"Time Cut Short"
By Lea Anderson
She sits silently alone with her memories,
Her face hot like fire drenched in burning tears,
He would stay in her heart forever,
She just wanted more time,
He said it was her perfect passionate love
that kept him so strong.
Now it was her turn to be strong,
Her mind constantly replayed her memories,
She thought of the day they fell in love,
It was a vision as clear as her transparent tears,
She knew she would be better in time
because her heart would not beat forever,
He promised he would love her forever,
She smiled and said I will stay strong
enough to enjoy the short time
we have left, after awhile her memories
wanted to fade away, but her love
would aways stay, just like her tears
Now for the first time, his eyes filled with tears,
He didn't have the strength to stay forever,
He told her there was not much time,
And like she promised she stayed strong,
That night God took away her only love
and all he left behind were those precious memories.
The memories blurred over time, but the love would stay forever.
Her tears dried and she was strong because, they would meet again in time.
"I wrote this poem when my grandmother lost my grandfather to cancer a few years ago. It's written in the style of a Sestina, which means you choose six words and use one of them to end each sentence in every stanza. The words I chose were tears, forever, time, strong, love, memories."
* * * * * * * * * *
"El baile"
Por Ocie Kilgus
Ella baila sola,
pero no por los pobres desaparecidos
como sale la tristísima canción mercedesosiana.
Su baile nocturno despierta canciones
llenas de deseos atrapados.
Su cuerpo es un instrumento,
tocado por dedos secados,
dando placer a las cuerdas que
buscan y pagan un toque cariñoso.
Y todavía
ella baila
por las ventanas abiertas . . . que dan saludos a plena oscuridad.
Sabe que ves solamente
su cuerpo,
sus curvas sumisas.
Y sabe también que no hay nada
ni nadie
que realmente la vea
incluso la noche indiferente.
Baila sola.
* * * * *
"The Dance"
By Ocie Kilgus
She dances alone,
but not for the poor missing ones
as the sad Mercedes Sosa song goes.
Her nocturnal dance awakens songs
of desires
trapped.
Her body's an instrument,
played by fingers
withered,
satisfying chords that
look and pay for a tender touch.
But still
she dances
by open windows . . . that greet complete darkness.
She knows you see only
her body,
her compliant curves.
She knows, too, there's nothing
nor anyone
who truly sees
including the indifferent night.
She dances alone.
"This poem explores the awareness of one's vulnerability, economic instability, and compromised ideals."
