Things Are Not What They Seem

By Eugene Robbe Timson

I look in the mirror
And I see a person filled with confidence
I look in the mirror
And see a person filled with love
I look in the mirror
And I see a man that beats the best
I look in the mirror
And I see a man that is better than the rest
I look in the mirror
And see a man with a heart of gold
I look in the mirror
And see a man that everyone wants to be
I look in the mirror and you touch my shoulder
I look in the mirror and I see you
You tell me to wipe my tears because Daddy is here     

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Color Collective Poem--Lemon Ice Cream

Lemon ice--Benjamine Moore--2024-70

  Emma Chiu

She stood there

Indifferent

As if I didn’t exist.

As if I was invisible.

I tried to make contact with

Her ever-so-perfect eyes.

She turned away

Leaving me behind

Her arched back.

All I could catch was

A whiff of

Lemon,

Lemon ice cream.

I remember that summer,

The summer our friendship was planted

Like a lemon seed.

In a blink of an eye,

The seed turned into a tree

A beautiful lemon tree.

The roots were not yet stable

The branches were not yet firm.

But the tree kept growing

As if it there was no need for it.

We paid no close attention, for

We all were blinded by the joy

Of the fruits that ripened each term.

We marveled at our happiness,

Yes, we even took the lemons

And made it into different kinds of desserts.

Lemonade, lemon cake, lemon ice cream.

Oh, the lemon ice cream.

The coolness that it provided on

A sweltering day,

Whispered in my ear, saying

That’s what we would do for each other.

The sugar added on top

Giggled and laughed softly,

Assuring me that

It will always stay sweet,

No matter what

We never could have imagined that,

Like lemon ice,

Friendships can fade away

Just as easily.

It can melt on your tongue,

It can melt on your hands,

It can melt with the harsh words

Those others speak with fury.

I still don’t know how

She could have let other people

Ruin the taste,

Ruin the flavor of our lemon ice cream.

Maybe the tree wasn’t firm.

Maybe the tree wasn’t stable.

Maybe it wasn’t as it should be.

Maybe, just maybe…

We could just blame it on the lemons.





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Where I'm From

I am from story books,

From magic carpets and leprachauns

and tales that are not yet told.

I am from city lights flickering

Beneath the dark night sky,

Always wondering,

If Santa Claus would crawl through my windowsill

I am from the intertwining grapevines,

That hang on the walls outside

the basketball court

That I stare at when I feel

alone, defeated.

I am from the pearly-white lilies,

Whose scent is mixed with

The cold, frigid air on classic stages.

The sound of the cello combined with the smell,

could create an everlasting elixir,

that could cure me

From any wounds I bear.

I am from Christmas and New Years’ Eve,

From the bows and the ribbons,

From the decorations and the gifts.

I am from the wishes and shooting stars,

from the faraway dreams and goals

that I dream of,

Even if it seems impossible.

I am from the Chiu and Chen

from dark hair and eyes

thick bones and backbites.

I am from the strict rules and silence,

From work hard! And obey!

I'm from teachers and lawyers,

whose expectations are as tall

as mountains,

whose worry is written

across their faces.

I am from blurry Bible pages,

Pebble-sized Buddha miniatures,

And free Sunday mornings.

I am from the awkwardness,

that I face when the lyrics of "Praise the Lord"

are alien to me.

I am from green tea and paella,

From hamburgers and alfajores.

I am from trying different plates,

and swallowing the change.

I am from the wounds my cousin got in motorbikes,

for having the adventurous streak

inherited by our ancestors.

From the scars that my grandfather got in the war,

Fighting for a noble cause.

In the deepest part of my hidden drawer,

There is a locked chest.

With pictures of places I’ve passed through

And places that bear my mark.

Filled with unsent letters, contained feelings,

and memories in different languages.

Pictures of friends I’ll never see again,

And lost dreams.

I am from those moments,

Always hoping for a place to stay,

A place to call home.



For more "Where I'm From" Poems, click at this link: http://www.middlemindz.blogspot.com/#!http://middlemindz.blogspot.com/2012/05/where-im-from.html

Cherish Life While You Can

Selected by Emma Chiu

Description:
         Life is sometimes sour, sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, but it's everyone's job to make their life extraordinary. This list of poems reveal poets' expertise over poetic themes about life lessons and even bits of their personal experience that are included in a fascinating way. The poems describe the obstacles that we would eventually go through and the necessity to live life the fullest while you are able to.

Synopsis: 
          I love how these poems are just put into wonderful words that construct poems that reveal a deeper meaning; each and every poet is trying to tell people to live and never regret. They all have a way to carry their point across, and really convince the reader about their view in life.These poems could turn peoples' lives into a whole new direction just by providing them with phrases that are concise yet abstract in such a beautiful way.

POETRY

"Frozen" by Natasha Head
"The Layers" by Stanley Kunitz
"Nothing Twice" by Wislawa Szymborska
"Carpe Diem" by Robert Frost
"A Song on the End of the World" by Czeslaw Milosz

"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick "My Life Closed Twice Before its Close" by Emily Dickinson "I Tie My Hat--I Crease My Shawl" by Emily Dickinson
"Live Blindly and Upon the Hour" by Trumbull Stickney