Kaleidoscope
INDEX:
Redhead At the Beach
The Eye Of You
Nuthin' Like Hope
Shut the Door, Martha
No Rest
Wide Eyed and Wondering
Redhead at the Beach
~ ~ ~
Barely
blossomed in
hormones' lush bed
she struts and sashays and
tosses her head, ponytail flashing in
glinting red sun, dainty curves flaunting
to everyone; skin smooth and firm is proudly
displayed, she's prancing and preening her
pleasured parade; no comprehension
of losses she'll know, nor how
short the season before
the snow.
(C) 1999 Rosemary J. Gwaltney
The Eye Of You
In the swirl of living’s hurricane, there dwelt the eye of you
pulling my soul beyond the day, silently gazing through.
The yesteryears of tender times that, torn away from me,
stared back into my window-heart - but could no longer be.
In the fury of nighttime’s vacuum-dark, I felt the eye of you
drawing my heart to love long lost, shading me in with blue.
Gone was the wet-winged soul of me, where passion freely flew.
Past was the airy spring that thrived, when yet dew-damp and new.
If ever you chance to look for me, I’ll see the eye of you,
melting my spirit’s window-pain, where iceberg dolor grew.
If ever your heart feels emptied out, come see if you can find
your fitting piece of puzzle-time, kept safe within my mind.
(C) 2002 Rosemary J. Gwaltney
Nuthin' Like Hope
There’s nuthin’ like hope
flyin’ in the wind like scrubbed clean whites
flappin’ on the line, slappin’ cool against yer face
in the bakin’ sun when the sweat’s beadin’ up, rollin’ down
~ ~ ~
There’s nuthin’ like hope
squishin’ through yer shoes, coolin’ achin’
feet with cold sandy salt water, seaweed ‘n all, sendin’
relief all the way up ta yer hot tight headache; tensin’ frown
~ ~ ~
There’s nuthin’ like hope
when all hope was lost; it’s like grabbin’ a rope
sittin’ on the knot and kickin’ off the tree, swingin’, swingin’
hair sailin’ in the breeze, over the meadow through the heat, oh man!!
(C) 1999 Rosemary J. Gwaltney
Shut the Door, Martha
The north wind whipped up from the ravine
blowing water into my eyes
the night that Phoebe died.
- - I watched the last of the light fade against the fields
- - smudging the snow into charcoal black;
- - camouflaging the deer and rabbit tracks.
Camouflaging too, the car tracks
leading away forever from our house
through the unforgiving woods.
- - Laying the helpless book across my knees,
- - I felt the clock’s ticking stealing my thoughts,
- - leaving frozen numbness in the air.
Where did these drops on my shirt come from?
Shut the door quick, would you, Martha?
The chill is too sharp tonight.
- - I won’t be hearing the ospreys in the morning, she replied.
- - I have gone deaf, and my eyes can’t hear.
- - Please don’t tell me what I can’t bear to see.
Come, get yourself together, Martha.
Put a log on the coals, would you?
There must be a cold front moving in.
(C) 2002 Rosemary J. Gwaltney
No Rest
This
early April
Morning tried to
squeeze wearily through the
window blinds like a tomcat who'd
enjoyed too many fights
the night before.
~ ~ ~
Pawing the shades, he
attempted to wriggle between,
bloody and torn-eared; scruffy, determined
to rouse us from our fleeting slumber
for a stroke, a forgiving love,
and some tasty vittles.
~ ~ ~
A cat might have received,
but Morning brought no excuses. He
arrived unwanted, rejected, glaring mercilessly
into our eyes. He was a wild, incorrigible, self-designated
eccentric; and we slammed the window,
pulled tight the curtains. But
he sat outside howling.
And
there was no rest.
(C) 2000 Rosemary J. Gwaltney
Wide Eyed and Wondering
Wide-eyed and wondering
Restless and wild
Time flies away from us
Free as a child
~ ~ ~
Heart thumping rhythm
Morse code inside
Drumming like jackhammers
Careless crazy ride
~ ~ ~
Panting and breathless
Minutes hours days
Freely fleeting flowing
Blurred as autumn’s haze
~ ~ ~
Time like a living thing
Escaping the past
Train on a downhill roll
Never going to last.
(C) 1997 Rosemary J. Gwaltney
© 1997 - 2002 Rosemary J. Gwaltney All
rights reserved.
