tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72760979641591361072024-03-13T23:18:08.961-07:00Swing In A TreeElizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.comBlogger1144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-36721272656054577222023-07-17T17:30:00.003-07:002023-07-17T17:31:16.364-07:00“A Lesson in Art”<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjdRyuYd5naC96qIe3em52EWHIJibVsUIepauhfYOZFeKvg7URFGdupYoZ2dGbxk9u7s_y8sZbA6wV7NFZgTRSB_DL8W2g36dte9SJwPNAoZzXpp2u_liY_frdfAZceXvjiQLNGg48y0KMMd-QIt39vQeL5TS3Bc1yunkMLta03OPBMbryfwFUypWi_eM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjdRyuYd5naC96qIe3em52EWHIJibVsUIepauhfYOZFeKvg7URFGdupYoZ2dGbxk9u7s_y8sZbA6wV7NFZgTRSB_DL8W2g36dte9SJwPNAoZzXpp2u_liY_frdfAZceXvjiQLNGg48y0KMMd-QIt39vQeL5TS3Bc1yunkMLta03OPBMbryfwFUypWi_eM" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Take
a few moments to check out the latest art my son’s offering on his site! These
extremely unique pieces are his vision of a black and white world that
reflects what we see in the mirror and model through our mannequins of perfection.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://mirrorsmannequins.com/">Mirrors and Mannequins</a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-645853943057755302023-05-02T05:28:00.007-07:002023-05-02T05:49:46.718-07:00"Voiceless"<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZXkX7BJkWH6TGLLlMRrq7bB4sNY4JCMzG69PCEMWKzkJ7U_MowWbfNp01T-DlFcd9Jhgv1tprkVjbYxGolaCRutgVM1Dem9X6-cJQNFtUECSSoYT-JVi3fyTXMqmud6EQWIx2E6evDYmRDQkVjsn-TAAfB-qmUeKc53mHEQeqWX3MFkFPW5kwJ7u/s513/voiceless2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="513" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZXkX7BJkWH6TGLLlMRrq7bB4sNY4JCMzG69PCEMWKzkJ7U_MowWbfNp01T-DlFcd9Jhgv1tprkVjbYxGolaCRutgVM1Dem9X6-cJQNFtUECSSoYT-JVi3fyTXMqmud6EQWIx2E6evDYmRDQkVjsn-TAAfB-qmUeKc53mHEQeqWX3MFkFPW5kwJ7u/w400-h265/voiceless2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Rain burning on my cheeks like
hot angry tears,<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Scorching the world with its
acid touch.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I brush it aside and wipe away
my fears.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I ignore the destruction; I
pretend too much.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The dank humid air burns me
under its weight,<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Forcing my mind to heave then
implode.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I turn away from petty love;
jealous hate.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Fighting against my resurgent
need to explode.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The Conservative move against
conservation<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Eroding our lives, our will to
live.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“Preserve Wall Street, Big
Business, and the Nation!”<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Forgetting we need Mother Earth
to survive.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Where was my voice when those
decisions were made?<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Why did I passively shrug and
sigh?<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The future is now, and it’s
melting away.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Our precious planet, once so
vibrant, now dies.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 1995 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></div>
Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-66152274696507496042023-05-01T05:47:00.000-07:002023-05-01T05:47:12.931-07:00"First Love" <div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumvdU5yK4G1Pg4YEvrIw5hDHYegdV5edsiSwz29uxRcGg0jv6F56VR7mr-njUbAoj6OjYwLEMxZTUtYuNdqoU_2VQyrSRpIO_Ftx8Q807lX_lhBcdc1mXbwI_mBDpcFePY9ZX-cF7Vv4b6kegKj9hV2junQLG-B66abxvMYJdYjsUAReot1ggdN-q/s2048/beanies1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumvdU5yK4G1Pg4YEvrIw5hDHYegdV5edsiSwz29uxRcGg0jv6F56VR7mr-njUbAoj6OjYwLEMxZTUtYuNdqoU_2VQyrSRpIO_Ftx8Q807lX_lhBcdc1mXbwI_mBDpcFePY9ZX-cF7Vv4b6kegKj9hV2junQLG-B66abxvMYJdYjsUAReot1ggdN-q/w200-h200/beanies1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Shoulder length hair<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>streaked with fairies’ gold<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>pixie dust sprinkled across her pert nose<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>braces and rubber bands<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>long legs reaching almost to her chin<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>a ready smile and a contagious laugh<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">A year of friendship<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>spent playing hide-n-go-seek<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>swimming at Grandma’s<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>trips to the lake house at Canyon<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>homework marathons<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>and a “first date” at the movies—alone<span class="apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">A year as a couple<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>buying Ty beanies because she thinks they’re cute<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>Valentine’s Day takes weeks and weeks of allowance<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>long phone chats<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>Alicia Silverstone, Spice Girls, and the Magic Time Machine<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>friends forever<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He whispers<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>as night embraces him<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>“Mom, she’s the one.”<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>“I’ll never love another girl.”<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>“She’s different and special.”<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>I feel the weight of his adoration<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Times change gradually<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>her legg<span class="s1">iness</span> turns to curves<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>mascara darkens her lashes<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>her Tom boyish walk turns to graceful pirouettes<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>her need for popularity outstrips him<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He understands<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>his boyish charm keeps trying<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>his cherub face beams when she’s near<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>his voice becomes husky when she’s on the phone<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>she enchants him still<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>even when she’s walking away</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 1999 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-40054763893493473472023-04-28T06:27:00.000-07:002023-04-28T06:27:38.131-07:00"He Doesn't Like Me" <p> <span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; text-align: center;"> </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">An indestructible bond<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Woven together by laughter and tears<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Revelations of doubt shared in the hushed pre-dawn hours<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Private thoughts and hopes spilled across endless pages<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Our friendship strong and true<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Subtle changes unfolded<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Before a single box was packed<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Before a vow of faith and love was made<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">You grew distant and reserved<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Still our friendship held strong and true<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">You battled against yourself<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Pulling me awake with midnight calls of uncertainty<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Our friendship frayed around the edges<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The years of sisterhood withstood your demands<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Yet our friendship held strong and true<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Imperceptibly, you excluded me<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Letters not answered, phone calls shortened<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Visits while our children played ended abruptly<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">You needed to clean, and cook, and make things perfect<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Our friendship weakened by his demands<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">You tucked into yourself<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Tightened into a ball so tight I missed your despair<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Your silence the only response to my concern<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Even after Death ripped through your life<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He withheld you from friendship strong and true<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DdNLh1SZ1qzVSsM7bv40gMbgxkVr-EnthJMrSqBqEfpBG4ut0bZESGc2prXF7Y7u9Y4Uj6nlqEv20M6BUfdwkzI15HZxnKcW11ysGBwJDsrXzXNYICA8wupWaueuQtf5dbNqz8ifMSYcKsEm6b-K5zh8GCx_NBosD1CW6Y5YZ9nMZUmCQiMOI46C/s907/img527%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="907" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DdNLh1SZ1qzVSsM7bv40gMbgxkVr-EnthJMrSqBqEfpBG4ut0bZESGc2prXF7Y7u9Y4Uj6nlqEv20M6BUfdwkzI15HZxnKcW11ysGBwJDsrXzXNYICA8wupWaueuQtf5dbNqz8ifMSYcKsEm6b-K5zh8GCx_NBosD1CW6Y5YZ9nMZUmCQiMOI46C/w400-h363/img527%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</div></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-69559781862653216072023-04-27T05:26:00.000-07:002023-04-27T05:26:17.950-07:00"A New Journal"<p><br /></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My freshman year in high school, I participated in a peer counseling program. The extensive training took place in a local hotel. The students who volunteered for the program, along with the faculty members involved, underwent eight hour sessions in counseling and therapy techniques for an entire week. At the end of my training, I could work in our campus “Rap Room” where other students could come in for confidential counseling. This multifaceted instruction knitted the peer counselors into a tight group as we learned about ourselves and each other. I don’t know if the teachers and administrators realized the depth of the therapy sessions we received, but that week profoundly affected my life. My goal to go to Texas A&M to eventually try for the veterinarian program altered forever into a love of studying behavior.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pmVbPO9wNzQ/Tk3DTyOarUI/AAAAAAAAAX0/OOOb-vqCwgI/s1600/3+spirals.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pmVbPO9wNzQ/Tk3DTyOarUI/AAAAAAAAAX0/OOOb-vqCwgI/s200/3+spirals.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The peer counseling training impacted me in another way because during that week I met another student, a senior, who kept a journal. In the months that we set up our counseling program back on our campus, this other student shared her journals with me. Her provocative poetry and insightful musings amused me. I fell in love with the idea of recording my life, my feelings, and my interpretations—myself—into the pages of a spiral notebook. So back in 1972, I started my first journal. I wrote about everything and nothing. All of the disappointments of high school lay neatly recorded in these little unassuming spirals. All of my first attempts at poetry, often with explanations, reside within these pages. All of the self-doubts and insecurities of living alone, starting college, and falling in love live within these volumes. Somewhere along the line, I shifted from spiral notebooks to folders crammed with so much notebook paper that the brads barely punch through and fold back.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4Kk3LTUNZNjrtkXuiyJZsRcpDfnnuAOzm3CBuC1Paa_7En5SZXy1vov_VMhxy_db7HVnJe7E5yEcCVmGLSP6lmBkoxO_Cnrf-rtVBTL3hOAX5PplX56S3FFUoG_eduMIp2dV8XKcoViBYzVOMbKmFf5JUML3fJ6mXlN3gEgVuVVgTVMviioTxWxz/s450/journal2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="450" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4Kk3LTUNZNjrtkXuiyJZsRcpDfnnuAOzm3CBuC1Paa_7En5SZXy1vov_VMhxy_db7HVnJe7E5yEcCVmGLSP6lmBkoxO_Cnrf-rtVBTL3hOAX5PplX56S3FFUoG_eduMIp2dV8XKcoViBYzVOMbKmFf5JUML3fJ6mXlN3gEgVuVVgTVMviioTxWxz/w200-h134/journal2.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /> </span>I never hid my journals, and occasionally I’d read a piece to my parents or a friend. Usually, my most current journal sat upon my desk for easy access in case I wanted to scribble down a thought or vent an emotion. The first time David came down to meet my family, I had to work. Being at loose ends, David decided to read my journal. My mother walked in and found him stretched across the bed, and stood in shocked silence. No one in our family would ever invade the private space of another family member, so to find David perusing my journals seemed wrong to her. David told me, of course, of his faux pas as soon as I returned home. Although I wasn’t upset, I don’t believe he’s ever picked up my journal since that one day.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eventually, a friend witnessed me scribbling in one of my folders and asked about it. When I explained to her that I’d been writing since high school, she decided the folders and spirals needed replacements, and she bought me my first bound journal as a Thank You gift. I remember holding the small volume in my hands, flipping through the colorful pages with their decorated corners. My fingers itched to write!</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLCLZL22mCrVFusn9ZSZjs7wBcxzgq2nKR8o-aNZcsiVXpCLelVNQdaeiDq-sq-Fi-Qhyz7OzPjCiZ2hec8Am-6OvqOdRlBs0s1wdEiW6E_EKsQV9PrHg4aeFZtH4bj4yZRkNJ03PMmXPHCYlTfp1prJAXPVHebNofJacMk9FFyeTmWYK_nnAyKow/s425/journal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="425" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLCLZL22mCrVFusn9ZSZjs7wBcxzgq2nKR8o-aNZcsiVXpCLelVNQdaeiDq-sq-Fi-Qhyz7OzPjCiZ2hec8Am-6OvqOdRlBs0s1wdEiW6E_EKsQV9PrHg4aeFZtH4bj4yZRkNJ03PMmXPHCYlTfp1prJAXPVHebNofJacMk9FFyeTmWYK_nnAyKow/w200-h133/journal1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Last night, I started Volume 72 of my journal. Almost thirty-nine years (to the day) from when I composed my first entry. This volume wraps a giant marigold around the spine and over the front and back covers, exploding in bright orange and yellow. My pulse quickened as I put pen to virgin paper, and once I started writing I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop. I never know what thoughts and feelings my journals will hold. The unpredictability of life assures that this newest addition to my collection will center me through my heartbreaks and celebrate with me in my joys. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; mso-spacerun: yes;">Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-34502714591758476122023-04-26T06:41:00.004-07:002023-04-26T06:41:00.139-07:00"Inspiration"<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Writing, most days, comes easily to me. I sit with pen and spiral notebook and jot ideas, or I face the almighty blank screen of my laptop and wait for my muse to guide my words. One thought may snag my attention, and I’ll obsess over the concept until I create something. Not every piece I produce meets my inner critic’s standards of “quality,” but I ignore that negatively nagging voice and push through until I have something on the page. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1; text-align: justify;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If I pen about a memory, then I become a medium who channels the past into the present. Recounting a recollection proves the easiest type of writing for me. I spent most of my years as I writing teacher modeling for my students the layers of personal narratives. I’d have my students stretch out on the floor and do a visualization activity where they’d revisit an experience. Classroom darkened to reduce visual input, relaxation music playing in the background, and my own voice barely above a whisper, I’d coach my students into their selected memories. I’d take them through all of the senses one-by-one, asking them to take note of specific images within their memory. When I’d let them open their eyes, they would scribble their remembrances as quickly as possible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“Get the skeleton of the event down on paper,” I’d preach. “We’ll go back later and add the other layers. I’ll give you the tools you need.”</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">And I’d teach them about simile, metaphor, personification and imagery. I’d model my own paper on the board or overhead (and later through my laptop and projector,) fleshing out my skeletal first draft until eventually I finished my narrative. Sometimes, I’d show my students how to take the prose narrative and convert it into a poem by lifting out those special words and phrases that brought life to the piece and utilizing them in a different way.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some days, writing becomes a laborious endeavor, like today. I flit from idea to idea so quickly that nothing makes it to the page. My brainstormed list bores me, and fatigue prevents me from tapping into my childhood. The current news either depresses me or angers me, and either way I can’t muster the momentum to tackle politics. (Perry will have to wait for another day.) Poetry takes even more energy and focus, so I know it’s a long shot that I’ll suddenly whip out a snazzy rhyme or thought provoking verse.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After a million false starts, I decided to let my mind meander to find its own revelations, but stumbled upon no wonderful Inspiration. Instead, I typed in several possible titles, rejected a few beginnings, and finally decided I’d record the silence of my muse, for she hasn’t whispered a single word to me as I sit and write.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Do you hear the silence?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tsbJPmujf2aSw3bNoMGsNwg1ewMEPC96jYcc-N5yC_jZc_kY0N191KSGPWhtsXTFs-dgDMgMf08WbxNiAxBD9YZv4RzrvHZLtMcnSnDcVTkUiNTjaCEoJjukoOw_94J7q0Vt19vH_-zow4i0nZA2oCd0HHcOry4lJoi9asMDI_sev6BjMqB-Znfv/s2592/inspiration2%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tsbJPmujf2aSw3bNoMGsNwg1ewMEPC96jYcc-N5yC_jZc_kY0N191KSGPWhtsXTFs-dgDMgMf08WbxNiAxBD9YZv4RzrvHZLtMcnSnDcVTkUiNTjaCEoJjukoOw_94J7q0Vt19vH_-zow4i0nZA2oCd0HHcOry4lJoi9asMDI_sev6BjMqB-Znfv/s320/inspiration2%20(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-34702168053377796442023-04-25T05:40:00.000-07:002023-04-25T05:40:43.870-07:00"Shopping"<p><span style="font-family: times;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The plump, middle aged woman stood before the department store window display, subconsciously mirroring the pose of one of the mannequins. Her rounded belly and full hips fought against the constraints of her sweat pants. Her dark hair, cut in a bob, framed her pretty blue eyes. Restlessly, she tapped her left foot to the vocal-less rendition of “Rainy Days and Mondays” that piped through the mall’s sound system.