Eleven

Place des Vosges, Paris

A perfect park
In the middle of a beautiful neighborhood
Surrounded by an old palace

The green grass is perfectly manicured
As are the artistic hedges
The birds chirp
The children play
People sit and eat and read
And watch

The spring days are beautiful
The sun shines so brightly
The window for wearing sunglasses has arrived
I love to sit and watch

The families who picnic
The high schoolers who lunch
The models who pose

People living amongst the perfection
The city is so beautiful
The park, a hidden gem

I wish I could go back
To tell myself to observe every blade of grass
Watch every dripping ice cream cone
Sit and read on every green bench

The perfect park won’t always be a block away
I long for the park and the city
And the me I was there

Seven

To Elizabeth who taught me courage
To Sylvia whose beautiful words can haunt
To Hattie who taught me heartache and loss
To Meg who taught me love and curiosity
To the poetry of Mary and Elizabeth and Anne
that taught me beautiful words don’t have to come from Shakespeare alone
To Amy and her cool-girl rebellion
To Hermione and her pride in her intellect
To Rachel for discovering the truth and confronting him
To Liane for the twisted and shocking and yet loving stories
To the women who have changed me
Thank you

Eight

The New York Times Learning Network, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/learning/lesson-plans/a-year-of-picture-prompts-over-160-images-to-inspire-writing.html 

Bright blue door
Ornate entry
Red flowers

Where does this door lead?
To a mosque where people go to worship and restore
To a castle where wealth kings and queens once roamed
To a garden where people can find beauty

Red flowers in bloom
Gives a sign of spring or summer
The sun shines brightly making the door shimmer like ocean water

The sand brick archway is inviting
But a long shadow casts a slight cloud over the door
Is it a tree or a building nearby?

Where does this blue door lead?

Nine #verselove 2019

Large long suitcase, stuffed with clothes, zipped
Small roller suitcase, stuffed with more clothes, zipped
Room, empty
Passport, ready
She, uncertain, anxious, excited

Parents, sad
Brother, sad underneath the surface
Car, packed

Flight, Paris
In flight, anxiety
Landing, smooth
Her mind, racing

Apartment, upstairs
Eight flights, tired
Open, door
Open, windows
Open, mind

Cafe, awaits