My Poem Submission!!!

I submitted this poem a while back and today is the day for it to shine!!  It got published on an online site.  Go check it out, and comment on there!! Pretty please?? With a cherry homemade goody on top!!

http://www.dailylove.net/2010/11/11110.html

Thanks for going to check it out!!

Beyond Dusk

Beyond Dusk

Past midnight

Sheep are no longer jumping

I must have scared them

with my thoughts

My never ending

night thoughts

   Grocery list

      Chores the next day

         Mundane duties

            Future of children

               Uncompleted tasks that day

                  Finances

                     Schedule of upcoming week

                        Printer is low on ink

                           Unmailed packages

                              Restless legs

                                 Did I turn the stove off?

My mouth is sticky

now out of bed 

Cold water is my

soothing medicine

yet my ever-aging body's

sleep killer

Competing white noise

the dryer - spinning and clanking

a fan - whooshing and blowing

Through the open window

My skin drinks

the refreshing beverage

of the night air

Deceptive sofa

beckons me

paltering with comfort

I know 

all too well

the siren song of the sofa

and the morning after guilt

and crick in my neck

Tonight it will not win

Tonight I will win

I hear a not-so-distant bleating

The sheep have returned

 

Rebekah's Haiku

Rebekah is learning how to write a Haiku. Here is the one she wrote today:

In the pitch black night
I saw the most beautiful
Horse in the whole den

THE

THE (7/13/09)

The whoosh

The giggle

The pattering

The reach

The balloon

The chewing

The choking

The Heimlich

The call

The ambulance

The grass

The tears

The hole

The baby

The grave

Counting Down

I am looking at the clock
trying to turn away
but its hands keep pulling
at my eyes with each tick
and tock

I try not to dwell
on the little time left
until I relive
the shattering moments
of my personal hell

My eyes are dry
I can not blink
but I feel it swelling
up from my heart
and out my eyes

Tears now fall
from the creases
of my eyes
from while I sit
alone, in a stall

My insides churn
my bowels break
memories don't fade
like they're supposed to
instead they burn

Up comes my pain
out of my mouth
it spews
years of love
gone down the drain

I stand and swear
to no one I can see
"How can I tell the girls?"
I shout
my fist rising in the air

The clock is not at fault
yet it
I want to blame
for stealing my time
from my life's vault

Twenty-seven
years is too young
to die and leave me
and my precious girls
to go to heaven

Lily's Poem

A poem about rain, by Lily Pearcy (3-23-09):

I like rain.
It cleans the sky.
It makes the grass green
It makes the flowers bloom.

Heart

My heart
sits in my throat
I am afraid to swallow
for fear I will choke
my eyes
burn as tears well up
My head
begins to throb
It feels as if my chest will explode
My heart is pumping so hard

Sadness
Depression....
down deeper I go

Down into the heart wrenching abyss

Where secrets and hurt lay in wait
to hurt me
to prick me

I don't like to allow them to hurt me
but sometimes I have no choice

My ears hear something
and it grabs my heart
it's nails piercing it
and throws it against the wall
it splats and slides down
down
down

forever
into the abyss of hidden monsters
monsters that say cruel words.

Words meant to tear me apart

I don't like it here
I don't like feeling this way.

Spiraling
down
down
down
The light gets
darker
My thoughts are muddled

My eyes cry out to me
Lay down
weak one
lay down

Don't awaken anymore

Scars

"Time heals all wounds"
Or so the saying goes
I have wounds
that are scarred
That will never fully heal
When the weather changes
pain creeps in
slowly
secretly
Until the rain falls
from my heart
and out my eyes

Certain times of the year
My scars burn
as if it were just yesterday
that I was wounded

Time does not heal all wounds
It just takes longer for the fall
from my deep, deep scar.

I Come From

I come from a home
with many trees:
Palm, bottlebrush, lemon,
Peach, plum and nectarine.
Even apple, almond and orange.
My favorite were the two avocado trees
from which many guacamoles were made.
My hate was for the fig tree
with all its gross overripe fruit
littering the ground below.
The orange tree was tall.
Always beckoning us to sample its sweetofferings.
I can still smell the orange blossoms.

I come from a home
with a long staircase,
Two kitchens and a basement.
Two families in one house.
One brother and five cousins
were my built-in playmates.
Hide-n-seek was our game of choice
with the pantry being the best hiding spot.
Where else could we hide and sneak treats?
Sometimes we were banished outside.
The lawn was our battleground,
the hose our weapon.
I can still feel the wet grass beneath my feet.

I come from a home
with old, slanting ceilings
And multicolored shag carpeting,
Eerie sounds and secret passageways.
During the day, the house was cheery.
At night, I clutched my blanket tight
I would lay awake
listening and looking.
And was witness to oddities
Things that most adults wouldn't believe.
Floating dots parading around my head
Dancing to entertain and extinguish the fears.
I can still see the haunting images.

