"Deb--"

Deb

I want to be like you—
 believing in good
 from a suffering world
I want to be like you—
 crafting kindness
 with prayers and smiles
I want to be like you—
 listening to old hurts
 with an understanding heart
I want to be like you—
 fostering true generosity
 with that single perfect gift
I want to be like you—
 lessening sorrows
 with just the right words
I want to be like you—
 celebrating life’s milestones
 with thought and care
I want to be like you—
 dancing with rapture
 under the full moon

                     

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

 

"Poison"

Inside

                        buried under smiles

                                                as innocent as childhood

                        hidden by energy

                                                that eats the inner core

                        enveloped with laughter

                                                tinged by hysteria

            where no one can see, or touch, or feel

                                                the infinite coldness

Waiting

                        surrounded by darkness

                                                like a corpse in the grave

                        clamped down by a vise

                                                whose claws rip and tear

                        forced into submission

                                                until no one’s looking

            deep down in the well of pitch, and stagnation, and fear

                                                the infinite coldness

Outside

                        revealed at last in the eyes

                                                through condemnation and
                                                                                    indignation

                        recognized by the putrid stench

                                                of pettiness and intolerance

                        exposed in each word and act

                                                through acid hatred

            an eruption of vomitus bile—black and caustic

                                                the infinite coldness

Copyright 1997 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

 

"An Ending Begins"

Standing on the edge looking back—

            So many decisions gone wrong

                        So many decisions proved right

                                    No way of tracing patterns

            The child longs for easier ways—

                        Rainbows, buttercups under the chin

                                    Seeking security

                                                Returning to the womb

Standing on the edge looking ahead—

            So many unknowns

                        So many possibilities

                                    No way of seeing patterns

            The youth longs for challenge—

                        First love, free falling from the sky

                                    Embracing life

                                                Escaping tight bondage

Standing on the edge looking inward—

            So many “what ifs”

                        So many “if onlys”

                                    No way of changing patterns

            The elder dreams on of new beginnings

                        Second chances, another step into sunshine

                                    Gathering warmth

                                                Longing to be young again

Copyright 1996 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“Ponytail Triumph”

 

Short and sassy layers stick out everywhere    
Angled bobs frame chin lines with nary a stray hair     
Curls spiral in crowns, bangs fringe a forehead fair    
Waves cascade in thick ribbons, twists rope ‘round with flair   
Yet it's the plain ponytail I most often wear    


Copyright 2015 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman 

 

“Philosophy in the Car”

Hours in a box on wheels   

Could play out soundlessly   

With each of us plugged     

Into our own online world   

Instead   

Music pushes our pulses   

Into unison   

And we philosophize   

About Life   

With a capital “L”    

Our Dreams and Doubts   

Dance on the dashboard   

As we   

Pick apart     

Cognitive dissonance     

With science instead of faith   

And create Peace on Earth     

Time distorts     

Into only the here-and-now   

Or tunnels down into our pasts   

Or spirals outward to What Will Be   

 

Copyright 2015 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman