From Writing

March 25, 2019

Red

Blast from the past FB memory of bc (before cancer) Joules. 11 years ago today. Probably cuz I’m in a strange space contemplating life & death and especially the life & death of my step-sister Shele, this old memory popping up this morning, led me down a road and I decided to follow it to see where it would take me. Curiously, serendipitously, it led me from this random day in March 11 years ago, to the random day that August the poem the picture inspired, to another random day that same August–precisely on August 23–when I was contemplating my own life and possible death and Shele got in a car, drove from Indy, and showed up to the prayer meeting we had at the Evanshire to kick off my cancer battle. I will never ever forget that. We didn’t know each other very well. We didn’t grow up together. We weren’t the Brady Bunch. We had a whole lifetime before we met and a few lifetimes after. We lived in the same city for a little while and that was lovely. She introduced me to Shania Twain on one of our girls nights out. I can never hear Shania and not think of her. I had a dream of seeing Shania in concert with Shele that will always be an unchecked box. Cuz the box on her calender at the end of the dash was checked off on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. The box on my calendar for tomorrow is to get in the car, drive to Indy, & show up to celebrate her life. Which seems fitting, to me. Honoring to her, since that’s how she lived her life as far as I knew. She showed up. It’s really the least we can do. But it’s also everything, which I am reminded as I remember Shele and her fine art of showing up.
[While I was working on this little meditation and preface to my poem, I realized that Red is also the color for Stroke & Aneurysm Awareness. Sweet serendipity, circling back to my step-sister Shele, like a benediction. Rest in peace. Loved you like a sister.

Red

What was she thinking?
The writing was on the shirt
Red. Read it and weep.

Red means stop. Smell the
Roses NOW. Think on these things…
Capture this moment.

Take a snapshot. Write
A haiku about the girl
With long hair and curves.

Red flag hiding on
The billboard that chest would be
Come what may someday

Soon. Some random day
In August. As inciting
Incidents are wont

To do making much
Ado like they do. Outta
Nowhere. But leading

Somewhere. In my case
Aerodynamic. Cancer
Wasn’t on my mind.

Not on my radar.
I wasn’t 42 yet–
The proverbial

Answer to my life,
universe, everything me.
My left boob was red

Hot*. But not like the
Happy ending kind of hot
But goodbye girls kind.

Good riddance pound of
Flesh. I like you better off
My chest. The one thing

Is swimsuit shopping
In a curvy world. That girl
Didn’t have to think

Twice. This girl though
Whose cup overflows. Doesn’t
Translate to swimsuits.

*breast thermography is a non-traditional way to scan for breast cancer, and red basically means hot (cancer activity) areas on the scan. #nutshell

#marchmarchness #writeclub #haikuchallenge #haikuaday #haiku #poetry #becausetheworldneedsmorepoetry #red #breastcancer #cancer #mastectomy #swimsuitshopping #thestruggleisreal

March 24, 2019

Sometimes The Song IS About You.

Sometimes The Song Is About You.

Dear Sugar Moon — Sweet
Nightlight — Shone bright on me. I
Couldn’t see but felt

Despite the clouds that
Tried to take the stage — I stirred
Them in my coffee.

#postcardfromtheloveshackbabyyeah #marchmarchness #writeclub
#haikuchallenge #haikuaday Day 21 #haiku #poetry #becausetheworldneedsmorepoetry #fullmoon #sugarmoon #cloudsinmycoffee #springequinox #byemercuryretrograde I #manifest #poetrybook #howlatthemoon #itsonlyvanityifthesongisntaboutyou #sometimesthesongisaboutyou

March 24, 2019

And It Was Morning (Time to rise & shine)

And it was Morning
(Time to rise & shine)

Puppy stretch. Open
Eyes. Meditate. Caffeinate.
Carpe day. Stay woke.

#postcardfromtheloveshackbabyyeah #marchmarchness #writeclub #haikuchallenge #haikuaday #haiku #poetry #becausetheworldneedsmorepoetry #morningprayer #riseandshine #puppystretch #yoga #breathe # meditation #insighttimer #coffeeme #carpediem

March 24, 2019

And It Was Evening (Now I lay me down)

And it was Evening
(Now I lay me down)

Epsom bath. Bedtime
Tea & Melatonin. Sleep
Mask. Meditate. Zzz…

#postcardfromtheloveshackbabyyeah #marchmarchness #writeclub #haikuchallenge #haikuaday #haiku #poetry #becausetheworldneedsmorepoetry #eveningprayer #epsombath #yogitea #melatonin #insighttimer #yoganidra #bedtimeroutine

March 24, 2019

Taran the Wonder Haiku Writer

I can’t read it and
I don’t understand a word
But it’s beautiful.

#marchmarchness #writeclub #haikuchallenge #haikuaday #haiku #poetry #becausetheworldneedsmorepoetry #postcardfromtheloveshackbabyyeah #adventureswithgigiandtaranthewonderboy #taranthewonderboy #gigislittleprince #gigisinlove #hehijackedmychalkboard #tinypoet #besthaikuever

March 20, 2019

The Remains of R2D2

The Remains of R2D2
(A St. Patrick’s Day haiku based on a conversation I had with Taran the wonderboy about the rest of his missing R2D2 lego.)

Help me O-B-1
Help me help me Gigi
Help me R2 do.

#postcardfromtheloveshackbabyyeah
#r2d2 #marchmarchness #writeclub #haikuchallenge #haikuaday #haiku #poetry #becausetheworldneedsmorepoetry #helpmeob1youremyonlyhope #adventureswithgigiandtaranthewonderboy #taranthewonderboy #gigislittleprince #gigisinlove

March 20, 2019

Shele’s Moon

Shele’s Moon (A prayer for my step sister Shele)

Sweet potato fries.
Sister’s stroke. Father’s prayer. Peace
Sign from a coma.

I’ve been writing this haiku for a couple days now. It won’t mean anything but to shele & me. The last thing she posted about on Facebook was sweet potatoes. The last thing I ate before I got the news she had a stroke was sweet potato fries. I believe in coincidences. There were many miracles leading us to believe God had a different plan. The one that still gets me is the priest who was praying for her through the brain surgery Friday night, when he said “in the name of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, Shele tried to cross herself FROM HER COMA. I took these as signs that God was working a miracle for her. Though yesterday took a different turn than the direction we thought we were heading. My heart is breaking. Especially for my step-mom, my beautiful nieces, & her husband. She passed in the wee hours this morning. I woke in the middle of the night and spent some time praying for her, feeling like I was awakened to keep vigil, to pray for peace. While I was sitting there holding that space, I got a notification that her husband had posted she is at rest now. I wanted to go ahead and put this sweet nothing poem out there dedicated to my step-sister Shele. We didn’t know everything about each other but we did love each other. She was one of the first people to show up for me after I got cancer. She drove all the way to a prayer meeting kickoff to my cancer battle and I will never forget that. She introduced me to @shaniatwain and I can never listen to her without thinking of Shele and wishing she could come on over. All I know is that I hope she knows I love her like a sister.