I shower and dress, apply makeup as though I am going to work. I barely recognize my own reflection in the mirror but I am wearing my favorite dress and my hair is the color of rusty nails. I ignore your perplexed expression and questions.
Downtown I meld into the chaotic masses, eyes that are infused with the pain of survival. As the morning wears on relentless chatter becomes an undercurrent of whispers that fade with the crowd. Sweat and strong coffee stings my nostrils, clings to skin. Alien faces are etched behind my eyes.
The familiar girl is propped against the graffiti covered wall that turns golden in the sunset. Her head rests against skeletal arms that wrap around her knees. Jarred by a boot she glances upward from her induced euphoria, fumbles in the pocket of torn jeans fishing out a handful of dollars. Glancing around the man slips it beneath his belt and places a small bag into her weedy fingers that loosen, dropping it between her feet. I wonder how she will sleep in the night cold.
Repelled by the scent of urine, even the pigeons keep their distance and the stray dog lifts his feet. I feel those good intentions rising but they remain contained in my hermit mind. Does it count that I thought of her as she isolates to death?
Making my way back I pass that abandoned garden, pick a flower to playfully slip behind your ear. I rely on distractions these days.
You kiss the back of my neck and once again describe your beloved island and how the sun’s glare bounces off the seas surface and life glides beneath the sparkling blue that spreads over the horizon.
From my deserted garden we share an apple that reminds me of an autumn orchard and a love struck boy whose memory compels me to rub my body against you in search of that trigger, that wild place in my mind that is precious only if it is gone.
Holly, that’s so alive and in the moment. It’s wonderful.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you Gigi.
LikeLike
❤ Be happy. Hugs to Tide.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You too Gi, soft pets to Emily, Tide sends licks, that’s what he does.
LikeLike
“If the rawness of what hides behind your mask saw the rawness of what hides behind mine…
how we’d laugh… and how our raw selves would dance in the recognition…”
You conjure something here that speaks for every such soul.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you John , lovely excerpt…is that from your poem? It’s beautiful. Thank you so much.
LikeLike
I think that was an imaginary quote from somebody in some parallel situation, reading what you wrote and feeling hope as a result.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahhh, I’m so glad, thank you John.
LikeLike
Very nice. I was looking for more information about you — where you live (not specifically, just general geographically). If you do things other than write. I wondered if your really lived in a city. I enjoy your work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I live in the United States. Yes I live in a city. Thank you for your interest, and for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
A really captivating narrative that runs smoothly with such rhythm it could almost be set to music, to the music of the city, to the cacophony of life that surrounds what you’ve taken us through. Lovely Holly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Francisco thank you for such a wonderful compliment, I appreciate it very much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure Holly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stunning Rene. Days of our lives brought to light by your understanding talent.
You are shining.
Love
G 🤗❤️🌺🌷💕
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Gabriela.
Love! ❤️💕🤗🌸🌺
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure Rene. Love and hugs to you.
xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure dear G, love and hugs back. xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderfully written, but desolate and lonely!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s a day in the life. Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie ~ Authors.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. Many layered piece
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Derek , wonderful comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gorgeous writing. I was with her on her walk, seeing and smelling and taking it all in with her. And those last two paragraphs… sigh….
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much Dale!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your beautiful prose.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for being so amazing and generous, you are so appreciated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awwww… ’tain’t nuthin’… xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tis’ ! xo 🌸
LikeLiked by 1 person
🥰🌻
LikeLiked by 1 person
🥰
LikeLiked by 1 person
Très bien écrit Holly j’aime beaucoup 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Merci Gyslaine! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Read from start to finish in one breath… and do I want to exhale?
Nope… not one word! 😘
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is really lovely Marina, thank you 🥰
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️🤗😘🤗❤️
LikeLike
❤️😊🥰🌹
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️❣️❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️💕❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤗❤️🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
🌼🤗🌼
LikeLiked by 1 person
❣️❤️❣️
LikeLiked by 1 person
🥰🌼
LikeLike
😘🤗😘❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol…❤️🥰😊💕🤗♥️
LikeLike
🍩🍪🍮🥧🍬🍰
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yummy! Thank you! I’ll get the coffee ☕️!
LikeLike
Good… 👍🥐🥯😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍🥰
LikeLike
Excellent writing, Holly so much depth in your words. Great post.
LikeLike
Thank you so much I’m so glad you liked this!
LikeLike
You are always welcome Holly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kamal.
