Single red tulip
nods its lonely head
in a light Spring breeze,
satin petals flaring open
in a last show of beauty.


Eileen Auger

5/6/14

Dreams never create themselves
out of thin air.
A chance meeting-
A flicker of memory-
A worry beneath our consciousness-
Anything at all in waking hours
can trigger a dream-scape
which (more often than not)
becomes a weird collage of images,
a bizarre story line
seemingly making perfect sense
when lost in the odd land of dreams.

Only in dreams, one might say
"Everything happens for a reason".
In the unconsciousness of sleep,
the brain retrieves bits and bytes
from its vast databank
of memory and experience,
past and present,
mixing it up into a strangely logical soup.

In the wakefulness
of "real life"
Nothing really happens
"for a reason".
The Universe is
yawningly indifferent
to our personal affairs,
leaving us to our own devices.


We are masters of our fates
only to a certain extent,
until random events change our course.
We call it sweet serendipity
when things go as planned.
But when things go awry
(as they often will)
we  comfort ourselves
with that old saw
"Everything happens for a reason",
in vain attempts to explain
the inexplicable,
to create meaning where none exists.
I am not buying that sentiment.

Eileen Auger
5/6/14

Fingernails bleed,
worn ragged
with gripping
the lip of the abyss.

Clawing its crumbling edge
struggling to see light above,
she won't look down
at the blackness below.

Arms and fingers burn
with the strain of holding on,
the spark of light flickers
ominously.

And she wonders,
will she sink like a stone
or float like a feather
to the bottom?

E Auger

It's only midnight

but feels like the wee hours

of a long, draggy, lonely night

with nobody to talk to.

Sometimes solitude

is just being alone.

Sometimes it is

plain lonely.


E. Auger

I'd like to be a fly on the wall
at my own funeral,
listening to what people say about me.
But I'd rather hear them tell me
now, to my face.

Candy Crush, you *****!
Why do I play your dumb game?
It's a love/hate thing.

Eileen Auger
2014

Here is my advice
to the young,
who are (understandably)
blissfully unaware
of anything beyond
the present and the near future
in their own little world
which revolves around them.

Do whatever makes you happy
as long as you don't bring harm
to anyone else or yourself.
Question authority and everyone
who tries to tell you
how you should live.

Learn to think for yourself,
closely observing
the world around you
and the way it works,
then make up your own mind
about "how things should be."

Pay attention to your elders
who may have some wisdom to impart
from their own youthful experience.
Read and listen carefully
to what others tell you is "right".
Then ask yourself
"what is their motivation?
Where did their beliefs originate?
Would I want every person in the world
to follow that advice"?

Take in all the information
and knowledge of the world
which flows into your eyes and ears,
contrasting and comparing
differing viewpoints and belief systems.
Then throw into the mix of ideas
whatever your gut tells you
is good and true for the person
you hope to become.

Treasure the things
that you now take for granted.
For only as you grow older
will you understand
how precious are your gifts
as a human being.
You can run marathons, jump hurdles,
dance all night, stay up until dawn
cramming for exams
and barely miss a beat the next day.

If you are lucky enough to be healthy
Your body does what you expect of it,
without your even noticing
how well and easily it performs.
Appreciate that blessing.
One day that easy movement of your body
will have weakened and changed,
along with your smooth, peachy skin
and firm  muscles,
which your young self has no doubt will always
obey your unconscious commands
swiftly and strongly.

The elderly take delight
in your youthful exuberance,
you know,
smiling as you go about
your everyday pursuits,
as they watch you taking great gulps
out of life with joyful abandon!

There is no envy, only perhaps
a little bittersweet twinge now and then,
feeling young again themselves
for a little while, remembering how it was.
Forgetting for a few moments
the wrinkles in their faces
and the body that can't do certain things
without some degree of pain.
And then the jolt of reality--
How can that be ME in the mirror,
I still feel like twenty-something!

Remember the beauty of your mind
which can do such amazing things,
carrying you through memories
to other times and places
even when your body can't go there anymore.
Your imagination is a glorious thing,
so use it!

And last, but most important:
Love, love, love!
Love and appreciate your life
and those  dearest to your heart.
Be kind to those around you,
spreading your love
wherever you go.

That is all.


E. Auger
2014