Saturday, June 7, 2014

"On The Outside"

Required attendance 
Yet superfluous and unnecessary  
once there  
out of place  
in the drunken alien celebration  
every weekend of the year  
Standing unnoticed  
Sitting ignored  
Free to observe  
the tribal dance around the fire  
Invited out of habit  
Mandatory appearances  
Yet resented and misunderstood  
for Differences  
pointless as a fork in a bowl of cereal    

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Friday, June 6, 2014

"Careless Words"

Careless words cast without thought   
bristle under my skin   
leave me empty   
Careless words sucker punch me   
demean my life   
belittle my dreams    
Careless words stated as fact  
insult my views 
binding me in heartache  
Careless words spoken to wound
choke and repress 
make me mourn     

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Thursday, June 5, 2014

"The Lingering Dream"

"Smoke Lady" http://desperadofromhell.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=smoke+lady#/d21pmk1     


traces of a dream       
nonsensical, inconsequential,   
inescapable     
mood tinting      
skewing my day      
blurring the boundary with reality      
chasing an elusive image      
whispers of memory     
a scent    
here and gone      

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

"Summer Begins"



Summer begins     
shedding stress by      
lusting for Father Ralph     
I become Meggie   
slipping into heartbreak       
reliving my own devotion   
veiling my Catholic guilt under Italian lace  
missal clutched in small, white-gloved hand   
crystal Rosary, blessed by Pius XII,    
soothing my restless fingers    
his Irish brogue a supple song 
his blue eyes like laughter 
he kneels before me, eye-to-eye   
proposes a date   
he’ll be my father—   
a surrogate breaking bread  
erasing my disappointment 
drying my tears with his finger tips 
tugging my hand to the crook of his arm   
his brilliance dazzles me
my heart worships him   


Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Every summer, to "come down" from the stress of the school year, I'd retreat into The Thorn Birds for a week. I'd either dust off the novel and reread it, or I'd pull down the series. Either way, the hours spent with these characters put distance between me and my work.


Tuesday, June 3, 2014

"I Dreamt of You"



I dreamt of you last night       
vivid images       
sitting across from you at a table       
your hands toying restlessly with a cup of stale coffee        
impatient for a cigarette in this smoke free room       
the scent of your perfume mingles with dust and mold       
as you laugh at my inane joke        
my attempt to tease you away from your grief       
I dreamt of you last night        
a muted mirage       
mimicking reality       
your haunted eyes deep set and dark      
desperately darting here-and-there      
avoiding my scrutiny as I peer through your façade       
sensing sorrow under your kind words       
as you offer support and comfort to me      
I dreamt of you last night     

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Monday, June 2, 2014

“Child Play”


The morning song of child play  
Tumbles over the fence   
Harmonizing with cardinal and dove   
Carrying respite from responsibilities  
Whoops and hoots
Clamor and compete with wind song 
Until insistent whistles whine 
Heralding rules and regulations 
Summoning silence and structure   
As frolic and mayhem     
Form a straight line to the left 
Subdued for only a few seconds   
Until a few notes ring and ripple 
Surreptitious shoves 
Dissolve into dancing feet 
While laughter escapes around pressed lips 
And control capitulates to
Child’s play 

Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman