sticky from the tape

I fold the flaps towards each other
sealing my belongings
inside a cardboard tomb

as I wander rooms that are
in various states of emptiness

the sense of me
that covered the walls
and table tops
that spilled over surfaces
like paint
dripping a richness
a deep stain
a hue
onto an absorbent surface

are disappearing

I have spilled myself
onto these walls
and into this space

and when I leave
when there is nothing in this place
but an echo

somehow, in these boxes
and these pieces
put together
make up the puzzle

that is me

-- lml april 28/07

Buy buy buy .... Buy More!

"So, hi, I'm Erin. And I wanted to talk with you about all the things you should have for your car."

Hi, Erin.

Let's see. We currently offer a 3 year/60,000 km warranty, but for only $999 plus tax, or $25 a month, you can have the extended warranty for 4 years/100,000 km. And let me tell you, you get all the coverage that CAA gives you, so you don't need that, AND you get 4 free oil changes, so it's practically free."

Uh, no thank you.

"Really, can I ask why?"

It's extra money that I am not prepared to spend. I don't know where I'll be in 3 years. I have no idea what I'll be doing, and I hear that are good cars, so let's leave it at the basic coverage.

"Well, ok, um, did explain to you that we have what's called a fully secured lease. This means that for $10/month, and $9.89/month, and $4/month you can get life insurance, accident/hospitalization coverage, and the most popular, the Walkaway Insurance. Basically, if you lose your job, or get moved to a different city, you can bring your car in and walk away from the lease. If you don't want all of those options, you can just get it partially secured, which means that you take some of the options. Most people simply chose the Walkaway. It's only $4/month. Can I sign you up for that?"

No thank you. I'd like to decline them all.

"You would? Are you sure? You work at Cognos, don't you? And you know how volatile the high tech industry is!?"

Yes, I am sure. Thank you.

"Well, another thing we offer is rust protection. Rust protection is very important for our cars. It protects them in these harsh Canadian winters. We do a full rust proof package for only $599, or $15 a month. How about that?"

No thanks.

"Hmmpf. On your last car, did you have a disabler put in?"

Yes, it was part of the car lease package.

"Oh, well, now it's $299 or $7.50/month and I think it's an important thing to get. Especially since,unfortunately, our are such popular targets for thefts and break-ins."

If it was free, sure. But I don't think I need it.

"Well, if you change your mind, you just let me know. OK!?"

OMG! Just sitting there and feeling that pressure to buy, buy, buy - if I had taken her up on everything she pitched at me, I'd be paying nearly $400/month. Over $100 more than I want to pay for my lease. Ouch!

Tree Hugger

I LOVE this Web site/blog - Treehugger.

It's very frank and has excellent tips for how to work in the life we live in, and how we can do *something* to be more responsible and aware.

I especially love their green guides. They have green guides for everything from How to Green your Sex Life to How to Green your Electronics. And everything in between.

Go on, have a peek. ; )

my house?

Last night I dreamed that I lived in a big house. There were staircases, four in total, that I could climb to reach the very top. The house was very light and inviting, and it had an extensive history of tenants. I decided to try and write a poem about it.

Spiral staircases
make me dizzy
as I climb
up and up and up

the room is simple
awash in beams of
natural light
translucent curtains flutter in the breeze

the couch, in the center of the room
is white and clean
crisply set off
by the darker hues of the banisters and walls

wood brushed with white paint
sponged
textured
smoothed in places by years of touch

the room seems to be underwater
ethereal
soothing
open

I swim through the thick air
towards the window to my right
two large panes that open to the unknown

peeling back the layers of this house's history
like an onion
the skin unraveling to reveal
a sweet and succulent essence

whispers

the whisper came
in the night

the kind that strokes your face
as you nestle your head on your pillow

a kind of softness that tickles
that brings your dream state to the surface
as awareness flows back into the your mind

a whisper of longing
of warmth and craving
a yearning; of love

that you express by flinging your arm across the length of your lover
and pulling them closer

that you subdue with their scent in your nostrils

and that releases as your dreams become deeper
bringing new adventures and escapes

