and yellows burst to life first abstract, then solid. and from the walls, the colors drip. seeping into every floorboard, forever stained  

In that moment I wondered if shadow made a sound Then I turned to the mirror …Hello….

Like an ant scurrying, gathering dinner for the nest Like a bee flying, finding sweet nectar for the hive Like a bird soaring, enjoying views Liking life.

I am my siblings nightmare. I am going to be beautiful. but I’ll not be beautiful for my eyes are largely in despair. I’ll be the next big lawyer. though now I work my hands and stop my mouth, I shall prove my hands clean…

Chalices of legend jeweled, coveted, rare pour their contents slowly into the pungent Earth Water, ageless yet eternal waits for the emboldened traveler Wine, refined by time is fickle in its wisdom Blood, precious but reluctant flows freed from splitting skin   The chalices empty,…

SOMEONE LOVES ME TOO I wished for someone who would love me I wished for someone who would circle my feet I wished for someone who would wait eagerly for me I wished for someone who would just accept me for my imperfections. God made…

At daybreak, I am drawn to the ocean and I am alone and happy as I pass gardens filled with flowers and birds.  I reach the fog-shrouded sand and discover a huge purple sea-star, just there on the sand, a magical birthday gift from the…