AprilDawn

AprilDawn Dec 2014

I no longer
seem to know
roses busily
bloom
this time of year
bougainvilleas
flaunt themselves
over the fence
I hold my mug
while mulling
over warm cider
a cheap steam
spa
treatment
for my face
is born

The Houston winters ....2002-2005

#thegulfcoastyuletidings

AprilDawn Dec 2014

Paw Print

Her life
flashes through my mind
the love clings
to  my heart
goodbye
minutes away
release
relief
regret
all tangible
grief soaked lines
savage my face
for a hound  girl who's
stubborn  grace
leaves this world today

Had to release my grand pup of 13 1/2 years to the rainbow bridge today.Couldn't afford to bury her or single cremation, only a cast of her paw print.Only pictures and loving memories are left .

#sophiesfarewell

AprilDawn Dec 2014

Cranky Pants

doesn't
much care
for
Christmas
anymore
go ahead
try to spread
  your holiday
cheese ball cheer
wrap me up
in flashy lights
roll me down
candy cane lane
  there still
ain’t enough
   tinsel
in the world
  to cover up
    this
yuletide
grouch

After my husband died , there were a few Christmas times where I just had a hard time coming up with the spirit.This Christmas will probably be another , because we have to put our older pup to sleep tomorrow. I already miss her.

#nochristmascheer

AprilDawn Nov 2014

Traditions

You Use To

drop the turkey

twice on special holidays

glaze the ham

with stubborn certainty

that lime chutney was

just the ticket

Sterno steaks

brought your short lived

grilling career to a

screeching halt

not to be outdone

by the half- cooked goose

with New Year’s champagne

what I wouldn't give

to see you

greasing

the kitchen floor

with poultry again.

Even over a decade later,around different holidays , I still think about my late husband's traditional festive meals in which some mild form of kitchen chaos was almost always involved.Written in 2005 in the years after he died I began to make the holiday meals , and I had my share of mess ups ...none were as memorable as his.

#misshismess

AprilDawn Nov 2014

Thanksgiving

Stick a fork in it
and call it
yours
stuff your pie
hole
and please
don't smile
then sit back
and enjoy
the insides
of your eyelids
but do it fast
'cause someone
you love
is stealing
the remote control
from your
greasy hand

In honor of American Thanksgiving .....

#turkeydayusa

AprilDawn Nov 2014

Snow Globe

town
all shook up
only way
to sparkle today
in this gray haze
flurry flurry
what's your hurry
winter will to trap us
in a hot cocoa
cup
soon enough

It's still Fall ...but it was snowing yesterday. I felt like I was in a snow globe !

#firstflurries

AprilDawn Nov 2014

Uncommon Grounds

My heart scans
for a familiar face
through throngs
of strangers
as they scatter
pell mell
around me
eager shoppers
casing brightly lit
  sale stuffed store fronts
while seduced
by the siren song of fresh coffee
coupled  with
sticky sweet  cinnamon buns
suddenly
the bitter fact
swallows  me
whole again
you no longer reside
anywhere
outside
of  my dreams

In the weeks , months and even the first year after my husband's brutal death in 2002 , the occasional mall visit would turn into bleak despair every time . I automatically scanned faces looking for him, until I remembered suddenly that he was dead. I felt like I was on an island of heartbreak in the middle of a crowded mall. Life rushed past me during those times , and I felt like a total outcast, nothing in common with everyday life anymore.

#bittercupoflife