Saturday, April 8, 2023

"Too Many Words"

My mind swirls

words jumble and jive

to a silent rhythm

bebopbebopbebopbebopbebop

ramming together

My thoughts inseparable

a tangled mess of “what if”

knotted

I tug at one end

unravel

into chaos and clutter

cosmic dust bouncing

here-and-there

random

like Sheldon Cooper on coffee

"Holding Pattern"

The final destination’s in sight

twinkling lights welcome

offer guidance and hope

Suddenly turbulence

rolls over us

wind shear threatens our course

Circle around, around, around

Running low on fuel

ready to crash

ready to burn

Stuck in a holding pattern

waiting for answers

waiting for options

Finally diverted to another port

an unexpected paradise

with exceptional surprises

Life is a Rubik’s Cube
where we devote our days
creating solid planes
white, blue, red, orange
twisting and turning to simplify
to green
mellowing into yellow
Life is a Rubik’s Cube
a 3-D puzzle
where one solution
temporarily disrupts another
jumbling events
we figure
we calculate
we design strategy and apply logic
we manipulate the interconnected pieces
focused on the goal
Life is a Rubik’s Cube
once solved—
displayed with pride
until it teases Fate
who picks up the puzzle
and scrambles the pieces once again

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Righteous Anger"

because you yell the loudest

TYPE IN ALL CAPS

divide and pontificate with provocation

you lay claim to justification

you demean those who disagree

through a false sense of superiority

you lash out with vindictiveness

choosing to injure and belittle

you suck others into your fallacies

with endless word manipulations

you deride and insult

to defend your flawed and mistaken reasoning

you rationalize your anger and hatred

by looking at everyone

but yourself

you are mean

you are cruel

you love no one

this is your failure

your loss

your inability that wounds

your harshness that kills

your unhappiness that warps and destroys

so scream out your

righteous anger

louder, louder, louder

until you become hoarse

until fatigue forces you to pause

until you must be silent

then listen to the echoes of your loneliness

"I Dreamt of You"

I dreamt of you last night

vivid images

sitting across from you at a table

your hands toying restlessly with a cup of stale coffee

impatient for a cigarette in this smoke free room

the scent of your perfume mingles with dust and mold

as you laugh at my inane joke

my attempt to tease you away from your grief

I dreamt of you last night

a muted mirage

mimicking reality

your haunted eyes deep set and dark

desperately darting here-and-there

avoiding my scrutiny as I peer through your façade

sensing sorrow under your kind words

as you offer support and comfort to me

I dreamt of you last night

"Study of Two Woman Grieving" by John Flaxman
http://www.metmuseum.org/en/collections/search-the-collections?ft=Flaxman%2C+John+(British%2C+1755-1826)&rpp=20&pg=2

Friday, April 7, 2023

"Photography"

Our Pentax K1000

taught me patience—

adjusting for aperture

calculating speed

focusing

framing

waiting

click

our life captured moment by moment

the special tree

a candid smile

the puppy's delight

our son’s joy

a wide angle view from the hilltop

preserved

memories at my fingertips

photo albums at attention

filling closet shelves

lovingly dated and captioned

adding weight and substance

to our existence

"Mama Bear"

She cried with joy the first time she held you

felt your solid reality

inhaled your scent

Every cell yearned to nurture, protect, defend

She tried to create a perfect world

safe within the forest

with cuddles at night

sunbeams and moonshine

a life of Magic

She fought with all her strength—

tooth and claw—

to secure your future of limitless possibilities

battled viciously against attacks

as you gathered your own power

She taught you to survive

forged endurance and tenacity into your spirit

so you can dream

so you can do

so you can be

"Geeks-R-Us"

Super Bowl or a Star Trek marathon?

The choice is easy for me.

I’ll take Jean-Luc Picard all day long.

It’s my “geeky” destiny.

I will avoid the drunken crowds at night

to put on my Ren faire dress.

I’ll opt to play with a red saber light

and consider my life blessed.

An awesome evening spent online in WOW

will beat out any party.

I know you will never understand how

I embrace this “geeky” me.

"Favoritism"

The Smothers Brothers: Mom Always Liked You Best!

