Fate is a neon-lit pinball machine
And I am a little steel ball
Dodging the "tilt" sign as best I can
                                           ljm

Tougher for the bones
On the way down.
Humans are built for uphill
Maybe

Decked up elephants,
Sea of hands mark time for drums,
Splendour well defined!

Throughout,
She had been
Mostly fortunate
In the blessed surrounding
Of good people
She had been permanently damaged by a bad person
But found
Much to her surprise
The damage was not permanent
Though the layer she brought from it
Was uniquely her
To those lucky to see
She was not damaged
She was scarred
And scars grow back tougher than the original
And, in most cases, leave a beautiful reminder of the day God taught your *** a lesson

carousing with breeze,
scent  of jasmine was my gift;
made me airborne quick!

her ring sits on the mantlepiece
worn thin on one side
that dull warm yellow
that gold sometimes takes on

i remember it cutting into my hand
as she held it tightly as we shopped
it was bright and shiny then

she used to wear it on her  longest finger
after dad left us, she left it off for awhile
and then wore it on the other hand

it was tight on her workworn hands then
she took it off again before she went into
this last home, but kept it locked in a security draw

now it sits on the mantlepiece, waiting
for me to find a safe place for it
for it is the little bit of my mother's spirit
that will one day be part of my son's  wedding ring,