Saturday, January 30, 2010

Poem For Antonio


Poem For Antonio



It is time

to purge, to prune

yellowing leaves from aging spines,

to lift weight from bending shelves.



I begin the process,

putting books one by

one in piles.



Your soft voice is released from its resting place,

when I touch the slim book of poetry

you wrote so many years ago.



I turn the pages to see

your smiling face,

your arms raised in the dance

of Carnaval.



The music, the memories encircle me,

The books will stay on the shelves for now.

My work today is to read your poems

and remember.

The Color Turquoise


My friend Cindy, in an e-mail, commented on the color turquoise as combining the "serene qualities of blue" with the "invigorating aspects of green." The containment of opposites---what a lovely thought...and color.

At the Turquoise Table: At the Turquoise Table

At the Turquoise Table: At the Turquoise Table

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

At the Turquoise Table

After a lifetime of writing poetry, I have finally decided to publish a selection of my poems.  The title is At the Turquoise Table, and it should be available in February.  It represents most of the stages of my life, and each section has several poems that reflect that particular stage. 

Ray and Teresa Hasselbeck - 1927


In the first section, MEAT AND POTATOES, the subject is my family and youth.  Here is a stanza from my poem called GRANDMOTHER:



A picture on the wall,

A lovely face in black and white,

Tortoise shell combs in a trunk

in the attic,

Tears in my father's eyes,

A name—Pauline,

My sister's name, now.

______________________________________________________________________


More to follow!