</span></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A smaller, blonde version of herself nudged her elbow, “Will ya looka that outfit, Jessie! All black spandex and sequins!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jessie turned to her younger sister, “Been studyin’ this outfit for the last five minutes, Marsha. Think I’d like to try it on. It’d be perfect for Kevin’s company Christmas party.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Marsha’s expression flitted quickly from shocked disbelief to amusement as she realized her sister’s deadpan delivery disguised her jest. “I do believe I’ll try on that red dress,” she joined the joke. “Yep. See how it’s slit up to here,” she gestured at her chunky thigh, “and it dips down to there,” her fingers tugged her oversized t-shirt to reveal her ample bosom. Her booming laugh resounded as she shouldered her large purple purse. “Wanna go in, or keep on lookin’?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jessie caught their dowdy reflections in the glass. She hated shopping for clothing, which was why her wardrobe consisted of her husband’s castoff jogging pants and her son’s old t-shirts. However, she had to find something to wear to this special party. With purpose, she pulled up her rounded shoulders, tucked in her relaxed tummy muscles, and smoothed her hands through her hair. “I think I’m done with window shoppin’. Let’s try on some outfits!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With resolution, she strode into the department store, her sister a couple of steps behind her. Jessie skirted around the junior’s section and headed straight to the far right corner of the store. “You know what bothers me most,” she said over her shoulder to Marsha, “is that those mannequins stay skinny even when we move to the women’s wear. Seems like they should plump up a little.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Guess it’s one size fits all when it comes to mannequins,” Marsha paused in front of a stylish row of outfits. Her eyes lit up when she spied both the red dress and the black spandex number in their sizes. “Wooo---eeee! Do you believe it? Those very same outfits in our sizes! A woman as rounded as me would be crazy to even think of trying on that red dress.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /> </span>Her eyes locked with Jessie’s, her challenge acknowledged when her sister selected the black dress in the appropriate size. Before she knew it, her hands clutched the slinky red dress as she dashed behind her sister into the nearest dressing room.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Can I help you ladies?” a sales clerk blocked them momentarily. “I’d like to suggest you try on these outfits with slimmers.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Slimmers?” Jessie paused.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The clerk eyed each woman, guessed at their sizes, and intoned, “Wait here one moment, please.” She turned on her spiked heels and bee-lined it to the lingerie department. Before Jessie or Marsha could utter a syllable, she handed them each body shapers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You</i> expect <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me </i>to fit into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i>?” Jessie held the undergarment in front of her form with incredulity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Trust me, ladies,” the sales clerk beamed as she shooed them into the dressing room.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jessie quickly skimmed out of her sweat pants and t-shirt and dubiously eyed the one piece shaper. From the next stall, she heard Marsha grunt, groan, and giggle simultaneously. Feeling foolish, she began wriggling into the body shaper, feeling frustrated as she squished and squeezed her flesh into the tight casing. Before she lost her nerve, she slipped the black dress over her head. Without looking into the distorted stall mirror, she opened the door and stepped out see her reflection in the three-way mirror. Her mouth dropped open in delighted shock at the transformation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Stand on your tiptoes,” the enthusiastic sales clerk suggested. “You’ll be wearing heels with a dress like this one. It’ll give you a better idea of how your legs will look.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jessie held her hand against her chest, too breathless to say anything. Her cheeks pinked with delight, her lips spread in a genuine smile lighting up her face. At that moment, Marsha sashayed on tiptoes out of her own cubby, her slinky red dress clinging provocatively in all the right places.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Holy moly!” Jessie exclaimed when she caught sight of her sister.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sweet Jesus!” Marsha exhaled as she smiled at Jessie.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The clerk, grinning in genuine pleasure, asked, “Will you both be purchasing these dresses today?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Honey, not only will we take the dresses,” Jessie answered enthusiastically, “But I want four or five of these body shaper thingies!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Marsha turned left and right before the mirror and whispered to her sister, “Can you breathe?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Lordy, no. But if I’m gonna die, I’ll go out lookin’ pretty good!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVvPsf6bzyEMFURTm-klbxlHlLfM4TTDXeDRHCEozeulNWq8AzkBkZUv30mjZMTeOI9xfO0dN7LDZi-ZyMiwjOe2VkC9wrGcsAnzcEcm7ffJ8vdO1IEUZUh1_4fro-SCuh0KwgiNVKUfQy8GelLWuv9JE8k6GHlYOMCKTiDf4JmKy2NopymoTdc0I/s1523/shopping2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="1523" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVvPsf6bzyEMFURTm-klbxlHlLfM4TTDXeDRHCEozeulNWq8AzkBkZUv30mjZMTeOI9xfO0dN7LDZi-ZyMiwjOe2VkC9wrGcsAnzcEcm7ffJ8vdO1IEUZUh1_4fro-SCuh0KwgiNVKUfQy8GelLWuv9JE8k6GHlYOMCKTiDf4JmKy2NopymoTdc0I/s320/shopping2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-81862535476262969342023-04-24T06:18:00.000-07:002023-04-24T06:18:30.213-07:00"The Third Time"<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 26.65pt;">Some evenings, they sit together, the television set’s glow casting shadows over their faces. The dim light hiding the emptiness in their marriage. Peter sips his second rum and Coke of the night, appreciating the warmth that spreads through him, taking the icy edge from Gwen’s constant criticism. Slowly, his muscles relax into his favorite recliner, and the petty vexations of his work fade away. He glances at his newest wife and winces at the realization that he can’t remember why he married her. Third time’s a winner? He downs the last half of his drink and studies the empty glass, pondering the wisdom of another drink.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In his youth, his lust caught him up and landed him in an unexpected marriage to a girl far inferior to him or his needs. His sense of duty toward Patty and their children lasted only as long as she idolized him. Once Patty pulled him from the pedestal, once she demanded that he treat her as an equal, once she began nagging him and expecting to have a say in his decisions, he stopped pretending he cared. He managed to have several affairs without his young wife suspecting a thing. He even propositioned her sister on several occasions, certain that his in-law would never tell his wife. After all, Patty had no choice but to tolerate him. She had no education and no skills. She was nothing without him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 26.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Eventually, pretending that he cared became too much work. When Peter fell to his lowest point, his second wife entered the picture. Leslie’s desperation to capture and hold onto him became addictive. She praised his every word and deed; she oozed adoration from every pore. She loved the excitement of an affair:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>secret meetings, weekends secluded in hotels, private dinners in out of the way restaurants. Unlike his stay-at-home wife, his mistress earned a living and showered him with expensive gifts. He’d slip off the Rolex every evening, tucking it safely into his car’s glove compartment, and replace it with the cheap Seiko from his fifth anniversary. His cockiness made him suggest to Patty a wonderful plan. He’d come home few times a week to see the kids, spend all holidays with both their families, and pay all of the bills. In exchange, she would look the other way on his absences the other nights. His wife should understand that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">his</i> happiness outweighed her own needs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 26.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Peter began cheating on his Leslie, his second wife, within the first year. The thrill of their affair, he realized too late, summarized his attraction to her. Since he’d allowed others to pressure him into this second marriage, he began searching for a way out. Leslie accommodated him much better than his first wife. She ignored his affairs as long as he paid off her charge cards each month. Her face lift added a temporary spice to their life, and her liposuction made her seem younger for a while. Their drinking increased as the years flowed by, and the lavish praise and fawning of his second wife ceased altogether. Her complaints and unhappiness aged her, made her ugly.