Because... (i really hate having to title my stuff but otherwise I would have 500 poems titled "untitled") LOL

 I cried tears in vain....

because of HIM

I forgot my rules and ignored my advice....

because of HIM

I suffered heartache and pain....

because of HIM

I wrote bad poetry!

because of HIM

But he doesn't love me and so

I had to let him go....

because of ME

Dreams, an owl and death....

Not sure if its the moon, the stars, or both but some stuff has been going on with me - very, very vivid realistic dreams; the kind you wake up from and think its real, believe it to be memory... short, 10 to 15 second scenes that then play out during my waking hours...... announcements, information, revealed during slumber....

the owl...perched on the highest branch, the farthest tree top... I pointed it out to my daughter and in an instant,  the owl took flight... for many, the owl is the harbinger of death, a representation of the soul but for me and many others, the owl is  the symbol of the soul, of knowledge....

Found out today about the death of a young man from our community - I knew him from campus and from the poetry workshops at our public library... So young, such a loss.. perhaps the owl carried his soul

Untitled

the batting of eyelashes

a sly smile behind a curl

the twisting of a lovely strand of hair

a muffled laugh, a hushed giggle

a soft, quick touch of a hand on his arm

twinkle of eye, how is it done?

to entice and intrigue

never to challenge or correct

forever the damsel in distress - here comes the knight

in shining armor, upon a mighty stead

lessons taught but never learned

to hide not mind or strength

curiosity or capability

no damsel in distress to attract the hero -

should a knight come, perhaps to slay the dragon

the protector whose bad luck leads them to me

a witch - the foulest of titles

to dare to be a woman in need of no man

crown of branch and leaf, no gold here

my court held under the shade of the forest trees

a circle of sisters around a bonfire under a full moon

untitled (for now)

Know this and never
 forget
this is a goddess that kneels
 before you
offers her soul, her body,
                                      her love.
will you be honorable
                       and not shame her
                            will you accept and return her love?

or will you crush her love? her spirit, break her heart?
                  for even a goddess can
                                                         fall
                                                               in love
with the wonder that is
                                        a man

a man like you.....................

Ancient Woman

I began writing this during our trip to Big Bend in October 2018... I'm glad I finally finished it


I am an ancient woman
the blood that flows through my veins is like the rain
each drop a perpetual reincarnation of blood borne, blood shed.
I am an ancient woman
my bones fossils, eons of history etched in stone
one day to be found long after I draw my last breath.
I am an ancient woman
my skin is brown, baked by the Sun for centuries.
I am an ancient woman
ravines and valleys the scars and wrinkles of a life lived - sometimes hard,
other times a bit less hard.
I an ancient woman
my hair is the forest;  new growth and old - layers of colors from green to brown with hints of red as the leaves in fall.
I am an ancient woman
my Spring and summer have passed
the autumn descends upon me and the end is the only part left but to hate Winter I cannot.
I am an ancient woman
a healer
gazer of stars
starter of fires
conqueror of fears.
I am an ancient woman
my heart has beat for thousands of years - many times broken and healed over,
my thoughts are the sand grains on the beach
constant never ending, never fully contained
always lingering long after the trip to the shore is done.
I am an ancient woman.

I will not drown

"sugar melts but shit floats, you'll be fine in the rain" 
I was once told....
but I no longer fear drowning - 
let the skies open up and the rain come down on me 
                     for yes 
                                 sugar may melt 
                                            but 
                                                   gold 
                                                             sinks 
                                             
                                                                  and I have grown gills.

I Braid My Hair

I braid my hair
     to trap my sorrow so my
          heart is not burdened

I braid my hair
    to keep my fears from 
           drowning my courage

I braid my hair
    to keep my ignorance from
           shutting my eyes and ears to wisdom

I braid my hair
     to keep the actions of my enemies
           from tainting my soul

I braid my hair
      to hold my magick close
                and keep it bright from 
                                the darkness of this world...

I braid my hair
     as did my grandmothers
             long before the moon and sun were old

.... I braid my hair..........