She was the generic type of pretty
that you could find on every street
with not much in her head
and her worth upon her feet.
Yet, I could hear her voice crying,
a desperate plea to free her soul
from the life she chose to live
that slowly took its toll.
I feel as though
I may have slept
in this very spot
that’s so well kept.
I see some fur
and there’s a dent;
my scent is here
under the tent.
There are not many
spots I’ve just not been;
it’s hard to keep track,
I know there are more than ten.
So slumber here I shall
since I’ve much to do.
I may already have before
unless this is déjà mew.
The faintest memory of you lingers
somewhere on the top shelf
behind the tea and lady fingers
you consumed by yourself.
My coffee is cold
and my temper is hot.
Your voice is hoarse;
your words fire off like a shot.
–
Arguing before ten a.m.
is really growing old.
I don’t know how much longer
I can drink my coffee cold.
Nature has a way
of revealing the most truth
unpredictably.
I put you to bed
and stay at your side
as you rest your head.
I watch you breathe
knowing that soon
I must leave.
The rhythm of your chest
evens the beat
of my heart at rest.
You twitch your nose
as my pen
leaks its prose
onto the empty page
that traps my words
in their cage.
And you rest your head
as I leave your side
and put myself to bed.
I would not exist without you
and not because you gave birth;
my soul, my wit, my self,
all that you gave me has worth.
–
All I know and carry inside
could never have come from another
because no one can hold a candle
to the woman who I call Mother.
(Mommy doesn’t rhyme)
A gentle breeze blew,
a single strand of hair flew,
and you pushed it behind your ear,
smiling so loudly I could hear.
And that smile echoes through,
my head is filled with you
and I know without a doubt,
that moment is what it’s all about.
You think you can leave without a trace
but your prints are all over the place
and the mark you left upon my heart
remains unchanged, as you depart.
Something as simple
as a heart beating with love
can sink a whole ship.
Autumn Siders 