Shhh…be quiet and enjoy the sounds.
Turn down the radio and turn off the lantern.
Watch the stars dance in the sky,
Hear the waves crash into the shore.
Breathe in the sweetness of jasmine and plumeria.
Lie back and sink your toes into the sand.
Lace your fingers with mine, and hold my hand.
Let’s make endless wishes on shooting stars.
How do I convey what they need to hear?
How can I coach and train to frustrated minds?
Personal trauma surrounds them, but
No one person’s life is simple and smooth.
I hide my own issues, except when they need to see
I am only human too and we are all growing.
Tomorrow is another day to start fresh;
Help the team grow and progress.
I can’t give up, they’re a good crew.
Hopefully after sleep, I’ll figure out what to do.
Owls and pumpkins and twinkling lights,
Hoots, squawks, and howls in the nights.
Cool breezes rustle the leaves in the trees.
Boots splash in puddles up to her knees.
Soon the air will be crisp with fall scents,
Cinnamon, vanilla, and firewood from vents.
Clearing skies show stars and moon above.
Summer give way to the Fall I love!
Slowly, she set the book and pen down.
She needed to give her mind a rest,
But it would break her heart to walk away.
The words scrawled across the pages
Revealed her heart, but he wouldn’t get to see.
She turned away to give him a breather,
Letting him focus on his own life.
She doubted she’d ever see the day
When her dreams might finally come true.
So she shifted her focus back to the here and now.
May as well live the life she built here
The one in the real world…whatever that means.
She knows she’ll be back, flipping through the pages,
Maybe even add something new.
But for now, those chapters would be held
May another day come soon.
A mane with waves like the sea,
Eyes as dark as the darkest night.
An evil streak exists deep inside,
But she fights it with all her might.
Raised to be pure and true of heart,
Working hard and trying to do right.
But sometimes her desires come through,
Especially when she wants to be held tight.
She retreats into her mind at these times,
And gives her plump pink lips a bite.
Block, block, block. I can’t clear it.
Moments of creativity elude me this night.
Perhaps work wiped me out, I don’t know.
I start with a glancing idea
But it disappears as quick as it comes.
Sleep I hope comes to me soon.
Hopefully dreams will unlock the block.
The sand crunched underfoot.
Few shells lined the beach.
The sand here was not powdery soft, not white like home.
A wave rolled over her feet.
When the water retreated, sea foam coated her toes.
She looked around at the sun-faded pieces she could find, hoping to find at least one shell intact.
But she frowned when only pieces appeared, until a beautiful sand dollar revealed itself.
As the sun continued to warm her shoulders,
She looked up the beach from under her floppy brim.
Figures in the distance appeared like multi-colored lines with their reflections in the cocoa colored sand.
The water turned from muddy blue to sapphire as she looks out towards the West.
Days like this, they do not last. Enjoy them when they are here.
Thankfully the memories, they remain.
She stepped out in a flowing navy sarong tied around her neck. He stood back watching her as she finished hanging her earring from her left ear. She smiled. She loved when he watched her get ready.
He was dressed in some cargo shorts and a casual buttoned-down shirt, perfect for their tropical dinner she has planned.
“I have a surprise,” she said as she entwined her hands with his. “Follow me.”
She led him down the decking from their overwater bungalow and to the beach.
A butler met them as they stepped onto the powdery soft sand. He looked at the woman and nodded, then turned to the man. “Sir, Ms. Miller here arranged for a special evening for you with our staff. Please, follow me.”
She looked up and grinned. He knew something was up, but not what. They followed the butler into an arched opening into the palms and followed a sandy path.
Finally, the path opened. A candle-lit linen covered table and chairs sitting next to the surf greeted them. The butler pulled out the chair, “For the lady.”
She sat down and set the napkin across her lap, then tilted her head up at him. “Meet your approval?”
He just stood there, looking at the little oasis carved out among the trees. He spied an outdoor bed to the right of the table and a sheet hung from the trees. He suspected the sheet was to provide some privacy perhaps.
He slid into the seat next to her.
The butler then poured drinks for each of them. “Tonight, we have arranged to have Chef Angelo prepare for you a meal most delicious. I will return shortly with your first course. In the meantime, please enjoy some bread.”
The butler opened the breadbasket revealing warm breadsticks, then turned and walk away.
Her companion chuckled. “What are the odds….breadsticks!”
She chuckled a bit to herself, then shrugged her shoulders.
They both looked out to the sunset shimmering over the waters. Around them, the butler lit torchiers which gave an ambient glow; then returned to the table.
“Our first course is a simple salad dressed with Italian dressing,” he announced as he placed a large bowl on the table. Tomatoes, onion, pepperoncini, parmesan, and dressing speckled throughout a layer of lettuce rested in the bowl. The butler then filled two cold shallow bowls with the mixture and offered freshly grated parmesan.
Her companion looked at the bowl. “Looks familiar!”
She giggled. She did arrange for the evening after all.
They enjoyed their salad while laughing and reminiscing over their trip thus far.
The butler deftly removed their salad plates ahead of the main course. Before them he set a trio of delights – chicken parmigiana, lasagna, and a sirloin steak cooked to perfection.
Her companion looked up. “This isn’t quite the Tour of Italy…”
Finally, she burst out in laughter. He’d finally figured out their meal. “Well, I knew you needed some meat to get back your strength!” She winked at him.
They dug into their meals as the skies turned dark and the stars began to shine overhead. It amazed her at how many stars one can see so far from civilization.
The butler appeared to clear away their meals as their conversation quieted into glances over glasses. “If I may, one more item is set up for you this evening. You are welcome to stay here the rest of the evening, but the path is also lit to guide you back to your room. It is completely private here when I depart once I set this last item up for you.”
The butler guided them to the outdoor bed and fumbled with the controls on a projector. It flickered a couple times.
She guided her companion to join her. As they settled in, scenes from Voltron ’84 flashed on the screen.
He looked her over and went in for a long kiss. “I can’t believe you did this!”
The butler bowed his head and bid the couple good night as they snuggled in close to each other.
Up at dawn, the twilight fades away.
It has been weeks since I last saw this time of day.
Awake before the birds start their song,
Except for the final hoot saying so long.
Cotton candy clouds float in the sky.
While hot streaks skim up high.
As more light fills the void of night,
This morning’s beauty is such a sight.
Finally the birds chirp and tweet.
Today is surely going to be sweet.
So many excuses get in my way,
Work demands are unpredictable,
And this dizziness makes me afraid.
Top it off with a heaping dose of
Depression and self-loathing,
A frightful combination ensues.
But I know it needs to change,
I need to get into me too.
Not to go back to that twenty-year old physique,
But to find my way to, gulp, fifty,
And be fit for our upcoming spring retreat.
Hawaii is on the horizon,
a once in a lifetime escape,
And I want to wear a skimpy sarong
Wrapped around my nape.
Now it’s time for me to return to getting out,
Fighting the snooze and overcoming my pout.
Put that foot out, step by step,
And know I do it for me, and no one else.
It was easy when I did it for you,
I really don’t know why.
But this time it can’t be, so I sigh.
He doesn’t care, round is a shape,
But he’ll get the benefits when I have a smaller waist.
That will be okay, as long as I keep it up;
As long I remind myself, this is for me.
Dawn Renee Writes 