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 26.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Peter rationalized his affairs by believing that he deserved someone better. He desired a woman who complimented his looks and personality, not a vampire who sucked away his youth. The dance of flirtation drew Peter into and out of liaisons with careless abandon. He enjoyed the fact that he escaped these relationships before the women demanded more from him than he was capable of giving. He disdained Leslie’s cloying nature, but stayed with her. Divorce cost too much, and he had no reason to disrupt his life for his casual affairs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then Gwen entered his life, all glitz and glamor. The lifestyle she lived, because of her wealth, enticed him to break from Leslie. He knew he could absorb the cost of a second divorce, even losing his home, by moving in with Gwen. Although Gwen appeared confident to others, he sensed her fear of growing older alone. His razor sharp intuition culled out her insecurities. He played the role of adoring lover expertly and charmed Gwen and her tight circle of friends. Always a player, he instinctively knew just what to say and do to secure a spot in Gwen’s life. An expert at manipulation, he’d played the long suffering husband and father role. He painted himself into a financial corner, knowing Gwen’s generosity would guarantee him a place in her home. Their wedding, a private affair without the showmanship he craved, began his dissatisfaction with his third wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now, less than a year later, Peter craves escape again. The pretenses he used to gain Gwen’s love and trust are too difficult for him to maintain. Unlike his other wives, Gwen’s acid tongue and spitefulness worries him. Knowing his past, she keeps tight control over his movements and his money. He senses that she’s no longer charmed by his humor, no longer deceived by his blatant flattery, no longer fooled by his ploys or lies.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 26.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Suddenly, the desire for his third drink of the evening overrides his need to avoid Gwen’s caustic comments. He abandons the comfort of his chair, fills his tumbler with rum, topping the drink off with a dab of Coke. He feels her disapproving eyes spear his back, so he raises his drink in salute to her irritation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 26.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 26.65pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaiuLSkNkexIKMii4y8PAN-CpgdA3xfBEFaWJu9_0xrEtbbp7oTH3BjuTrj7fhD43amlJGAR5KUpq6xv283n07888nouLJuuWkuV2nBKaL7UlClTFPxNc9NkzxP0KyM_-4Pd9zM97XvHRYsPpSUrxyc7w7u0W2n6MruRx6FjpB9fDH8It0ThT4uf7/s720/thirdtime1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="546" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaiuLSkNkexIKMii4y8PAN-CpgdA3xfBEFaWJu9_0xrEtbbp7oTH3BjuTrj7fhD43amlJGAR5KUpq6xv283n07888nouLJuuWkuV2nBKaL7UlClTFPxNc9NkzxP0KyM_-4Pd9zM97XvHRYsPpSUrxyc7w7u0W2n6MruRx6FjpB9fDH8It0ThT4uf7/s320/thirdtime1.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-8463903142030169442023-04-23T05:34:00.001-07:002023-04-23T06:37:17.684-07:00"A Walk in the Woods"<p> </p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The woman stood in the sunlight, swiping the beads of sweat that smarted her eyes to tears. Her tongue licked her parched lips. Her hands plucked at her t-shirt, pulling it away from her saturated skin. She puffed hot breath down her shirt front, but only succeeded in hastening the roll of perspiration down her cleavage.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You could strip down,” her husband teased from the open doorway as he yanked his own soaked t-shirt over his head. Swiftly, he unfastened his Cargo shorts and stepped clear of them as they pooled on the deck.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The look she shot his way momentarily heated the air another degree or two, and then a smile broke across her face. “You’re right, of course,” she agreed as she hastily kicked her sandals aside. With an ease her husband admired, she freed herself from t-shirt and shorts. For a moment, she hesitated as her eyes held his in challenge. Then she stripped down to bare skin. She pivoted on the deck, raising her arms in supplication to the hot July sun. Closing her eyes, she whispered an incantation calling for the slightest breeze to tease across her heated skin and dry the moisture that slicked her figure.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I think I’ll take a walk in the woods,” she held out her hand to her husband. “Are you coming?”</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /> </span>He took her hand and swiftly guided her into the cool canopy created by the trees. Once out of direct sunlight, he felt a subtle shift in temperature as shade and shadow played across his skin. A breeze as gentle as a sigh whispered to him, and he grinned crookedly at the cross expression that still played over his wife’s countenance. Bird song encircled them as they moved further down the path, and eventually he sensed the easing of her tension. His muscles relaxed, and he shortened his stride to match her more leisurely pace.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In silence, they walked hand-in-hand. Carefully, they picked their way over the trail and eased out of the hard work they’d done all day. So many days, they rushed through obligations and responsibilities. Today, at this single moment, they set aside their toils and troubles, stripped away their stress, and took a simple walk in the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPT_G3i14Lo7O5nCK8QW1d2xyRFfpwRqP7J_0ThcxiwvIkZ2UHO3ACF_uxsEaGfpmB4Vh325zQGBBegx0PmB19Gldp83wjMwIdxt9PH1SFtd2y6pJz0eVT6iEJC1_zy7OXxG5H4QInt0uA-o_x-okTFvsU1W_ZOYjt0xjwl6njL_9cFqVkXzKPtN0V/s720/walk1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPT_G3i14Lo7O5nCK8QW1d2xyRFfpwRqP7J_0ThcxiwvIkZ2UHO3ACF_uxsEaGfpmB4Vh325zQGBBegx0PmB19Gldp83wjMwIdxt9PH1SFtd2y6pJz0eVT6iEJC1_zy7OXxG5H4QInt0uA-o_x-okTFvsU1W_ZOYjt0xjwl6njL_9cFqVkXzKPtN0V/w266-h400/walk1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-71804941757721964252023-04-22T06:35:00.003-07:002023-04-22T06:36:55.021-07:00"Words"<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; text-align: justify;">Write for the sake of writing—<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">the practice and patience of putting<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">wordafterwordafterwordafterword<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">Was that the basis of our relationship?<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">Practice and patience and<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">wordafterwordafterwordafterword?<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">When you were with her, did you talk so endlessly?<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">Did you espouse and spout<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">wordafterwordafterwordafterword?<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">Was she expected to believe all you said?<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">To bob her head like an obedient dog?<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">So she now writes for the sake of writing—<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">the practice and patience of putting<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;">wordafterwordafterwordafterword?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDaEzG7ljnorUmIOe5ekj91i7Yh3-O28XJq3FX6OVmvos_kuO3xkCRc5aTopsbNP5jkPahMbNMNrVzZwXDy_6PKkuleKqAN5ulwCEvlXcrpEQ6NNrvbFJv-_bvd-C54RAyKWXvNikII8vjlbVdxvquzLq59e-LDI_YwdZpyyO10pa2SBzU_9yCsnv/s800/swingintree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDaEzG7ljnorUmIOe5ekj91i7Yh3-O28XJq3FX6OVmvos_kuO3xkCRc5aTopsbNP5jkPahMbNMNrVzZwXDy_6PKkuleKqAN5ulwCEvlXcrpEQ6NNrvbFJv-_bvd-C54RAyKWXvNikII8vjlbVdxvquzLq59e-LDI_YwdZpyyO10pa2SBzU_9yCsnv/w400-h225/swingintree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 1985 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-36776186877566824402023-04-22T06:11:00.002-07:002023-04-22T06:11:46.432-07:00"Pearls of Wisdom"<p><br /></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Georgia impatiently paced across the parlor, pausing at the window to pull back the white lace panel. Anticipation sparked in her green eyes and splashed color across her high cheekbones. A tendril of her brunette hair coiled on her forehead in subtle defiance. She stepped away from the pane, her fingers adjusting the pleat of her lavender gown with nervous energy. She scrutinized the room for the hundredth time, seeking perfection in every detail. Carefully, she lifted a vase of fresh flowers from the center of a table and moved it to a sideboard. Her jewelry box rested on the table alone, showing off its delicate work. She wanted to impress her younger sisters with the treasures her husband showered upon her. She wanted them to envy her for her position as Bruce’s wife.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At the sound of the bell, Georgia skipped to the settee and arranged her skirt to show off the sheen of the expensive silk. Her lips parted in a genuine smile as she listened to Gwyn’s soft voice ask the butler a question, as she recognized May’s deeper throaty laugh.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Georgia!” her sisters chimed in unison as the butler opened the door. In a whirl of cream and rose satin, they swept into the room and hauled Georgia off of the couch, ruining her carefully planned pose by hugging her tightly into their arms.