Saturday, January 10, 2026

"Future"

   



         We walk through nightmares of the past,
living an existence of future fears.
            Desperately struggling among the mountainous
crags of pre-fabricated foods and chemically made beer cans,
our test tube babies weep with bitter need,
as automated mothers
rock rhythmically back and forth.
            No one saw today as it was to be.
            We run through our own living hell,
Never feeling, desiring, or loving.
            Mirrors are no longer needed,
nor are youthful photographs taken—
for images of ourselves are seen scrambling
among the barren garbage dumps
searching for rustic vestiges of yesterday—
an identity.
            No one saw today as it was to be.
            We trudge through old decaying minds,
trying to forget our own impotence.
            Whimpering trepidations never cease,
for like howling canines long starved for passion,
the souls of society disintegrated
into a pile of biological residue.
            And no one say today as it was to be.

Copyright 1975 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Friday, January 9, 2026

"Old Man"



Old man

Bloated

with self-importance

Fooled and conned

others

Not me


Expressionless blue eyes criticize

No love

For you

or you

or you

or you

or you

Unless . . .


Words acid-filled

spoken with a soulless smile

No love

For you

or you

or you

or you

or you

Unless . . .



Copyright 2026 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

 

Thursday, January 8, 2026

"The Rope of Love"



My hands grasp it   
               rough and coarse   
               prickling against my fingers   
I test its strength   
               tugging hard   
               yanking it this way and that   
Tentatively, I test my weight   
               Will it bear me?   
               Will it hold me up?   
               Will it carry me   
                     across the chasms   
                     over the ridges   
                     through thundering rivers?   
I examine it carefully   
               searching for flaws   
               weaknesses in its entwined strands   
Winding upon itself      
               enwrapping my fingers   
               enveloping my hand   
I trust it   
               swinging over the unknown   
               over the pit of my insecurities   
It gouges my hands   
               rubs me raw and blistered   
               as I swing   
It bears me   
               holds me   
                    carries me   
               even as it hurts me   
I don’t let go   
               and the pain lessens   
               my feet touch the ground   
I unwind it from my hand   
               my shaking fingers   
               smoothing against its heat   
I untie it   
               bind it loosely around me   
               feel its weight   
Its rough and coarse hairs   
               tickle my cheek   
               and I smile   
                     in safety   
                     in security   
                     in satisfaction   

Copyright 1995 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

"A Galaxy"


Spellbound   

Feet rooted on rocky ground   
Head tilted back   
Eyes skyward    
Dizzy under the velvet   
Stars evermore   

Released     

Soul suspended in the sky   
Spirit swirling away   
Body forgotten   
Honored within Nature   
Stars evermore   

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

"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   


 
Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman