~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every Breath You Take — The Police
Total Eclipse of the Heart — Bonnie Tyler
Against All Odds — Phil Collins)
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They dance behind my ribs, these ghosts~
Every breath you take,
Every move you make,
I hear them still, though the speakers are cracked.
The night is a bruise, purple-black,
Turn around, bright eyes,
but the stars won’t rise,
just the hum of a neon vacancy sign.
And the odds? They laugh in my face.
How can you just walk away
when the ache stays,
a cassette tape jammed in an old machine~
rewinding,
rewinding,
but never
playing clean.
Ugly Jerk is not the poem of the day, the poem of the decade
Balloons ascend, a vibrant, joyful hue,
Embraced by warmth, a day both fresh and new.
Radiant smiles, like sunbeams, are bright and clear,
Now memories bloom, banishing all fear.
All wishes whispered, on a gentle breeze,
Dreams take their flight, among the rustling trees.
Enchanting moments, laughter's sweet refrain,
Treasured memories, washing out all pain.
Time's gentle passage, a revelry's art,
Eternal happiness, a brand new start.
©bfa030925
what if what we had was temporary
a momentary glance of happiness
of freedom
of joy
of reckless youth
a time of love and carelessness
maybe that was where our memory is supposed to stay
maybe it wasn’t meant to continue on into this decade.
Maybe the sun never rose up again after it set that summer.
As I meander 'neath bougainvillea's resplendent flare,
A lachrymose tear descends, delicate and rare.
It glides o'er my visage, where memories dwell -
Nostalgia pirouettes in an ephemeral spell.
A fragile form, each breath a whispered plea,
Cracked like ice beneath a trembling sea,
Whiffs of solace levitating from amma's lap,
A delicate darling, like a rose dew on morning's nap.
Once a diva, enshrined in radiant effulgence,
Now scattered like meteorite dust, yet still rich in resonance.
From molasses, I emerge, each step a soft reclamation,
As blossoms unfurl, heralding my quiet resurrection.
Lessons linger in memory’s endless mosaic.
Seasons sail serenely, steadfast and stoic.
Worth blooms not in victories alone -
Be the heartbeat that heals when twilight’s grown.
As if startled awake
from fitfull sleep
Of dreams both cartoonish
Yet with meaning deep
My life having passed
as this very repose
A young woman
Now grand dame all as I dozed
For I must have been asleep
At the wheel
Alternately engaging
disengaging at will
One eightying along I sped through my life seventh decade now coming to pass
How will I cram in
All this life left to live before I run out of gas
Hey you young motorist
Yes I'm talking to you
I once thought of myself
As Immortal too
One day you'll arrive here as
Sure as night follows day
So listen to the words
I am moved to say
Make it count slay regret at its birth
Live fully and thoughtfully for all that your worth
To arrive at destination (well done)
Just judging myself
I know it’s just a shame,
that I waste my days, losing all my pride
I push others aside,
that affection can’t compare to those beautiful eyes
I think of him, That voice and that grin
And I am hooked right back and then,
I’m wondering when he’ll be in my life again
I’m no victim, I’m the crime
I’ll keep chasing him until I get my time
I just want to feel truly seen again
Just by him and no other men.
By Rosie Hill
Turn up the radio and ...
It's the same ol' situation,
The same songs, same band
That raised my generation
That was then, this is now
Nothing's changed but my age,
And four numbers, somehow
On a calendar's page ...
It happened again today
In the store where I shopped,
In the restaurant, I heard it play
Proving the 80's never stopped
That was then, this is now
O, to revive a faded fad,
If we never forget how
Good times can still be had
Life, like a cassette tape
With two sides, was designed,
From Side A, Side B can't escape
If you just press rewind ...
What a roller coaster it has been
The ups and downs and the in-betweens
We laugh, we cry , we shout and scream
We walk, we run, we hope and we dream
We we're tested by times and it's rough
And moments when we thought of giving up
Though imperfect and at times full of mistery
I wouldn't change a thing in this love story
Sure we hesitated once or twice
Doubting ourselves, scared to cast the dice
But we learned to walk blindfolded in the dark
Knowing this adventure is no easy stroll in the park
It feels surreal being in this journey with you
Until now, seems too good to be true
But damn! I wouldn't have it any other way
Wouldn't trade it for anything at any given day
Yes, we have a long way to go
But look how far we've gone
With each mistake, we learned and we grow
We used to be two but now we're one
A decade of tears, joy, and learning
Of struggles, defeat and of winning
Looking forward to the crystal, silver, ruby and gold
Still holding hands, together til we're old
_______________________________
To my wonderful husband..
