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AprilDawn Nov 2017
light green
empty branch arms  
turned away
  from the brown brick house
held in line
by the  gray
  edge stones
sinking  deeper into
Winter's drab slumber
biding time
until the dream of Spring's
budding promise
becomes a  solid future  
with a  stunningly
luscious wave
of hot pink
Hibiscus  flowers  
as a backdrop
to  the brown brick house
kept in check
by  gray edge stones
until  the petals drop
into the sneaky
Autumn sun  
and  desolation
sets up shop
in lonely green arms
again
The hibiscus  in   my Eddie's Mom's   front garden  looks so dramatic at times  during the year...I felt it needed it's own poem.
AprilDawn Oct 2014
teased
taunted
terrorized
tormented
into
mouth melting sin
hell's fire
  hastens my tongue
as it becomes
a slippery slide to
depravity
fistfuls meant
for shared  reverie  
become  resident hostages
in my domain
as sole proprietor
of this *****
chemical high
I laugh
at pale  attempts  
to fool me  
with sweet haloed
  innocence
no paltry  impostor
stands a chance
only the real deal  
sways
my  greedy  favor.
Believe it or not,  this poetry is about a Sam's Club huge  sack  of  devilishly delightful Ghiradelli   chocolate chips  intended for  cookies  , cupcakes and  other baked goods.They keep winding up in my mouth as a snack though.And I have white chocolate in the house, but they are pale impostors  if you want the real  chocolate  high  !
AprilDawn Feb 2015
squeals
on train tracks
through me tonight
a discordant cacophony
jangles   these
jumpy nerves
through cold  corners
dread steadily
rises to meet
the digital clock that  
flashes
another sleepless  hour
on this  
high old ceiling
that still needs  crown moldings
just want to stay
marooned in bed
trepidation
an arm’s length
away  
tucked inside
my fuzzy slippers
Had to go to the dentist  today, for a cleaning and a filling.Not a fan of the old drill  , even numbed up   and all   So , of course could not sleep a wink alllllllllllllll night practically ...
AprilDawn Aug 2014
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
They  are  like  the sparkling fairies  of the insect world aren't they ?
AprilDawn Jan 2015
your absence
runs through me
in puddles
of mud
I long for your lightest
caress
just yesterday
sunlight mirrored
your crystal clear
intent
to dress me
in the
whitest
gossamer shimmers
desolate winds
now
rebuke my memories
the slightest  freezing rain
brings back
glimmers of hope
that our  brief  
entanglement
was no mere
fluke
We had a brilliant fluffy snow just a few days back,lit by the sunlight   our  whole winter world shimmered again.It melted  and the drab    muddiness   depressed me slightly.This tree longing for  it's snowy lover  sprang to my mind this afternoon.Slight rhyme scheme too ...
AprilDawn May 2014
packets of pleasure
all wrapped and pretty
whisper sweet
everything
worried moments
swept away
with savory promises
a hollow stomach  
or aching heart
fills just a little
beguiling morsels
cocktail conversation
at the bottom of
this  tray or another
lies sweet salvation
if only for tonight
tomorrow
the party’s over
all  goes back
to pumpkins, mice
and gruel  .
A  party with nibbles   , written in 2007
AprilDawn Feb 2015
swirl  up
deep piles
of blinding snow
your bones  and skin
stockpile  memories of
winters past
you use
to  get warmer
so much
quicker
go ahead
take  that little  nip
  of  liquor
to take the edge off
puffs of icy
chills
and  porch step spills
as  slick spots
catch   tensed boot
soles  
  you see white  
up close and personal
not quite
the  sweet  winter treat  
you envisioned
partaking
in
getting colder  and whiter ...not our usual   weather sphere here abouts
AprilDawn Apr 2014
slowly  settles  
over tall brick
cookie cutter houses
cornflower sky
  licks the swirly pink
cotton candy clouds
  leaves
the orange sherbet
horizon
ablaze
This day is all  done
except for  the sleeping .
A beautiful  sunset dog walk in the burbs of Houston.
AprilDawn Apr 2014
this  Hell
of a  life lived
not so long ago
in the boxing
of articles
you may still need
some day
the cycle  will repeat  
as the dust is forming
today
is nearly yesterday.
Spent a lot of time moving  after husband died in the summer of 2002 until  2008 .
AprilDawn Apr 2014
I step into graffiti and strange smells
what if the cable snaps
plunging all my horizons
into instant nothing
I push the button
grumbling
what have I done
to deserve this end
my thoughts wander
as my eyes transfix
on the sudden light
of waiting faces behind opening doors.
Some fatalistic  views and nervous nelly days in my  life .
AprilDawn Jul 2017
space
