100 Days of Poetry: Days 26-30

Last Week in Sevens

Gathering with friends, inspiring words, family time
Muffled footfalls, snowflakes melt in my eyes
One more snow day, too many movies
Easy run, easy conversation, catching my rhythm
Sometimes, we discuss marriage counseling on Valentine's
Remembering my professional self, honing my skills
Teenage girls make me smile. Daughters rock!

Ghost Writers

I am a ghost writer
Oh, it sounds tantalizing, doesn't it?
Spooky or perhaps ethereal
I envision writing about young lives halted
About tragedy
Or sweet reminiscence
Instead, I describe email management
Abrasive blasting techniques
And the always-enthralling realm of cyber hacking
(Nothing like a good old security breach to make the skin tingle)

I would wish for a true ghost writer
My grandmother, perhaps,
Dead now these 64 years
I know her only by reputation and the writings of others
Ah, to read her own story from her own pen!
She might chuckle and write the "real" tale of meeting Grandpa
Or describe the anguish of saying good-bye to her children
She might dispense altogether with weighty matters of illness and life cut short
And simply text me a quick Hello from the other side
Life is good here in the clouds, she might write
Had lunch with your aunt the other day
She's settling into heaven nicely
I would text back a pleasantry
(Hopefully witty or insightful)
And ask for advice
I expect she would tell me I'm doing fine
You'll figure it out, she would write
And so I will
Step by step here on the ground
Longing for a hint from above
Imagining scribbles from heaven

View from Below

A bald eagle soared high above me today
Circling the brilliant blue sky with majestic white tailfeathers and head
I wanted to see it as a sign from heaven
A harbinger of relief on the horizon

But just now I find I don't quite believe in signs from heaven
Can't find it in me to hope
I've grown accustomed to silence
Or perhaps the heavenly answers to my pleas
Fall on ears unable to hear

No one to talk to but God
And we speak different languages
I cry and beg and attempt to make my case
And...nothing
A quiet hug would do
A nod of understanding
A suggestion that just around the bend
The forest breaks out into expansive views

If only I had the view of the bald eagle
With majestic white tailfeathers
Circling the clear blue sky
Brilliant sunshine on his back

By Way of Introduction

During chilly, grey winter months
I cling to a lifeline of books
Audiobooks for driving and running
eBooks for guilty moments stolen from work and family
Anything to halt the stream of doubts and worries
Capturing quiet

I cherish family
Value friendship
And despise talking on the phone
Conversations enrich me
Solitude restores me

Confidence, even a touch of arrogance, attracts me
Quiet, unassuming strength inspires me
That, and wisdom
Creativity
Passion
Humility
Faith
Courage
A little audacity
A pinch of irreverence
Laughter in the eyes
Kindness radiating from a genuine smile
And hands poised to serve

I crave beauty
The view from a hard-won mountain peak
The thrill of an unexpected melody filling the nave of a cathedral
Light streaming through stained glass
The sparkle of a dew-kissed spider web just outside my kitchen window at sunrise
I need to gasp in awe
Grin in wonder
Find myself speechless at the view around the bend

Perhaps the occasional awe
The moments of splendor
The glimpse of faith
And the healing balm of stillness
Will be enough

Depression

Damn it! I'm sliding again.
Endless dreariness ahead of me
Persistent nagging of outdated insecurities
Realism askew
Every hopeful thought beat down
Sadness deepens
Sucker punch to the gut
Irritable, so very irritable
On the edge of losing control
Not the woman my family needs me to be