To follow...

Last poem was kind of depressing. But unfortunately, I have more bad news. The school year started with the death of a dear friend and classmate. Also, I have renewed my status as single for now...but not loving it. Things are busy, crazy, and stressful, but I'll continue to write. I know I don't have any readers yet........but maybe someday!

My brother...

Luke’s Passage

Papa and Baba died
within five years of each other
abandonment to you
who never quite felt at home among six sisters
Grandparent’s house was your getaway
You knew that Papa would always listen
when parents misunderstood
and teachers overlooked
Luke, age 9 “I’m nice”
you carved into the warped wood by the house
But nobody heard
And loneliness found you in the alley
willing to try-
snuck into your backpack
masquerading
as just something
to take the pain away
Paper route highs
were hidden for years
High school came and
you were a pioneer
to followers with need to experiment
Popularity meant all night parties
Mornings meant homeroom
with tequila hangover and
nicotine under fingernails
But that was only fifty percent of the time
Other mornings you were couch spread
cupboards ransacked
Wads of rolled up cash
earned at my donut selling job
cleverly stuffed in hollowed copy of Harry Potter
had been found by you
and taken
because your dealers would take your life
But your need for the drug just grew greater
that you screamed at your mother
and wished death on your father
You were toxic
like everything you put in your body
that made your eyes too wide
and your skin ghostly and I was afraid
I needed to know you loved me
more than your deceit showed
So I did your homework
when you couldn’t keep up
And drove you around
when you lost your license
But enabling was not the answer
Because your graduation came
with no lesson learned
Back home
You balance on the edge of a bucket
in the garage- you get high
Not remembering that there greater
salvation than what burns in your hand
You gaze out the smeared window
family below on a high of hamburger and love
picnicking because life will go on without you
You can’t find your way out of the abyss
The only clear road you see
is the path of addiction
so you take it

We Met On A Monday

We Met on a Monday by Liz (my sister)

We met on a Monday
I should have said no
You asked me to golf with you
And I agreed to go

I tore up the grass
But you didn’t seem to care
I could tell that you liked me
That special feeling was there

As we were out on the green
It became quite clear
When you showed me how to swing
It was just so we could be near

At the end of the date
You took me to my door
And when you kissed me once
My heart begged for more

That night as I lay
I thought back on my day
And decided
There was something
I just had to say

It couldn’t wait
Our meeting had been fate
I had to tell you
I feel in love with you on our first date

You were silent at first
My stomach felt sick
“Are you there, my love?”
But all I heard was
Click.

We met on a Monday
I should have said no
Because now I’m here
Loving you
Not able to let go

Rewrites

Beautiful Day on Lake Erie

Sunrise finds us camping on the beach.
Seagull alarm clock awakens
heavy eyelids, burning from last night’s campfire.
For breakfast, a mountain pie
toasted and steaming,
marinara and mozzarella.
Feet thrusted into the sand,
watching slow wake ups
and dutiful trips to the water spicket.
New friends at neighboring campsites stop by to
make plans for Rummy 500 after dusk.
The subtle waves beckon to us and our rafts.
But, first we will go to the camp store-
everything that you forgot you needed,
until you did.
The sun kissed seven,
plus our parents.
We’ll sucker our Dad into buying us a kite,
and Mom will pick up some pop tarts.
But we need to see if they sell water shoes.
You see, yesterday my flip flops
were buried in the sand,
and I didn’t notice
for six hours.





The Hammock Swing

Wooden shoulders
attached to the ceiling with a hook
and a net hanging down,
a sailboat- with nothing underneath
but the breeze.
This is where my sister sits in the summer,
tanned legs swinging.
The corner of the porch
seems like the corner of the world.
A place to observe
or read
or talk
on the phone
for hours.
The crisscrossed ropes are a dream catcher,
all bad things blocked
and only the good let through.
For me to look at her
I tilt my head upwards.
We sit,
laugh,
and dream.
Later we’ll argue about when to turn out the light-
She’ll bother me for gas money,
I’ll criticize her friends.
But for now,
"Everything's going to be all right" she teaches me.
She leans back with night sky behind.
"It's us against the world."
She's a quiet piece of furniture-
my guru.