just plain
gone
where you once
flaunted  your  beauty
is now mere grass
to be mowed
it’s been 2 long summers
since I last raced
to snap pictures  
before storm gusts
would shred
your  glory
year after year
they showed up
to  dress up this boring
little back dirt road  
those golden sunflowers
against a deep blue
Kentucky sky
haloed by tufts
of white pillowy clouds
inspired me
to prose and praise
I am no gardener
and cannot raise you
from the dead
summer solstice
now marks the day
I  start sadly gazing
through the space
you use to
occupy
and let out
  a weighted sigh
Our lovely older neighbor lady use to keep  sunflowers  near the end of their driveway  , and for years  my eyes feasted on them  ever y summer. A few summers back  she got  too  elderly to tend them and her son  mowed them over. That space got the just right amount of sunlight   , and   so that bounty of  flowers can  not be replicated anywhere else in the neighborhood.
AprilDawn May 2014
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
Everyday  happenings  are poetry. Look out your window, walk   down the street  ...life  all around you  begs for  written immortality  ,no incident  too casual .May2014
AprilDawn Sep 2016
Chased mercilessly
over well- worn tar
palpable loss pushes
a sable brush
dunked in dread
a furious deluge
of fear
oozes out
blackens every inch
of familiar landscape
what if’s
eat through
the still static blue horizon
making a meal
of unborn dreams
slaked only by
hastily grabbed
history
coupled with
ragged spirits
that desperately
haul hope north
safe haven
on strange soil
still dark hours
away
Hot on the heals of  Hurricane Katrina   in New Orleans , August of 2005  was Hurricane  Rita  barreling  our way  when my daughter and  I lived in the  Houston area . It veered off  and spared our home at the last minute  and went off  towards  the Texas /Louisiana line  , but fear  guided our every action as we evacuated  we saw our home   and our lives  hanging in the balance .The horrific devastation   coming across our tv screens and computers   from one state over chased us into  the safety of  the Round Rock near Austin area after  driving   in bumper to bumper traffic for  over 9 hours  up north. Normally  that trip would be  only around 3 hours, but as the population of Houston and it's surrounding areas   headed  to safety,  nerves  were tight and cell phones went out .
AprilDawn Apr 2014
I  planted hope
by the bathroom window
last year
yellow soundless  bells
were doomed to fail
with no
drainage holes
they drowned
in rustic pots
leaving the  jasmine
to claim their sun.
Plant death in my Houston burbs back yard  garden. 2006
AprilDawn May 2014
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.
My parents lived in Germany half the 80's and all the 90's  , and would invite us over from the US for  a summer  vacay   nearly every year .Political landscapes  changed during those years  , as did our everyday lives  .
AprilDawn Apr 2014
Out of a swirl of nonsensical  
scenes jumbled
through my dreamscape
a man with no face
planted a deep kiss
on my lips
his urgency knocked me
out of my sheets
in the middle of the dark
aware only
of that aching gap
  sitting inside me
filled for a moment  
by a shadow man.
In the years after  the intense initial  deep mourning was  over   for my  husband of  nearly 20 years  and the realization  that I still had  love to give   and share , came this poem  outlining   my inner craving for  another partner.
AprilDawn Aug 2014
my  hound dog
she don't love me
she just loves
my
fingers of cheese
written  several years ago while eating cheese puffs .....and still holds true, I swear !
AprilDawn Oct 2014
almost
full moon face
smilingly
rests on a comfy shelf cloud
waning daylight hours
blanket  
the rich dip dyed purple dusk  
spreading it’s favor
seamlessly  into
a star strewn
night sky
New  poem  written after a gorgeous sunset  encounter  the other night .
AprilDawn Oct 2014
Autumn's orange
ambassadors
sprawled over
drab suburban corners
a feast of  seasonal glory
pumpkin patch fever
for all to behold
corn mazes
stump
so many  wanderers
thirsty for  the egress
fresh apple cider waits
just around
that perfectly placed hay bale  
to quash dry mouths
and energize
tired  feet
that  press onward
towards
winter’s dreary
debut.
The  things I missed most living overseas, was  traditional American northern  Fall  activities.Farm  visits , hay rides...I have  enjoyed  doing them again over the past six years .
AprilDawn Apr 2014
Two years have passed since your last appearance,
way before  we got the camera,  
would’ve been great to catch your  exotic double life .

