Lost

Day 6: An addict/addiction poem



Lost

Lost without the high
He wandered the streets alone,
Family, home, all gone.
I'd rather be dead, he'd said.
Be careful what you wish for.


Caren E. Salas

The Glue

Day 5: A "broken" poem. Something or someone that's broken.


The Glue

Tiny crystal ornament
In the shape of a scallop's
Open shell, broke right before
My eyes.Memories of past
Christmas trees I hung it on
Faded, but we looked for glue.

I cleaned the dust of seasons
Stored, and propped it carefully,
Dabbing it with adhesive.
It's back together now, but
What I want to know is where
Is the glue that will fix me?


Caren E. Salas

News

Day 4: Write a poem about finding something unexpected. I decided that finding out something unexpected would work too. Have you ever wished  you'd never picked up the phone?



News

I stood, holding the telephone, speechless
And numb, your words cutting, chipping away
At my heart, crushing it into rubble
Like rocks in a quarry; my hopes falling
Away in an avalanche of debris
And tears, unable to respond, or breath.
The silence between us, suffocating.
I stare out the window at overcast
Skies, and wonder if the sun will come out,
Or if the stars will forget how to shine.


Caren E. Salas

Sort of a Dog

Day 3: Write a poem using "sort of_______" filling in the blank. When I started to write this I looked down at my little dog and thought "You're sort of a dork!"  The problem is I'm not sure he knows he's a dog.

Sort of a Dog

He's sort of a dog

But more like a friend

Sometimes forgetful

But true to the end.

He thinks he's a puppy

Loves to play ball

Runs with the big dogs

Barks at the small.

In my crazy life

He's so much a part

My sort of a dog

Owns all of my heart.

Caren E. Salas

This Wasn't It

Day 2 - an epigraph poem. This is a poem inspired by a specific quote, shown under the title but before the body. Gotta' love Groucho.

This Wasn't It

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

The place was a dump, the service was bad

The food was the absolute worst that I've had.

The company, boring, and so was the show

At last I got up and said "I have to go!"

"I have an appointment, or maybe a date,
Or was it a manicure? Whatever! I'm late!"
I ran out the door, but the valet was gone.
It appeared that my car would be pinned in 'til dawn.

I got on my cell to call for a ride,
Debating if I should go wait back inside.
But the thought of returning was too much to bear.
I knew that I just had to get out of there!

I've had many evenings with friends, having fun,
But sadly, I'd have to say, this wasn't one.


Caren E. Salas

Photo:  chicagotribune.com

Making Time

Yesterday was the official start of Robert Lee Brewer's November Poem a Day Challenge.  In theory, I'll be posting a poem everyday this month in response to prompts provided on his website. Usually it's not the writing part that's hard (I carry a notebook everywhere!) it's the posting that I get behind on. So, here I go. Be sure to check back now and then and see what's new!

Day 1: A Procrastination or Pro-active poem - Don't you love when people say "you have to make the time" like it's something you can just whip up in your spare time?




Making Time

Take an hour, here and there
A half a dozen minutes
A dash and splash of seconds
Combine together and stir.
Use it immediately
Because you know...it won't last.


Caren E. Salas

Teresa

When we first moved into the house we live now, there was an older lady who lived across the street. She had suffered with polio as a child and was confined to a wheelchair, but that didn't stop her from living.  One warm day, my kids and I were outside eating Popsicles and she was out watering her garden.  We took a Popsicle over to her and you'd have thought it was made of gold. I don't think she cared about the pop as much as the company. After that we spent more and more time getting to know her and she became our adopted "Grammy." She even signed birthday cards that way. When she passed away, we knew a member of our family had died.  Shortly after there was an estate sale, and as much as the trend these days is not to keep "stuff", sometimes items do have a meaning beyond their material value.

TERESA

The cut crystal jar that was always filled

With a never-ending supply of mints,

You know, those red and white disc-shaped candies...

It was empty now, and I picked it up

Knowing the crowds of pickers had no clue

Of its real value, to me anyway.

The candy was gone, as gone as she was.

Standing in the midst of it all, I cried

Remembering the taste of peppermint

But only tasting the salt from my tears.

Caren E. Salas

What Counts...

Seven pills every morning,

Not including pain control
Four more pills to take at night,
Every week: three injections,
And two patches. Therapy,
Doctor visits, tests and labs.

Twenty-four hours, seven days,
A man who loves me, four kids

Call me "Mom". Two turtles, fish,

And my little dog, Whiskey.

If you ask, "Is it all worth it?"

I answer in one heartbeat.

Yes. 

Caren E. Salas

photo by William Salas

Anemone

Weightless fingers reach,

Touch, taste, beautiful and yet
Dangerous, clinging
To the rocks; it lives between
Salty sea and jagged shore.

A gentle slow dance
Swaying with the tide's constant
Ebbs and flows, living
Its life in the shallow pools
Unaware of my presence.

Caren E. Salas

Late

Missed again.
One phone call too short
And a few
Minutes late.
Opportunities vanish
Til some other day.


Caren E. Salas

Moments

There have been moments,

When everything was perfect;

The planets aligned,

And the worries of the world

Evaporated away.


Those moments in time,
I'll remember forever,
Like yesterday's dream
Or my hopes for tomorrow,
Kept safely inside my heart.



Caren E. Salas

Waiting

I'm always waiting;

Waiting for a better day,

Waiting for more time,

Waiting for more energy,

Waiting for a miracle.

Hoping I'll wake up

One bright morning feeling good
And feeling rested
And the planets will align

And everything will be fine.

I have to believe

In my heart, to keep going

Hoping and waiting,

Dreaming I will dance again

And the wait, will be worth it.

Caren E. Salas

(Salvador Dali - The Persistance of Memory)

Why am I?

Eyes
Wide
Open,
Why am I
Awake at this hour
Lying alone in the darkness?


Caren E. Salas

The Magic

Show me the magic,

Give me reasons to believe

In the illusions.

Tip the hat and wave the wand;

Maybe make me disappear.

Show me the magic,

And say "Abracadabra!"

I'll pretend it's real.

Please don't tell me your secrets;

I really don't want to know.

Show me the magic

Let glitter float in the air.

Take me far away

From this ordinary life,

And into an endless dream.

Caren E. Salas

*Robert Lee Brewer's prompt: an "escape" poem

For my friend, Eugene Ireland (Magic Castle)

The Fight

Thoughts spinning,

Twisting, choking me,

Attempting

To spill out

Like blood, draining my body

Until I can't breathe.

Sanity

Waning as each word

Struggles out

Of my soul,

No matter how hard I try

 To keep it inside.

Caren E. Salas

 

 

Photo: http://www.aug.edu/