I Am

HOPE

I am Hollywood. Eve with faithless Adams, a lost part on a familiar stage. A star crushed by the surrounding darkness. A lamb overcome by Darth Vader. Bambi in a nightmare. A ballerina on toe shoes. Hopeless hope. I am opera and classical notes and black and white keys that transport to

spheres of calm. I am viola strings in a well black as night with radiance too far to reach. I am Bretagne and ponds by ancient trees moving with breeze and Spirit. I am French on hold.

CHARACTER

I am shyness, and friend unwanted. INFJ and Apollo blended. Caring without care. Trusting without reason. Listening with pain. Reaching out – meek to meek, A bleeding heart. I am trust and innocence encountering death face to face. I am organization and dust-free tables; bug-killer and a

Pasadena driver. A resolute mare still running upstream.

LIKES

I am chocolate ice cream and bare feet; I am ocean views, warm beaches and sun-lightened hair. I am peanut butter and jelly, dates and frozen fruit bars. I am tunes and books. I am intellect masked. I am the aroma of escargot and fine wine. I am a caboose and train whistles. And trolley cars on hilly streets. I am curry and couscous, and brocade upholstery. I am laps in water, reaching the wall. I am rainy days and quilted material and hand stitches. I am a head in books, a hopeful scholar.

FAITH

I am a soft heart and ears that hear the great I AM. I am touched by a Hidden Hand and voice; I am healing. I am forgiveness with stories, poems and tears. I am Rahab, Tamar, and the tossed seed. I am forgiven, redeemed, and the one by the well. A lamb and Eve, and hymns of the

soul, raised hands and bowed heart. I am designed DNA from the Creative Mind.

GOOD MEMORIES

I am Caverns and Canyons, and flowers in a Beni Valley, hugging Atlas snows. I am Chellah ruins and well-worn cobblestones. I am Place de Madeleine and music on La Seine. I am Oxford Street wrapped in fur. Warm coats on snow dappled streets. I am a cabana with Chirac and the King in green striped pants.

PAINFUL MEMORIES

I am a missed target, scoped by a bullet, wrapped in a crib. I am taken for booty; street-wise and alone, curb-sitting with bolts on doors and cars passing with holiday music unheard. I am family-less holidays and postcards never sent, calls not made and promises broken. Not understood and misunderstanding, in a fog with no lighthouse. Endlessly hoping for the white horse that never comes.

ANNOYANCES

I am, sleepless nights, fur-covered quilts, long puppy walks with too many sniffs, icy brain freeze, ping-pong slimming, alarms too soon, and missed noon snoozes.

CHILDREN

I am Eve times five; missing the voiceless, the nightingale, and the Copela- in-making; I am twice life-saving, hopeful tragedy and distance praying for proximity, missing familiar faces and creative voices; still hoeing crusted ground with creative Carey and female Simon King.

ILLNESS

I am weakness and mockery and collapsed knees. I am blood on staircases and dropped babies. I am a scraped back, needles, and playless afternoons. I am droopy eyelids, scars and scalpels and smiling eyes. I am fears and nightmares and staples with white coats.

TRAVELS

I am Istanbul and the clear blue Mediterranean. I am free on a stallion, galloping across Sahara sand. I am Cheops and Santorini on a donkey. I am Sophia and the Garden Tomb. I am a pilgrim on the way. A traveler in holding. French in waiting, and Chellah in passing. With soil below and

twinkling above, I am a speck of said on an endless Beni night. Almus crossing the Atlantic, cold feet and a warm scarf on an Oxford bus.

CURRENT SITUATION

I am Austen’s ambiance, anomie in waiting, Diana’s dress, Kelley’s domain on a pauper’s pittance. Running a race against winds of change, a corralled stallion. A hopeful romantic with scholarly ambition. Pursuing peace in chaos. Hinds feet in the valley with eyes on the summit. I am fears afoot with peace in tow and eyes turned up.