Your thick green arms reached  towards the blazing Texas sky,
pink  blossom fingertips  fearlessly  faced  the imperial red roses ,
while the yellow blossoms pointed towards a tangle of  overgrown pond grass.

We learned your name,
indulged in your subtle fragrance,
unparalleled by any man- made hand cream and
impatiently waited for the next round of double harvest.

Something  savaged your leaves, leaving you half barren,
forced to separate from  your *** mate, we hoped your widowed side would revive.

You’re back hosting those long lost yellow petals,
lopsidedly holding your own in front of the sprawling purple bougonvillia,
and the brazenly orange hibiscus bush.

A busy gnome now covers the scar,
so only we really know  that you didn’t always loll to the right.

I think you came back just to say goodbye.
A plant that didn't make it in our garden in Houston.
AprilDawn Jul 2015
in the distance
Really ?
today is July 6
a slight breeze flutters
through sweetly bedded petunias
my shirt waves freely
after a long  day
of  goodbye
your
battle wearied  body
in  limbo
every hug ,tear and laugh
your  legacy of love
spans  the globe
fills  rooms
with memories
and regrets
that clock
is not your friend
it ticks away
menacingly
marking the last moments
spent in our midst
seems
not that long ago
we all watched
firecrackers
together
on your front porch
rip gary
AprilDawn May 2014
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
The first local strawberries of the season  are   always  cause for  big hoopla  at our house.Written May 30,2014.Accidental rhyme scheme !
AprilDawn May 2014
Orb of amber sizzling-
like fried egg,
on griddle blue sky.


Peanut butter puffs
fill the air-
spotted dog reclines,
dreaming of steak.


Beaded lamp shines-
across desk, dresses
dark corners in light.

                   Purple velvet sky -                  
                 sprinkled rhinestone stars,
                  fuchsia horizon beckons.


