THE WOMEN gather under the trees.
They bring gifts, food, and chairs.
They are gypsies and queens, oracles, saints,
Jezebels and jesters, healers, sages, and warriors.
And when the circle is complete, the magic begins.
Shyly, with dainty movements, they take turns,
shifting aside their robes to expose
missing limbs and gaping wounds.
The others gather close and peer, heads cocked,
eyes straining, and they chant,
"That is lovely, that is good,"
and the wounds stop weeping,
and they melt into scars,
silvery and light and beautiful.
Then the women lean back and laugh,
and they stretch, sensual and fierce,
like cats in the sun.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Through These Months

In October, we squared off
around cold hard tables
in a cold hard room
We wanted to remove our masks,
but we'd worn them for too long.
We wanted answers to be given out like candies:
sweet, satisfying, bite-sized,
but we left empty-handed.

In November, it took six of us
to wrestle the table into position.
Chairs were brought from all around the house,
and cats wound themselves around our legs.
We ate yams and turkey off red plates with old silver,
surrounded by colored glass, lacquered wood, 
books, and friends.
We took the time to be thankful for finding ourselves
by finding each other.

In December we linked arms
and wandered down cold dark streets
into warm bright rooms.
We put on our favorite hats and
passed gifts of glass and jelly,
candles and books
around the circle
and ate sweet things to ward off the bitterness.
          --Sappho

Monday, December 26, 2011

Dec December

This December I've decided to declare this decree: 
Instead of a decrease,
let us decuple our decadence!
I decry in a decible higher,
"Decriminalize being declassé!"
No longer will we be deceptively decent, our lives decolorized!
During this decade we may become decrepit, perhaps deceased.
We have already begun the decline that leads to decay.
Will we be remembered?
Or will we be decumbent,
leaving a decussate to mark the spot
that no one can decode, no one can decipher?
So,  I declare this:
Before we decamp.
let's decant the wine and deck ourselves with decorations.
Decorum be damned!
         --Sappho

Thursday, December 22, 2011

December is the Coldest Month

December is the coldest month
breathing frost bite out of the frigid land
mixing snow and ice
sifting memories of Christmas past.
          --Zazu  (with a nod to T.S. Eliot)

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Two Squirrels











I sat in the snow yesterday
and watched two squirrels frolic and play,
They were having so much fun,
And I--
I wished I had a gun.
          --Lucretia

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Thrill of a Good Book

I’m a slut on the prowl
for a good book,
heaving my bosom
when pulled into its spell,
winding my leg
around the bedpost
in Jezebel’s seductive pose.

I yearn to open
the mystical treasures
hidden within its
sweet mysteries;
they pull me in
when other duties call.
Ah…the temptation
I can’t resist.
            --Scheherazade

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Not Yet

Death has not yet visited this house
but he knows where we live.

I've stood at the window,
anxiously peering out
into the darkness,
seeing nothing but the reflection of the room 
behind me.
But I know he's out there
somewhere.
And he knows we are in here.

He hears us cough.
He sees us stumble.
No, I haven't seen him,
but I've felt him
as he cruises by
slowly,
with his headlights off
and his window rolled down.

When I know he has gone,
I turn away from the window and
I hear myself laugh way too loud.
I touch my husband's back as I walk past his chair,
startling him.
I grin at my son, showing way too many teeth,
and he smiles back,
uncomfortable.
I pat the dog. 

Which one of us has caught his eye?
Which one of us will let him in?
          --Sappho

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Reason for November

Grey clouds that crowd the sky
hurry on by.
Gusty winds push brown leaves that
jump and prance
in a fanciful dance.

November brings the end of
the warm summer breezes
and eases
us into
the Winter Season,
and that’s
enough reason
for November.
            --Lucretia

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Sonnet for November

Shovels on high
Rakes face the wall
Seeds in their files
Tulips asleep in their beds.

Beds heaped with mulch
Gloves packed away
Hoses wrapped and stowed
Tulips asleep in their beds.

Trees wrapped up tight
Planters stowed away
Sno-Melt at the ready
Tulips asleep in their beds.

The shed locked up tight
Dreams of peat pots
Gone frm my head
Tulips asleep in their beds.
          --Scheherazade

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Three Temptations I Can't Resist

When I see a comma out of place,
a chocolate bar, a young man’s face,
I must take action, have no doubt.
These things I cannot live without.

Not essential?  Fie!  You say,
without them I won’t waste away,
but joy will fade, and so I’ll shout,
These things I will not live without!

My red pen aches to mark and scratch
each spelling error, with a hatch.
Circle run-ons, cap that noun.
Rearrange syntax with a frown.

My tastebuds, in anticipation
await the milky, dark sensation.
Godiva, Hershey, M&Ms--
I gobble down these luscious gems.

It has not waned, as I grow older.
In fact, my age has made me bolder.
When viewing beauty, male and strong,
I salute testosterone with a song!

Of course, life brings me other treasures:
friends and family, pets, and pleasures.
But with grammar, chocolate, and young men,
My cup is full; I’ll drink up then! 

Until I’m told to cease, desist,
the error, the chocolate, the young man’s wrist,
will be corrected and eaten and kissed.
These three temptations I can’t resist.
            --Agatha

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Ode on an American Cheeseburger

Thou still uneaten mound of deliciousness!
There you lie in all your wondrous layers.
What fringed lettuce leaves
peek from beneath your rounded bun.
The slice of red onion ignites passion.
What pickles are present to drive men mad!
The golden cheddar drips in rivulets
over that medium-rare
aggregation of ground beef.
I chomp, my pursuit ended.
         --Zazu

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Words of Wisdom from a Bird

You need to move often.
You must travel light.
If you sense danger
be quick to take flight.

Eat what you find.
Drink when you can,
and when the winds change,
just make a new plan.

Sing every day.
Sing your own song.
Make your voice heard.
It will help make you strong.

Keep your nest simple.
Make your life plain.
Fly toward the good things.
Fly away from the pain.

Take care of your children.
Just do your best,
and when the time comes,
push them out of your nest.

The world is a good place.
Your friends hold you dear,
so stretch out your wings
and soar without fear.
         --Sappho