Camille, a girl of twelve
Red air and lost duel
With a virus that chokes
Your chest with wheezing tones
You glow of your mountain shack
Your mother replenishing with petals a sac
Melting perfumes of roses and lavender
To welcome you from school a traveler
At noon, the alabaster sun intriguing
The branches far-reaching
Covering the silent brooks
Bending with sinuous hooks
At dawn, Camille listening on the doorstep
Grandpa reciting a rhyme at its onset
Of the brave princess and her purple fairy
Of the owl hoot from the pinnacle of the priory
Now, the evening in a hospital bed
The bleep of a resuscitator on the corridor spread
That breathing that slowly leaves life
With a cycle that ends with no rise
Decorating Silence
by Odin Roark
How deafening the stillness
Where once did tinkling chimes hang above
Welcoming doors opening
When snow-clad galoshes padded innocently
While a snow covered canine
Did wag
Did pant
Did shake
How distant the Lionel train
Making its rounds about the tree
Its smoke stack puffing
Its timid whistle sounding
How comforting
The fragrance of conifer drippings
The string draped popcorn boughs
The reflective glass balls of red
Green
Yellow
And clear
How memorable these reflections
Love’s time past
When simple butcher paper
Newspaper
Brownbag wrapped gifts
Needed but a piece of red string
To bring a smile
Aged appreciation nods
Snapshots remain
Remembrance fixes frozen moments
Standing warm and supportive
Rising from the flames
How faithful my fire
The stone encased resuscitator
Able to keep safe
Those undulating mirages
Never out of reach
Always ready to arouse
Performing the yearly dance
Beneath moist overcast eyes
Ever glistening
Time fades
Fireplaces stand ready
Nostalgia’s faithful friends know well
Decorated silence remains
But a simple rekindling away