Introspection (Page 10)

A lonely woman sits on a swing in the park villa in the morning. She is reaching over to hold an empty swing beside her.

Andy (a poem)

I wish I had spoken
one simple, kind word.
It may well have been
the only one heard.

Now it’s much too late.
Life goes on without.
Memories will fade
but regrets they do not.

A whitetail deer doe is walking through the water, across a small pond.

The clarity I seek is regarding how to remain calm
amidst the storms swirling round about me,
how to be of help and live compassionately
towards those in most dire need,
those who may not appreciate or understand
the choices I make each day.

(1,108 words)

[continue]. . .

A close-up, low-angle photograph of a barefoot woman, in a white lace dress, walking away.

I find it funny (a poem)

I find it funny,
not in a humorous way,
that I have hope.
That I can still have hope.

…I just keep holding on.

[continue]. . .

A man sits alone in a darkened restaurant, waiting for his date to arrive. His head is down, and his hands are crossed on the table in front of him. A half-melted candle, a half-empty glass of wine, and his cell phone sit on the table in front of him.

The Din (a 3-in-1 poem)

Scents of countless delicacies combine.
Enticements abounding.

Sounding china and silver sit atop the din.
Conversation flourishing.

[continue]. . .

The words "Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion" are revealed on white paper, behind torn and peeled purple paper in the foreground.

A Beginner’s Guide for Allies

9 things we can do to be better allies.

(1,595 words)

[continue]. . .

Library reading room. Empty wooden swivel chair at wooden library table with book open on the table. Glasses on top of book. Wooden bookcases with blurred bindings of colorful books behind table and chair. A steak knife lies on the floor nearby.

“I remember” (a poem)

TW: Suicide

I feel my chest heave as I walk through the kitchen.
Heavy breath, warm and wet.
My pace deliberate, pronounced.

Cold steel grazes my neck, awakening memories.

[continue]. . .

A monochrome image of two Icelandic sheep standing face to face, one is black and the other white. The only color in the image is in the sheep's eyes—the black sheep's eyes are brown and the white sheep's are gold and green.

People (thoughts)

Those with whom we surround ourselves
tend to define our worth.
Sometimes it is through their words,
and other times by our own comparisons.
Each time we share a bit of ourselves
we give them more power,
for that is what trust is, power.
The power to lift up.
The power to crush.

[continue]. . .