Transformation
Universal Manifestation
Every single day
I would cry to the stars
And the moon:
"You are all together
Out there, gregariously
Can you send me up there soon?"
Not a single day
Would I hear a response
Nor see a significant sign
In time I would forget about heaven
And experience the here and now,
to my amazement beautifully benign
Living in the here and now
Seems a thought so small
But is infinitely more, a true realization
That one isn't alone after all
Just in the middle of a transformation
To eventually become part of
The universal manifestation
Since I've Been Here
by Richelle Gratton
At the last attempt at salvation
My heart has been strung up
Among the poised few.
Beneath the falling leaves of Autumn
Is where you'll find me.
With all the wounded,
Brokenhearted thieves.
This is where I shall stay.
Mercy does not live here
Only an old man whose soul is stale
Leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Disgust has found me in this filth.
She showed me around
I met some friends
Then she stole my wallet
After buying me a drink.
Life Cycle
by Julie Miller
Childhood
Perfect home
Perfect family
Perfect friends
Perfect fun
Perfect freedom
Perfectly frustrated with rules.
If only I could be a grown-up...
I want to stay up late.
I want to go places I'm not allowed.
I want to eat what I want when I want.
I want to play with whom I want for as long as I want.
High School
Perfect grades
Perfect family (so it seems)
Perfect hair
Perfect manners
Perfect teeth (in progress)
Perfectly lacking in self-confidence.
If only I could be beautiful...
I want the cute boys to like me.
I want to be admired by the popular girls.
I want to have dates for the football games.
I want to lose twenty pounds, my braces, and my virginity.
College (the imperfect years)
Late nights
Drinking games
Three passionate relationships
Interspersed with rebound flings
Old friends scattered
New friends coming and going
Family falling apart at the seams
Grades falling
Money tight
Having the time of my life.
Perfectly out of control.
If only I could have stability...
I want security.
I want someone to love me and take care of me forever.
I want no stress of exams and papers due.
I want a steady job, a husband, and a home.
Marriage (the early years)
Perfect husband
Perfect job
Perfect home
Perfect in-laws
Perfect progress
Perfectly maternal longings.
If only I could have a baby...
I want a child to nurture.
I want to be a mommy.
I want to give my husband a son.
I want to do everything right that my mother did wrong.
Motherhood
Perfect babies!
Perfect home
Perfect Daddy
Perfect neighbors
Perfect "Leave It to Beaver" Cleaver lifestyle.
Perfectly bored beyond belief.
If only I could have something to stimulate my mind...
I want to talk to grown-ups again.
I want to wear something other than jeans and sweats.
I want to spend my mornings doing something besides cleaning.
I want to spend my evenings doing something other than cooking and watching TV.
Marriage, Motherhood, More college (oh my)
Perfect family
Perfect grades
Perfect home (well, it used to be)
Perfect career path
Perfect health (close enough)
Perfectly trapped.
If only I could be free...
I want to stay up late.
I want to go places I'm not allowed.
I want to eat what I want when I want.
I want to play with whom I want for as long as I want.
Will I ever be satisfied?
I Never Thought I Would Grow Old
Surrounding myself with the fires of learning
I buried my head in the books.
When I speak or espouse what I know to be true
All I get are contemptuous looks.
Beauty is in the eye of the seeker
But age, in the eyes of the young
What is relevant now, though then I knew not
Is the length of song I have sung.
The lyrics and melody fall by the side
The rhythm is scattered and flown
If I don't have the time to finish my song
Then the truth and the beauty are blown.
Fish Out of Water
by Don McGonigal
She changed
I changed
in small ways
that grew
until neither of us knew
who we loved
or why.
"I Love You,"
I said,
"like the air I breathe."
Every breath
necessary for life
but then I changed
became a fish
and water fills me
as I swim in currents
she cannot feel.
"I Love You,"
she said,
"like the Earth beneath my feet."
Always there
my solid foundation
but then she changed
became a bird
and spread her wings
to embrace winds
I cannot feel.
what shape can our love take
that doesn't make me
a fish out of water
or drown her
in waves
she cannot fly above