my  hound dog
she don't love me
she just loves
my
fingers of cheese

I stand stunned
in awe
as you
sleekly shimmer by
in a fabulous flurry
of lustrous  lapis blue  
and jubilant  jade green
not sure where you are
headed
knowing that
wherever you wind up
glamour glides  
along as a
  constant companion

hot lovin lip lick
in the AM
wings it’s way
into my
mouth
hot
sweet
fake buffalo
real chicken
call my  mouth
your stomping grounds

yesterdays  seem
so long behind
today  is  close at hand
tomorrow is a heartbeat away
if   luck holds true
sandwiched  
within the layers of years
try to find
what  could get me through
this daily
mortal toil

tossed around
like empty peanut shells
between a greedy hound girl
and the local squirrel  riff raff
staging a hissy fit
territorial disputes run amuck
so much fuss
the elder pup stands firm
barks to never surrender
her claim to the lucky stash
all the while her feathered foes
swoop down
and steal them both  blind.

by my neighbor's
sumptuous sunflowers
whose seedy faces
reach for the  summer  sky
propped up by their leggy stems
gracing  that  dirt driveway
these yellow bursts of flower power
may not linger 
 too much longer
for a sulky summer storm
waits wickedly
in the wings

Fast winged
ruby throat-ed beauties  
meeting
for  sweet red nectar
on a cloud covered July day
in the rolling
Kentucky countryside
with a gazebo backdrop
from the perfect vantage
of a serene sun room
decorated in bamboo
and family memories

I miss
so many
things

twinkling eyes
smiles for me
alone

hands held
anywhere

brash moves
pinned me
to the hall wall

passionate embraces
in the living room

morning light
splashed across
his face

good-bye
gangly night legs

hello again cold bed
with
blankets piled high

from
your   cage of fleshly endeavors  
closed so many doors
in my face
our future  dissolved
into nothingness  
soggy eyes  blinded my
emergency exit
this heart shattered
buckling knees
could barely move
my leaden feet
managed to find
a precariously placed
cement gray
stepping stone
promising  only
  unfathomable desolation
into unknown destinations
   unsolved  mysteries  
editing  personal histories
who what  why
riddle psyche and soul  
onto  a continuous
loop

that  bend
is a different  life  
****** in my path
placed  under my shoes
no explanations given  
just
Deal with This  
  move forward  
because the road
behind you
is permanently closed

late  one November day
a dog eared page
from another  chapter
came alive
while crisp leaves  
swirled  and twirled
love
burst in
unannounced
so amazed
illuminated
fascinated
intrigued
complex
simple
the short list
fulfilled
can't catch my breath
afraid
brave
alive
pleased
impatient
out of my hands ,
into my  very core-
Welcome.

in my lover's garden
wait for late
May
to bloom  
these ***** pink flowers
burst out of their bush
Quick
round up
every crystal  vase
empty wine bottles
galore
before their heads
get too heavy
these vibrant days
are numbered
until their yearly
swan dive
face down
to the  fertile  ground

forced to find  the Me
without Him
lover, mother, wife
those golden years
forging  a life together
seem so long ago
while there was  strife and  toil
at the end of a long day
Love always  persevered
his absence
left  a darker world
wrapped  in brutal truths -
  his love
changed me
his life
changed me,
and  his death         
     changed
        me.

They assured me
the 15 inch blunt
fingerprint- free knife
was wielded
with the stealth element
of surprise
in the midst of a normal
Sunday afternoon
behind a closed office door
he  never  knew
what happened
just dropped down  
and died
my normal world
replaced by
a  true life  horror tale
my  knees
sparred  with gravity
while this   anvil of sadness  
squashed my heart  
wobbling  legs drove  me
mercilessly to  his
  serene good bye face
on a rolling table
with a sheet
up to
     his neck.

perched
on the  wire
just above  the  bedroom window
your midnight  cackles
are not  welcome
my tired eyes
hope for sweet release
one stray
crackle
and it’s
lights out
  bird face

I tried to gut a gourd
it flew screaming  
through the kitchen
with the cleaver still inside
oh,well
canned  makes the best pie
anyway.

