Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Alarm - Day 24: an "auto, or automatic" poem

Alarm screams
I roll over, push
The blankets
Off of me
Trudge to the kitchen to make
My morning coffee.

Shower, dress
Brush my teeth, my hair
Do make up
Put shoes on
Grab coffee and a bagel
And I'm out the door.


Caren E. Salas


Monday, April 29, 2013

Sweet Amnesia - Day 23: a love poem

 
Let me be your sweet
Amnesia, Close your eyes and
Just let go. The hours
Will fly like dreams forgotten,
As I kiss your cares away.
Let the memories fade
To darkness, temporary
Blindness heals. The days
Will blend like soft summer rain;
Let real life blur for a while.
 
Caren E. Salas

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Friends - Day 22: A "Complex" Poem

It's really
Not complicated.
We both know
Each other's
Darkest secrets and sad songs
And yet we're still friends.


Caren E. Salas

Right of Way - Day 21: a Senryu

Sure, go on and take
The right of way. Clearly you
Own the road, don't you?
 
 
Caren E. Salas

Beyond the Universe - Day 20: "Beyond____"

Beyond the universe that we all know
Hundreds of thousands of light years away
Maybe there's a planet where we'll never go
Beyond the universe that we all know
Where amazing plants and animals grow
And maybe there's forty-eight hours in a day
Beyond the universe that we all know
Hundreds of thousands of light years away.
 
 
Caren E. Salas
 
 

Monday, April 22, 2013

Rejection - Day 19 a "Burn" poem

I presented myself
Neatly packaged, tied with a bow
And there ya' go.

I hold out my hand
Nice to meet you, I'm on display
What can I say?

Apparently,
I'm underwhelming, not what you need,
You just can't see.

You smile at me
We'll be in touch, as I turn to go
That just means "no".


Caren E. Salas

I am...Tired - Day 18: prompt "I am ____"

I am tired of being
Tough
Strong
Brave
I want to choose
The easy way
The short cut
Avoid the pain
I want to be
Taken care of
Once in a while
To be the care "taker"
Not the caretaker
I am tired of being
Tough
Strong
Brave
But I don't see
Any other way
 
 
Caren E. Salas

Say It! Day 17: an "Express" poem

Yes?
No?
Say it
Just express
Don't suppress yourself
Go on, tell me that you love me
Or tell me if you don't, just let me know and I'll go...
Or maybe stay, if that's the way
You'd rather have it
Open up
Say it
Yes.
No.



Caren E. Salas

Some Things - Day 16: a "Possible" or "Impossible" poem

You can't make me love you if I don't; you
Can't make me someone that I'm not. You can
Force me to perform with violent means
I guess, but you can't make me enjoys it,
Or ever want it to happen again.
If you try and show me something very
Far away, I won't see it without my
Contacts, and I can't remember something
I have not lived, no matter how I try.
Some things are impossible after all.


Caren E. Salas



(Something about that phrase "Nothing is Impossible" has always bothered me. There are just some things in life that will not happen. Get over it.)

The Bar - Day 15: an Infested poem

What was I thinking?
All alone in the bar
With the creepy old men
Covered in tattoos and scars.

The place was infested
With all shapes and types
I imagined that some
Had once worn prison stripes.

In the corner a man winked
As he drank his last beer
I was starting to feel sick
I should get out of here.

So what was I doing,
Midst the winos and strays?

I was feeling just as lost
And as lonely as they.




Caren E. Salas

Friday, April 19, 2013

My Love and I - Day 14: A Sonnet

 
 

My Love and I

My love and I need to run away for a while
To relax and remember how it feels to smile
Far away to some paradise close to the sea
On an isolated island where we don't need a key
Because not a soul will around there for days
Except seagulls and turtles and endless sun rays
We'll feast upon mangos and coconuts and fish
Stay up all night long, and wake when we wish
Swimming in an ocean that's warm and clear
We won't want to leave until maybe next year
And I'll collect sea shells while he lies in the sun
And together we'll count stars when the sunsets are done
It all sounds like heaven, and that's how it will seem
If we ever escape, and find this sweet dream.
 
 
Caren E. Salas


(okay, so I'm not Shakespeare, but I gave it a go.)
photo: William Salas

Heartbreak - Day 10: A "Suffering" poem

I pray I'll never
Know the heartbreak a mother
Feels, holding her child,
Knowing that there's nothing she
Can do to stop the cancer.


Caren E. Salas










(in case you saw another poem with this day # or prompt, I messed up a little. I had all my poems in my journal and ended up posting the wrong one with this prompt - "Easy to Say" was supposed to be my "comparison" poem on Day 13)

Seven Years - Day 12: a "Broken" poem

Broken mirror, seven years
Bad luck they told me,
Years of life unfortunate
And lonely sadness, seven
Years for one mistake doesn't
Really feel quite fair, does it?


Caren E. Salas

In Case of Sleep - Day 11: "In Case of ____"

In case of sleep, give in and don't fight;
Your blankets are warm and you're tucked in tight.
Grab your teddy before I shut off the light,
And just say good night, just say good night.

In case of sleep, give in to your dreams;
Submit to the stars and the shining moon beams,
For there is where everything glitters and gleams,
Even more than it seems, even more than it seems.

