I tell myself,
In the process of creation,
her art fulfilled its purpose.
If the family has chosen what to keep
Freeing the rest to the universe
is just extending its mandate
not a betrayal to her
memory.
poem-siren call September 3, 2020
It used to be
a howling ambulance
made me hold my breath
waiting to hear if it flew to you.
Now you’re past their aid,
so I send a blessing
to the stranger in need
and into the sky in memory
of you
poem-special delivery August 31, 2020
Two raw hazelnuts on the back deck.
Delivery from a rat? a squirrel? a passing crow?
I guess that’s something we’ll never know.
poem-fuel August 29, 2020
Inspiration:
green mountain sides
blue skies
spruce scented air
Danger:
summer lightning
immolation
devastating beauty
Prescription:
diamonds dancing
mountain lake
water-bomber
Metaphor:
change
desire
this
Poem-growing August 28, 2020
One small change today
One gift of time
One contribution to a cause
One life-lesson contemplated
One old idea reconsidered
One step toward wisdom
won each day.
Poem-sisters August 27, 2020
Three bitter sisters
Decades
Decades
Decades
What planted those seeds
That swelled with pain
Wound* roots
Those wounds** rooting
around around
deep deeper deepest
Shoots spread painful shots
cruel words
Bloom with false faces:
kindness for friends
peevish pieces for families,
never words children
needed to hear.
Three bitter sisters
Broken spirits
planting bitterness
for decades,
seeding
so many sad
children.
*(past tense of wind)
**(synonym of injury)
poem-lucky November 9, 2017
How lucky I am
in you.
How blessed I am
to know you.
How grateful I am
for you.
poem- pages September 4, 2015
Beneath the dusty cover,
these pages are a brown tinged
crinkly time machine.
poem- murder May 6, 2015
It’s awkward
all this repeated death.
Everyone has the solution
to remove the trouble maker
Everyone has a special skill
that will do the necessary damage.
How would you…?
Count down.
3, 2. 1.
You could…
From every department
something new.
Murder is not hard to do
if it imaginary, and there’s
not practical follow-through.
.
.
I am presently writing a collection of short stories set in a high school. The staff at my school keeps coming up with suggestions about the next murder. It’s been quite entertaining! I had no idea that apparently all teachers can come up with a scary death related to their subject area in under 3 seconds. How about you? My husband, (a Youth Probation Officer…) is appalled. lol
UPDATE: This project became Murdering Mr. Edwards and was published by Coffin Hop Press April 2018 https://coffinhop.com/crime/murdering-mr-edwards/
Shawn L. Bird 