Poet. Writer. Photographer.
I am still faithfully following
petals as paths
with my soul’s whispered directions
to where you are at,
the one to reciprocate
all this love I have,
and along the way,
I’ve grown to love
the way
I am.
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
Give me a palm,
let me be your fortune,
telling you again and again
how much I adore you.
Let me lead the way
to our private island
where coastal tracks
in rocks and sand
and wildflowers map
where the ocean
unravels as ripples
in the bay.
Take my hand.
Stay.
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
The pull of the day,
of the years,
of everyone’s needs
leaves shadows
and cavities
from ebb’s
never-ending
taking,
but the sun’s
reflection
warms me
in oranges,
and the glow
stays.
The light
one way
or another
will
illuminate,
independent of
ever reaching
that haunted,
hollowed
space.
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
The sea calls,
the tide pulls,
all are drawn
to the edge
where the surf plays
freely for all
such soothing,
soulful hymns.
Great Blue Heron wades,
slows even the waves,
pausing time, as I
fall
in suit,
the last two on earth
walking side by side…
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
Not a beanstalk,
but it might as well be,
magic seeds
sprouting the way
to giant dreams,
and in the center,
a sunbeam
passes through
a hole in a leaf
purposefully
to reach me,
or is it simply that light
is at the center
of all belief?
Insignificant
the manmade pier seems,
foolishly leading
horizontally…
Poem and image ©LauraDenise
Sunset-lit pier
fades from focus
as the miniature shell-bridge
draws me closer
and gets me thinking…
about what we extend
in our reach to connect,
and what we retract
when we fear-react,
and all that’s gained
and lost from the taking
and passing of chance,
from the courage
to not or to
act,
and how far the distance
can be misjudged from perspective,
and in the grand scheme of things,
how important it is,
and how often we miss
and what we learn
when we look up
or bow our heads
to discern
the difference.
Poem and image ©LauraDenise
Less than two dollars.
Never richer.
Winds to be reckoned with
do more than make waves;
all evidence of human existence
is entirely without-trace erased.
Reset is the playing field.
Wiped clean, the slate.
Denied are the attempts
to leave any more prints.
The only impressions saved
are those upon the heart.
Is your legacy of love
enough to advance
to the next
start?
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
Forever is the moment
that stills me
when everything
is swirling inside
my heart, my soul,
my mind…
Forever is the moment
that absolves me,
that nature bestows,
head bowed or not,
heart knotted or atoned.
Forever is the moment
that holds me
so personally close,
the rays extended
to touch
with warmth.
Forever is the moment
that soaks me,
in waves that rebirthe
or ripples that trickle
to my inner caverns
where I buried
the treasure
of me
in a chest of fear,
where only the mermaids
are entrusted
with the key
shaped from
my tears.
Forever is the moment
I carry with me
in every moment
I am away
from the sea.
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
If I offered you my hand,
would you walk with me,
leisurely toward dreams
sunsetting upon the sea?
If I shared what’s in my shell,
let you hear the whispers,
would you heart-preserve them
among your dearest treasures?
If I stopped and turned
and looked into your eyes,
would I find there
what I’ve been searching for
all of my life?
If I were brave enough
to let that gaze linger,
would you be brave enough
to close the distance
even further?
If you kissed me,
would you be able to surrender,
to allow me to turn the key
and make you mine
forever,
not by locking,
but by releasing,
freeing the love
you’ve been deep-freezing,
to feel directly
the flutter of mine,
the wings I have grounded
indefinitely from flying?
And if they combined,
these lights in our souls,
would you regret
not having the time
for closure with
your shadows?
If our union ends
up to be the origin
of love,
would this moment
be perfect enough
for the first page
of our album?
Would you fall
each day deeper
in love with me;
would our love grow
until it lifts us
into eternity?
I suppose if you don’t know
all of this now,
I’d still like to walk with you
awhile,
and if you already know
all of this now,
you should know
these feelings in me
I could never
disavow.
As you reach for my hand
even though none of this
I have said aloud,
I feel the universe shift
and know I have been
finally found.
Poem and image ©LauraDenise
Laura Denise 