Ode To The Sphinx in the Desert of Ghiza

Ode To The Sphinx in the Desert of Ghiza

you are seated on deserted land
in solitude, in peace, in serenity
where the sun just peeked over the horizon to the east, and the heat was just enough for us to witness you almost smile

but, I wonder
(as always)

what lies beneath your glorious structure?
what story is hidden underneath your feet?

is it worth the value of human life and human endeavor, to unearth your hidden
gem, your hidden story?

you are seated on deserted land,
so quiet, so steady, so calm
where the moon hung well above the horizon at night, and the air was chilly enough for us to see you almost breath

but, again, I wonder
(as always)

why do we bother you, anyway?
or do you even like it too?

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2021/05/03/what-do-you-see-80-may-3-2021/

Flutter

waveringly, unsteadily, wobblingly
we flutter, on the ground as we hover around
and circle, and dance, a dance we call love
but you know why I love to flutter,
and hover and dance around with you?
I love the sweet fluttering smiles
I see on your face, an indication that
we flutter on a happy ground,
together let’s flutter,
forever


https://amanpan.com/2021/04/29/eugis-weekly-prompt-flutter-april-29-2021/

Intan’s Story

There’s a limit to how far hard work can get you. There’s a limit to how much suffering love can make you take.

Intan studied criminology, which means she trained herself to understand the worst in people. She took a bachelor’s degree and graduated with flying colors, then went on to take a post helping women out of abusive relationships and unhealthy environments. She was smart and driven, and she believed in herself.

So when she married her boyfriend of several years, she knew it would work. She had mastered what it took to end marriages through her job, and she was willing to bet that, no matter what, she would be able to protect herself.

Intan lost that bet.

Her husband was smart too, and handsome, and sincere, and kind, and made the little things count in their relationship. But he was also convinced that his wife shouldn’t be allowed to be more intelligent, or more attractive, or more successful than he was.

This was already a troubling conviction for a man to have, but even more so for a man married to Intan, who was always number 1 in school, who worked her butt off to get what she wanted, and who never backed down from a challenge.

She flourished in her career, and in her own skin, and in their community. While she did, her husband grew jealous.

His insecurities seeped into every conversation, blindsiding her at every turn. A simple question would turn into a shouting match. An insignificant comment became accusations and overreactions.

Intan endured as much as she could. She didn’t get as far as she did in life without making numerous sacrifices. Maybe her husband’s behavior was just another one of those sacrifices. An offering to the altar of the gods and goddesses of marriage.

He took her own service firearm one day and aimed it at her. She couldn’t remember the reason (all his reasons for every fight were stupid), but when he made that mockery of her profession, she had to back out.

It’s slowly disappearing—a world where girls can only be wives if they are less than what their husbands are. It’s slowly disappearing but it’s mostly still here.

 

“After Rain Skies” available via KOBO.COM

 

Erin’s Story

 

Things that break on earth don’t reach the clouds above us. Burning villages don’t change the schedule of sunsets. And stars remain stars, no matter how much land we destroy.

But when the sky loses all of its lights and unleashes a thunderstorm, everything drowns.

Erin was a vibrant, happy, and joyful woman. To her many boyfriends, all of whom mistreated her verbally and physically, she was patient. To Sufi, she was a great human being and an even better friend.

To herself, Erin was unfair.

She grew up believing she only deserved the kind of love that did nothing but hurt her. And Sufi watched her pick partner after partner that mentally burned her out and repeatedly destroyed her heart.

Still, Erin’s aspirations, inspiration, imagination, wonder, dreams, pursuits, creative brilliance, her magic, remained bright as stars on a cloudless evening, always. Until they didn’t.

Abuse is not at all clear cut. But Sufi remembered with perfect clarity when her best friend lost the sparkle in her eyes.

First, the silence. Even though marrying the love of your life should be a nervous, excited, rambunctious affair.

Then, the realization of her colleagues that Erin was living with a man who was comfortable with sending his wife to work with bruises and a black eye.

And the dark understanding of the weight of Erin having a son, and nowhere to go that felt safe enough to risk her husband following them and breaking them worse than he would if they stayed put.

Sufi suffered watching her, but all everyone that genuinely loved Erin could do was love her until she began loving herself enough to see that she too was deserving of better treatment.

It took years, and all their support, and the kind of bravery you only learn while trying to fight through a thunderstorm, but Erin gained the self-respect she needed to leave the one that was drowning her light.

Coming home should be the safest thing we ever do in this life. Where we lay our heads at night should be where monsters will not reach us. And yet, so many find themselves making homes with monsters instead.

