~for Bex~*

in the flesh, not really, but I was...

ordered five bone china coffee mugs for you,
from the Artists Gallery, all scenes of nature,
painted by Canada’s Group of 7,
to go with the Lawren Harris mug,
'Lakes and Mountains'
from which I am currently sipping

for when I thought of you up north in Ontario,
I thought of my mom,
who was Toronto born and bred,
and the caramel oranges of fall
that have not yet arrived
in northern Manhattan,
but have already peaked in Ontario,
in late September

I smile,
while voyaging on the curving line of thought perusal,
at all the things that have already peaked,
someplace else,
and that have may yet, be late, arriving in my life

and I dream of:

all the poets who
I will never meet,
the living and the dead,
all the poems,
I will never finish, perhaps, n'ere to start,
never chance to speak, or chance to peak

all of you, sipping, from those real mugs of porcelain,
that are soon to arrive, via an imaginary railroad,
running on creosote stained ties of caramel orange,
built by a namesake, that I can no longer imagine,
but whom I knew
so well in my youth

my mug is sadness filled by
those stillborn verses that will never chance to peak,
but am comforted by the knowing,
as long as there is freedom to write,
that there is hope for one more poem
to be imagined, sourced from deep within,
drawn from the cool well water
of happy wishing

Pathways opened
through doors unhinged

Journey travelled
with roads unworn

Magic unbound
from spells unchanted

Heartbeats birthed
but the heart's unborn

•••

Verses recited
from a poem unpenned

A song sung
but lyrics unwritten

A dance performed
with routine unrehearsed

Feelings perceived
through words unspoken

A pocket full
of sunshine
to share some pure delight,

A pocket full
of shiny stars
to save for a really dark night.

A pocket full
of fairy dust
to sprinkle on the needy,

A pocket full
of dragon's breath
to fire at the greedy.

A pocket full
of raindrops
to wash away any impurities,

A pocket full
of umbrellas
to protect you from your insecurities.

A pocket full
of rainbows
to brighten up your skies,

A pocket full
of moonlight
to reflect the magic in your eyes.

By Lady R.F ©2016