She smiles wistfully and says
"another cheap year”
no more last minute
store runs
for golden Best Dad Oscars
tiny books of native wisdom
hastily painted  
sailboat pictures
boxes of gooey cordial cherries
packed with a huge
hand fashioned card
made at zero hour
proudly displayed at work
for all to see
the talent
of his baby

of  this spring
surges  through
my veins
promise of sunshine
and rain
anticipation of pleasure
and pain
nourished
by the sweet life
lucky  harvest  of
earth born
strawberry delight
too soon  it's all over  
only stains
remain

while
quick sprays
mist
juicy consumables
glisten  languidly
edible jewels
draw  my gaze
my hands reach out
aching for  their
***** flavors
implied feasts
dance wickedly
in my imagination
enticed by clever
marketing execs
and
the farmers
hard work

Border patrol checkpoint
empty again
made our passports  obsolete
nothing
to declare anyway
lush greenery
barely changes
from country to country
overcast skies
precariously straddle
nations
ancient vineyards
still yield
magnificent drops
castles crumble
a little more everyday
not even the towering pines
can save them
moody melodies strum
around my head  
forever framing
this summer’s trip
just a little
differently
than the years
before.

never made it
to a ****
fell for you  
on first nibble
now I am your  fool
have lived  without you  
for seven years too long
searched  high and  low
my face crumbles  again
no markets here
carry your  piquant
harvest

along through  
this urban sunrise
on  well paved sidewalks
family dog in tow
when we  spied  
a bevy of bodacious
blossomed   beauties
breaking  free
from this block's uniformity
spilling nonchalantly
over a broken cedar fence
for all passers by to see
on the way to  retrieve
our mail  
from tiny locked boxes

Past, present, future
feeder roads
morph
into the  main drag
over the railroad  tracks
through  hills and dales
until every curve
screeches to that  farewell ride
only one way left to travel  
  dead end straight ahead
intersection imminent -
try to brace for impact

I wake up everyday
my eyes riveted
to the ceiling
as rainbow flecks
radiate from crystals
that reside in the middle
of the uppermost window

this bedroom marked “private”
on the door
has meant twenty-four months
complete control
freedom to design
every detail, every texture, every nuance
Handpicked

A  vivid palette
splashed onto every square foot
hoping to recapture
life’s intense force
while  it  drowns out  
nagging shadows
threatening to swallow
My space

Italian ceramic mask- topped sconces
flanking the empty space
the mosaic mirror
I’m still learning to make
the gilded cream vanity
fit for a princess
still Waits

highlighted memories
fill dusty shelves and cling to walls
called Home now

my queen size bed use to sit quietly
in my guest room
rarely disturbed
now it harbors
my   dreams and fears
afloat on a sea of defiantly feminine
pillows and blankets

an eclectic mix of Me
comes out of every nook and cranny
while my inner sanctum takes shape.

Gently shake
that sauce
if you
have a care
the ceiling
needs no spice
the curtains
look so nice
when they are
devoid of flavor.

Sunshine dapples
  through
newly formed leaves
subtle breezes
stage
shadow puppet theater
all across
the neighbor's siding
to our  cozy
  room
with  a view

Riding lawn mower
**** trimmers
sit idly in the repair shop
again
this Spring
while sweet sunshine
soaks in the leaky skies
crazy growing grass
tall enough  
for our  Lily cat
to  reprise her
daily
king of the jungle
role
wearing
a dandelion crown.

lace collar clouds
poised above a
creamy  blue pastel sky
feel the sun gaze longingly
at the crystalline landscape necklace
draped over winter's chilled
bare neck
pinning the horizon
with icy  fingers .

sanctuary
so far removed
from daily chaos
in a dimly lit atmosphere
occasionally punctuated
with  bright faces
laden down with
movable feasts
our eventual escape
finally came into  view
a glimmer of  hope
slid in  next to us
tipping fortune’s favor  
onto our plates.

Allegiance

Hot biscuit of cheesy pleasure
come hither
I shall greet you with parted lips,
lust apparent in every cell.
don't shy away-
for you are mine alone
to savor ,
this  achingly empty basket
soon awaits my
lonely countenance.
****************­**
Laine G and I   shared a common love  of   Red Lobster cheese  biscuits   ,  after a visit to the doctor  ,  my   friend was told her cholesterol was too high, and she would have to  cut way back  - I  wrote this for  her  :
****************­********
Sworn Enemy

Cheese- riddled biscuit denial
discs from Hell
demand my unwavering allegiance
no more
for only in my dreams
are you innocent.

I inhale fuchsia
I feel amethyst purple envelope me
I breathe out turquoise
I crave coral
I cling to royal blue
I am entranced by lilac
I let  maraschino cherry red invigorate me
I spy light spring  green
Navy sails away with me
I  get  elegantly persuaded by  classic black
every stitch
has my rapt attention
nuances take center stage
each piece
has a tale
to spin
of past encounters
while fantasies of
future engagements
shine brilliantly on teeming racks.

boiled
naked

South American tuber

whipped into a frenzy

dairy alterations

makes
a creamy smothered

tongue

dressed in a
silken coat of
carbohydrate glory.

forward
I have to feel
  this moment
as it throbs  with life
cannot  take  
a step or two back
without colliding
full throttle
into  a sad void  
of hazy days gone by.