Walk with You

by Carmen Taggart

I walked this path alone, a hundred times.

My eyes saw crumbled stones in the faintest ring,
pieces of wood decaying on a hillside.
Oaks and Hemlocks standing guard along the trail.
My ears heard leaves crunching, stones slipping under foot,
birds flying overhead, water rushing nearby.
My heart sang at the joy of walking, of being in nature.

I walked this path with you, just once.

My eyes saw their fire licking the tree tops, fancy head dresses,
shells and beaded moccasins dancing in the moonlight.
Oaks, Hemlocks and Ancestors beckoning us in to the circle.
My ears heard their drums, feet pounding the earth,
chanting filling the air and my soul, laughter tinkling across the hills.
My heart sang at the joy of seeing beyond the veil of time and space.

I walked this path alone, a hundred times more,
                         with new eyes, new ears and an open heart.

Days are Long, Life is Short

by Carmen Taggart

Hurry
Hurry
Grass needs mowing
Weeds need tending
Bills paid.
Slow down
Kids are growing
Love is fleeting
Fireflies won’t stay.
Hurry
Chores are calling
Phone is ringing
Crops harvested.

Slow down
Roses falling
Laughter surrounding
Taste of your lips

Time
waits for no one
A fickle mistress
Hurry,
Hurry,
Slow down,
Slow down . . .

One Word

by Carmen Taggart

One word, he described me with one word?
Really, just one!
What is it?
Is it persistent?
Is it crazy?
Is it complicated?
No, none of those?
Come on, what could it be?
What could it be?

I look in your eyes to divine the word.
Certain I can read it if I stop to look closely.
Surprised.
All curiosity drains away.
I see that I don’t need to know.
No, I don’t want to know.

I see that what I want to know is your word.
I want the word you would use for me.
I find it waiting on your lips,
a gift as you kiss me.

The Devil, A Long Spoon, and a Serious Error in Judgement

by Carmen Taggart

She said come dine with me,
I hold the answers to a more vibrant life.
She was rockin’ the red dress and the stiletto heels.
Who could resist?

We discussed a contract over tea and cakes.
I didn’t need my really long spoon,
She tasted sweeter than honey.

Whispered promises, unslakable desire,
Our entwined bodies reflecting in the window glass,
Her reflection craggy, wrinkled, and withered,
The darkness of her soul no longer contained within a youthful facade.

She turned as red as her dress, heels stomping, you can’t walk away from me!
Oh, but I can, you have no power over me.
Yes, I do!! You need me! I am a celebutant! I hold the answers! Only me!
I laughed as I walked away.

Unspoken Beauty

by Carmen Taggart

The secret so painfully true that even as she uttered it to herself
She could feel her foundations quake
Uttered, shouted, spoken, and owned the world crumbles
Yet her heart raced with giddy excitement
The boundaries undone the world still turned

Mosaic tiles caught her eye
Her heart as delighted as a school girl with a new set of paints
Crafting and placing each piece
Finding the unbound, unspoken beauty in a world turned all akimbo
The secret finds a new home

Untitled

by Carmen Taggart

I told you never
I told you not forever
I told you always

~~~~~~~

Crisp autumn air filled our lungs
Leaves crunched under foot
Pines sang their ghostly tales
Milky way danced in your eyes

Day’s dramas unwound into darkness
Random thoughts spilled forth
Fears were banished to Never-land
Our souls came home to one another

~~~~~~~

I told you never
I told you not forever
I told you always

Tangled Locks

by Carmen Taggart

Tangled auburn locks shroud your face
Your shoulders collapse around you
Pain thick through the cabin

Delicate fingers trace invisible words across the page
Your face lites up as I offer you a rainbow assortment of pens
Quickly you withdraw back into your shell

Purple ink forms the curvy letters of girlhood
Words tumble with tears onto the page
Suffering between youth and adulthood rage

You rail of a double life one good, one bad
What could such a young girl have done so wrong
Sidelong I read it was sex

Memories unbidden march forth
remembering the longing to lie in my lover’s arms
remembering the shame and fear for having lain there

Unable to allow you to suffer alone I ask where you are traveling?
You say you are going to become an adult
I chuckle, oh honey I know so very few of those!

Voice choked you hand me the journal
Quietly I read then look deep in your eyes
I brake the taboos! I tell you we all have sex!

You clutch my hand hoping I am telling you the truth
Your eyes searching for validation
that you could yet be a good person

We talk of wanting to do it again
of the importance of seeking out protection
The mature thing is to be safe

I channel my mother and give you my email address
I tell you to please write if you need to talk
I will think of you often

We start off the plane
You turn and look at me through tangled auburn locks with tear filled eyes
We exclaim together

New beginnings!

Wounded and in need of protection you stumbled into my garden

by Carmen Taggart

Wounded and in need of protection you stumbled into my garden.

Your wounds raw and in need of healing.

I tended to them and watched as you grew stronger day by day.

I outwardly asked for nothing in return.

I dreamed a thousand dreams for you.

I learned to read your moods, your growls, and your eyes.

I watched as you stumbled and got back up again.

I resolved to let you dream your own dreams.

Wounded and in need of protection you returned to my garden.

Your wounds once again raw and in need of healing.

I tended to them and watched as you grew stronger day by day.

Still I asked for nothing in return.

You gave me love, support and friendship.

You gave me laughter when all I had were tears.

You gave me . . .

you.

I dream a thousand dreams for you.

You dream of a road I cannot see.

I resolve to let you dream your own dreams.