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You look so lovely!”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Your house is beautiful!”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And lavender! Georgia, it’s such a perfect color for you!”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unexpected tears smarted Georgia eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she returned her sisters’ enthusiastic embrace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, May and Gwyn, I’m so glad you’ve finally come!” She swiped at her tears and looked at her wet fingertips with bemusement. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” she began.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh, you’re just happy to see us!” May exclaimed. “We’ve missed you so much, too. I don’t know why Mother and Father resisted allowing us to visit you in London.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But you are here—now!” Georgia kissed May’s cheek with affection. “Perhaps they will let you visit more.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gwyn smiled as she sat in a chair, “I believe they didn’t want us annoying Bruce. Honestly, they only agreed to our visit here because you said you were lonely.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 9.35pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Bruce spends most of his time in our London house,” Georgia admitted. “Why don’t I take you to your rooms, and then we can have tea and spend the entire evening catching up?”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Georgia worried her lower lip, a remnant of her annoying childhood habit. She straightened the shoulders on her gown one more time as she waited for her sisters to return. A trolley with her finest silver service sat near the loveseat. Cook’s renowned cakes and biscuits sat in decadent temptation. She knew Gwyn wouldn’t resist the sweet treats. She knew May couldn’t refuse accompanying their tea with tidbits of gossip. She wagered with herself that May wouldn’t make it through her first dessert before revealing Bruce’s indiscretions to her older sister.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With determination, Georgia decided she would open the topic of her husband’s infidelities first. After all, she invited her sisters to her home for two reasons. She wanted to assure her family that she accepted all aspects of her marriage to her older husband. She also needed to know that they would stand by her decision to live with Bruce’s “short-comings.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When May and Gwyn appeared in the doorway, Georgia felt relief. As embarrassing as this conversation would prove, at least she would finally have someone to whom she could confide her feelings.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“May, would you mind pouring?” Georgia moved to a nearby chair. “I want to talk to the two of you. It’s the reason I invited you here.” She paused while May filled the cups. “Mother and Father know, of course, what I’m going to tell you. I wrote them last month.” She sipped the hot tea, buying herself a moment for composure. Then she continued, “I have learned that Bruce engages in affairs with other people.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>May’s hand fluttered a little, splashing tea onto the saucer she held. Gwyn’s cheeks flamed red as she inhaled deeply, and then held her breath. Neither of her sisters spoke.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Georgia cocked her head, and narrowing her eyes, asked, “You know? Did Mother tell you?”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No,” Gwyn began cautiously, “No one’s told us anything. It’s—,” she shot a desperate look at May. “Well, Bruce did something . . . inappropriate . . .” she floundered to a stop.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“To you?” Georgia gasped.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“To both of us,” May carefully set her cup and saucer upon the table. “Remember how I kept trying to talk you out of this marriage?”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Georgia’s face paled as she leaned forward in her seat. “I thought you were just jealous because of Bruce’s wealth and social standing. I was so hurt.” Her hand rested over her heart. “Why didn’t you tell me?”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I tried, but you got so upset. And you insisted that Bruce was absolutely perfect for you.” May faltered. “I didn’t have the heart to tell you.” She looked down to find her hands nervously clenching the fabric of her dress. “I never told anyone. Then when you invited us here, I didn’t even want to come because I feared seeing your husband again.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And I kept bothering her until she told me why,” Gwyn continued. “When she told me, well—he’d done something similar to me. I was so ashamed.” Gwyn’s voice shook. “Oh, Georgia, you cannot stay married to this man!”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span></span></span><br /><span></span><span></span><span></span></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uOk61impQC0/T-0qSaG1PxI/AAAAAAAABF4/WerUZVb4Cuk/s1600/Wladyslaw+Czachorski,+The+Little+Treasure+Chest+date+unknown.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uOk61impQC0/T-0qSaG1PxI/AAAAAAAABF4/WerUZVb4Cuk/s320/Wladyslaw+Czachorski,+The+Little+Treasure+Chest+date+unknown.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="font-family: times;">Wladyslaw Czachorski's <em>The Little Treasure Chest</em></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes, I can.” Georgia stood and walked to her jewelry box. “I made a promise, and my vow must be kept.” She sat in a chair by the table, leaning forward to open the box. “Come, look.” She opened to container and began pulling out the pieces her husband gifted to her, probably after each of his escapades. “Come look,” she repeated, “at what a man believes clears his conscience.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With her sisters seated at the table, she pulled out a diamond and ruby broach, a glittering flower. She fingered a delicately woven gold chain and toyed with a bracelet of emeralds. “Bruce believes these lovely pieces will buy my submission and my silence.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She carefully withdrew a strand of pearls. Their smooth perfection cooled her flushed skin. “My husband brought me these pearls last week,” she draped them over her extended arm. “They have a particularly beautiful luster, don’t you think.” Gwyn leaned against the back of Georgia’s chair to get a closer look as May shifted forward in her seat. A small smile tugged at Georgia’s lips as she tilted her head to appreciate the glow of the pearls against her skin.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sighing deeply, she gazed at her prizes. “With all of these other gifts, I didn’t know the truth about Bruce. I didn’t know the guilt he disguised. But these pearls,” she raised the strand and looked first at May and then at Gwyn, “These are pearls of wisdom.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.1in 0pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-36099861848259172592023-04-21T05:26:00.003-07:002023-04-21T06:54:25.351-07:00"Too Much"<p><br /></p><p style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><span style="font-family: times;">Loss<br />Sorrow<br />Hopelessness<br />Pain<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Unfairness<br />Frustration<br />Rage<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Passivity<br />Rigidity<br />Conflict<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Loss<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Suppression<br />Restraint<br />Tyranny<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Harassment<br />Rationalizing<br />Torment<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Deceit<br />Defamation<br />Extermination<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Loss</span><br /><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: times;">Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh0xBCx6S4EdeIMLJL9Zt81BC3QpZ7PjnUFnD_ZQtz3yHm1SVr7ChXhoIlGutjoA1CKx2FdmaWXlCNnoKZRXKHTnNt6f0JUQ1joHSfSHXYDISQg4jOTtHhpGo3GnpcwsiVuuwb6vHqfUcRswnqZ0lXsQEVB6mlodoMoeC_Mwuy3cQLlvB-BnfWvBE/s1080/toomuch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh0xBCx6S4EdeIMLJL9Zt81BC3QpZ7PjnUFnD_ZQtz3yHm1SVr7ChXhoIlGutjoA1CKx2FdmaWXlCNnoKZRXKHTnNt6f0JUQ1joHSfSHXYDISQg4jOTtHhpGo3GnpcwsiVuuwb6vHqfUcRswnqZ0lXsQEVB6mlodoMoeC_Mwuy3cQLlvB-BnfWvBE/s320/toomuch.