Sisters in Crime

Take a walk in the park
Just before it gets dark

You see those two old ladies sitting over there
The ones with graying brown and red hair

They still could talk for hours without a break
They still watch out for each other’s sake

And they’re talking about thirty, forty years ago
When life was anything but calm and slow

Sharing photo albums that they made
So through the senior moments their fun wouldn’t fade

Those girls in that photograph
You can just tell they’re trying not to laugh

They look so self-conscious and one has bangs so thick
The other has a tutu and a bun that looks gelled and slick

Turn the pages and pass the months and years
Pass through unseen grins and tears

You’re flipping through time gone but not eradicated
You’re seeing it here in these things now yellowed and dated

Here’s a letter from one to another, “Hey,
I miss you more every day,

I’m dancing my dream here at Juilliard
And every moment it gets more hard.”

There’s a picture and those girls are in the same pose
Their friendship still glows

But this is the brunette’s dream now printed on a certification
And it’s stating her dedication

Another flip of the page
And you can see they’re showing their age

The redhead is in an office…could it be a high-rise
Look at the pen behind her ear, and her smile’s size

Their aspirations changed and grew
Although one thing remained true

They still sit and talk and laugh and cry
And mumble about how decades fly

Yellowed, dog-eared, creased and bent
Conversation is not yet spent

By now the moon is out and shining overhead
“I’m tired!” Yawns the redhead

Comrades, supporters, sisters in crime
Side by side through the eras of time

Leaving behind only the scent of perfume
Their friendship still obviously in bloom

Other Fish, Same Sky

No matter what, you and I
Always under the same sky

Grass is always green, clouds are always white
Blue sky day, black sky night

Friends and then some more
But then, who can tell what’s in store

Tough lessons like people changing and leaving
And saviors like faith and believing

An ocean is far by mind
But to such distances the heart is blind

Getting over someone is never complete
Just like music will always have a beat

Radio plays in the background
It’s jazz…you like that sound

Other fish in the sea
Other leaves on the tree

But will the fish have rainbow fins
Will the leaf have fabulous grins

Another bus ride, no one’s shoulder
Another baseball game, the stadium’s colder

Every snowflake has a different face
Lightning doesn’t strike in the same place

But outside my window is a blue sky
And thinking you remember is such a lie

I still imagine you’re sore
As I put another letter in a drawer

Lock that drawer; toss my heart and the key
There are other fish in the sea

Strolling Down Main Street

Strolling down on Main Street
I’ve got a tune in my head and a tap to my feet

I’ve got a whistle just dying to escape from my mouth
As I’m just sauntering south

My pockets have a jingle
And I’m humming that new hit single

Today the clouds look like cotton candy
And I’m feeling just so fine and dandy

But it’s not the song and it’s not the weather
I’m thinking of something much better

I’ve got a thought in my head
Based not on just something somebody said

I’ve got the facts this time around
And it’s hard enough just staying on the ground

I’ve got some news to share
That gives me a mood lighter than air

I can imagine your face
And that speeds up my pace

But it’s not just my feet that are accelerating
Now it’s my heart that’s palpitating

Now I can see your door
And I can feel my stomach drop to the floor

I hear someone behind me singing the same tune
When I see who it is my thoughts balloon

So arm in arm we’re just strolling down Main Street
With a song in our heads and a tap in our feet

Like a Balloon (Haiku)

I'm like a balloon
Filled with helium and dreams
To shoot past those stars

Nightmare

The clock is ticking and the walls are so white
In this blue speckled gown I am a fright

They are putting something into my hand
Sticking it into that vein, that blue thin band

And Dad is standing there looking so pale
Grasping the cold metal rail

And now he’s talking to the lady with the stethoscope
He’s looking for some sign of hope

I don’t like her smile so sharp and mean
Like the needles long and clean

Now there is no time to stall
I am curling up into a tight ball

When they say it won’t hurt I know it’s a lie
The pain is too excruciating to scream or cry

There is no painkiller for the lumbar
Yesterday seems now so distant and far

She made the first mistake
How many more of these will I take?

Again and again the fluid refuses to come
The nurse holding my legs is anxiously smacking gum

Then I feel something that paralyzes me
Even though I can’t see

She has hit a center of nerves and I know
That my spinal liquid won’t flow

Until three small drops emerge
And I see Dad’s energy surge

What if it’s too late?
And I can almost touch my fate


Over eight needles now and I am wondering about
How many more they will need to end the doubt

Here comes the new doctor for attempt four
I cannot feel my legs anymore

All I can do is gasp when I feel needle twelve enter
This doctor hits it right and center

The fluid is flowing and so are our fears
With pain my whole body sears

There is blood covering the sheets
And I think that this sure beats

Any stupid scrape or cut
Or any insignificant kick to the gut

And I know this had to be done
Or my chances could be next to none

Wondering

The lights were dim
And even the janitor had left but
The man just sat at his desk
Wondering if his wife was still at home
Wondering who she was with tonight
Wondering if maybe he could get work done
At the empty apartment
Devoid of sound
Wondering if tonight’s fellow
Is sensitive or handsome
And if he has a sweet smile
Wondering if tomorrow
Will bring the winds of change
But the forecast is so
Gloomy and overcast
Wondering if there is
Any more food left in the
Fridge or the cabinets
A paycheck can only
Stretch so far and
He’s still wondering

Trust

Every time I feel as if the road is too steep
Or that there will be nothing left to reap

You show me that better terrain
And faster-growing grain

Will eventually come to pass
The storms cannot always last

You enable me to endure
To make my footing feel sure

When the burden becomes too much to bear
You come along and make it lighter than air

When the music feels so out of tune
And I feel ready to give up so soon

You tell me to analyze every measure and note
As if it was what I wrote

And even when I trip or falter or stumble
You teach me that at one point everyone must be humble

Even when I hadn’t tried
You were still at my side

There, grasping my hand in yours
You opened so many doors

If it’s locked, find a key
Open your eyes if you can’t see

I could always find you at every turn
Still I have much to learn

But no matter what minute and moment, month, day, or year
When I trust you I know that I’ve nothing to fear