like some ride
at the county fair
my life travels 
in constant circles,
bound 
only by the laws
of gravity
even then, 
tenuously,
always wanting 
to break free
so that I may 
hit the wall
or fly away 
unbound...



  Gentle Summer Breeze

Gentle summer breeze
warms my skin
brushes my hair
carries me off 
to the land of my dreams

I close my eyes
and there you are
though I do not know
your face
you touch my soul

Gentle summer breeze
you wash over me
and cleanse my soul
making me new again
as yesterday’s hurt
washes from my being
and I become reborn 
in your warm embrace
SeaDreams, 6/99




 Visions of Slugarplums 


Paint me a rainbow
sing me a tune
draw me a picture
and give me the moon

tomorrow’s a love song
that’s made from today
hold tight as it passes
so it can’t slip away. 

draw me a playhouse
and make me a kid
with counters of marble
and skylights and cribs.

Make mommy and daddy
and little old me
with smiles on our faces
and shining with glee.

The love that surrounds us
will never go way
as we grow and we live
and we learn and we play.
SeaDreams, 5/99


 Master of Nothing 

Master of nothing
ruler of all
you sit upon your throne
of upholstered leather
barking laws
in shrieking reverie.
From tired eyes of madness
you strike upon those 
who surround you,
who loved you
before you became
self-appointed leader to whom
ALL
must bow 
and take heed
and cower in fear of.

Master of nothing
you will awaken to find
an empty castle, someday--
that all your loyal subjects
have 
abandoned you
leaving you 
frightened and alone
with only your 
private demons 
for company.

Master of nothing
you are such a fool
You could have had it all, 
and yet,
you had to own and control it,
lock it up and tame it,
make it beg and do tricks
at your command
and,
when it didn’t listen,
you rubbed its nose
and swatted it with newspaper
until,
you were left with 
nothing 
but an empty shell
that, 
when raised to your ear
allows you to hear 
the memory
of the sea.
Sea, 6/26/99


 on the crest of a wave 


I know how the surfer feels
on the crest of a wave
riding high
with the wind at his back.

YOU are my endless summer
and that single wave,
the perfect "10": 
that makes it all worthwhile--
all the times I fell,
and came up choking,
bobbing for life
spitting mouthfuls of sand

At times, I thought I would be
swallowed
by the sea.

Some days I stood
on rocks of slimy green
daring 
the hands of the current
to take me -
to carry me away
where winds ceased to flow,
and time joined space
in the blink of an eye.

But now,
in a glimmer of sunlight
I see and feel all
from the warmest peach sunset,
to the sweet smell of 
lavender and lilacs, 
carried softly on gentle winds

Each of my senses
tingle with life anew
as if
the antennae of my soul
reborn
anxiously reaches out
inquisitively
as if
the center of my being
has found new purpose
new strength,
and a new beginning.

I celebrate
on gentle winds
that have carried me 
to you.
            SeaDreams, 7/12/99


 Smiling Faces Oozing Honey 


Smiling faces
and children
glowing of ice cream
and cotton candy
the carousel whirls by
happy families
oozing with that thick honey
of cheerfulness 
and good wishes.

I sit in the corner
coughing up knives
aching for sleep
and some salve
to rub into the muscles
that twist and turn
beneath my skin.
SeaDreams, 8-12-99


 $5 Hooker  


Scantilly clad women
made of leather skirts
and red lipstick
smelling of cheap wine
and Avon perfume.

Faces, painted in their
Friday night best
with their "I want YOU, Baby" eyes.

I am your whore
selling myself for the roof
above my head
and the food I eat
turning my tricks
and selling my soul.
SeaDreams, 8-12-99


 Pea Soup 



The world’s a pea green soup
all mixed up and simmering,
sending smells
and tastes
and colors
till it’s hard to separate
the parts, from the whole.

Was I the onion,
Or the pepper or salt?
And, is this a witches brew
full of eye of newt
and
hair of the dog that bit you?
The truth is that
tomorrow may never come
and our stories will be told
only in the pea greens of today.
SeaDreams, 8-12-99


 Scorekeeper 


Is there a scorekeeper
in the game of life?
Someone who takes
the heartbreaks
and weighs them
sees if there’s a balance
five smiles for a frown
love lost for a mansion
wild animal sex
traded for tender kisses.

I hunger
to be touched
my desire fades
for your embrace
not wanting to trade
thrashing throbbing bodies
for the gentle touch
of a soul
SeaDreams, 8-12-99




 Perennial  


Like the perennial flower
I have bloomed
and will again

Some years
the rains of spring
nurture me
awaken me
in brilliant splendor

Other times,
harsh winds 
tear at my leaves
tousle my petals
leaving me
disheveled and tilted.

I can bear these seasonal changes
these natural ebbs and flows
yet the sharp knife 
of your tongue 
destroys me,
cuts away at my soul
and threatens 
my very roots.
SeaDreams, 8-12-99



 Lullaby 

"Tura, lura, lura,"
the gentle song
caressed my soul
as Grandmother sang to me
her hair - spun silver
with the voice of an angel
the tinkle of wind chimes
in gentle summer breezes.
SeaDreams, 8-12-99