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-46775548205916069882023-04-21T05:26:00.001-07:002023-04-21T05:26:23.444-07:00"Something to Prove"<p> <span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7IHohve6Pe4FCwMD0DH2-2l-0wf8wBfxlDFYi9q5yY5dliJLxGKrccvQBjltgg2VIcGRtY9HW1BDyez4EuZv6PjgRrAuLQc7PKfImVIBcStZ57RW6NxFLzSDENEnQNZbyvuyC1WNUoyMAkCU9PdgK-Tr3flwMB2w8QkEdGT7NkAXxqPPliJ7kWUz0=s960" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7IHohve6Pe4FCwMD0DH2-2l-0wf8wBfxlDFYi9q5yY5dliJLxGKrccvQBjltgg2VIcGRtY9HW1BDyez4EuZv6PjgRrAuLQc7PKfImVIBcStZ57RW6NxFLzSDENEnQNZbyvuyC1WNUoyMAkCU9PdgK-Tr3flwMB2w8QkEdGT7NkAXxqPPliJ7kWUz0=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></span></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">unnatural competition<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">sibling rivalries created and nurtured<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">by narcissistic manipulations<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">the alcoholic mother and enabling father<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">doling out love to the winners<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">the challenge evolves<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to plastic wives and drunken children<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">awards for misogyny and adultery<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">applause for cheats<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"> and deceits<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">victory gained<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">by zealous clannish unity<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">that punishes the different drummer<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">with ostracism and disdain<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">darkness shadows each generation<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">with something to prove</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Copyright 2022 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-30902109320006954282023-04-21T05:26:00.000-07:002023-04-21T05:26:10.322-07:00"Plans and More Plans"<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhESZF_BV8CpDgNgg8DQ2V5mR61z0pc8zDWT3V1FmLZBO5_-jcb4BftJrpNcw-bHxoUS1NTWxLl8eC9j8cjsFHXgXri1dC7MI4VOJ4evz3QEXuI9R_Pog6IoIU2os8kmk5B5eLZpsZBXGNVAe_CkvBmy2rUy-YSe9dfZ-h4CGIZDcuOQBG16Fwsx4R2=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhESZF_BV8CpDgNgg8DQ2V5mR61z0pc8zDWT3V1FmLZBO5_-jcb4BftJrpNcw-bHxoUS1NTWxLl8eC9j8cjsFHXgXri1dC7MI4VOJ4evz3QEXuI9R_Pog6IoIU2os8kmk5B5eLZpsZBXGNVAe_CkvBmy2rUy-YSe9dfZ-h4CGIZDcuOQBG16Fwsx4R2=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><h1 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">overthinking</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">list making</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">best case scenarios</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">worst possible tragedies imagined</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">journaling predictions for infinite tomorrows</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">fluctuating daily between certainty and self-doubt</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">juggling multiple dependent </span><span style="font-family: times; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: times;">lives with limited reserves</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">nurturing</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">visions dreamt</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">viewpoints expanded outward</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">selflessly sheltering the weakest</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">returning to ritual’s comforting grace</span></div></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">strengthening spirit by dancing with fire</span></div></span><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">embracing obligations with the tenacity of hope</span></div></span></span></div><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></h1><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2022 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhau_3UBR5toe3wlFnEktCH856sf-oc2sD43n15oANd-e-aMaql_9AXvgmIBxNqyza8FTxBKRzojFLLG1O31TBtuthrTFTzt0TGURocHq2m1WnLEFLK8Q6akwNRiz3zoXS2baRSkuqD3MXTXrGxpI7U4jJYJKXRIJPc3wmlS36xSY5GueXo-t4BmY1M=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhau_3UBR5toe3wlFnEktCH856sf-oc2sD43n15oANd-e-aMaql_9AXvgmIBxNqyza8FTxBKRzojFLLG1O31TBtuthrTFTzt0TGURocHq2m1WnLEFLK8Q6akwNRiz3zoXS2baRSkuqD3MXTXrGxpI7U4jJYJKXRIJPc3wmlS36xSY5GueXo-t4BmY1M=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-82106677305574395632023-04-21T05:25:00.002-07:002023-04-21T08:04:46.853-07:00"April's Fool"<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKpUMPPCs2upeTiuq1y9LsG_At0A7LzyOJBU-yi2iELm7jSAlVqJCWD8d7rxbYkTPu0gnZKBf6CGQrMVvdivjm_xDUXjjfNAmGBEr8CTuvSk1_d3mG3E6npxzv_pyBoFxRDVFuFUZBtB0YsNi57fkbNtaiVsxWSCIBHtCSpTfkIvd44cm4oTCpk45B=s4752" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4752" data-original-width="3168" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKpUMPPCs2upeTiuq1y9LsG_At0A7LzyOJBU-yi2iELm7jSAlVqJCWD8d7rxbYkTPu0gnZKBf6CGQrMVvdivjm_xDUXjjfNAmGBEr8CTuvSk1_d3mG3E6npxzv_pyBoFxRDVFuFUZBtB0YsNi57fkbNtaiVsxWSCIBHtCSpTfkIvd44cm4oTCpk45B=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I kneel in awe each spring </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> Worshiping nature’s rebirth </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Stomach flattening to Earth’s coolness </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">My lens captures the first blush of blossoms </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The constancy of nature </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Makes me an April’s Fool </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Trespassing over field and farm </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> For one perfect shot</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright Elizabeth Abrams Chapman 2022</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1O3kQqH9Dio7xe-wFHyzm-Z8tOiNHokytBtQ8uv9RZJJauWIl_9r1rsG_DLcfQ_zXJQbfvvQr-VddjAM8uRZLHVZ2DQK_thcgbRQ2PYsEfNGMNYp9ohd_LkegOhQqan4yoiwtbBI_K4hl6ZHgp6_328ZEhi6Px-SwjnST3aov9MEYwA_rLxE6IZ41=s4752" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3168" data-original-width="4752" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1O3kQqH9Dio7xe-wFHyzm-Z8tOiNHokytBtQ8uv9RZJJauWIl_9r1rsG_DLcfQ_zXJQbfvvQr-VddjAM8uRZLHVZ2DQK_thcgbRQ2PYsEfNGMNYp9ohd_LkegOhQqan4yoiwtbBI_K4hl6ZHgp6_328ZEhi6Px-SwjnST3aov9MEYwA_rLxE6IZ41=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUfowjl0L1ua71n3EIMOgL7K3Jh7M7pOnSb1Zpd3YQRjlO2RfBp1QZGn19lB0KYYsho9RPdU7B_6f96txer_DYfiWk4D_3nNXUn-y_7F7DON98ZUZ1HV5h1aNcBA6mZrXhpxkL7A92oqw3S4Ua9YlSjzOqW083JdaHgPSTCe6zNBkFDwtThDkbiu3K=s4752" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3168" data-original-width="4752" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUfowjl0L1ua71n3EIMOgL7K3Jh7M7pOnSb1Zpd3YQRjlO2RfBp1QZGn19lB0KYYsho9RPdU7B_6f96txer_DYfiWk4D_3nNXUn-y_7F7DON98ZUZ1HV5h1aNcBA6mZrXhpxkL7A92oqw3S4Ua9YlSjzOqW083JdaHgPSTCe6zNBkFDwtThDkbiu3K=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV7AU7r7gvrT7XHqa_jMsKzv8-yUUWnebSGXDuJSYOlZ61A0XiAIkiritnkkPgiBVGM3tD7QWYwa-8E_IJ4QSryHgnhodna8ynk5gZdHIV8N22SChhiKSqd5D7dO4frjaqxlVAhwnSwjrXehYldbpL5AmDQ2ty-6WxI2HWc-K2GTC2CLRQ3jt8Tpe0=s4752" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4752" data-original-width="3168" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV7AU7r7gvrT7XHqa_jMsKzv8-yUUWnebSGXDuJSYOlZ61A0XiAIkiritnkkPgiBVGM3tD7QWYwa-8E_IJ4QSryHgnhodna8ynk5gZdHIV8N22SChhiKSqd5D7dO4frjaqxlVAhwnSwjrXehYldbpL5AmDQ2ty-6WxI2HWc-K2GTC2CLRQ3jt8Tpe0=s320" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtcyxEuT2MT9bdw7kqSWYJFmrUTjwqQSoeqAjb28atF_0ZZ-_NjRpnoC3IJsEkS651hinm0oH6Yyf8k2_ofGhZYKcZG0NMKLqyFQo4OvWH1BA1Re8fkOU2Xuoel72DbBBgSD5vFtfn4CF9cEGncKjsfTAu1p5-joxDfhoAdSp-QwRondgrq2zBILtT=s4752" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3168" data-original-width="4752" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtcyxEuT2MT9bdw7kqSWYJFmrUTjwqQSoeqAjb28atF_0ZZ-_NjRpnoC3IJsEkS651hinm0oH6Yyf8k2_ofGhZYKcZG0NMKLqyFQo4OvWH1BA1Re8fkOU2Xuoel72DbBBgSD5vFtfn4CF9cEGncKjsfTAu1p5-joxDfhoAdSp-QwRondgrq2zBILtT=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-48439964675296348722023-04-21T05:25:00.000-07:002023-04-21T05:25:18.997-07:00"The Enemy Without"<p> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bIcdvHNsZ3k/XooDjAg10FI/AAAAAAAACsk/-VWOAM0DZ0cbzKD-dF6hKEFDgNJoCfsNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bIcdvHNsZ3k/XooDjAg10FI/AAAAAAAACsk/-VWOAM0DZ0cbzKD-dF6hKEFDgNJoCfsNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/IMG_1386.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br />my bliss<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">begins with rusted rake, scarred shovel<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">continues with ancient clippers that snap winter’s residue<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">pulses with knees planted to ground<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">thrives with bulbs separated, clippings rooted<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">grows with tipsy walls reset with careful hands<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>pushes skyward with dew dusted blades<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span><br /></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7cNqdkK3Z2E/XooDzG_C17I/AAAAAAAACs4/e8e13OtXE9gCQJqNyoCTfeofLhywo9EZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7cNqdkK3Z2E/XooDzG_C17I/AAAAAAAACs4/e8e13OtXE9gCQJqNyoCTfeofLhywo9EZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/IMG_1319.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">my bliss<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">conquers the enemy without with patience<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">soothes with dappled sunlight<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">transforms death with restoration<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">mornings blend into afternoons<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">days meld into weeks</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dodz9SA6tg8/XooDwrKoxQI/AAAAAAAACsw/QxRT-ZXi_-kd7QQZ19WsC0yGkw99amVGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dodz9SA6tg8/XooDwrKoxQI/AAAAAAAACsw/QxRT-ZXi_-kd7QQZ19WsC0yGkw99amVGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/IMG_1376.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83pVGZN9vpA/XooDerBpkuI/AAAAAAAACsg/Fy5bwF6ea9EJnPS_cen-9GwofPL-12AnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1398.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83pVGZN9vpA/XooDerBpkuI/AAAAAAAACsg/Fy5bwF6ea9EJnPS_cen-9GwofPL-12AnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/IMG_1398.