Thursday, August 11, 2016

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

EVERYTHING

It doesn't always feel like
Everything will turn out well
But let me just assure you
That it will. Just look at us
Together we can make it
Everything will be okay.

Everything will be okay.


Caren E. Salas


Wednesday, August 3, 2016

FIZZZZZZZZZZZZ....

I know a little bit about making plans
And then seeing them dissolve
Like Alka Seltzer in a glass of water
Plop. plop.
Fizzzzzzzzz
Watching the mental masterpiece,
The glorious dream that you've spent your life creating,
Suddenly covered in graffiti, and tossed aside.
Overwhelming feelings of shock, anger, frustration, sadness
But mostly fear well up like an out of control tsunami.
Breathe.
You can try and clean up the mess
You can look at it as a challenge and turn the graffiti into flowers
Or
Fizzzzzzzzzz
You paint the whole damn thing with white, and start over.
Be careful not to dip your paintbrush in the Alka Seltzer.
You're going to need it.
Gulp.
There you go.
Remember, I've been there.
I'm here now.
(and not just me)
I'm kind of...the glass.
Hold on to me.



Caren E. Salas





Photo: www.everydayhealth.com


Sunday, July 31, 2016

REAL LIFE



Unconditional
That's what love's supposed to be
Even in real life.


Caren E. Salas



Thursday, July 28, 2016

AIR



Night
Air
Quiet
Stars shining
Alone with my thoughts
And praying for a little peace.



Caren E. Salas


Monday, July 25, 2016

HONEY

When Whiskey came, he needed us
Because life had been unfair
He was timid, skittish, scared
He needed someone to care.

And he became my constant friend
My shadow day and night
My little grumpy old guy
Always ready for a fight.

Then Honey came, a tiny angel
Four short legs and great big eyes
She touched our hearts, and Whiskey's too
(Which came as a surprise!)


And so it seems she's here to stay
This tender ball of fur
We love Whiskey 'cause he needed us
And Honey...we need her.


Caren E. Salas












Sunday, July 24, 2016

THE WORLD SPINS ON....

The world spins on
     People love and laugh
Oblivious to the pain we feel
I try and make it make some sense
But still, it doesn't seem quite real.

And the world spins on
     People rush around
Busy with their lives, and yet
Forgetting the things that really count
That someday they might just regret.

And the world spins on
     People trample dreams
Discouraged with the life they lead
Wanting more, but doing less
They break a heart to see it bleed.

And the world spins on...


Caren E. Salas



Photo by Bill Salas

Thursday, July 21, 2016

HANG ON

His eyes cry out, but no words
Come from his lips. I refuse
To listen. It hurts, I know.
Don't give up, she wouldn't want
You to say good-bye just yet.
Hang on just a while longer.

I try to tell him without
Speaking. Things will get better
You have a new great grandson
On the way that you should meet
And all of us who love you.
Hang on just a while longer.


Caren E. Salas

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

COUNTING DOLLARS




My love and I walked along hand in hand
Collecting sea shells down by the shore
Counting dollars half buried in sand
Watching the seagulls and pelicans soar.


Collecting sea shells down by the shore
We talked about all the years we had shared
Watching the seagulls and pelicans soar
Oh, the places we'd been, the dreams we had dared.


We talked about all the years we had shared
We stopped just to listen to the sounds of the sea
Oh, the places we'd been, the dreams we had dared
It all stood still for a moment or three.


We stopped just to listen to the sounds of the sea
As my love and I walked along hand in hand
It all stood still for a moment or three
As we counted dollars half buried in sand.


Caren E. Salas



Sunday, July 17, 2016

THE FLOWERS

The grounds keeper said we might as well take
The flowers; he'd be throwing them away.
So we did. Every bloom and bud we could
That wasn't crushed, spent, damaged or broken.
We gathered them gently into our arms
And took them home where we put them in jars,
Vases, bottles arranging them as well
As we could. The flowers brought color back
Into what had been a very gray week
And a bit of light into our dark times.











Now, as each day passes, more flowers fade;
Petals dropping silently, leaves drooping.
Maybe we can dry the roses, maybe
We can press some of them into a book. 
If we lay them in the garden, might seeds
Take root and in the Spring grow back again? 
Anything to keep these flowers alive,
To make them last a little bit longer. 
Because while I still have the flowers here,

I won't really have to tell her good-bye.


Caren E. Salas






.

Friday, July 15, 2016

IN THE NIGHT

Trying to stay strong for them
And holding it together
But in the night and quiet
When I'm tired and alone
I just can't hold back the tears
Or keep my heart from breaking.