In case of sleep, give in, close your eyes
And imagine rainbows and sweet butterflies.
For now, just listen to my lullabies.
I'll be here when you rise, I'll be here when you rise.


Caren E. Salas

Monday, April 15, 2013

Easy to Say - Day 13: a "Comparison" Poem

What's painful for me, or painful for you
Cannot be proven false or true.
So don't tell me the level of pain that I feel,
Or that what I'm feeling is not actually real.
It's easy to say that it's all in my mind;
When it comes to me and my body, you're blind.
Unless you can feel what I feel inside,
Stop spouting from books and reacting from pride.
Just because the things that I'm feeling don't show
Doesn't mean they're not there, but you'll never know.

Caren E. Salas


This is for every doctor or nurse that has told me, "this won't hurt" or "it can't be that bad" or "it's all in your mind". Really?  (*sigh)

Pantry Raid - Day 9: A Hunter or Hunted Poem

Tomato paste, evaporated milk,
Hot cocoa, enchilada sauce, peanut
Butter, lasagna noodles, cereal,
Instant mashed potatoes, chocolate cake mix,
Flour, sugar, salad oil, salt, pepper,
Cinnamon and other spices, honey,
Camomile tea bags in a jar, several
Cans of chicken soup, a bag of croutons.
All this food but nothing really sounds good
To eat, so tell me: Where are the cookies?

Caren E. Salas

 

Friday, April 12, 2013

How to Fly - Day 8: an Instructional Poem

Take a breath and imagine:
The taste of a summer's day
The sound of a dream come true
The feeling of being loved
The most beautiful sunset.
 
Now, add pixie dust...and fly.
 
 
Caren E. Salas
 
 
 
 
 
photo by Lauren Salas

Lori - Day 7: A Sevenling poem (form)

Her facebook page
Pops up sometimes
Friends remembering.

Photographs
We took that summer
Are all I have left.

I miss her so much


Caren E. Salas

Postcard Pals - Day 6: "post"

Under the pile of junk mail
Between a stack of bills
I see a splash of color
That always gives me thrills.

Sometimes it's unique artwork
Or a tourist spot to see
A few words scribbled on the back
Of a postcard sent to me.

And I try to add a smile
To every postcard that I send
Because though I've never met you
I feel like you're my friend.


Caren E. Salas


Note: This poem is for Andrea, a writer I met online. She had written an article on her blog about how nice it was to exchange postcards, and how if you really search you can find some really unique ones.  I contacted her about doing that and she agreed! Ever since then, every few weeks I know I can count on getting something in the mail that doesn't require a payment, lol. When I was a kid I loved having a pen-pal, especially from another state or country. Letter writing and sending postcards seem to be going the route of record album, but hey, turn-tables are making a comeback, right? We can't forget how to communicate with words. We're all busy, but writing a short paragraph on the back of a postcard is a great way to reach out, and who doesn't enjoy getting one?

Check out her blog! (I'm even mentioned in this post!)
http://andreakristen.blogspot.com/2012/03/mailbox-candy.html

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Arithmatic of Love - Day 5: a "plus" poem

-   My love can't be subtracted   -

It will not be divided  *

+   It can only be increased

Multiplied to infinity   X

/    An imperfect fraction

In a set that's incomplete  ...)

With decimals repeating

 Ï€  Like pi or square root of 3  

<  It's greater than forever  >

=   And equal to the world

No variables or unknowns  x,y

|   Just absolute and true.  |


Caren E. Salas

Monday, April 8, 2013

Hold that Pose! Day 4: "Hold that_____"

Hold that pose!
Give me a smile,
So later I can remenesce
How you were mine a while.

Time goes on,
And before we know
The dreams we shared together
Will be a moment long ago.

Caren E. Salas

Just Do It - Day 3: A "Tentative" poem

Standing on the edge of the swimming pool
Black lines across the bottom, the cool blue
Sides, tiled with numbers: 3 feet, 4 feet, 6.
Inhale, exhale...one foot slowly lowered
Into the water. The smell of chlorine
And the sound of ripples lapping against
The steps. Hesitation. Fear of the cold...
Not fear really, but anticipation
Of that sudden shock before adjustment.
Inhale, exhale...just do it. Just do it.
 
 
Caren E. Salas

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Midnight - Day 2: a Bright Poem, or a Dark Poem

Bright
Sparkling
Firmament
Brooding midnight skies
I gaze and dream of paradise.


Caren E. Salas

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Smiling - Day 1 of April Poem a Day Challenge

A friend of my daughters
And my sons
When he's with us, he feels like one
Of my own, that is.
Appearing last week
In his camos and boots
At my front door
Smiling, like he always does.
Succeeding in his covert surprise
I tried not to cry
His mother and I sharing
A knowing glance
How to make this last?
I don't know where she
Finds the strength
If his absence breaks my heart
Then how...? Never mind
Because he is here
Right now
At my front door
Smiling, like he always does.
 
 
Caren E. Salas
 
 

April is National Poetry Month, and for the past few years I've participated in Robert Lee Brewer's Poem a Day Challenge. He posts prompts on his website, which will hopefully inspire me. For Day 1 (yesterday actually) the prompt was "New Arrivals" and could be arrivals of any kind. This poem is dedicated to our friend Nate (I've mentioned him before) and his mother Sharon.