1: my only memory of them together mom and dad i was sick and pretending   5: I remember her screaming. oh the lament for her abusive father forbidden touches. Did they start here?   7: they were fighting, me struggling dad disbelieving – family…

“Flower” by Mandy Austin Cook She was named after a skunk but her personality was much sweeter my first pet my first comfort my first childhood companion. she befriended my teddy bear and became my shadow. and the days I needed silent encouragement she would…

Sonoma wildfire Frightened feline runs away A friend gone too soon Missing companion The young boy searches the streets Hangs flyers handmade A call from stranger Kitty purrs on telephone Friends reunited

the truth about darkness (homage to Billy Ray Belcourt and his numbered poems) re-occurring nightmares about monsters in cellars with no ladders indicates deep, hidden secrets the deeper the secret, the more painful the removal – like a jagged, rusted storm drain pipes through the…

When I’m near you Or when we are apart I see eyes that sparkle & Eyebrows that tease    Heart shaped lips, That whisper please … You voice my deepest desires Ever so softly, you say,   “Let go. Let me love you,  I can show…

I close out the world with my headphones Shining as bright red as a tomato So I can sustain my love And also read my book The lake before me shines like a mirror The ripples dance with the wind My hair is blowing with…

As a young child in the mountains The snow was falling at night One night my father woke me up To see a glorious sight. A majestic, white snow owl Was resting on the well We watched it for awhile Until it flew off and…

I don’t have answers. I don’t have to understand. I just have to be.

As I walked along the city streets I saw a speck of green. A few baby blades of grass pushed up gently, resiliently through the cracks in the pavement. Unbeknownst to most, the little blades of grass grew stronger, pushing, fighting. Life finds a way….

“Love song” by Mandy Austin Cook My life should be a love song dedicated to you you’re more than what has pieced my brokenness together you simply are the glue. it’s meant so much it’s the one thing that leaves me grasping for words like…