Poetry

Forward Facing Heart

I wish that I could fill the hole in youAnd make you whole.The cleft of my heart every time you leave meGrows stronger tissue with each scarScars caused by neglectInattentionWillful desire for another womanAnother lifeYour first wifeYour second lifeAs you look back,You break my forward-facing heartBut I cherish itWhen it builds my resistance With constant insistence That…

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You Left

And then you drove byAnd you left meHolding the gateMaking me wait And you believed you were on your ownBut you were handicapped By love unrequited And left me alone

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Gerund is easier than noun

Speaking is easier than being a speaker Leading is easier than being a leader Fighting is easier than being a fighter Writing is easier than being a writer Teaching is easier than being a teacher Preaching is easier than being a preacher Loving is easier than being a lover Mothering is easier than being a…

150 150 Stafford Wood

Fairy Tales & Tragedy

Little girls dream of a happy ending  With the prince of charms and all the gold and beautiful things Dream of weddings and children and legacies  And the life of fairy tales They fear the tragic end and the broken promises The heartache the pain the loss They are taught to be frightened of the…

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Wild Thing

Wild Thing

A wild thing cannot live among usWith the house cats whose clawsHave been removed and debarked dogsWith groomer cut hair and sweaters. She cannot be domesticatedAnd no matter how sweet herDisposition, she will eventuallyRip out his throat even thoughShe loves him. And some people will blame himFor loving a wildcat. And some peopleWill say it’s…

2560 1920 Stafford Wood

Living with Disease

Once you have a treatmentYou don’t seek to find a cureLiving with disease is easierIf you can half of it You never want to have it allBecause giving up what you haveIs harder than you thought

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You’ve Tried

​You’ve tried the water to drench your desire.You’ve tried the calm to center your storm.You’ve sucked the air to starve the fire.And hoped the smoke will still the swarm. But it’s been awhile since you found passion beyond your own. A hurricane to spawn your tornado.A flood to overwhelm your walls.The fuel to light and…

150 150 Stafford Wood
Walk-In Appointment
Waiting Room

Walk-In Appointment

Sitting in the empty waiting roomHoping to get the first walk-in appointmentI marvel at how comfortable the room isWith a cozy couch, Avant garde chairsAnd traditional decor. The first appointment arrives.She’s in and out in momentsBut the room fills up.It’s standing room only. I step outside to the hallTo take care of businessAs each one…

2560 1920 Stafford Wood

A bundle

Reaching out through the sheets Searching for you

150 150 Stafford Wood

What’s the difference between a motherAnd a fatherA sister and a brotherYour grandmother SunnyOr Pa and MimiThe lady with the dogsThat lives down the streetThe man in the theaterWho is saving a seatThe sleepy dancer who comes and goesAnd where she’ll end up, nobody knowsThe nanny who held you firstThe lady who sold your mommy…

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