It's My Birthday... and a Poem to Share

It's my birthday today and I resurrected some pictures from my past to share with you. Hope you enjoy! You'll have to excuse the dorky glasses; it was the 80s. Hehehe...

I also have a poem to share. I've never been one to take a subject literally. In college we were given the word "baby" and asked to write a poem. I wrote about a romantic relationship and a guy who called her "baby". Today, I am sharing a poem about cake, but not a birthday cake. This is from my graduate portfolio that got me into the Creative Writing Graduate program at UWM-Milwaukee in the late 90s. I've since changed direction and write more fiction than poetry now. If you like this entry, you might check out The Weekend Creation Blog Hop going on now.

Cake Walk

his heart has been rusted shut and she has been

trying to pry it open for fourteen years

with her words pushing against the rusty hinges

but he has never budged not even a chink

to let her in and share his bold blue thoughts

she thought that marriage would be

fresh and crisp like laundry off her mother's clothesline

and when she wrapped herself in its breezy shroud

she would be safe and comforted

but like a fine cake she has served him well

always presenting their marriage to family

friends and co-workers as a sweet confectionery

swirl of grand rosettes and she has never told them

that it is cold and lonely to share a bed with a stranger

and that she wants to smash his old rusted heart

and scatter the tiny paper-thin flakes

they would float like ash from a fire

and she wouldn't enter his chambers

even if his stubborn door magically opened

because his hinges would always

creak out reminders of the past

As always, happy writing and happy reading to all!