First Day of Class

Dr. Holmes:
"Let me just check the rooster." (meaning roster)

"Mini-series without the n and the i would be miseries. I don't have dyslexia but I do sometimes drop letters out of words. Like the other day I was looking for the faculty lounge and all I could find was the faulty lunge."

"I have had quite a summer. Let me get drunk sometime and tell you all about it."

Dream Interpreting

See if you can figure this one out...
Last night I had a dream that it was my wedding day. It was four hours until the big moment, and I was in my pajamas. Every time I thought about jumping in the shower, somebody else would get there first. I looked around for my dress, before remembering that I had left it at school. I knew I didn't have enough time to go get it, so I started looking for something else to wear. I tried on my sister's old wedding dress (but in the dream the dress was blue with long sleeves) Then some lady came over with a beautiful wedding dress on and I thought she was going to let me use it, but she said it was what she was going to wear to my wedding. Everybody was bringing dresses to my house, but they were just dresses, not wedding dresses. After I had tried on a tacky Christmas sweater, I said enough is enough, I had to go to the mall. I was waiting on two of my bridesmaids, one that was suppose to do my hair, and the other in charge of my makeup. Since I was leaving, I had to change my plans. I asked my maid of honor to get me a hair appointment, but she wouldn't get out of bed. My other bridesmaid said we didn't have any money in the wedding budget to go anywhere. Finally, I walked into my livingroom and my mom told me that they were able to order a dress that would be Fedex-ed to me in the next 30 minutes. I asked if it was white, and they said no- ivory. I started crying and saying that I waited 22 years to have sex just so I could wear white on my wedding day. Oh and my reception was at a ski lodge. I had not done any of the planning.

Shurvay

How long until your birthday?
3 years and five months

Who got married at the last wedding you went to?
Emily and Mike

Are you better at math or art?
Well I suck at both actually...

Who was your 4th grade teacher?
Miss Petty

Who was your best friend in 7th grade?
Anne Minich, Lauren Phillips, Brittany Weaver, and Nicole Rice...we called ourselves the Wave Five!

Did you go to pre-school, if you went at all?
Yes, Christian Playday

Who was the last person you called?
My boo

What's your favorite brand of gum?
Trident

Do you own a digital camera?
Of course, it's 2008

Have you ever had a pet fish?
Many! Lizzie McGuire was the best!

Are you taller than your mom?
I think about the same height

What's on your wish list for your birthday?
Books, diamonds, a car, and uhhh baking soda toothpaste

Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Excited!

Something you hate more than anything?
People

Do you like surprises?
Only if I know it's coming

Do you miss someone?
All my family

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
Yes

What's your most favorite scar?
I don't think I have any

What did the last text message say that you received?
Hills tonight!

How many kids do you want to have?
Anywhere from 2 to 8

Where was your default picture taken?
In my house on Easter

What was the last TV show you watched?
Mad Men

Are you wearing socks?
No way

What's the last thing you ate?
JELLO

Last movie you watched?
Hotel Rwanda

What do you hear right now?
People talking

How many hours did you sleep last night?
Seven...then a two hour nap in the afternoon

Are you sarcastic?
Never...

Are you shy?
Sometimes...

Are you talkative?
Not really

Who's the last person you talked on the phone with?
The kind people at my school's info desk

In the past week have you gotten sick?
Sore throat

In the past week have you felt stupid?
Probs

What were you doing at 9 am this morning?
Sleepin'

What do you want to name your kids?
I'm not writing that on here! I don't want copy cats!

Do you always get along with your siblings?
Most of the time

Do you feel like you've got some growing up to do?
Oh yeah

What's the age difference between you and the last person you kissed?
Five years

What is the last thing you had to drink?
H2O

Do you give into peer pressure easily?
Ch-yeah

Who's the last person that texted you?
One of my old roomates

Do you have a cat?
Lordy no...well, except Sneaky the neighborhood stray

How would you describe your clothing style?
Poverty

What's your favorite thing in your room?
My bed :)

Do you like carrots?
Only the baby ones

Is your best friend single?
Yes, but I know she will be swept up soon because she's so beautiful and smart and wonderful!

Do you like coffee?
Iced

What made you laugh yesterday?
I have no recollection