if it's not love
what has it become
once, we were the ones
who left the others in awe
of our passion, our nearly lethal dose
of lust and complete abandon
now, the linens are barely ruffled
the room smells of soap and softeners
our days are spent in silence
in the worries of the world that
has stolen the souls of lovers
gone before, gone forever
if it's not love
what has it become
C2023 Thomas Lee Rhymes March 30, 2023
( with apologies to Kieran Kane, Dead Rekoning. )
Welcome to 5th floor burn unit,
UCSD Medical Center.
This is the sign you pass,
As you enter.
They ask what happened,
How did you get burned?
They do this all with
Care and concern.
On a scale of 1 to 10,
What's your level of pain?
Your cussing, swearing,
You cry and complain.
They take me to a place,
They call wound care.
Nothing here is familiar,
You're not aware.
Wound care is a special place,
Full of pain and narcotics.
Stool softeners, I.V.'s with
Liquid antibiotics.
They scrub the burns with
Soap and water.
It's like leading the lamb
To the slaughter.
The cries and screams,
You can hear down the halls.
They bounce and echo
Off the walls.
You come to a place of awe,
For the angels that work in this place.
The scrubbing of the burns,
You learn to embrace.
This is where you find out,
You have nerves of steel.
There is a method to the magic,
In this place to heal.
Turbo1904
They are the softeners
Voicing breezy sweet.
Alleviating all at once
Living; and its heat.
Softeners; strengtheners;
Shady tree's head-rest!
Dulling the twin pains beneath;
World's; its hard-fought test.
Ah, we ladies never have enough!
Foundations in all shades.
Forever~ in new forms.
Cleansers that promise us youth.
Softeners that hide wrinkles.
Lipsticks, a source of confusion.
Creamy, matte, or gloss?
For me, it is all delusion.
A rainbow of colors for my eyelids.
Is it really me I present?
Or a manufacturers's disguise.
4/21/2021
How did this happen? Did someone ask me?
No they didn't. No warning. Not one!
They could have sent emails or maybe a tweet hinting,
"5o years young you are not."
Well, I guess there were warnings,
Ads sent in the mail like for hearing aids, stool softeners and such.
But nobody asked my permission, I'm sure.
It's not written down anywhere.
And you better believe my reply would have been,
"Forget it! Not ever!! Not ME!!!
'Cause you know what would happen? I know this is true,
I'd not stay the me that is ME.
And slowly and surely and sadly you'd hear,
"SHE WAS..." What? Forget it, SHE IS!
So don't you go looking at a place for this mom
Never call me, Miss Minnie, my friend!
Just laugh at my jokes and remember I'm wise.
You've not heard the best of me yet.
I'll keep my hair red and my nails a nice blue
'Cause my heart and my soul like it so.
Let me live out my life in the way I know best,
Never young. Never old. Ever ME!
With an unprecedented shortage of basic supplies
People worldwide are learning to be wise.
Loo rolls, medicine and the safety mask.
Making do with what we already have is the new task.
I’ve seen diapers and bras used as new safety covers.
Drugs for malaria and stool softeners as miracle cures, are just a few among others.
Even the orange headed one is coming up with new treatment ideas.
The new scene for loo rolls is now our expired tortillas.
Slowly thawed or quickly nuked with the microwave oven
Soft and abundant and recently discovered is the new lovin.
It might not be charmin, but equally as soft on the tush.
Biodegradable and able to flush, no longer needed is the backyard bush.