Living Will

("Ceremony Ashes" *from the "Impressions in Barbados" series,Walter Smith)

I don’t want to be buried,

-when I die-

My body incarcerated,

smelling putrid, like old

milk having solidified.

Sharing elbow room where

The earth worm has burrowed.

This does not appeal to me

once my life has ended.

Rather, bake me into ashes,

pepper me in the sea-

travel me free, like a careless

fish without purpose.

Send me off with your wishes-

a goodbye ceremony-

as my gritty bulk traverses

the ocean floor. This is what I’ll

wish for when my breathing ceases.

*Linking up to Poetics over at dVerse

Alignment

The planets aligned today.

Just perfectly.

Awakened with the feeling

of being watched,

I found her sapphire eyes

simply gazing at me.

As our eyes connected

and my brain began to register,

her face delivered

a smile that vanquished

the remaining dimness

from the room.

And I was left without

my usual hesitation

to throw back the covers.

From her playpen, I

lifted her into my arms, 

she hugged me close, 

And the morning,

it became priceless

as we shared peanut butter

toast, she with milk in her sippy,

and I, coffee in my Snoopy mug,

the two of us,

snuggling and watching Franklin. 

And in the rainy, cool afternoon

such contrast from the hot sunny

day before, I returned her

to her momma

And went on with my daily chores.

Later, sitting at my computer,

I read how the alignment of the

planets-on this down cycle day

of mother nature’s bipolar disorder-

would cause your broom

to stand unassisted in the middle

of the kitchen floor.  I, of course,

skeptical.

But it did, in fact, stand like a

haunting, taunting me all on its

own, if only it would have swept my

floor while it was showing off. 

The witch’s vehicle stood there, alone,

for over two hours.

It survived attack of the two black

labs; it did not budge. 

But as we all know, the planets,

they rotate-their alignment ever

changing.  And consequentially,

 the broom toppled

 to the floor-the clank, pop of 

wood meeting linoleum,

And at that moment, my

Lucy Fur (cat) took it upon herself

to attack her food storage

knocking the container

over and flooding the tile

with chicken-flavored bites. 

So, there I was with the lifeless 

broom, sweeping up the mess.

I think the bristles mocked me.

The planets aligned today,

just perfectly.

(my favorite overnight house guest)

**Had breakfast with my favorite baby girl today.  It was a great start to the morning.  and my broom really did stand alone in the middle of my kitchen floor, surviving my dogs, for greater than two hours.  

**linking up to dVerse for the spoken word poem prompt.  

Preservation

(picture found on google images)

I’ll take the dream I had last night

And put her in the freezer

Hide her behind the frozen steak

And hope nobody sees her.

I’ll take the wishes on my lips

And place them on the burner

I’ll boil them until pristine

and preserve them in my armor

I’ll take the hope behind my eyes

And place him in the kiln

I’ll toast him to a golden brown

And cover him with film.

I’ll save them for that stormy day-

my dream, my wishes, my hope-

and with them prepare a pleasing feast,

one sure to quell my mope.

**linking to OLN at dVerse

** "Frozen dream" was my inspiration today, Shel Silverstein always a favorite of mine in childhood. I used his first two lines to get mine started, an idea given by Mary Oliver from Real Toads on Friday's challenge.  It helped me wake up my comatose muse and at least get her semi-conscious! 

“FROZEN DREAM

I'll take the dream I had last night
And put it in my freezer,
So someday long and far away
When I'm an old grey geezer,
I'll take it out and thaw it out,
This lovely dream I've frozen,
And boil it up and sit me down
A dip my old cold toes in.”
― Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic

The Calling (magical realism)

                  "Fledge" 2005 painting by Steven Kenny                     

(In his paintings, Steven Kenny combines detailed realism, surrealism, and symbolism to convey the universal language of nature. Kenny received his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, he currently lives in Washington, VA.)

I shall prepare myself to take this plunge.

I stand edged upon the cliff’s meager door

longing for escape from man’s excess grunge.

Man’s hate and judgement tearing at my core,

I desire to play human nevermore.

I strip of my guise, wait at Heaven’s gate

I close my eyes, feeling as eagles soar

and as part of them, I crave to migrate.

The ugliness of mortal be expunged,

let nature’s vast beauty within me pour

and into it love and peace will be blunged

to re-birth a carefree ocean once more.

The earth is tired of man’s lust, rage, and gore.

I seek absolution of sin and wait

for the birds to sing into me their lore

and as part of them, I crave to migrate.

Their wisdom, I will soak up as a sponge

and in my being, it shall remain stored.

And it shall transpire from within my young;

to love and accept will be their one chore.

And we will play human nevermore

because mortals are much too full of hate.