                   Empty Koi pond, dark
                  murky water hosting only –
                       green algae.
Two of these made it to my college  literary magazine for publishing !
AprilDawn Apr 2014
I can still see
through the cracks
of the weathered pier
  those
foamy waves
rolling
  just beneath
sand heavy shoes
jacket pockets
bulged
with shells
bound for some
empty jar
on a full desk
the winter wind
  hung on
pine-filled forests
   behind our backs
and  bitterly blew
us further
up the beach
Our family's  winter time beach walks  in the last area  we lived together in Maryland.
AprilDawn Apr 2016
when I popped the top
a burp of root beer
floated
pure caramel sass
then
time peeled backward
and followed
that first deliberate sip
to an exotic land
my small hands
reached  for the  treat
spread out before me
a cheeseburger in the desert
with the bottle next to it
just as brown
to wash it all down
April is Military Brat month, and  I  am one . The other day I opened a  drink , and  it took me back to 9 years old at  a 1970's  military  golf course   dinner  counter on Incirlik AFB ( where my dad was stationed in the Air Force) .I had a taste of America  in the desert  that afternoon  in the middle of Turkey  .
AprilDawn Mar 2015
Spring
coyly hid  
behind a snow skirt
twirling around trees
teased and taunted
pleased kids
filled with glee
for days  on end
then flaunted
as  they remained  school free
no respite really
as winter's will
named
snow storm Thor
hammered  down
all around
and temperatures
chilled  to nil
temptress Spring
finally
showed up again
pockets of mud  
her  calling card
Here in Kentucky  we had a massive snowstorm, almost two feet of snow  a few days back .Not normal for around here.Warmer weather   can not come soon enough for us ...
AprilDawn Jul 2014
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
Written June  2007 almost 5 years after  his  surprise  demise  at the hands of an unknown killer.
AprilDawn Jul 2014
July 14, 2002
everything indelibly inked
in my memory
  our love of  two decades
gone
in the blink of an eye
your light extinguished
all that was  
ceased to be
innocence lost
someone wanted you dead
stacks of  information
racks of paperwork
 sad faces
phone calls
nights  in a puddle of tears  
sleeping in the bed we shared
weren't you  just here ?
where are you  now?
can you see our anguish?
our fight to survive
while going through the motions
my mind repeating your  name  
over and over again
as if those were the magic words
to bring you back to  this life
so empty and yet so full
mind numbing pain
consumed
my every waking moment
filled the corners of my body
with stark  grief
then  scattered to bits
and
dumped
into an abyss
of
undeniable pain
I began   to talk  on paper   about  what had just happened  12 years ago  ,
trying  not to sound   cliched and maudlin if anyone should read the harrowing narrative  drenched  in sorrow  and change.Yet wanting to formulate it into words.
AprilDawn Jun 2014
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.
After Thanksgiving  2007 ,   the man who   helped me  find  a new chapter in my life appeared .  We went to high school together  and knew each other somewhat.I  had been  alone  and  recovering from my loss for  over  5 years at that point.I was  ready  to  start looking. Love has lived  with us for over 6 years now .
AprilDawn Jul 2015
and center
our  sad eyes  
watch   you fade
into nursing home
bed sheets and blankets
hearts break  
  with every  
embattled breath  
everyone
just trying to keep you
in some
sort of comfort
as you fidget and fuss
   propped up and down
moved about  
like  a rag doll
not very long  ago  
life was a bit more
normal
now your ravaged body
and  busy brain
are  totally out of sync
I didn't know you long
yet your life
has left  marks
on my heart
as your final days
loom
all too near
in the dead of night
I try to  comfort
your grown  son  
whose lifetime  hero
is  leaving
this world
behind
My fiance's  72  year old father's  fight with prostate cancer is nearing  an end as it has spread.He put up a good fight and had a nearly normal life until  about 2 months ago.Bed bound now  his final days  are agony to watch  for his entire  family and wife.I have only been a part of this family for 7 years  and never watched a slower  death like this , it is   hard to witness.
AprilDawn May 2014
I saw the bottom
of the kitchen sink
today
sleek  and shiny
no remnants of  past meals
or baked delights
everything tucked away and clean
my surprised face
reflected around  the shiny  drain
every once in a blue moon
it’s a good thing to see  
even if only
a  few scant moments
before  another  meal
is conceived.
I hate doing dishes.A lot of things tend to soak for awhile.I have a dishwasher too...written  in pieces over the past  6 years .
AprilDawn Oct 2014
Gnomes out back who fuss and moan,
The weeds are too high they continue to groan,
I feel for them I really do,
But they know I am busy with so much too.
Ungrateful resin folk who cop an attitude about a few colorful sprigs,
Despite the fact they live in such lavish digs.
So some spiky ends of greenery may tickle their noses,
While they continue to hold their impish poses.
In fact I am planning a surprise for their flower bed,
Rainbow rock pebbles and new mulch will soon be spread,
Plus multiple squirts of ****-be-gone,
Next week you'll see a whole new lawn.
As I shell out more loot to keep this bit of paradise lovely-
I keep my eyes wide open for signs of impending mutiny.
My last day  in  college creative writing  class spring 2005, this was my exam  .I had  an hour to write this piece   and it had to rhyme .Flying by the seat of my pants , I wrote  about  my then backyard. This sealed my final grade  at the college for that course.An "A"!
AprilDawn Jun 2014
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
This one is   written for my daughter  , who lost  her  Dad  in  the summer of 2002.Father's  Day   is  still ******* her .
AprilDawn May 2014
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
The first time I ever tasted ( after years  of hiding from this  sour  fruit) , red gooseberries at a farmer's market  in Massachusetts, I fell in love.I have spent  years  looking for more  , with no results.I warned you in my profile section that I am an unrepentant foodie.Written May2014
AprilDawn Apr 2014
Come
and get it
big boy
so ready for pick up
give it the old heave **
it ain't no good
to me
just smellin up
my scenery.
Trash day.Nuff said !
AprilDawn Jun 2014
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
Sorry to offend  PETA  or  bird watchers  , but those birds  are loud at night.
AprilDawn Apr 2014
crumbly leaves
tell a tale of woe