“Mom always liked you best”

a long ago line from a Smothers Brothers’ routine

comedy-a joke

a Band-Aid covering

deep wounds

One

loved without effort

gifted with endless attention

a mama’s boy

walking on water

parting the Red Sea

with his shallowness

selfishness

manipulations

One

overlooked and forgotten

faceless in the familial crowd

a lost son

never perfect enough

always longing

humble

a pure soul

Adoration and Neglect

doled out in equal dollops

so much showered on one

nothing remained for the other

"Twilight at Two"

Metal swathed the sky, muffling birdsong with a north wind’s sigh

Drops splatted, engorged, against the windows

Miniature rivulets snaked down the glass

The double bass drum reverberated, vibrating the air with tension

Breaking open the sky

Twilight at two

Time to strike wooden matches, to inhale subtle sulfur

Pad from room to room lighting clustered candles

Genuflecting before each tiny flame

Celebrating the charm of enlightenment

Jasmine, cranberry, lavender eucalyptus trail through the house

A wake of scent drifting within the pools of light

Shadows soothe as rain song hums in harmony

"Tightrope"

the littlest exclusion

draws my attention from the tightrope

of my life—

pulls my concentration

from the next step

forces me to waiver

as my attention perceives

something wrong in my periphery

one misspoken word

one invitation unsent

one empty promise

pushes me off balance

makes my steps falter and fail

Where are you?

under me with a net?

beside me with encouragement?

ahead of me with assurances?

your disembodied voice

carries concern

yet you never come

you never have time

you never share my heartbreak

beyond an obligatory phone call

as you unthinkingly

plunge me into an abyss of loneliness

Thursday, April 6, 2023

"Ironing"

I wish I could iron out

the wrinkles of my life

Use a little heat

Apply a little pressure

to smooth out the imperfections of my day

neaten up cuffs and collars and puckering button holes

the little irritations

gone

with a touch of heat

a little attention

But

Those Natural Cottons

long forgotten in the dryer

Require more heat

Demand steam and starch

Pressure

to reach perfection

And I always get burned

"In the Mirror"

softness

gentles her face

David Chapman-artist

soothes away the old stress-etched lines
            from her once pursed lips
now she smiles
radiant and relaxed
her New Life lends
            boldness to her laugh
            confidence to her sensuality
a glint of knowledge sparks mischief in her eyes
experience strengthens her
            steel wrapped in cotton
subtle in her curves
strong in her possibilities

"The Challenge"

Legible writing in soft blue ink
Reveals with each word the way you think
Lines of poetry shared with a friend
Attempt to heel old wounds and to mend
The pain from love that filled us with woe
And ugly scars left by our old foes
Sipping our wine and nibbling at cheese
The challenge took shape with simple ease
Five topics as diverse as can be
Will evolve into our poetry

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"The Tip of an Iceberg"

with a few words I conceal

under an ocean’s depth of denial

flaws and faults

I minimize old pain

with bland responses that reveal nothing

of my hurt

You see only what I show

a crystal castle floating on blue seas

translucent

sparkling pinnacles of light

white perfection—an undefiled mirage

jeweled spires

cutting against cobalt sky

graceful illusions I used to disguise

their untruths

below the surface lurks lies—

love frozen into grotesque mutations

sea monsters

horrors and deceits they hide

underneath where unexpected currents

buffet me

until I writhe free and climb

back into the sunlight of brilliant diamonds—

my iceberg

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

"Abuse"

He flattered her as he flattened her
            sucked out her laughter
                        siphoned her vitality away
                                    one drop at a time
                                                until she became two-dimensional

He paired cruel insults

with rare compliments

eroded her spirit

by belittling her

convinced her no one cares

except for him

He made his harsh world hers

forced her to choose him

before her parents and over her siblings

isolated her from their love

demanded she love no one

except for him

He scorned her appearance

amplified her imperfections and flaws

derided her

as worthless and unlovable to everyone

except for him

He mocked her interests

stole her away from her nature

moved her into his goals

while tearing apart her dreams

bullied her into forsaking everything

except for him

He vindictively cut her judgment

taught her to doubt her decisions

commanded she trust no one

except for him

as he brainwashed her

day by day

year after year

Swing In A Tree

Saturday, April 8, 2023

"Too Many Words"

"Holding Pattern"

"A Rubrik's Cube"

Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Righteous Anger"

"I Dreamt of You"

Friday, April 7, 2023

"Photography"

"Mama Bear"

"Geeks-R-Us"

"Favoritism"

"Twilight at Two"

"Tightrope"

Thursday, April 6, 2023

"Ironing"

"In the Mirror"

"The Challenge"

"The Tip of an Iceberg"

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

"Abuse"