Sweet

Sweet, caring, kind,
People often use those words to describe me,
I wish I could live up to that image

I do my best to sugar coat my world,
Others strengths and acts of kindness scream out to me,
I point them out as often as I can

Flaws are easily seen by everyone,
I desperately look for good in the midst of confusion,
I seek beauty in tragedy and trash,
I search for silver linings,
I reach for hope in the chirp of a bird

I try to do this every day,
It's not because I'm sweet, kind or naive,
All of us have seen ugliness, selfishness, hopelessness, chaos and despair,
All of us are victims and offenders

My rose colored glasses are the only reason I've survived this long,
They are my bullet proof vest,
Sunbeams and rainbows are my safe room,
Smiles and kind words are my oxygen,
Love, given and received, my blood

Escape

In my mind I'm swinging from chandeliers,
Dancing on tables and knocking over chairs,
Running on a beach and  splashing in the waves,
Playing with dolphins, kites and crabs,
Planting roses in my yard, lying in the grass listening to the birds,
Taking photos on the street of passers by and clouds,
Playing guitar in the sunshine and singing my heart out,
Shopping, cooking, reading, writing, creating...

In reality I'm sitting drowsily in my cozy safe office,
Bored and uninspired I watch the clock,
When I leave I'll go home and do monotonous chores,
Eat out of a can or whatever is simple and makes the least mess,
Stare at all the flaws, the roof that leaks, the walls that need paint,
The yard that is becoming an unkempt jungle,
The unpaid bills, same overwhelming bitter pills

There is little satisfaction in practicality,
Little hope in the mundane and material world

Dreams are often the best part of living

Art, Music, Poetry, Film, Tall Tales, True Stories, Dancing and Kindness

A few of the human achievements that help offset the harshness of living.

Emotion Junky

Hello my name is Karen,
I'm an emotion-aholic.

God grant me the brains
to focus on real stuff,

Give me thicker skin
and better self esteem,

Or superpowers
to make everything better

(I'm open to suggestions)

The Crusher

If you've got happy
Count on me for heavy,

If you've got the money,
I'll supply the guilt

If you've got good news,
I'll bring the bad

If you've got the sweet,
I'll add the bitter

If you bring the genius,
I'll beat you down with my dumb

I can kill the joy in sunshine, rainbows,
Music, flowers and puppies too

I can find the down in everything,
But only if you listen

Ode to The Corner Bar

At least once a week I am drawn into the same smoke filled crowded cave,

No need to bring anything but your money

Twenty-something’s to seventy-something’s huddle in this space,

Camaraderie is thicker than found in most families; Attorneys, Dishwashers, Accountants, Artists, Carpenters, Techie's, Teachers, Custodians, Managers, Business Owners, Servers, Musicians, Politicians, Machinists, Mechanics, Landscapers and Nurses, all find a way to tolerate each other.

People come to commiserate, celebrate, gossip, blow off steam,

Watch sports, play games, some dance and/or sing along to the music.

Others just sit quietly, reading or glued to a phone.

Drinks and cigarettes ease the pain of the mundane

Hugs and "I love you’s" flow as most nights progress,

Meaningful or not I take comfort in every one.

My drinking pals; loyal, loving, forgiving

And usually lots of fun.

Crown Vic Royalty

I love my nondescript big american ride,
My Crown Victoria, my love, my pride,

Old lady car shell, hot rod underneath, steers like a dream,
Kick back, relax and glide, it's peaches and cream

Hybrid drivers who give me holier than thou looks, they have my sympathy,
Comfort is what stole my heart, I smile and cruise on blissfully.

Building Heart Muscle

Love has many costs,
The payoff is proving you are human,
Capable of placing another's welfare equal to your own,
With or without receiving the same

Emotion Without Purpose

Paths cross in shifting sands,
Crazy coincidences, common ground,
Like thoughts on music, philosophy, religion, politics
Mutual neediness,
Bonds sometimes form without intention

Infatuation can be a welcome distraction,

Heart racing moments make you forget your cares,

Enjoy it while you can but keep your head,
It's shallow and fleeting,
The world will beat the door down eventually

The bond either fades or evolves into something closer to permanent
Reality always wins

Be still my heart

Music is a part of my earliest memories, I sang all the time when I was happy, at 5,  I was usually happy, drove my siblings crazy.

We lived in Detroit in 1969, I remember singing "feeling groovy" to my Dad and his full out laughter, "groovy? what does that mean?"  I replied "Daaaad,  it means happy!"  "oh, okay, sing it again!" he laughed just as loudly every time I got to the chorus.

We moved to a suburb of Washington DC, Franconia, VA in '70, I was 6, our neighbors were awesome. the people next door had 8 kids and most played a musical instrument,  the youngest was my best friend Pam, a year older than me.

Our favorite thing to do was play 45's, dance and sing along. sometimes we pretended we were a band and acted like we were playing instruments.  "Honky Tonk Woman" was one of my favorite jams. One day Pam asked if I wanted to listen to her oldest brother Mike (he was around 19) and his band practice in their basement. they were surprisingly nice, said they needed an audience.

I was in awe, had never seen a real drum set, amps, microphones, except on TV.  All was good until the drummer started playing, as soon as he tapped the cowbell I recognized "Honky Tonk Woman", When her brother hit the first few notes on his guitar I ran out of the room. My heart was racing, face was red, it was too much, I couldn't look at them directly.

In my 6 year old mind, they were the Rolling Stones.