Happy 10th anniversary ..
Cheers to more beautiful years together
It seems we have traveled a very long way,
just to end up where we started from.
Still taking most from all,
and giving it all to some.
The incompetent march and all cry foul,
and say that soon their time will come.
The farmers all hate the factories,
for putting their women on the job.
The rich white men hated black men,
they said they were nothing but a mob.
The Catholics hated everyone else,
while the rule makers just polished their knob.
The new women said they knew what was best,
that their mothers had it all wrong.
The politicians praised how all the people,
worked together to make America strong.
It was the poor that wrote the words,
but it was the rich who sang the song.
So, I ask if any one of us,
will ever know just what to do.
In a country where the left says they’re right,
but the right says that they are too.
And up in the big house around the corner,
lies are touted as the gospel truth.
History often repeats itself,
that's what the experts all say.
The way it was a hundred years ago,
is the way that it still is today.
And we still have not learned our lesson,
that the answer is to kneel and pray.
People need sincerity, not false hope or rumors. People need security,
not broken promises. What Can You Do For Me? People need jobs,
not unemployment: People need housing, not homelessness.
People need food, not starvation; What Can You Do for Me?
People need Peace, not war.
Education is a right, not a luxury.
People need affordable transportation, not a luxury charge for ordinary.
transportation.
People are human beings, not animals.
What Can You Do for Me? I ask.
What Can You Do for Me?
He was my dad but his life came to an end.
He died and I would never see him again.
He perished after months of receiving chemotherapy.
He had Leukemia and is buried in Sneedville, Tennessee.
He was a hard worker and he worked hard for many years.
Cancer made him become ill and he died just like I feared.
He died ten years ago today on the 13th of July.
It is always sad and tragic when a parent dies.
[Dedicated to Charles F. Johnson (1947-2013) who died ten years ago today on July 13, 2013]
Six decades ago
the landscape of
my Little Nassau
had
places like
The Silver Slipper
The Blue Note
The Banana Boat
The Conch Shell
The Zanzibar
The Cat and Fiddle
and The Drumbeat Club
with activities like
Fire dancing
limbo dancing
steel bands
big bands
and Goombay drums
Interesting people like
Sweet Richard
Blind Blake Higgs
George Symonette
Freddie Munnings
Eloise Lewis
Paul Meeres
Chippie Chipman
and Peanuts Taylor
and songs like
Island Woman
Bahama Lullaby
Chi Chi Merengue
Goombay Papa
Guma In Exuma
Island In The Sun
and Conch Ain't Got No Bone
ignited into the atmosphere
Dustmen were dirty
Shoes had holes
Typewriters qwerty
Clothes were old
School was tough, kids were rough
Summers were always, quite cold
Three-day week
No power at night
Week after week another union strike
Nothing to do, so early to bed
Wake the next day to no loaves of bread
No central heating
Winters were freezing
No phone tweeting
Less coughing and sneezing
TV was great, watching films late
The Friday night Hammer, the best to see
British bulldog we played,
as gangs in the street
The shop round the corner,
had all the best sweets
And despite everything, when all’s said and done
The discontented decade was still lots of fun!
tw suicidal ideation
My mind’s fading to dark grey again.
I’m like a boat drifting in the storm, struggling above the waves for a second just to go right back under again.
I’ve been like this since I was six.
Why does death feel
So much closer than before?
It used to be something I wished for
But I knew I would never try to reach it.
Now…
I’m not so sure.
I lost belief in God when I was young.
No matter how hard I sobbed into my pillow
No matter how fervently I prayed
No matter how many times I tried to suffocate
He wouldn’t let me die
So my faith did instead.
Now here I am again.
Curled up on the shower floor
Weak prayers falling from my lips
Pleading to surrender to the darkness of sleep.
I don’t want your pity, your worry, your “it’ll get better. Trust me.”
I want to know why I’m like this.
Why have I always thought I’m worthless and stupid and useless and someone no one wants to speak to or see or notice?
Maybe then the storm will break.
Maybe then the boat will stay afloat.
Maybe then enduring sunlight will shine upon its bow.
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