so much

we have so much to say

but cannot find the words

to express what lies 

within our hearts

so many ways to speak

but too little time 

as my eyes drift 

towards setting sun

I try to say the words 

before it’s too late

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #231

if these walls could talk

if these walls could talk

what would they say?

what songs would they sing?

what secrets would be revealed?

I remember as a teenager

lounging on my bed with

feet propped against the wall

covered in celeb posters

and talking hours on end

if I could just go back

to those easier days

my heart would be lighter

and my smile brighter

- Written in response to Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #754

rumpus

the elderly man sits in his lounge chair

his television showing a large

crowd of young people causing 

a rumpus in the streets

it takes him back to his young days

when he bravely marched down streets 

causing his own disturbance of the peace

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #230 - Let's kick up a rumpus

sultry nights

sultry nights

we meet in secret

under silver stars

we share moonlight

kisses and caresses

until dawn’s arrival

in the morning sun

we unwillingly depart

to our separate lives

memories of you

keeps my heart warm

until the next meeting

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #752.  Form inspired by cherita poetry form.

The Goodbye

Elizabeth had read the letter at least four times, but the words remained the same.  John, the man she had grown to love, was leaving.  He wrote in fancy words that she wasn’t the problem. It was all him.   He needed to see the world and have more experiences.  Things that apparently did not include her.  

Elizabeth thought John was the one.  He was handsome, intelligent and rich.  Even her uptight family was impressed with him.  She had no idea what changed.  

With tears in her eyes, Elizaeth looked around the garden.  Suddenly the words her grandmother once spoke came to mind.  

“The future gathers in vine, bush, and tree: Persimmon, walnut, loquat, fig, and grape.”

As the sun began to set, Elizabeth brushed away her tears and exited the garden.  Just like John, she had places to go and things to experience too.

- Decided to try something different today with dVerse Prosery: Yvor's Time and the Garden

magic words

I waited to hear

those magic words from your lips

but they never came

time lost from all that waiting

slowly I moved on

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompts #751

while in line at Starbucks

she stands in line at Starbucks

listening to a woman in front

of her ordering a latte

behind her a group of teens

jabber about something

on their phones

in the mist of noise

she thinks back to her own 

youthful days and smile

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #229 -Shall we Jabber On?

in the woods

Photo by Lillian

rays of light

break through trees

morning sighs

forest green

grass awakes

our senses

it is here

we find peace

in our hearts

 

- A tricube poem written for dVerse Poetics: Let's Take a Walk in the Woods

in wonder

in a dream she saw herself

standing in a lake, 

casting a fishing pole line

far into the serene waters

the sky was a blue not seen

in nature was the last vision 

before awaking at dawn

her hands resting on tummy 

in wonder

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #228.  This poem is inspired by the cultural belief that deaming of fish symbolizes fertility and pregnancy.

can we...

can we paint the sky

in starburst hues

can we forget the worries

that dots our daily lives

can we slumber with stars

as the moon razzles us

with her beauty once last time

- Written for dVerse Poetics: Who has a sweet-tooth?.  I used the following candy names: Starburst, Milky Way and Razzles.

the world keeps turning

birthdays and holidays come and go

the worlds keep turning

sickness takes over family time

the world keeps turning

broken promises beget broken hearts

the world keeps turning

rockets light up the sky

news reports of growing deaths

and yet the world keeps turning

- Written for dVerse Quadrille#227

dream in tapestry

we dream in tapestry of colorful hues

the sun sings among bouncing clouds

in your eyes I find a peaceful escape

as the sunlight dins in the evening

our voices collide with far-flung stars

better days ahead

they say better days are ahead

but it’s hard to see the rainbow

behind the black storm clouds

so I lift my weary eyes 

toward the sky hoping

this saying is not just a myth

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #745

lune poems

I.  Collom lune poem: 

“music across the sky”

we saw music

paint across the summer sky

tasting their rhythms

II. Kelly lune poem: 

“cologne memories”

it was your cologne

took me back

to lost memories

I'm in search of ...

I’m in search of 

a new car to replace 

my old one in which the list 

of fixes keeping growing

I’m in search of 

my traveling muse 

that went AWOL when

face masks and quarantines 

became in vogue

I’m in search of

ways to embrace aging

to love this changing body 

instead of fighting 

against the inevitable

- Written for Writer's Digest Wednesday Poetry Prompt #742

no door will hold me back

Georgia O’Keeffe, A Piece of Wood I (1942), oil on canvas, 

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, gift of The Burnett Foundation

small brown circles 

stand before my eyes

letting my mind drift 

into haunting questions

I had toiled and pour

my heart out completely

reaching this moment

a hard-fought battle

I know deserved the 

praises and gifts

despite what other said

a person like me doesn’t 

deserve to be here

but I have shattered 

glass ceilings that had

been cracked by others

I now stand tall before

this door that will not

hold me back

- Written for dVerse Poetics: In other words  Poem inspired by "A Piece of Wood I" by Georgia O'Keefe.

tangled

how did we get here?

where did we go wrong?

I thought we had it together

instead we find ourselves 

tangled in webs of our own making

I want to escape but cannot

find an easy way out 

yet I still cling to hope

- Written for dVerse Quadrille #223-Untangled It

another Monday

another Monday

another day staring a long work week

another day dreaming of slumbering 

instead of typing long emails

I sometimes wonder if I went back in time

altering my paths if things would be different

or still lead me to the same door

- Combining two prompts with today's poem - dVerse Quadrille #222: There's no alternative and 2025 April PAD Challenge Day 21

when the enchantment ends

I sometimes think back

to my childhood days

when all seemed easier

and the world still held

enchanting dreams

and then you grow up 

watching the magic fade 

into responsibilities,

difficult life decisions and 

the passage of time that brings 

many hellos and goodbyes

- Written for dVerse Quadrille#221: Some Enchanted Poem

what lies within truth

I have been writing poetry for years

I dye my hair constantly

I sometimes second guess my decisions

I loathe all politics

Covid has dampened my traveling muse

I am always the life of the party

I still have hope in this crazy world

- Written for dVerse Poetics: April Fools