their misspent youth

a mere haze of glory

here they lay

yesterday’s cast offs

whose  current  claim to fame

is  crunchy carpeting  for wildlife

while their mama’s branches long for baby buds

still swelling deep within

they remain
forgotten

forlorn

forsaken

to almost all

except  the rustle  of the winter winds.
Wrote  the first version of this  Dec 2013, then edited  it Feb 19th 2014   to  make more connecting   words  as  it was just too choppy sounding.
Hadn't written any poetry for   over a year  at this point .
AprilDawn Feb 2015
crawl
into bed
like a bear  
hibernation
  not far from my brain
want this  day
over and done
sweet solace desired
in warm repose
pull the covers
up to my ears
behind me
the snow
is pressing
itself
obscenely
against my bedroom window
Dreary winter daze ,it's like life is on hold.
AprilDawn May 2014
early morning skies
pour cooling spring rains
thunder rumbles and grumbles
I am not yet asleep
   from last night's late endeavors
lightening streaks through
the window shades
keeps my eyes too well lit
steady torrents make wells of mud
all the places our pups  love to lie in
today  will be
   a wet  dog smell  kind of  day.
Storms use to lull me to sleep.Not so much anymore...
written May 2014
AprilDawn Oct 2014
with screen pulled  down
only  breezes not bugs
find refuge
in our stuffy bedroom
church bells chime
at the full hour
just before the train
cuts main street in half
sweet pup howls
in protest
of the conductor's
shrill whistle
crystal glassware shakes
in the cabinets
yet this old place
still stands.
Feeling safe as houses tonight.
AprilDawn Apr 2014
Rain smacks down
on every inch
of the  walkway stones
the grout is cracked
in too many places
to count
jagged edges
rest in well worn grooves
the path still
faithfully leads
faces
to my front door .
A wet spring   washes away   winter's  last  call.Spring 2007  I wrote this  one.
AprilDawn Apr 2015
warm
spring day stroll
next to those
nearly naked trees
their tiny leaf buds
that flanks both
the creamy
cloud swirled
dreamy light blue sky
and the pebble strewn  dirt
path
curving  through
the local cemetery
not far from the railroad tracks
near the creek
with the squeaky metal bridge
my neighbor's leashed
fierce little  ankle biter
marks his spots
between
the plots
Afternoon dog walk through the neighborhood  today. Sunlight  and  budding trees among  the  gravestones.
AprilDawn Apr 2014
Fresh flesh wants out
from under
ragged
itchy  scars
The time ‘s
gotta be just right
can’t just rip off
the dead stuff
don’t want to bleed
anymore
than necessary
The  pain  of forced  change  , I do know it better than I  would  like to admit....
AprilDawn Apr 2014
is that where
you went
I ask aloud
because I’ve lost
track of you somehow
one evening
smack dab in the center
of a  ring of clouds
was a gaping blue  hole
it’s as likely
as any  place
for you to be.
Where did my late husband go after  he died ? Written 2006
AprilDawn Apr 2014
nobody out here
but the birds
to see my
rain flattened 'do
the bunnies are getting busy
the squirrels kindly
drop peanuts
for our  greedy hound
but frankly
I don’t think
the chipmunks
give a flip
Our great New England Adventure's downside...totally  separated from any family on holidays.This  was  an Easter filled with chocolates ,  wildlife and mainly  interspersed with   the awakening landscape .
AprilDawn Apr 2015
stripes  
never made it very high
on my fashion forward
list
the only one that wears
them well
is  the
cloud smeared sky
in this small town
tonight
I never wear horizontal stripes, but  nature  sure  striped the skies  in our small town with layered  beauty  tonight .
AprilDawn Apr 2014
Texas early night sky

nightstands
like deserted islands
next to rumpled bed

fake hibiscus in bloom
clipped onto curtains

favorite lip glosses
cradled in basket
on vanity sink

sparkly bead earrings  
displayed   in
see-through pockets
on stuffed closet door

silken blouse draped
on spare chair
awaiting an outing

candy wind  hibiscus
sways in the breeze
a playground for lizards

my face
when I realize
you are looking at me
handsome man
An exercise  from a writing class  using a favorite color  .By this time, I was  noticing handsome men again.
AprilDawn Apr 2014
I think the dust bunnies
hate me
and play their evil games
in my cozy home
Vengeance is coming
wee gray ones,
a maniacal laugh
escapes from my face
as the ******* hose of doom
descends
upon their kingdom.
Take that  dirt !
AprilDawn Jul 2014
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
My fiance's  granny  has this wonderful sun room on the back of her house over looking part of her  property.She was hemming a dress of mine last week  , and  looking out  the windows   were scads of beautiful hummingbirds.
AprilDawn Apr 2014
dying
to know how
you were stolen from
the light of day.
Many  unanswered questions after  the sudden death of my partner of over  20 years still remain , nearly 12 years later.
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