Unbidden Grief

Unexpected Grief descends upon us
In the absence of a hearbeat
It clouds our days in automatic movements.
Unrelenting Grief lies heavy on the

continuously beating hearts
of those of us trying to survive the Pain of it
Tears sneak into our conversations
and spill out at inopportune times
when our hearts begin to thaw-
trying to recover from the unforgettable
Renting our hearts to tatters again
with the unbidden images
of a tiny grave
ringed with flowers, family, friends
sobbing for all that is lost
with that Precious, tiny Life

Lost and Found Memory

A leftover red tube sock
found at the bottom
of the laundry hamper
Smells of sadness
and anger
of things said
and left unsaid
Lost without its match
Or chance of
reconciliation

Sleep

Laying down these bones
to sleep
Seeking warmth beneath
flannel sheets
A groan escapes
the aches and pains
At day's end
awaiting sleep
Morning wakes
with faithful light
Rise and stretch
fill the day
Then meet the night

Forgotten

A leaning, sinking headstone
Standing four foot tall
Old and weather beaten
No name left at all
No one left to tend it
No one left to care
No one to remember
Who was buried there

Kharma (No Laughing Matter)

Making my way
around school hallways
I came face-to-face
with a smallish boy
"YOU SUCK!"
flew out of his mouth
and smacked me
right in the heart.
My only crime?
I wore thick glasses.
Years later...
Kharma took his legs.
Now he knows
how it hurt.

A Shared Shelter

A circle of women
Huddled in the basement
Shivering in the dampness
Of a Tornado Warning

Fat-fluffed Robin
Blown into the window well
Huddled against the windowpane
Shivering in the driving rain

All waiting out the storm

Butterfly Wings

Bright red geraniums
In the sun room
Rescued from a 27 degree
New York night
Dropped 2 red petals
On the carpet
Clutched in a 2 year-old's fist
Next morning
A pot of butterfly wings
In a small child's imagination