 

You can read more of true and inspiring stories of abuse and violence from my book “After Rain Skies”, available via KOBO.COM

When Love Is True

when love is true, it endures time passing by
even years won’t make you forget
it only grows, better and grander
but it never dies

yes, even after all the twists and turns
the crazy crossroads and junctions
the days, and weeks, and months and even years apart
we keep coming back to the day, the very same day
we held hands for the first time and kissed our first kiss

so, I guess it’s really you and me
for why else would the universe conspire
for our stars to collide, hitting the same spot
side by side, all this time? with a chance to whisper
to each other love, in a language, many would not understand,
only hearts like ours, hearts that love all this time

then, in the stillness of the night, we partake in the same love
a love that is quiet, serene, peaceful, and in perfect solitude
after all, that is the love we shared, embedded somewhere
in between our demanding, challenging, and perplexing lives
in which we find respite, as we lay in bed and close our eyes

for, our love is as quiet as the deep blue sea,
as resilient as the big, huge waves, that keep coming back
to the uncertainties and ambiguities of the ocean so wide
our love is patient and gentle and brings forth
kindness and joy to people around us

our love never ends, while everything else has faded out,
rusted away, been eaten up, our love sustained.

NaPoWriMo Day 30

National Poetry Month is over, and I wanna thank you all for reading, commenting, and leaving a heart to all of my poems for the past 30 days.
It was a wonderful month-long daily poetry writing and I had a blast.

Thank you all so much and until next year…

Always And Forever

Always And Forever

 

days have gone by so fast, so reckless

we both look at each other in awe, in amazement, and wonder

there are so many things I want to say and let me begin by saying

I will always love you and I will never leave you

I have said things I regret and it breaks my heart to see you weeping

if I could only undo what has been done,

I’ll begin by not losing you,

I never really made it alone

 

 

I’ll fight for our love, the kind of fighting you deserve

for I’ve always loved you and never did I ever not love you

I’ll defend our love, the kind of defending you deserve

for I’ve always loved you and never did I ever not love you

 

 

I’ll take this chance to say, I don’t wanna lose you

for I will not only be lonely, but I’d also be dejected

I’d be broken, I’d be down, and I’d be miserable

I’d lose track of myself, and even lose myself

if I could only undo what has been done,

I’ll begin by not losing you,

I never really made it alone

 

 

I’ll fight for our love, the kind of fighting you deserve

for I’ve always loved you and never did I ever not love you

I’ll defend our love, the kind of defending you deserve

for I’ve always loved you and never did I ever not love you

 

 

I’ve always needed you, I am stronger with you

I am better, even the best version of myself with you

and together, we do greater things, conquer greater heights

dream the biggest dreams, hope the best of hopes

even when there is less or nothing hope left

if I could only undo what has been done,

I’ll begin by not losing you,

I never really made it alone

 

 

I’ll fight for our love, the kind of fighting you deserve

for I’ve always loved you and never did I ever not love you

I’ll defend our love, the kind of defending you deserve

for I’ve always loved you and never did I ever not love you

 

‘cos baby, we stay together, live together, love together

always and forever, I swear

 

 

IG prompt by: @kripashanker and @written.by.anthony

write a poem inspired by 80’s songs or lyrics.

My poem is inspired by the song “Glory of Love”, by Peter Cetera.

This was Peter Cetera’s first solo single after leaving Chicago and was the theme song for the film The Karate Kid: Part II, it fit the movie perfectly. 

The verse “I am a man who will fight for your honor, I’ll be the hero you’re dreamin’ of” became an epic, and memorable line, after all, who will not want a man (or even a woman)who is willing to do whatever it takes for the glory of love?

 

 

A Mother As She Weeps

I am mocked for my pain,

as I wait, wait for your return

I waited and waited

and I almost believed I’d wait for eternity

the kind of pain that blew a hole in my heart

the indifference I never imagined I’d feel

but I did.

I longed for a delicate, affectionate daughter

not really by kinship, but I was defeated

defeated for so long

how much longer can a mother like me

lament over a mournful, distance I don’t deserve?

distance not measured by numbers or Mathematics say, kilometers

but by the distance of heart, and distance of soul

I longed dearly as I dip, into a great detailed plunge of yearning

I lost my hope, lost it, almost,

but never.

I cry, in joyful tears

ecstatic, thrilled, blissful

of your return

NaPoWriMo Day 29

1.    https://www.napowrimo.net/day-twenty-nine-7/

2.    For Val’s NPM scavenger hunt prompt #12 – Use the following words in a poem: delicate, daughter, detail, defeated, daily, and dip.