Should I Live To Eighty

Should I Turn Eighty


Should I turn eighty,
of sound and eager mind,

Should I live to eighty,
of sound and eager mind,
I give myself permission
to let go of every day control,
to leave logistics to others,
to live outside of plans.


Should Ilive to eighty,
wise and shining of soul,
I give myself permission
to live like a happy child,
and devour each moment,
fully in the present.

Victoria Hendricks
July 20, 2010


Victoria Hendricks,
July 20, 2010

Poem in style of Jean Prevert

Je T'aime

Your mind excites me.
Je t'aime.
Your body thrills me.
Je taime.
I want to nuzzle your neck.
Je t'aime.
I crave your arms around me.
Je t'aime.
Your kindess touches me.
Je t'aime.
Your insights calm me.
Je t'aime.
I want you to be happy.
Je t'aime.
Your mortality scares me.
Je t'aime.


Victoria Hendricks
July 14, 2010

Yes poems

Mary, in my online poetry group challenged us to write from and about "yes". I enjoyed coming at a basic human position from different angles.

Yes - 1

Yes,
Life is hard.
Life is good.
Yes.


Yes - 2

I will not tell you yes
when my gut screams no.
I will not tell you no
when my heart cries yes.
False yes invites resentment
False no invites regret.
I cannot trust your yes
until I've heard your no.
Easier to accept your no
once I know your true yes.

Yes -3

I am thankful for the times
I've dropped practical concerns,
rolled on the floor with the toddler,
giggled or wept too late with friends,
walked a dusky beach until moonrise,
made love on a rainy winter afternoon
with floor unswept, dishes in the sink.
Death says no soon enough.
In the mean time, I say yes.

Victoria Hendricks
July 14, 2010

Difficult conversation

You tell me what you think will make me proud.
I recognise the hollows. I did it too,
managed impression, with both of my parents,
let them believe I cared about getting the PhD,
scrubbed the baseboards before visits, practiced
the order of introductions, even took down the
yard sign for candidates and causes they despised.
I tried so hard to be a different kind of mother,
one you could tell, show anything, everything.
Effort does not always pay off. I keep trying.

Victoria Hendricks
July 1, 2010

Tree Poem

Judy writes of a poet who posted a poem every day on a tre to catch the attention of passersby, who might or might not otherwise read poems. Blogs are kind of like that too, though probably most of the people who come to poetry blogs do read and write poems. I feel challenged, fragile, pulled very tight between real blessings and so much wrong in smaller and larger world. So from that position, what d I want t post on my "tree"?


Remember

One foot in front of the other,
when best efforts fail.
One foot in front of the other.
when love fails to heal,
one foot in front of the other.,
when prayers ring empty,
one foot in front of the other.
when protection fails,
one foot in front of the other,
when fear clouds reason,
one foot in front of the other,
no matter what demons,
one foot in front of the other.

Victoria Hendricks
June 30, 2010

Imagine prompt for Writers' Island

Perfect Empathy

Imagine perfect empathy.
I feel you. You feel me.
Margins fade. Egos recede.
Every life counts the same.
No number one No elect.
No justification. No meanness.
No outcasts. No losers..
Every life counts the same.
Margins fade, Egos recede.
I feel you. You feel me.
Imagine perfect empathy. .

Victoria Hendricks
June 26, 2011

Poems about the oil spill

Longest Day


I look to the sky, bleached blue
glare, damaged past forgiveness,
parching, unremitting, draining heat,
no breeze, no relief, longest day
I look to the sky and feel death
breathing car exhaust and bitterness
into my open eyes. The end has begun.


Victoria Hendricks
June 21, 2010

Too Late?


Carbon based life
drowns in excess.
Waste heats up.
Glacial ice melts.
We obsess, sad,
mad, nervous,guilty.
Self imposed circle
of greed chokes
hope, blackens sea.
Sorrow comes easy.
Choice is despair or
attempted repair.
Too late for birthdays?

Victoria Hendricks
June 23, 2010