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e692RrT5taU/XooDmlEDGAI/AAAAAAAACso/RWEuV26Iq64G2rLMTLdR69JOoPvWCg6GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1384.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e692RrT5taU/XooDmlEDGAI/AAAAAAAACso/RWEuV26Iq64G2rLMTLdR69JOoPvWCg6GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/IMG_1384.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6WS3byC8_Jk/XooDqJoZXdI/AAAAAAAACss/UpfiIOjlmUUbpdUZKGptbvuqJLm6EqdnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1383.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6WS3byC8_Jk/XooDqJoZXdI/AAAAAAAACss/UpfiIOjlmUUbpdUZKGptbvuqJLm6EqdnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1383.JPG" width="320" /></span></a>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-6872556023162902782023-04-20T06:07:00.000-07:002023-04-20T06:07:00.459-07:00"There's A Pill for That"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WPegp_p-Elk/XLm7W5bSRXI/AAAAAAAACk8/ZIsnRpwYtwIM-nF2ebiv3WEo_UYWViSFACLcBGAs/s1600/photo%2B%25283%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WPegp_p-Elk/XLm7W5bSRXI/AAAAAAAACk8/ZIsnRpwYtwIM-nF2ebiv3WEo_UYWViSFACLcBGAs/s320/photo%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">headache or heartache; weight up or down<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">fungus or fever; face in frown<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">helpless or tired; skin with a red rash<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">anxious or cold; a nighttime hot flash<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">grab a cure-all; or rub a lotion<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">pop an antidote; or down potion<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">drink elixir; or chew sweet tablets<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">suck a lozenge; or swallow pellets<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">foolish and stupid; minds closed to truth<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">shallow and stubborn; creeds blight our youth<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">righteous and pure; their justice is small<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">cruel and petty; their views destroy all<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">grab a cure-all; or rub a lotion<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">pop an antidote; or down potion<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">drink elixir; or chew sweet tablets<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">suck a lozenge; or swallow pellets<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2019 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-92027346016794430142023-04-20T06:06:00.004-07:002023-04-20T06:44:07.542-07:00"The Harpy"<h1 style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahzEIeP-Dx62W9dlqudrS09zLd8o2r-iEXBjpNXnvegotg3_VEtKzvsfYW2c_gXYq_Zwv9dvoWiwleo5AY6wKg37E5xhTITYjg6hnTWFmS6V1FAyVf0sJG_r5txPetKdcfCA-tVAxv573J1h-QI15VYn5xgfV4Xn2n8SWclfQ6pl3T2NNtvJZ398L/s1002/harpy.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="916" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahzEIeP-Dx62W9dlqudrS09zLd8o2r-iEXBjpNXnvegotg3_VEtKzvsfYW2c_gXYq_Zwv9dvoWiwleo5AY6wKg37E5xhTITYjg6hnTWFmS6V1FAyVf0sJG_r5txPetKdcfCA-tVAxv573J1h-QI15VYn5xgfV4Xn2n8SWclfQ6pl3T2NNtvJZ398L/s320/harpy.webp" width="293" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Blizzard Entertainment</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </h1><div style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="text-align: center;">Above all, she soars<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>Her vicious talons sharp<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>She swoops<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>Her wicked claws rip and tear<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>Into her own children<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>Cruelly she slices her prey<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>Ignores their anguished cries<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>Her evil hunger feeds upon the flesh of her babies<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span>She devours their adoration<br /></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Her soul-eating cravings insatiable</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2019 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman </span></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-61302196869832333442023-04-20T06:06:00.002-07:002023-04-20T06:17:44.382-07:00"The Mirage"<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMDx1NSJHVk3c_iCjQDY-JkolPBd7cO0cI9b6MFNb4XiQbZJvQOz5sCuyBdF-8jeJt7G5SK5w0iRcBA0kuNm5T3Xi5oQ4D2ZGQm33ZxZNQLzALJt1_O3tE5vRPV4Z8QKITlOSUhubWLjqnkzKe_nkTqFPq45fKkJAk2UaUSz3OFjiXQqlYPrfHvzQ/s2048/mirage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1450" data-original-width="2048" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMDx1NSJHVk3c_iCjQDY-JkolPBd7cO0cI9b6MFNb4XiQbZJvQOz5sCuyBdF-8jeJt7G5SK5w0iRcBA0kuNm5T3Xi5oQ4D2ZGQm33ZxZNQLzALJt1_O3tE5vRPV4Z8QKITlOSUhubWLjqnkzKe_nkTqFPq45fKkJAk2UaUSz3OFjiXQqlYPrfHvzQ/w640-h454/mirage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Chapman-artist</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">a distant shimmering</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">promising relief<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">from the desert of my uncertainties<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">my youth<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">sought your false oasis<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">thirsted for love and approval<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">only to falter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">steps leaden by oppression<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">dropping to my knees<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">supplicant<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">to receive one-drop-of-hope<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">before shunning</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2019 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-10868874908119899302023-04-20T06:06:00.001-07:002023-04-20T06:06:38.109-07:00"Indulged or Spoiled"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M4XmuiqlQGss7ZaxCpMX4M-7S1kXxh9iVjfaZQa7IQEh_b7Bpj2KWe462dgrgA9OwCJKfOYDN4cvFyv4obPwCpilglnGHGz6TRhwskr2IiXtgCQ0GaXCjpRwpl7IZtgb64xi2irlvpzZBqw-rlRUCmxSIrjrSBysYT8KZOd-MTGyaNBpYGmThgDM/s600/indulged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="600" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M4XmuiqlQGss7ZaxCpMX4M-7S1kXxh9iVjfaZQa7IQEh_b7Bpj2KWe462dgrgA9OwCJKfOYDN4cvFyv4obPwCpilglnGHGz6TRhwskr2IiXtgCQ0GaXCjpRwpl7IZtgb64xi2irlvpzZBqw-rlRUCmxSIrjrSBysYT8KZOd-MTGyaNBpYGmThgDM/w400-h283/indulged.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">A coin flip—<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Indulged<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>with<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>nourishment<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>attention<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>opportunity<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>freedom<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">OR<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Spoiled<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>by<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>coddling<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>yielding<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>pandering<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>capitulating<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Indulged<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>with<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>comfort<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>ease<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>safety<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>certainty<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">OR<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Spoiled<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>by<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>luxury<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>indifference<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>idleness<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>privilege<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2019 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-26911989848797266192023-04-19T05:50:00.000-07:002023-04-19T05:50:06.081-07:00"Liar"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq2z19Kz1lL8s7PnC2fZuuELZQbG34chZcyjP8JWk2I7cDEIty8BSB2u0SLAeAdNfYp19FTDywpSBzBzImctEg5WtuXI8p_OW-vEM9BWiR6II9cuOJA_OlQC5LmCTBouHasaW33slk8r2ho2tfmp2fUc5y6Ls74nZKR7SAhhzWIpSQgzf2tAJ9-ud/s1024/liar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1024" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq2z19Kz1lL8s7PnC2fZuuELZQbG34chZcyjP8JWk2I7cDEIty8BSB2u0SLAeAdNfYp19FTDywpSBzBzImctEg5WtuXI8p_OW-vEM9BWiR6II9cuOJA_OlQC5LmCTBouHasaW33slk8r2ho2tfmp2fUc5y6Ls74nZKR7SAhhzWIpSQgzf2tAJ9-ud/s320/liar2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Full eye contact with head tilted “just so”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The words he speaks ring false and hollow<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He moves his hand smoothly down her arm<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Tries to blind her with his deceitful charm<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">His veneer appears glossy and smooth<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He’s a trickster who distorts the truth<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Through a phony wink and cocked eyebrows<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He seduces with his empty vows<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He manipulates her emotions<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">By conjuring deceptive notions<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He craves her devotion on a whim<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As her passion means nothing to him<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He’s a con artist, a promoter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He’s barren inside—a pretender.