Swing In A Tree

Saturday, April 1, 2023

"The Corner of my Eye"

"Star of Wisdom" by David Chapman

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a laughing ghost
she morphs into my fancies

as she alters my reality

I sigh her name and capture her hand—

but she vanishes into the mist of who I was

so I release her when she smiles

recognizing myself reflected in her twinkling eyes

"Dragon" by David Chapman

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a noble dragon

she sparkles with childhood jewels

as she flies into view

I reach out to touch her, to skip my fingers across her scales

but she slips out of reach

as she beckons me to follow her flight

back to simple pleasures

"Fairy Flute" by David Chapman

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a dancing fairy

she glimmers with tomorrow’s blessings

as she throws a kiss my way

I long to turn my head and follow her as I boogie along

but she’ll vanish from sight

so I let her tease me and entrance me all day

listening for her breath and the whisper of her wings

Friday, March 31, 2023

"Baring Gifts"

She’s Marie Barone—on steroids

baring gifts of guilt

wrapped in gilded foil

dripping honeyed compliments

sprinkled with ground glass

leaving you bleeding on the inside

With a smile she blames you for her cruelty

twisting her tales

defending her intrusions

she belittles you as she praises you

tearing you down to control you

with gossip she snatches away your privacy

claiming she only acts with love

Lock your doors

Don’t let her in

is it real?
the glowing smile in every photograph
the arms thrown casually around your husband
frame after frame
the friendliness you casually offer to everyone
the show of happiness you radiate in public

is it real?

the vanilla personality that never offends
the perfect hair, make-up, and outfit
the gym toned body that defies gravity
the soccer Mom carpool

is it real?
the eyes that don’t shed tears of grief
the temper that won’t explode
the heart that can’t break
the cool reflective surface that never ripples in a breeze

is it real?
the excuses for his infidelities
the acceptance of abuse
the tolerance for his cruel and belittling words
the immaculate life with no imperfections
is it real?

"Defense Mechanisms"

David Chapman-artist

Defend and Protect at all costs
bury unpleasant thoughts and feelings under, down, below
refuse to accept reality
deny, deny, deny
change existence and rewrite your life
fabricate your lies until they morph into your new reality
regress or act out
childishly punch the wall of your frustration
disconnect from your follies
forget, forget, forget
place each dissonant thought into a strongbox
locked away even from yourself
project your pettiness and bitterness onto the wholesome
react in opposition with your infantile impulses
blockade your imperfections behind fantasy
beat your spouse, kick the dog—never harm yourself
Defend and Protect at all costs

"His Easy Smile"

They believed his easy smile
the laughter at all the right places
while he cloaked his deception through necessity
as the world within him clung to distortions
Illness subtly ate at his reason
making it impossible to disguise the turmoil within
unless he buried it under the things he loved:
games, computers, politics, religion
Intellect guided him to delude
to use his words to hide his thoughts
Need shepherded him to security
safety with the familiar:
church and keyboard, childhood ritual and digital certainty
where he shared with his surrogates
the Truths he let them see
Security in his world narrowed down
into a box of silent despair
broken only by the words, “I love you”