Caren E. Salas



Thursday, July 14, 2016

THE MEASURE

She was a small person
Not very tall, height-wise
But if you measured the size
Of her heart, well!
She was off the chart
And in number of embraces
And the faces of friends
She lifted up, gifts she gave
Unselfishly,
It was easy to see
That her being gone...
Just seems...so wrong.
But I'll remember her smile
And though for a while, I'm crying
I'm trying to love,
As she would,
Live like she could, Dream
Of the peace she now knows.
Because her light continues
To grow as long as we know
What to measure.


Caren E. Salas

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

THE ARMS OF GOD



For us, time stood still
The moment that the doctor
Said, I'm so sorry,
We did everything we could,
But she's in the arms of God.

It happened so fast;
No time to say our good-byes
Or that we loved her.
But she knew. I know she knew
Watching...from the arms of God.


Caren E. Salas

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

THE WORDS HAVE LEFT ME

The words have left me, so it seems
Packed their bags with broken dreams
They used to stay with me all night
Make sense of things, and hold me tight

But now they're gone, just not around
I'm open-mouthed, without a sound
I've seen the face of love in pain
And a light that's drowning, in ceaseless rain

I'm left with an empty and aching heart
Seeing those I love, now torn apart
The words have left me high and dry
I try to speak but only cry.


Caren E. Salas





Friday, July 1, 2016

ALL RIGHT (#24 Prompt: Lost and Regained)

True, we had lost touch
But when I heard that she was gone
Without a good-bye
And no forwarding address
Nothing about it felt right.

Years passed and often
I wondered what had happened
It wasn't like her
But sometimes we lose out minds
When we're following our hearts.

One day, she was back
She worried I'd be angry
But no, not a chance
I have my friend back again
And everything is all right.


Caren E. Salas

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

MY DANCIN' SHOES (#23 - a poem about shoes)


I never knew 
What the years would do
To my shoes
Hidden, stored away
Melancholy memories repressed
I had all but given in
To ever wearing them again
But then...
A second chance
A brand new song
To dance to
But time had been a bit unfair
To my old shoes
And now it's clear
I'm gonna' need a new pair.



Caren E. Salas





Photo: Poshmark


Saturday, June 25, 2016

A Star for Her (#22 prompt: Star_____)




Fallen star
To hold in her hand
Midnight blue
Shining bright
A pendant of Star Sapphire
To hang on her neck.


Caren E. Salas






The prompt was a fill in the blank with "Star..." I didn't want to go with the first thought of Star Power or Star Light, but something a little different..:)

Photo: wanelo.com

Friday, June 24, 2016

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

MY FRIEND... (#20 Prompt: what goes unsaid)




What I should have said
Doesn't realy matter now
What I could have said
Nothing I can do about

Can only keep missing you.



Caren E. Salas



Tuesday, June 21, 2016

THE "COOL" KIDS (#19 Cool or Uncool)

The cool kids tease and call her names
Trip her walking down the hall
Knock over books, pull her hair
Laugh at her should she fall.

The cool kids talk behind her back
Spreading rumors around the school
I think these kids really need to learn
A better definition of  "cool".


Caren E. Salas




Photo: Huffington Post - Getty Images.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

MY OFFICE (#18 an "office" poem)



I stare out at the ocean
Waves crashing, seagulls crying
Hot sand in between my toes
Cool breezes hitting my face
I turn back to my writing:
A tough day at the office.


Caren E. Salas

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

KABUKI (#16 prompt: in or about a food establishment)



A cup of green tea
Pickled ginger, wasabi
Holding my chopsticks
Waiting for my miso soup
And one California Roll.



Caren E. Salas





Ah...heaven on a plate. My friend introduced me to Kabuki Restaurant, the funny thing is she doesn't like sushi! I only like a bit of the raw stuff, but I love me some California Rolls! So this is a love poem. A Tanka (syllabic form). And hey, try out Kabuki.
Photo and restaurant:
http://www.kabukirestaurants.com/food/

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

PARTY OF THE CENTURY (#15 Pick 4 or more)

It was a lavish affair
Only the brightest and best
Were invited, and there
Was no room for the rest

The blacklist was as long
As the earth is flat
And the size of the throng
Showed the truth in that.

But if you could wrestle,
If you could sing,
Had a big shiny vessel,
Or a small gaudy ring,

A flat piece of paper,
A nice golden tooth,
An ant-eating tapir,
Or an wild untold truth,

Then maybe they'd make
An exception for you
But of course they would take
A donation or two.

For this fancy event
Lasted only one night
Until your money was spent
And the morning was bright.


Caren E. Salas


Prompt: Use 4 or more of the following words: flat, ring, lavish, vessel, tooth, paper, blacklist gaudy.
These poems always come out a little funky, but I just had fun with it, and tried
to use all the words.





