What If? An Anthology, curated by Arlene S. Bice, Editor
Every time I pick up What If?, the poetry book curated by Arlene Bice for a writing group she hosts, I am overwhelmed, grateful and awed by the talent, the stories that have depth and emotional bravery.
I love these women and appreciate their heart shared writings. These stories will speak to you as well, I am certain of it. You can buy it at:
With Ellie Newbauer it was extremely difficult to decide on which poem to include here – so many great ones, The Brink, Night Symphony, The Unlived Dream and so many more. But I chose God in Drag… and so it went with every poet. After reading these poems and stories many times, I typed up one or two to include here. Please excuse the typos the magic correction of the computer program, but that’s the way it goes.
Ellie Newbauer, God in Drag
Rose wearing velvet,
Willow in emerald green,
Zinnia flaunting gaudy orange,
Furs and feathers in every hue,
All are God in drag,
Hanging out at the Universal bar,
Inviting you to raise a glass
In celebration of His coming out party.
Charlene Ellington, Ever Changed
Inwardly traveling
Dark unmarked roads
With no map or compass
Not knowing
Where to go
Feeling mired under
In the swamp land
Of my thoughts
Thoroughly lost
For a while
Until…
The scary place let go
I walked out
Into sacred sunlight where
The Beloved Divine’s message
Of profound important
Waiting to
Give me understanding
To keep faith
Trust, listen
To inner guidance
And…
I am ever changed
Maggie Chalifoux, Celebration of Life
I went to my sister’s “Celebration” naked, open to love, forgiveness and compassion. Knowing that there was heartache there for everyone: the heartache of the loss of the relationship that was and the relationship that was not. Wondering what will be now, and why things were the way they were. Why was I the way I was? I feel regret and sadness. At the same time, I saw the rightness in the way things had been. How could they have been different? The past was as it was and now it has gone. It is closed like a book. Everything now is new. I thank God for the doors that opened and are now closed, and for the new doors that will open.
Maggie Chalifoux, Cloud of Guilt
Anger!
A flash of anger
Self righteous venom
Words spewed out
Striking their target
Causing the blood
That left us stained
Regret!
My tongue unleashed
Unkind thoughtless words
Later I would know
I could have just left
No reason to bite
To further the harm
But no!
All reason devoured
By a moment of heat
I could not stop myself
Now the cloud
Of guilt shrouds
My days and nights
Arlene Enos, Because of You
I learned dreams can and do come true
I traveled the world with you
Holding hands all the way
I learned the beauty and joy of motherhood
Eventually being a grandmother and great grandmother
You taught our children to love me deeply.
We enjoyed endless hours of love making
You taught me to love my body always
Putting me first
I became strong and independent
Self-sufficient
I learned to budget and make everything work
to compromise and to stand on my own.
We lived in so many amazing places
Loving the moves and the adventures
You filled my wanderlust
You taught me to be diplomatic
Always believing in me
Encouraging
You loved me deeply, faithfully
And forever
My life is full
You encouraged my spontaneity
Willing to go wherever I wanted
Without question
You loved my cooking
Thanked me for every meal
And I learned to love cooking
You laughed at my jokes
You learned to dance because
I loved it so
We became one the dance floor
I miss our Navy life
Difficult at times but so incredibly
Exciting always
Thank you.
I depended on you
Now you depend on me
Our life has changed
So many lessons learned
Because of you I learned the Art of Acceptance
You prepared me for whatever is to come
Thank you most of all for getting me
Joyce Lindenmuth, Details
It’s all in the details
Finding joy
In the singing of birds
As you enter their world
Looking down
At the leaves lying dead on the ground
And suddenly seeing a tiny flower
Valiantly blooming
All by itself in the cold
It’s paying attention
That will open our heart in gratitude
It’s all in the details
Grace McCrowell, Morning
Crystals emanating from the bright circle
Hardens the silence
Shatters the darkness
Arlene Bice, Guy Arlen Morrison 1962-1988 – Seventh stanza
we drank, we ate
everyone had a story
about Guy
he was that kind of a kid
who became a man
And left.
Arlene Bice, Molting
So I shed my skin that I wore at the time
When realized it was not the real me
Picked up my house, left that unhealthy corner
Found where I belonged, who my people were
Would recognize them just by seeing
How to know I asked myself
But I didn’t answer me
The search began, my eyes peered into windows
Looked down every alley, talk, talk, talk
Until there was nothing left to say
I began to listen while my mind opened
Little by little, expanded, filled up
Without my notice an outer layer had formed
It looked quite alike with a tinge of difference
The call came inviting me to lunch
“Of course,” I replied “I’d love to”, I said
An inner glow showed through
Matching one that blossomed with me
As I listened, as I talked, I knew
No more searching needed
I molted and found home.