I come from the home my mother grew up in.

The Pier

I'm standing on a pier
Looking over the side
I crank my arm back
flinging a rock forward
I watch as it soars
breaking the water's surface
I hear the kerplunking splash
Ripples start ebbing away
in perfect circles
It forces the water spider
to skitter away

The golden sun
warms my skin and I feel sweat
beading on my forehead
The stagnant and still air
begins to pick up
The breeze blows
a few strands of hair in my face
and cools my pale skin

I look down to my feet
my toes start fidgeting
My freshly painted red toenails
contrast the worn wood
I breathe in deep
as if it were my last breath
Crouching down, I exert all my muscular strength
from my quivering thighs
I burst up and soar high

I plug my nose
just in time
As my body follows the rock
into the icy water

Eyes dying
Full of pain
Aching to slumber

Desire to rest
To think no more
Of pain inside

Clouds of cotton
Swirl around
In my head

Softly
My lids close
I am asleep again

32 | Celeste Johnson

Today
He would be 32
Healthy
An accountant
Right where he
thought he would be
and 32 years old

Over 4 years ago
Thousands of moments
taking my breath away
Gone
No more
53 months
Gone
Not ever coming back
234 weeks
Gone
Taken away
1640 days
Gone
Ripped from my side
39,360 hours
2,361,600 minutes
141,696,000 seconds
Gone
Plucked from this earth

Today
He would have been
32 years old
Before he breathed his last breath
And is now
Gone

Shhh | Celeste Johnson

Shhh
What's that I hear?
Voices
Muffled voices speaking
I strain my ears
Can't quite make out
what they say
Are they
speaking to me


Shhh
What's that I hear?
Music
Muted music
Who turned on the radio?
It is dark
I strain my ears
Everyone is asleep

Shhh
What's that I hear?
Footsteps
Scuffles of footsteps
Are they coming for me?
What will they do?
I strain my eyes
Whose blue pills
are those for?

Shhh
What's that I hear?
Silence
Quiet
Padded floor
Padded walls
My white jacket
nice and straight

Leaves | Celeste Johnson

It was chilly, the breeze blowing steadily.
The gorgeous trees shedding their red and orange and yellow leaves; blanketing across grass, walkways, cars.
Taking mental pictures with my eyes, I tried to take in as much as I could.
One particular place snatched away my adult thoughts and took me back; back to when I was younger and carefree.
I wanted to frolic in the blanket of leaves, scooping them up, and tossing them overhead like a leaf rainstorm.
I could smell the leaves, feel the leaves, hear them crunching beneath my feet.
All rationale was almost stole from me as I inched closer and closer to the leaves beckoning me to join in with their dance.
Walking across the campus, I became full of emotions - emotions long forgotten.

| Celeste Johnson

Anger swelling
bursting at the seams
can't hold it inside
salty tears gush out
rolling down my cheeks
to my chin
splashing my shirt
in wet polka dots
temporary reminders
of being rejected
again

Rose | Celeste Johnson

The rose lay
on the cracked sidewalk
Alone and cold
Day after day
People walked near
Never once
paying it heed
After succumbing to the elements
The rose became dusty
dirty
A girl skips along
Then halts
"Look Mommy!"
The girl bends down
with care picks up the rose
Dusts it off
Breathes deep
"Ahhhh, it smells so good!"
The girl places it behind her ear
Like a island princess
trots off after her mom
The mom smiles
at her daughter
donning the silk rose

The Ring | Celeste Johnson

Opal, swirls of color shine
Diamonds surround it
All encased in gold
An heirloom promise to me
With trembling hands
I place the ring on my finger

I can hear her speak
Never an ill word
Loving and full of kindness

I can smell her
A floral bouquet captured scent
on her freshly pressed blouse

I can feel her
Hugs and kisses
Her hands of comfort

I can taste her
The sweet crisp, crunch
Of her Christmas cookies

I can see her
Sitting in her chair
Rocking and crocheting

The opal ring
On my finger
Aurora Borealis glistening
Part of my Grandma
Lives on.

Rebirth | Celeste Johnson

Drip, drip, drip
Clouds letting go
Painful memories
Washed away
Sun comes out
Frown fades
Smile awakes
It's a new day

Black and ravenous
Empty and cold
Growling, snarling
Craving to be heard
Saliva beings
pooling in mouth
Taste buds tingle
Awaiting
Delectable dish
Feed me
Feed me now
Hush these monstrous sounds
From my void inside
Quiet and tame
The beast within
No longer can I
Contain it
Or else be consumed
Full of self loathing
Never was I heard