Monday, June 13, 2016

NO TAPPING OUT (#14 prompt:"Time Out")






They each like to argue about what it's about;
But I'm still confused, still filled with doubt.
I just want to cover my ears up and shout,
"I need a time out! I need a time out!"

Who knows what the truth is, it all seems absurd.
I've tuned it all out. I can't hear a word.
I stare out the window and see a small bird,
As it lets out a turd, It let out a turd!

It seems not to matter who's wrong or who's right.
It's who's still alive at the end of the fight.
There's no tapping out in this race tonight;
We can only sit tight, we can only sit tight.

Caren E. Salas

Sunday, June 12, 2016

LAST ONE (#13 Prompt: "Last ____")

I stand, agonizing.
Staring at the almost empty
Pink cardboard box
Of crumbs and sugary shrapnel
And one,
One last doughnut.
I look around the room.
Is it being saved for someone?
Did everybody get one?
Maybe I should just take half.
I mean, really, I don't really need it.
On the other hand,
It's not something I have everyday...
Oh, what the heck!
I should just grab it before--

Hi! 
Oh no, go ahead!
I mean, really, I don't really need it.
It's just a doughnut...
The last one. 
(I smile)
Go ahead.
(I try not to cry)


Caren E. Salas



Photo: mine
Donut: Varsity Donuts of Manhattan, Kansas  https://www.facebook.com/varsitydonuts/

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Friday, June 10, 2016

SOMETHING WRONG (#11 a "defensive poem")

There's something very wrong here
Something not quite right
When a bullied child in self defense
Is rebuked for "joining" the fight;

When a victim's life is opened wide
And instead of comforted, shamed,
Insulted atop the injury
Belittled, mocked and blamed.

How do we alter hundreds of years
Of Survival of the Cruel?
It's time to change some attitudes.
It's time to break some rules.

Apparently it's easy to say
"Toughen up, you'll be fine"
Rather than taking action,
To eliminate the crime.

There's something very wrong here;
Something so absurd.
But being a girl myself, it seems
I likely won't be heard.


Caren E. Salas




Photo: http://bullyingpreventionnow.com/bullying-assemblies/high-school-bullying-assemblies/
Also, check this out! http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/06/high_school_valedictorian_skip.html

Thursday, June 9, 2016

ANTICIPATION (#10 - Pick an emotion)

Waiting and wondering
Nervous excitement
A happy panic
Mixed with somber confusion
Neurotic obsession
And willing delusion
A constant addiction
To imminent perceptions
Of future occasions
Filled with great trepidations
Yet euphoric optimism
Knowing and certain
Believing,,,hoping....

Waiting and wondering.


Caren E. Salas

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

THE PLAYHOUSE (#9 - "Hideout)

It was the coolest place in heaven or earth
We were seven or eight
Just a couple of girls
Our faces smudged with jelly and dirt
And the playhouse
Was our own little world
On the ceiling was a map and a chart of Morse code
There was a potter's wheel
For making clay bowls
Just enough space for imaginations to roam
Sleeping bags and blankets
For when it got cold
It was the coolest place in heaven or earth
And for a couple of girls
Our own little world.


Caren E. Salas



Okay, we are a little more than 7 or 8 here....but this is my partner in crime, 
and yes, we are still friends.

Monday, June 6, 2016

SQUIGGLES (#8 be inspired by a doodle)



A line
A wiggle
Just thoughtless squiggles

Like inside of my mind
A jumble
unrefined
In different directions
It's all
For my own protection.

If no one can figure me out, then
I don't have to show
Who I really am.

Caren E. Salas

URBAN AIR (#7 "Urban ---")


You really don't know
Until you go someplace else
And you realize
You can breathe, I mean really 
Inhale deeply, exhale...breathe.


Caren E. Salas







Photo: http://www.umich.edu/~elements/5e/web_mod/la_basin/index.htm

Sunday, June 5, 2016

ROOTS (#6 an Ekphrastic poem)




Grounded
Stable, stong
Doing, feeling, striving
Roots, home, prison, restraint
Reaching, fearing, disparing
Imprisoned, tortured
Bound.

Caren E. Salas




Painting:  "Roots" by Frida Kahlo

Friday, June 3, 2016

Eyes Closed

The petals drop one by one
My opening night bouquet
Fading into every day
Mere hours remain of this dream
And I don't want to wake up
Eyes closed, let me sleep some more.


Caren E. Salas

IN BETWEEN (#4 Distance)



Distance can be measured
Not in miles, 
But by smiles and tears;
Not on a street map, 
But through years: the days and nights
And the difference
In between.