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Copyright 2019 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-71539908318610066802023-04-19T05:49:00.007-07:002023-04-19T06:04:20.734-07:00"This Week"<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Words</span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Batter—<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Become wounding fists<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Punching gut<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Fury<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rages—<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Mauls rational thought<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Devouring differences<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Cruelty<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cuts—<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Cultivates hateful insanity<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6D2I-YUKHzJQ3WPLPhGYgm6pxo89Et8ddMRLlX8_Wk9x4PNzKCyBiqj8N49VWnNqz7q8k9S8OOswJcp3_Pym3f0M4gfPjNR18Y0r5dFZ04PJzvr7ITgpiYRIi_eJHr1zvzpLSIH64SEdUSu2-Dxyv86ZGyi0HnLFdO2Swvy4IP1KoA3dZZMLhR8q/s266/thisweek1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="266" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6D2I-YUKHzJQ3WPLPhGYgm6pxo89Et8ddMRLlX8_Wk9x4PNzKCyBiqj8N49VWnNqz7q8k9S8OOswJcp3_Pym3f0M4gfPjNR18Y0r5dFZ04PJzvr7ITgpiYRIi_eJHr1zvzpLSIH64SEdUSu2-Dxyv86ZGyi0HnLFdO2Swvy4IP1KoA3dZZMLhR8q/w200-h142/thisweek1.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Breeding spite<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I recoil in disbelief<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Evaluate—<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Nurture my flagging sensibilities<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Defending choice<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I fold into myself<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Protect—<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Shield my diminishing spirit<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Blocking pain<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I triage my wounds<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Heal—<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Bind my bleeding-heart liberalism<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Seeking restoration<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2018 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman<o:p></o:p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"></span>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-41956979291057444822023-04-19T05:49:00.006-07:002023-04-19T06:03:10.840-07:00"Lost Child"<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Little boy with bright mischievous eyes<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">And no control over his actions<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">In kindergarten he remains friendless<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">No other child walks with him—arm flung around his shoulders—sharing secrets<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">In first grade he cannot read<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">His wildness presses against school’s restraints<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">As he fights conformity<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">No other child walks with him—arm flung around his shoulders—sharing secrets<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Second grade demands attention<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">But numbers whirl by in him<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Until he becomes senseless and numbed by Adderall<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">No other child walks with him—arm flung around his shoulders—sharing secrets<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">He slows down and gives up<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Submitting to rules and regulations<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Molding himself into submission<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Still—<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span>No other child walks with him—arm flung around his shoulders—sharing secrets</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 27px;"><span><br /></span></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EZivQj_GEs0/XKFFLH8Z65I/AAAAAAAACfs/RzYF0QLe1MI_0X4YpaN_ijkgvunlTnrgwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0650.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EZivQj_GEs0/XKFFLH8Z65I/AAAAAAAACfs/RzYF0QLe1MI_0X4YpaN_ijkgvunlTnrgwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0650.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2019 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-18438116508285173902023-04-19T05:49:00.002-07:002023-04-19T05:49:41.654-07:00"Laundry"<p> </p><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">one pile expands in the bedroom<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">a second blocks the hallway’s path<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">a third’s stuffed into a hamper<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">another explodes in our bath<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">mutating exponentially<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">as every day passes by<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">an alien infiltration<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">makes all our clothing multiply<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">on Saturday mornings I climb<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">over mountainous stinky stacks<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">by shifting and swiftly sorting<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">they yield to my vicious attacks<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">whites swirl into boiling water<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">while colors churn in icy cold<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">then they tumble in fluffy air<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">once dried, each gets a tidy fold<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">the end of a tedious day<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">finds every item in its place<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">fatigue anchors me to the couch<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">where I know I’ve won the race<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. . . until next week!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9P4sOk5m_LY/XJk5vd_cVNI/AAAAAAAACbY/_9G2JtslLV4R852IxHzud5Rz3nRzXT2rACLcBGAs/s1600/photo%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9P4sOk5m_LY/XJk5vd_cVNI/AAAAAAAACbY/_9G2JtslLV4R852IxHzud5Rz3nRzXT2rACLcBGAs/s400/photo%2B1.JPG" width="298" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span>Copyright 2019 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276097964159136107.post-14367337879792032822023-04-19T05:49:00.001-07:002023-04-19T05:49:32.229-07:00"Your Silence"<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times; text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times; text-align: center;">I have no excuse for hurting you<br /></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Saying<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">“I didn’t understand”<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">doesn’t erase your pain<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">When you stripped bare<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">our differences,<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">I built a defensive wall<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">to shelter our friendship<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">to protect us from the World’s invasive<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">discord and discontent<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">I begged for less<br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Your silence honors me</span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW33uLsDw1lJnOW_DqYLJInsK4K8JbMp7kGem08eU2GQbYaM2iEl3q3Zaw2HXU9WkBMhNCSoSbUYmbTz1mlQBTE6qmFCywlsVhXoLeG7ulgtusltKyC7lNfkeAKE_ZfDbvAw4i5P1UZk6bTa2zgdyN47ctWEG6XUiMhrZ2_69pbdGSJUztISQEjbr-/s2048/your%20silence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW33uLsDw1lJnOW_DqYLJInsK4K8JbMp7kGem08eU2GQbYaM2iEl3q3Zaw2HXU9WkBMhNCSoSbUYmbTz1mlQBTE6qmFCywlsVhXoLeG7ulgtusltKyC7lNfkeAKE_ZfDbvAw4i5P1UZk6bTa2zgdyN47ctWEG6XUiMhrZ2_69pbdGSJUztISQEjbr-/w266-h400/your%20silence.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Copyright 2018 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman</span></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>Elizabeth Abrams Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08476751043841754323noreply@blogger.com0