I know, I was a human once, before

the birds sang and called for me to migrate.

I looked upon my ankles as they tore

and spread two angel wings sealing my fate

to fly free with the birds forever more

as part of them, I am called to migrate.

*linking up to Real Toads for Kerry's Wednesday "Magical Realism" challenge and to Dverse for the FormForAll French Ballades II

Heaven's Gain

                            a grave at the Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow                          

You cradled my heart amid

those delicate appendages,

and now I shall lavish roses

over your tiny sarcophagus.

and while I will mourn

the end of your essence,

I shall persist and honor

your short, sweet existence.

Now I lay you down to sleep

I pray, sweet baby, may

you rest in peace.

**In memory of those babies lost over the 10 years I've been a NICU nurse.

Linking up to Magpie Tales and OLN over at dVerse. 

Buckley Report: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Buckley Report: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

...one of many reasons I love my job.  Just had to share this awesome story :)

Cows and Kisses

It was a strange day When Harry Met Sally

at Four Weddings and a Funeral.

He embraced her in the church’s alley

where he cried for his dead uncle, O’Malley

shedding tears that soaked right through her shawl.

So Sally blotted his eyes and impatiently sighed,

“This is all Much Ado about Nothing, now.

We must get to My Best Friend’s Wedding, please abide.”

That’s when Sally heard the groom exclaim, “Runaway Bride!”

and turned to see her friend, Mary, fleeing on a cow.

Sally yelled, “it’s such a foolish sight to see one flee by cattle!”

Mary cried, “Well, you know I’ve Never Been Kissed

and worrying about it has left me Sleepless in Seattle.”

“Now, now, I know just who can help you with this battle.”

So Sad Harry kissed Prude Mary, and boy, was Groom pissed.

You see, everyone knows, There’s Something about Mary

She’s a Pretty Woman; she’s As Good As It Gets

She’s All That, just ask the groom, Sally, and Harry.

It’s Crazy Stupid Love; they know she’ll never marry,

for Mary has a new philosophy: "Friends with Benefits”.

**just having some fun with the movie prompt at Real Toads.  

"Drugs, Baby"

I can say it is a somber muse;

The one that comes from drug abuse

Innocence born craving

And the opiate enslaving

A product of her mom’s addiction

Withdrawal-her unfair affliction

Sleepless hours, frantic cries

Jitters, fevers, questioning eyes

And, Mom, it’s hard to face the truth

Baby’s sick ‘cause of your drug use.

I’ve never walked in your shoes,

but can I ask what made you choose

to ignore the damage you would cause

and keep taking drugs without pause?

**Unfortunately, I take care of a lot of babies born addicted to drugs.  At this time, there are 8 "drug babies" in our unit.  I got to shower one of them with love last night.  She is beautiful and sweet, and it makes me sad to see her struggling with something that could have been prevented. 

linking up to OLN at dVerse

You Jump, I Jump

I plunged into my salvation

ready for rebirth,

raptured by your potency

I found myself, unearthed. 

I welcomed the elation,

as if basking in a dream.

I fell head over heels, but

then, you pulled the string-

A sudden change in (e)motion;

my fascination lost its breadth,

You and me were done

before I caught my breath.

**linking up to OLN over at ~dVerse poet's pub :)  
**And yes, I really did jump out of a perfectly good airplane-actually the little plane was making me nervous and I was glad to get outta there ;).  It's probably been about 3 or 4 yrs since I did the skydive, but I would "jump" at the chance to do it again!

Dead Silence

                                    River, Marina Moevs, 2005

The destruction arrived mute.

Never heard it coming,

although the sharp bladed

prickling around my heart

may have been a clue,

a premonition,

call it intuition,

a reflection of what

was to be…

But I discounted it

and the voiceless bane

crept on in, turning

my thoughts insane.

And the silence, it

hangs like a nimbus gorged

on my unanswered questions.

My core uprooted,

I scatter speculation

like driftwood-combing the

reasons for your

absence, while you

silently cease to exist

in all but memory.

**posting to Magpie Tales and OLM at Real Toads

Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions-

how many made actually take?

Most of them need just a day,

an hour, to break.

Reflecting on this last year-

The choices made, those that

stemmed from hope, those that

stemmed from fear-

Will we use this, our past,

what's been learned,

to take chances at last

and to change how we

embrace each day

or in our stale safe place

will we stay?

**linking up to dVerse
**One of my resolutions is to take the time to sit down, write, and post more often.  I started a new job this week (will still be working with premature babies, just in a different hospital), and my new schedule should allow me to write a bit more regularly; now if only my brain and my "pen" will cooperate!  

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, may it be filled with happiness, laughter, fulfilled wishes, and success :)