A warm embrace remembered,
Makes separation abate,
But the cold chill of a friendship lost
Reaches right into the heart:
A reminder 
Of a much greater divide
.

You haven't moved, or traveled 
To parts unknown and yet 
The distance
In between us
...has grown.


Caren E. Salas

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Not That I'm Counting #3 - "Three ___ ____"

Three long months I have to wait
Until my next vacation
All right, about one hundred
Days more or less, give or take,
Thirteen hours, and six minutes.
But it's not like I'm counting....

Caren E. Salas




Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Fade to Black - #2 He said/she said





Good night
Is all she said
Turned off the light
And went to bed.

I love you
He whispered back
Closed his eyes
Fade to black.


Caren E Salas

Friday, May 27, 2016

A Day Late and a Poem Short

Somehow, I completely lost track of April. Yes, pretty much the entire month has disappeared from memory. I did go on a cruise the first week of the month, but after that...it's all a blur. I sort of remember unpacking, and trying to catch up on the bills and housework, but other than that....things get fuzzy..And now, here it is: the end of May.

So unfortunately I missed Robert Lee Brewer's Poem a Day Challenge for National Poetry Month which was almost two months ago. At first I thought "Awe, man! I blew it!" But then I realized, that I can still look up Mr. Brewer's prompts and I can still write a poem every day for a month. Well, I can try anyway. So here I go. Hopefully you will join me for the ride. I'll try and keep up.

The first prompt was to write a "Foolish Poem". There's something about that word that sort of bothers me. I don't mind the occasional surprise that makes you jump, or a silly rubber spider in your cereal, but for a person to purposely set another person up to make them feel stupid, seems hurtful, and alienating.  So...here's my post for a "Foolish" poem:


THE FOOL


No one wants to play the fool
The butt of jokes, the target
In a dart game, the bullseye
Talked and laughed about by all
Who need to put down others
In order to raise themselves.


Caren E. Salas




Monday, May 16, 2016

All Too Familiar

Appointments
Procedures
It all seems
Familiar
But this time
It's not me
I wish though
It could be
I don't want 
To see her
...in pain.

More blood work
The needles
The waiting
For hours
The meds and
The diets
Won't know 'til
We try it
I don't want 
Her going
...insane.

It's all
Inconclusive
Frustrating
Confusing
More doctors
Re-testing
It's hard just
Digesting
The answers
Seem so hard
...to find.

So we go
On waiting
What seems like
Forever
I hope that
She makes it
I hope I 
Can take it
I feel like 
I'm losing
....my mind.


Caren E. Salas









Friday, March 4, 2016

Runaway Train

                               My eyes are wide open, my hair is a mess,                                 
My blankets are tangled; can't escape from my bed.  
But the worst part is knowing despite my distress,
And I can't stop the runaway train in my head.

I'm feeling hung over, but had nothing to drink.
I expect to find shrapnel of my brains all around,
Left behind when due to unexpected ignition
My head just exploded, without making a sound.

Still the train keeps on coming, increasing in speed.
Filled with freight cars heavy with worries and fears;
And I'm tied to the tracks like the Perils of Me
Damn Pauline didn't show up, yet the audience cheers.

Was it something I said, or forgot to include?
Did I remember to lock the front door late last night?
There's the long list of things I still have to do.
Did I mess something up? Can I still make it right?

My thoughts are as tangled as the blankets and sheets
That are holding me hostage, twisted up in my bed.
The whistle is blowing; with no rescue in sight
And I can't stop the runaway train in my head.

Caren E. Salas








Photo: "Little Phil and the Nightshadows" Perils of Pauline  youtube.com

Friday, February 26, 2016

Erased



I'm still here
But you can't see me
Closed your eyes
So I'll go away.

I'm still here
But you won't hear me
Turned your back
To what I say.

I'm still here
Though I'm deleted
Marked and cut
Without a paste.

I'm still here
But I don't exist
Because to you
I've been erased.



Caren E. Salas

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Just a Dream



Sometimes I think
It was just a dream
Another life
Me, imagining.

My dancing shoes
Have gathered dust
My singing voice 
Is a little rusty.

My body is tired.
My song is sad;
A quiet echo
Of what once I had.

But still I try
No giving in,
Discouraged by
What could have been.

It may not end 
The way I planned,
But I'm on my feet
And I can make a stand.

And if I can stand,
Then I can dance.
Another show.
Another chance.

I refuse to quit.
No surrendering,
And never stop
Remembering...

That once I thought
It was just a dream
Another life
Me, imagining.


Caren E. Salas





Photo: CSUDH  "A Chorus Line" 1988