He polishes chrome
while she shuffles Tarot
Luck temporarily
suspended by edicts
Life in limbo highlights
the chasm – incommunicado
They maintain distance
choking on tension
Define this as home…
(Image mine)
Tag: relationship
Crazy-Making
Happiness, he says,
is your responsibility
and then…
If you love me enough…
If you showed more appreciation…
If you lost a little weight…
and…
Clearly, not my problem.
Really?
Is it always just me?
(For Reena’s Exploration challenge #151: Is it always me? Image mine)
Is Optimism Enough?
Are you happy?
The question hits
my gut,
slingshots
down the hall
deadends
at optimism
Of course, I respond.
What else can I say…
Sure life needs tweaking…
I am learning to be better…
I can make this work…
Why? What do see?
Thoughts unspoken
but the bell has been rung…
(For Reena’s Exploration challenge: How far can optimism go? Image my own.)
Not Meant To Be
He was night dark,
ruminated over death
and loss and injustice
Don McLean on repeat
I was sunshine yellow
joy of living
optimism on steroids
Dancing Queen
If opposites attract
then we were magnets
lured by the mystery
One Way or Another
When night meets day
colours explode
light breaks black
Shame, Shame, Shame
(For Eugi’s Causerie weekly prompt: when night meets day. Image mine)
Disconnect
Hold my words
up to your lens –
exchange snippets
distracted lives
hold no audience
I seek a way home.
(Reena’s Exploration challenge invites us to write a cryptic poem. Image my own.)
Un-captivated
Bridging was his MO
caught me post divorce
when needs were slippery
Sapped my spirit
drained my love, then
latched onto new youth –
Most liberating gift
he ever gave me.
(Image from personal collection)
Choked
Heart, craving expression
seeks the aid of paper –
A message with pizzaz
a testament to love
But my pen chokes
on the word itself
refuses the pronouncement
soul balking at the possibility
I toss the note…
…maybe next time.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from my Twitter account @Vjknutson. Image my own.)
Bystander
Dare I confess
the hollowness
of my heart
How emptiness
echoes in its chambers
How lost I feel inside
This is no sanctity
no secure refuge
my withdrawal is a sham
I stand by, observe –
circles entwine, embrace –
recognize the power of love
Practice the words
extend warmth
and retreat, before
connection ignites
convinced as I am
that the vacancy is merited.
(Image from personal collection.)
Window Cleaning
Married addiction
adopted denial
settled for basics
Espoused spirituality
ignored infidelity,
pulled down the blinds.
Believed compassion
could compensate
for indifference.
Limited my outlook
to windows, too insecure
to de-smudge the pane.
Missed the gaping doorways,
the blatant rudeness
of belligerent disrespect
Till withdrawal prompted
accountability, commanded
ownership, changed the lock.
(Image from personal collection.)
Together, Hope
Aged and well worn –
history and family
have left their marks –
weakness surfaces.
I tug at the imaginary
unravel essential core –
hearts burdened hide
gilded truths
Uncovering, a collaborative task
housing a trove of potential –
optimism and hope within,
always more room for growth.
(Image from personal collection)
