Little One

She’s not very tall

doesn’t have much to say

She’s there when I need her

Her kind eyes melt

the frozen solitude

of lonely days

Her rough kisses

pull me from the realm

of night and

remind me

there is sun

How can such

a tiny heart

beat with the rhythm

of the wind and

carry me to angelic heights

where the aftershocks

of hard places

can’t be felt

Six and a half pounds

of black and white fur

carries the weight of my world

tiptoes into my soul and

tickles my heart

with her joy

Nightmares and Dreams

In my worst nightmares
I remain inconsequential
subservient to overbearing
inept managers
who leave me shaking in their wake
I am alone and frightened
wrinkled beyond recognition
anonymous and insubstantial
television my only window
to a different world


In my best dreams
I live in a cabin in the woods
a safe haven for animals, writers, and me
fully recovered
from the nightmare of childhood abuse
I teach and inspire
ignite passion in women
speak openly of journeys
from darkness to light
I am loved, strong, sensual
no longer a shadow in a world of substance

Patchwork Quilt

Don’t discard mismatched
pieces of your life
Let your colors speak proudly
whisper pinks
brassy reds
gritty blacks and
soulful sapphires

Live wisely
but love foolishly
Kiss morning dew
Smell golden sunshine
Drink summer breezes
Embrace the heavens
Inhale ocean depths and
exhale life

Until each piece
of your life is stitched
with tender memories
to warm loved ones
on cold winter nights

Why So Sad?

What worries furrow your brow?
What wrinkles of fate
buried deep within
tunnel their way to the surface
for all to see?


What tragedies round your shoulders?
Whose fears and failures
pile endlessly upon your once-proud bearing?


What decisions cloud your eyes?
What storms raged through the years
destroying sunlit bliss?
Have you lost your path?
Are the pebbles of time
slipping dangerously beneath your feet?


What tiresome choices
tattoo themselves
permanently in your face?
Why so sad?
Why?