Poems

The Perfect Present (A Christmas Poem)

/ Katie / 22 Comments

Every year,
the name of the game is:
“Find the perfect gift.”
You ask what I want,
and my answer is just:
“Don’t get me anything.”
And, despite what
the Christmas machine may say,
yes, I really mean it.
Your presence is
my perfect present,
dearest friend of mine,
and no amount of money
will replace your gift of time.
They say:
“Life is short,”
and I know it’s true,
so here’s what I want from you:
Just yourself.
Nothing else.
I love you, not stuff.
(Yes, I’m telling you the truth.)
(Sure, bring your dog.)
(Your kid, too.)
(Please just come hang out with me.)
(I promise it’s enough.)

A Christmas Wish (A Poem)

/ Katie / 12 Comments

‘Tis the season
for light and dreams,
and holly
and jolly days,
parades and parties and presents,
and also
busy-ness.
So busy,
in fact,
that it’s hard to enjoy
the holly
and jolly
and cheer.
But we’re here!
One more year,
one more tree,
and so many reasons
to be merry.
We’re here,
and we’re happy,
and yes,
‘tis the season.
But man,
I’d love a nap.

The Real Answer (A Poem)

/ Katie / 19 Comments

You ask:
“How are you doing?”
And I answer:
“Okay.”
A polite
(brief)
interaction,
done exactly right.
And a lie.
Here is
what I want
to say:
“I’m breathing,
trying
my very best,
and getting up
every day.
I’m sad,
and stressed,
and waiting
for this awful thing
to pass.
It will,
I know,
but the time in between
feels endless.
I’m not okay
(thanks for listening)
but I will be.”

Soon (A Poem)

/ Katie / 10 Comments

Winter whispers
through the fields
and the forests,
breathes new life
into the silver moon,
soft and steady and still.
Only a tingle of ice,
a mist of frost
in the air,
It says:
Not quite time,
no,
not yet there,
but soon.

Two Nature Haiku (or, a November Poetry Challenge!)

/ Katie / 14 Comments

It’s been a little while since I’ve participated in Rebecca’s monthly poetry challenge over at  Fake Flamenco. November’s is to write a haiku about something in nature that fascinates you, and that’s right up my alley. So, here are a couple of offerings.

Though we may hold on
Nature knows when the time’s right
To just let things go

Bare limbs twist and reach
Like wanting hands to the sky
Hungry for winter

I’m particularly inspired by nature in fall and winter, and I love the change in the color and light, and the bare limbs of the trees. So, this challenge came along at the perfect time! And if you’d like to join the fun, you’ve got until November 13th. 😊

On Halloween (A Poem)

/ Katie / 12 Comments

On Halloween,
the unseen, seen,
and we all wear our masks.
Costumes, a show,
but who really knows
what’s real
and what’s pretend?
Our days,
they go,
slow and then fast,
and time just
ticks and ticks.
We bend,
some break,
some fix mistakes,
and all must meet
the end.
But for one night,
one night each year,
it’s easy to forget –
in that space,
masked face to face
we’re all
children again.

High Spirits (A Poem)

/ Katie / 10 Comments

Though you may
bury us,
we rise.
From ashes and mud,
blood and bone,
we remake ourselves
from the sand
and the stone
that covered us,
smothered us.
Though we are
gone,
our spirits are
strong.
We climb,
we reach
our withered fingers
into the sky,
and sing the song
no man can
silence.
Though few may
hear,
we will sing
for those listening.

Lucky Red (A Poem)

/ Katie / 17 Comments

The color of
fortune
and
fervor,
of mornings
and sunsets,
of fate
and flair
and feelings
and flame
lays its claim
to the leaves
again.
And we –
only passing and
making our way
in this world –
we get to see
for the briefest time
this lucky red
that dyes
the ties
that bind.
How fleeting,
fading fast,
it seems,
and nothing lasts,
they say.
But this,
surely this
we can hold,
always there,
bright
and bold,
in our memory.

Weekend Rain (A Poem)

/ Katie / 11 Comments

Picture it:
A cool breeze
and a constant drizzle
in the newly gold-tipped trees,
and inside
a warm house,
two lovers sit by a fire,
drinking tea.
“Rain all weekend,”
says the one, and
“That’s not so bad,”
says the other.
And it’s true,
you know –
there are worse ways
to spend
a couple of days
than inside, together,
just watching
the autumn world
turn damp and gray.