Don't Let The Pain Consume You

 define yourself again

tear off whatever face you are wearing

show your true colors to the world

be happy even through torture

realize it is not only you suffering

you are isolated but not alone

try not to cry all day

spring flowers will come right after the snow

close to his birthday

try to appreciate them

without him writing about them

you know he always remembered

after asking for the names of flowers and trees

embrace his poetry

until you are gone

he will be with you through

every line

Sandy Hazley 6-30-23

The Gate and the Tree

Ambidextrous wooden branches twist in and out

with rooted iron

in a natural work of art

Where the dead meets the living

they mold into Siamese brothers

in a blood fight for survival

Roots squashed in crevices

shove concrete aside

begging for space in the dirt

The inert rusted iron

accepts the intrusion

welcomes the blanket of the trunk

The umbrella of the sheltering leaves

makes a hammock for birds to nest

in it’s protected parts

it is content to be the host

Sandra L. Hazley

The Call to War

The call to war

an eye opener

for those who ignore

The call to war

a jaw dropper

for those that take for granted

The call to war

a  dedication

for those who protest

The call to war

a heartbreak

for those who wait

The call to war

a death sentence

for those who participate

The Bond

It’s three o’clock in the morning

you are beside me

dreaming

of tits and bicycle wheels

We touch lightly 

at the hip

letting the blood

flow between us

I lie awake for hours

pondering poetry

writing with a lighted pen

before the morning sun

warms the windows

                                  Sandra L. Hazley

                                                                                               

                                                                             

That Feeling

Was it the peaceful calm in my backyard sanctuary?

Or talking with the squirrel about nibbling at the new bulbs?

Was it the wind quietly whistling through those white pines?

Or the churchy song of the wind chimes we use to keep the deer away?

Was it the subtle fragrance of the newly opened peonies?

 Or the swaying of that beautiful big bush I just can’t quite name?

Was it the robin calling friends about the newly cut grass?

Or that magnificent hawk cruising by on the third pass?

Or was that you, checking on friends?

The soul that touched my life.

Sandra L.  Hazley

May 29, 2013

Terminal

the word terminal actually goes into effect at the beginning

the day you are born is the beginning of terminal

it’s just a matter of time

terminal, what a dirty, destructive word

say it, just to see how it feels

go ahead, let it roll off your lips

penetrate your brain

apply it to your mother, your father, kids, friends, lovers

now, imagine hearing your doctor say it

wow, what a wake up call

what does it mean?

it means term ending,

limit, coming to the end of what?

life, that’s what, meaning we each have a term

and yours is coming up real soon.

well, a terminal is also an electrical connection point

beginning of juice

do you think terminal could be a connection

that starts a new beginning

turns the lights back on

sets you up for the next round?

I guess you’ll have to figure that one out,

I’m still wrestling with the words

“terminal, my condition is terminal”

Sandra L. Hazley

Teddy Bear Blues

Cuddle me

like I cuddled my teddy

hold me

stroke me

My days of fake fur independence

are gone

I need the real thing

and I need it now

                                                                  

                                                                  

Sandra L. Hazley