The complexity of my mind is a kaleidoscope of colors, blending together with my moods, melting with my personality. In the state of darkness, the murky browns and grays swirl like a fog, encroaching on solitude Happiness explodes in a rainbow of bright hues and illumination, vivid and rich in their depths, bursting forth across the vast horizon. Anger beats in pools of red, pulsing to a beat that pounds within. Graphic splices slashing across the canvas. Drums beating, pounding, with tempos ...

He lived in the toy box He lived under the bed He lived in the closet And under the shed He lived in the basement All musty and dark He lived in the hallway He lived in the park He lived under the bushes That grew by the fence He lived in the woods Where the trees were so dense He lived in the attic Where old trunks were kept He was stealth and quite sneaky He attacked when I slept Dad would come to my rescue When I was afraid He would check out the closets He would close all the shades He wo...

In the stillness of the early morn When nature shakes off the remnants of slumber Leaves stretching, flowers opening I sit quietly with my cup of tea in reflection. Gazing at the first visages of dawn As the sun lazily climbs into the heavens Gradually dressing the day in a kaleidoscope of hues Huddling a bit deeper into the quilt I have wrapped about me. Oh quiet morn what blessing will you bestow today? A gentle shower, a warm caress? Or will passion shatter us from our doldrums, Enveloping...

My daily drive; today through pouring rain, Behind road fog snaking towards me from the truck ahead, Slowly approaching the cloud-shrouded glass and metal, Framed by downtowns bustling highways. Graffiti on walls and overpasses define the city climate Testimony of a divided space and time Obscenities litter the viaducts and road signs Racial slurs and sexual innuendos graphically apparent. Beggars crowd each corner light. Wheel chaired homeless; missing limbs and teeth, Huddled beneath layers...

Rain falling; washing away the tracks of pain, Steps I cannot feel as the cold winds invade, Time has passed or has it stopped? I care not; time no longer matters. I want to see you one more time, I want to feel your arms about me, Feel the kiss you gently place upon my head, Oh God, I just want to feel again. Did I pass this block before or am I somewhere new? A car honks as I step down off the curb, I stop and stare but cannot see, Tears blind me through the downpour. How can death seem so ...

I sit in the dark contemplating life’s complexities Wondering why, if we are each given the gift of life That we allow someone else the privilege To control and dictate how we will live that life. Weren’t they given their own to do with as they please? Why then do they feel the need to have mine also? Why do they feel that my very existence was put here to serve only them? That without them, I would have no life at all. At what point did I decide that it was ok for them to take it? Was this a...

Another year has marched out of my life. A crusading warrior making his way back home, Leaving bloody battlefields in his wake. Trampled valleys where dreams once stood. In the beginning, the year tiptoed in, Softly sprinkling crystallized wishes. Ideas, floating like a fine dusting of snow, Forming a light covering on my bed of anticipation. In swept the Ides of Spring laden with promises. Storms tossing my wants in a turbulent sea of needs. I planted my seeds with the expectancy of progress...

Another year has marched out of my life. A crusading warrior making his way back home, Leaving bloody battlefields in his wake. Trampled valleys where dreams once stood. In the beginning, the year tiptoed in, Softly sprinkling crystallized wishes. Ideas, floating like a fine dusting of snow, Forming a light covering on my bed of anticipation. In swept the Ides of Spring laden with promises. Storms tossing my wants in a turbulent sea of needs. I planted my seeds with the expectancy of progress...

I pushed my way through the corn stalks; curiosity leading the way. From my Uncles farm I could see another house and my cousin told me it belonged to her Aunt Ruth. Ruth was my uncle’s spinster sister. My Aunt Gladys was my dad’s only sister and we visited them almost every summer. I had never met this aunt and decided in my seven years of maturity that it was about time to introduce myself. So in my Sunday best dress, I marched myself over to introduce myself. The sun was warm that July aft...

The scents I remember like hand-rolled cigars, Wine-cask lined cellars in musty cool basements, Chocolate miniatures nestled in bright candy dishes, Tea leaves with mint steeping in dainty china cups. Baked goods cooling on the kitchen counter, Roast with potatoes in a rich onion broth, Lilacs and roses lined on back yard fences, Channel #5 clings to grandmother’s sweater. Scents I remember from childhood spent, Fondly reminiscing with a wistful smile. In this sterile world I live in now, Wha...