Thursday, October 31, 2019

Ode (Owed) to Poe



















Darkness falls, a banshee calls
the headless horseman rides tonight;
a veiled moon shines through Eastern pines
there’s not a single star in sight,
and in the dark the chill wind brings
the scurrying of furry things—
the whisper of  nocturnal  wings.
The spell is cast, our heart pumps faster
the fears inside begin to fester;
the moonlight casts an eerie pall
while spiders spin their silken webs
to catch the nightmares in our heads
above the sleeping masses crawl;
and I wonder…
  Is all this that we see or seem
      but a dream inside a dream?

A monster lives within us all
a fractured beast that never sleeps
disguised inside discordant minds.
Self-doubts arise, no turning back
like speeding train down one-way track—
if you look close, what will you find?

The cauldron boils, the potion reeks
of newts and toads and buzzard beaks;
   enchantments thrown into the fire…
Zombies rise with sunken eyes—
ghostly wraiths with sallow skin
tattered clothing, gruesome grin
   on the hunt with one desire.

The outer fringes of our sight
have raised the curtain to unveil
the hideous creatures of the night—
preoccupied inside our fear
of losing everything that’s dear
we’re  held immobile by the fright!
Our minds play games, “There’s nothing wrong”
yet  from our throat escapes a scream…
... So is it real, this fear we feel?
     Or but a dream inside a dream

© Ginny Brannan October 2019

I borrowed…okay, blatantly stole…the key phrase from Poe’s poem A Dream Within a Dream I honor and a bow to the “master” of  the macabre!


Saturday, October 19, 2019

What We Didn’t Know…











I think back to those early days—
we never talked about our lives
so many things we couldn’t say
–wrapped inside our own cocoons
   adulthood still so far away.
Perhaps we were too close to see
that others shared our misery.

Time balances our differences:
we thought that we were all alone
just ‘getting by and getting through;’
yet even those with perfect lives
were only trying to do the same.
You were just like me, who knew?

We carry hurts long past their prime,
   each struggling with self-esteem—
   no one really was to blame.
In all the years that came between
from early youth until today;
we’re more alike than different,
the past no longer holding sway.

And all that anger, all the shame,
the grief we tried to circumvent—
amazing that we made it through.
We’re stronger for those trials faced,
   full-circle now, we understand
   that nothing come before was planned.

And now we get to start again—
    so glad to finally call you “friend”

© Ginny Brannan 2019

Image: Google Images "Students in the '70's" 
Not my classmates, but could've been. We looked no different!

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Golden Threads















October is full of contrasts:
one morning dawns bright and warm,
the next, damp and gray
as Nature saves her most resplendent dress
for these ever-fleeting days.
We watch cloud-shadows chase each other
over richly-painted hillsides and slow-moving rivers
as sun inches westward, illuminating the valley floor.
Late afternoon light catches the treetops
and swaddles them inside her amber glow.
Light and shadows, chill and warmth,
these sparkling days too soon succumb 
to winter’s gloom and darkness...
but today, we smile
reveling in the mastery
of a perfect golden sunset.

© Ginny Brannan 2019

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Reflections in the Looking Glass


















We’re not the kids we used to be…
the heat we carried in our youth
has mellowed now to steady warmth
ignited by a deeper truth…

If I were to speak of love,
to define it’s subtleties–
there are no words that would describe
this depth of feeling that I have.
From the moment we first met
I knew exactly who you were.
Together we have overcome
each obstacle dropped in our path.
I think that you are my reward
for all the things that I’ve done right.
I steep inside the memories 
of the laughter that we’ve shared
the friendships formed, the folks we’ve lost
the paths that you and I have crossed.

Life’s a map of many roads
and we have dreams left to fulfill
so in this moment I'll confide—
You bring out the best in me.
I can face ‘most anything
—the ups, the downs, the in-betweens—
  as long as you are here with me
  and I have you by my side..

© Ginny Brannan 2019

Dedicated to my better half. Looking forward to the roads still ahead!