The Christmas Suitcase

The spellbinding suitcase
Appropriately scarlet in color
That splash of burgundy wine add to the allure
There was magic within
Every kind of wrapping paper was a win
Streamers and ribbon by the yard
Spill out of every corner as soon as you begin to unzip it
Being an aesthetically pleasing gift was not hard
The glitter and the satin name tags
Rolls of green and crimson and gold
Were something to behold
When I opened the zipper and peered inside
I was happy to abide by my mom’s wishes to find
The most beautiful paper
Which was a dilemma; they were all the epitome of beauty
So I closed the suit carrying what I found to be the only solution
One of everything, some silver, some gold, some green
All of it against the wall to lean
Until I venture here once more
For it’s this Christmas suitcase that I simply adore

I wrote this for you

All the times I truly loved you
All the times I openly cried for you
All the times I internally died for you
All the times I playfully danced with you
All the times I quietly romanced with you
All the profound hope deep in my heart
All the horrific pain that tore me apart
All the pure love you gave to me
All the joy you handed me freely
All the sincerity, honesty, and kindness
You touched my soul so deeply
I don’t know whether to just smile or cry tears of ecstasy
That I am yours and you are mine
All the beautiful dreams I’ve had about you and I
All this I cannot deny
All those people in this remarkable world
All the time I am waiting to locate your being
All the time I’m trembling
Because although I haven’t met you yet
I wrote this for you.

Thoughts on The Goldfinch

The goldfinch is the most remarkable novel I have picked up in recent memory. The daunting 771 pages made it seem like I would never finish, never know what happens to Theo and perhaps more curiously, to the painting. I thought the narration in this book was what gave it its brilliance from the start. I was immediately immersed in Theo’s world and with the turn of every page enchanted by the characters and the city of New York. Theo, and his friends (and guardian) Andy, Boris, and Hobie couldn’t have been more different but were all such key characters to the story. They came and went as the author saw fit and that was the brilliance of this novel. Just like the painting “disappeared” from the museum and then reappeared after quite a journey, people appeared and reappeared in Theo’s life, fleeting moments in a coming of age story for the ages. The loss of Theo’s mother forever haunted him and I believe it caused his downward spiral. And despite his father’s behavior that loss also stunned him. I don’t know who is to blame for the unbelievable drug use in this novel, however I believe Theo and Boris used drugs to numb their minds from reality. What that left me with was Theo’s reality. Maybe I should be incredibly disturbed by this book, but Theo’s story broke my heart and I was truly hoping that he and Pippa would have a happy ending. However, I have heard from someone wise, that sometimes people with jagged edges cut each other until they both shatter. Therefore, The was no way that they could be together and Pippa makes that point herself. This novel shocked me but also made me consider how cruel life can be. I wonder only, how Theo and his life go forward after the events that unfolded in Europe and how despite his travel and unknown status of engagement, how is Theo really feeling inside?

There’s words I can’t say

There are words I can’t say and phrases I cannot otter.
So my brain clogs and fills with clutter…
I jumble thoughts and phrases into sentences.
I think therefore I am?
No, I think therefore I write.
I write therefore I am.
Furiously, passionately, maddeningly
I forge the words onto the page.
I forge clarity.
Those once jumbled, now clear words become my truth.
My truth because my essence.
My essence becomes my reality,
And it’s my reality that erupts into my being.

Ode to Football with my Dad

Oh football with my dad
Makes me smile just
Think about it, so glad
The two teams fighting
For eternal glory
Each individual team has a story
The Bears have
Made the comeback of
The century, and the
Play of the millennium
My body no longer tame
We jump up and down
We scream and dance around
Lights and more screams
Like aftershocks
Whiffing aftershave and
Hearing broken English
But I wouldn’t have it any other way
Sitting on the couch
Analyzing plays
Wondering if his bad passing is merely a phase
Hot, fresh pizza
Green, glowing jello
Glass after glass of Coca Cola
The Couch is sleep Soothing
But I’m wide awake my team’s reputation
At stake
How many more
Turnovers can I take?
I saw my first safety ever,
But something else
Takes the cake
Spending time with my dad, seeing passion
In his blue eyes
I love him more than
Life itself, my smile is proof
Ode to football with
My dad – you, dad, made me
Motivated, sharp, a good
Debater, analyzer, captivated,
Focused and determined
You gave me my voice of skepticism and passion
To go 4th and goal
Causes an interception
Run 108 yards back
Beautiful deception
Touchdown for us
Game is secured
Till next week
Ode to football with my dad
To the next game, and the hundreds after.

My House Moves to its own Beat Completely

My house moves to its own beat completely
Quietly, quickly, orderly, neatly
Its turns and it drums
As the curtains do waves
The air conditioner
Giving a wild display, a path it paves
The way for the icemaker
The sleeptaker
The sound maker
The insinuator of
Click Click Clack

My house moves to its own beat completely
It grooves and moves a mystery
It dances it prances
Draws lances with nearby houses
It lurks and jerks
And ticks and tocks
It bores and roars
It laughs and it snores
It squeaks just like a mouse
And filled with life my full house
Swells and propels joy
With each little trinket and toy

My house moves to a beat
Its own completely
Shrieking, come see
What makes me tick
Come meet me It invites it delights
Excites you to the bone It gives you peace of mind
It listens to you for long hours when you are on the phone
Alone and it moans
Its bark is worse than its bite,
When a mess it’s not a pretty sight
It has the ability to enchant you with books,
Good looks, in every cranny and nook

My house moves to a beat
Completely its own
It bubbles, has plenty of troubles
But mostly it’s home

Born a Crime Reflection

Every time I picked this book up to continue it, it was like reuniting with an old friend that I wanted to learn more about, although I wished I never had to put it down. Sitting in the train station, I read the first 86 pages and as I heard the train approaching I quickly planned my next free moment to continue this reading endeavor: I simply couldn’t wait. Trevor Noah is astonishingly brilliant in how he chose to let us in his world and narrate to us a window into his world, complicated by many things from skin color and the poverty that unfortunately went along with it. A world that would have caused many to lose their way, but Trevor was resilient and his mother helped instill good values in him, despite how poorly behaved he often was. In many ways, I feel this book is a love letter. A love letter to Trevor’s mom. A love letter to his friends and mostly, a love letter to all the parts of his childhood that challenged him and helped him thrive during a time when he wasn’t meant to. The apatherid meant he wasn’t supposed to thrive. And as we saw with his “hulk” friend from jail, the end of the apartheid meant disadvantaged people were forced to steal to feed their families. This book really showed me a perspective I haven’t seen before and I was truly lucky that this book was chosen to be read. I was astounded by what I learned about South Africa. It was fascinating but also very sad to hear. The slaughter and mistreatment of people was shocking to me. The comparison made to Hitler and how there weren’t numbers to account for the deaths like there were in the Holocaust brought a chill down my spine. I could jump around from subject to subject trying to explain all the reasons that I loved this book. The biggest reason is I fell in love with the story. Trevor allowed me in. His raw feelings were all brought to the surface, especially his mother being shot at the end. A relationship changes when someone that you care about lets you fully in and lets you get to know them on their terms. And that’s exactly what Trevor did. Trevor Noah let me into his world, sharing with me and all of us about life’s lessons, and how black, white, colored, or whatever we were, we are all human and deserving of love. And deserving of a good life. Trevor taught me that, and by allowing me into his world, introduced me to a way of examining one’s life that I will never forget.