Paying attention
no cell phone
no texting
no drinking or eating
and still it happened
Not speeding
not swerving
not daydreaming
not tailgating or rough-shodding
and still it happened
A flash of brown
then another
then a sickening thud
then a screech or a cry I’m not sure
and the beautiful doe now lay dead
Cruel are these contriving manipulative fates
deciding life
deciding death
deciding who or what can go on
and leaving the rest here to wonder why
It draws me in
it’s sparkling white powder
beckoning hungrily
Just a little – it taunts
a taste that is all
it lures me with it’s deceptive spell
The twisting begins
low in my stomach
the wanting and then the needing
Tortuous waiting
knowing failure
stalks me upon each hour deprived
Within the darkened kitchen
tucked into the corner cabinet
the clear baggy awaits retrieval
My fingers tremble
in desperate anticipation
reaching to grab my treasure
Only a nip or two
I tell myself but soon
the entire contents are devoured
White powder sticks to my lips
I lick my fingers clean
the sugary donut is gone –
diabetic coma be damned
that was good!
A promise is
a shroud of lies
Obscured by the glow
of the summer moon
Secret symbols
of stolen love
Cross a rock strewn trail
sinking beneath dirty water
Bloody tracks glisten
in the sun
Marking the spot where his spear
pierced her swollen heart
What were your parents doing at your age?
My mother a smoker
as a very young girl,
because smoking was sexy
it was all the rage,
sadly never saw my age,
I am ten years past
the year she let go.
Father, not one to be left alone,
quickly turned around and married
a mean little witch,
such a switch it was
because a mother she would never be,
she murdered my father
at age only seventy-three.
Diabetes is a sneaky tricky disease
makes you crave foods that you can never have
an obsession the likes of an addict of sugar
Chocolate cake with the sweetest frosting
then a dab or two of chilly ice cream
and a bright red cherry to top it all off
Oh no says my nemesis my angst and my bane
you should not have indulged
poke poke poke the needles again
Finally comes a miracle to aid in the fight
instead of five shots or more each day of my life
this one just once a week must I brave
What a reprieve what a joy
test results come my way
glucose stable at last I think I’m saved
No no no the insurance rep balks
too easy for you is this new fangled drug
it’s back to vials and needles and pricks to be done
I’m wondering now why I bother at all
to visit my doctor and his wonderful staff
when in truth insurance is in charge of it all
One breath, then another,
to breathe elicits pain.
Stop breathing, stop hurting.
Torn pieces spin
around a shattered heart.
Cracks stretch across broken wings.
Beneath the wings,
a chest is split open,
love cringes in the chaos.
Life hesitates,
Searching, reaching, longing
for the lost ship.
A light in his eyes am I
a bright flash of lightning
trapped within a multitude of storm clouds
Once the bright streak has faded
the fluffy large cumulonimbus
become the center of his existence
Until the energy builds and builds
the tempest becomes immense
then he seeks the heat of the lightning again
The mighty stallion halted
the gentle pull on his reigns
stopped him on the crossroads of the trail
She slipped from the leather saddle
landing soundless upon the powdery snow
still she held his reigns within a loose grip
He turned his massive head
at the sound of her lyrical voice
whispering softly into his right ear
She stroked his muzzle lovingly
pressing her lips against
the bristly fur surrounding his pinna
Asking which way they should go
without lifting her head to look around
she waited for the bob of his head to proceed
Four years is such a very long time
high school was done
no more a mere pantomime
Away from schedules, clocks and tests
to be set free
find a place to rest
Four more years after all that had transgressed
an eternity it seemed
how could I have ever guessed
I’m now an old woman who’s sung all her songs
time slipped by before I noticed its passing
fours years is really not very long
So excited to announce my piece, Winter Solstice, has placed me as a Longlist Winner in the Tadpole Press November 2025 100-Word Writing Contest!
Thank you Amber and the Tadpole Team! ♥️
Gypsie’s Wonderful World of Words 