-- lml april 14/07

the sweet nectar of a tipple

alrighty this one is a bit of a jest.. perhaps a little too over the top. I had fun writing it though!
The subject was given to me at a birthday celebration dinner... and I thought I would use it to compose today's poem.

thirst

the lure of the harpie
a burgundy-drenched goddess
her voluptuous curves raised to meet my lips
beckons to me

promising a softening of the edges
a gentleness to the glaring harshness of reality
an opportunity to relax my fragile smile
and indulge in the pleasure of the evening

she calls to me

and the deep dark molasses of the night
foamy and decadent to my mouth
his laughter rumbles deep inside me
his sweat rolls down the glass

echoing her siren's song

-- lml april 12/07

moving

moving spaces and places
thoughts in motion
an aspect of me

moving arms and legs
bodies in motion
the substance of me

moving laughter and loving
transplanting my roots
the essence of me

-- lml apr 11/07

conforming

logic and reason
are structured like walls
black and white truths
protecting
isolating
solid and sure

i live
where lines are blurred
in places where discussions that require absolutes
are difficult to comprehend

i can't find the universal truths
that apply to everyone
that roll of the tongue so easily for some

my gray world is filled with many shades and hues
that swirl together
to form the colors of the rainbow.

-lml april 9/07

Yes!

Here's a poem from e.e. cummings which celebrates the one word we all could use more frequently.

Yes

I thank God for most this
amazing
day; for the leaping greenly
spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;
and for everything
which is natural, which is
infinite, which is yes.

- e.e. cummings

easter egg hunt

In honor of the fact that one of the most chocolatey and declicious events of the year is happening this weekend, I wrote an little poem.

I'm heading to CT to see my family this weekend, so I won't be around. And I won't be submitting any poems. I suspect you'll be just fine with that.

Hoppy Easter! ; )

easter egg hunt
pink plastic protrudes from a pleasant park
yellow yolks yawn in the yard
a blue bouncy bunny brings bounty

and the hunt is on!
the contest to capture containers of chocolate candy and confection

denim dresses dash amongst the daisies
jeans jostle for the juiciest of jelly jewels
happy hands hurl towards hardboiled hens' handiwork
mouths move and mention more mysterious magic

and finally, friends and family fall flat forward in the flowers.
Fun for all. : )

-- lml april 5, 07

Subject Lines

You are looking to get someone's attention, crafting the perfect email, and wanting to add that witty je ne sais quois...

...well, all you have to do is click the Subject: box in a Yahoo mail email. : )

Out pops a randomly generated Subject line. It's brilliant, really!

In honor of the spectacularism of the Yahoo Subject: line generator... here's my poem.

Ode to a Subject

Carving watermelons on Halloween
Do you suffer from uncontrollable falling down?

Leveraging core competency across the extraprise
My hobby is collecting dust

LipSmack heartAttack girlie girl in a pink sleep sack
If the cubicle's a-rockin', don't bother knockin'

you're not as objectionable as you seem to be, are you?
What's the corkage fee at McDonald's?

How to Comb Your Curly Hair

How was tomorrow? I think you know what I mean.
I changed her oil, she changed my life

we have located your pants

things fall apart; the center does not hold
I'd love to, but I'm building a pig from a kit.

It's not you, it's me. I don't like you.

--lml and Yahoo, April 4/07

Happy International Poetry Month!

It's true! April is International Poetry Month!

In honor of the festivities, I'll try (TRY being the operative word) to post a poem every day. Maybe one of mine, maybe one from someone else.

Enjoy!

it's the rain of april
when showers mist the landscape
the earth sucks at the moisture
greedy;
like a hungry child at the breast of a mother

we wait
in reverent silence
for the green to come
as the geese fly in droves
back to their roots

the water flows
making your soul flowers bloom

- lml april 3, 07