Freshener

The smell
Of Hawaii -
The scent
Of the islands -
Lingers too strong
And too long
In my kitchen.
So, now I will leave it
And go to my bedroom,
To face it tomorrow,
No matter what.

Hibernation

The poet in me
Has been
A little lax
Lately.
But I am
Certain
It is just in
Hibernation,
And that
It will return
As surely
As the seasons turn.

Rough Night

If nightmares
Haunt you
As you sleep,
Just say a prayer
And know I'll keep
You safe in mine.

New Season

Weird night
Again,
With strange
Judgments.
I'm not sure
What to
Think
Of this.

Muse

I wonder if
There will ever
Come a day
When people's
Rights
Will be respected?

Magic

There is magic
In the telling.
Someone said this
And it's true.
To deliver you from
Memory,
You talk until it
Leaves you.
The problem is,
Though talking helps,
The listeners
Are few.
There is no magic
When there's no one
To tell
Your secrets to.

More Than This

What should I
Have said to you?
And what should I
Have done?
How many friendships
Have I lost -
Once beautiful,
Now undone?
How can I get back
What's been taken?
How can I take back
What I gave?
I am more than a soul
I am a woman -
Not just to be healed
Or saved.

Sofia

Little mother,
Strength
Of character.
Strength.
Just strength,
In a four-year-old
Little girl.
Older sister -
Save the younger -
She sacrificed
Her life
For theirs.
Little mother
Was a child
With a
Strength
Unparalleled.

Carmina

In the valley
Of the moon
There was
A little girl.
She had two
Sisters
With her
At the end -
Or what
Would have
Been the end -
Had things
Been different.
She recovered
Outwardly,
Though she
Still wears the
Scars
Of the battle
Won and lost
In the valley
Of the moon.

Behind The Curtain

Behind the curtain
There are stares
There are nerves
That others share.
It is not
All the glamour
And flash in front -
Behind the curtain.
It is raw
But it's protective
Take the lead
And take the center
Let all your
Emotions fester
Back
Behind the curtain.

A Night In

Simple evening
With
Simple joys.
Dinner,
TV,
Happy noise.
Life is how it
Used to be,
And how it
Should be,
With all of us
Together
Again.

Skipper

Beautiful day,
Was sixty degrees -
When six days ago
We had snow.
The weather in Minnie
Is crazy
But lovely
And I can't express
How I adore it.

Time

The miracle
Is
Just around
The corner.
Even if
You don't
See it,
It's there
Lurking,
Waiting
For you
To come
And embrace it.

Announcement

Years ago
They told us
You were here,
And years ago
My life changed
Because I knew.
Ever since,
You have made
My life
Fuller, richer,
And more
Amazing,
Just
By being
You.

Empty

Gesutres
Mean nothing
When there is
Nothing
Behind them
But intentions
That benefit
Only yourself.
So don't hide
Behind
False pretenses -
Pretending
That something
Is for us -
When really
It's just
For you.

Build To Burn

People build walls
And I build walls
And we try to escape
The place we made
To no avail.
People burn bridges
And I hide any evidence
That there ever
Was a bridge.
And then I run
And try in vain
To leap the chasm
I have created.

Cherish

Writing away
It's my favorite
Kind of day.
Going up
From cold to hot.
Showing what I got.

First Snow

Today, the snow
Hung ironically
In the trees -
Still green.
It made me feel
The Christmas season
Was just
Around the corner.
The birds carried on
Because it was too cold
And they weren't
Expecting it.
Well, who is, really?
Maybe
We should all
Fly South together.
Or we could bundle up
And watch the strangely
Beautiful spectacle,
When winter came early,
And fall
Got skipped
Completely.

Impatient

Don't like to wait
For what should
Be on time.
I am impatient,
It's a vice
Of mine.
And it seems ironic,
This truth,
Since I'm the one
Most likely
To put you in a fix.

Broken Places

If we are truly
Stronger
At the
Broken places
Mended now -
We should be
There
For everyone
Else who is
Broken.
Because we know
How it feels
To break,
And because
We know
There is hope
On the
Other side
Of the
Brokenness.

Vocalise

Beauty that
Is timeless.
Art that
Leaves me
Breathless.
That is
What I see
When I watch
History replayed.

Linear

What do I know
About you
And
What do you
Know
About me,
And
What is it that
You want
To know
About me?
Anything,
Or nothing?
Just read between
The lines
And you will find
Half-truths
There.
If you want the
Whole truth,
Just read
The lines.

Childhood

Jani, please
Don't worry.
Please do not
Think we're judging
You.
Because of your
Bravery,
We can see
Beyond your illness
And know you're just
A little girl.

Better View

Some days I view
The bigger picture
And some days
I'm distracted
And short-sighted
By my own small corner
Of the world.
Stop your focus
On your pain,
And look your lifetime
In the face,
And give yourself
The time and space
To grow and heal yourself.

Force

There is no force
Behind my suggestion.
Coercion isn't
My intention.
Can I stand on
My own two feet,
And can I dream
Peace when I sleep?
This is what
I ask myself
When I'm forced
To choose myself.

There And Gone

Used to be there
Now it's broken
Again and
Seems
Beyond repair.
Things are bad.
They might get worse.
Which end of the spectrum
Do I prefer?
Before my eyes
Everything flashes.
Can we endure
And carry on
When everything
I used to have
Was there
And now
It's gone?

Behind The Wall

Beginning
Means dreaming
Of losing.
Of hopeless
Sense lingering.
Of anxiety
Sky-rocketing.
Of my family
Putting
Itself
Together again.

Attempting Memory

The rain falls,
And ith it,
The memories
Fall in around
Me.
Seven months
Isn't
So very long
Ago.
Especially if
That's when
The middle
Almost fell
Out of my
Family -
And the
Bottom
Almost fell
Out of my
World.