LikeLike
Welcome Holly. Have a lovely day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kamal, have a wonderful day too!
LikeLike
Wonderful writing, I think you echo what many of us are going through. xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
A day in life. To walk through the grit of life as it is and return back to dreams of better times and places and seek that connection with another that soothes, heals, and renews a boundless inner strength to carry on, that is the stuff of life. Beautifully done Rene.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Dan, you always reach right in and interpret perfectly the meaning that I’m trying to express.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure Rene, my head elves are lit up like a Christmas tree when I read your poetry or short stories. To intuit a correct interpretation is a credit to you and the clarity of your voice and the intensity of focus you bring to those rascally head elves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s would be difficult to say the least to pull anything over on the head elves. Thank you Dan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha ha! They are in charge, I just provide room, board, and entertainment. 😆
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m thinking they are providing some entertainment so room and board is not too much to ask is it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so right. It’s a hoot to have them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lucky guy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think so ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure seems like it 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on INFJ CAFE and commented:
Mme. H from House of Heart gives a tour of a true heart, a coffer filled with dreams and memories of love fueled with desire.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Dan, you are a gem. Much appreciated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My absolute captivated pleasure Rene 🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤗
LikeLike
Timely & exceptionally well written.
Much is gone, now.
Much has become precious.
This is a prophetic prose. I fear we may only be truly free, when it is all gone. Man is doing his best to dispose of all garden orchards.
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose” – Kris Kristofferson
Your words always make me think. xoxo
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love your interpretation dear Resa. We have to work on caring for one another and our earth. Sometimes it seems we are on a run away train. xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
xoxo
Yeah! Runaway trains are scary.
Did you see the new Lincoln Project ad?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I know about the Lincoln Project. It’s about time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a great piece, Holly. Well done.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Roberta!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
YOU GOT IT, GIRL!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Jon
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yuppers !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you John🌺
LikeLiked by 1 person
🌺You are welcome Holly!!!.🌺
LikeLiked by 1 person
I appreciate that very much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I appreciate YOU very much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you John.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome, Holly!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Holly, this is so visceral and stunning ♥️♥️♥️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Kristiana, such a wonderful compliment ❤️❤️❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honest and with a degree of tension, the problem of other people. What separates us and whether empathy is enough. It’s a start at least. The awareness (possibly false) generated by our memory and dreams. Sorry I got rather lost in this piece and my critique is meandering to say the least. Nice work!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think you’ve really nailed the meaning, thank you for the in depth comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a subtle piece that packs a lot in within a very short space. Also what binds us, how we are similar, memories and dreams and how they haunt all of us, it is just a question of degree as whether they define us or destroy us. Thank you very much for this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Mr. Cake, such a wonderfully inspiring comment. I truly appreciate that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True artistry. I would say expand and explore it as long as you maintain the finely tuned balance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m going to expand this further into the deserted garden, there’s probably a snake in there somewhere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Before it was sneaking around the garden and giving excellent advise to the wise Eve the snake was the eternal recurrence.
LikeLike
He continues to recur, in a self-similar form, poor Eve, always the naïf.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If a fool persists in his folly he will become wise.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
LikeLiked by 1 person
To see a world in a grain of sand… let the Blake off commence!
LikeLike
And a heaven in a flower. I Love Burroughs.
LikeLike
Blake too. 😒
LikeLiked by 1 person
Proverbs of Hell.
LikeLike
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, that sounds familiar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
One of my favourites. My we are digressing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am prone to digress… Roses are planted where thorns grow,
And on the barren heath
Sing the honey bees.
I think something like this is perfect for “the abandoned garden” that I spoke of.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now you are teasing me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No not at all. Perfect for the abandoned garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can just move some words around and Voilà.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Isn’t that writing is really… moving words around and hoping, praying that they form a pleasing thought?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, it is. Lets face it, everything’s been said before.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing new under the sun, but the attempt is the thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s where the challenge and the fun is. So I keep trying.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t stop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will continue with my very important work. Thank you Mr. C. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your encouragement means a lot
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautifully evocative piece with such stark contrasts of gritty harshness and warm comfort – the narrator with her beloved sanctuary, and the lonely girl left to shiver out in the cold. You really pull the reader into the scene and make it pulse with life.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Beautifully encouraging Tom, thank you so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Holly, your work here is so rich and pure at heart. You speak from your inner emotion and soul.
The descriptions you express I felt I was living in your beautiful and wonderous world.
Bless you my friend. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, that’s really lovely Charlie , bless you as well, have a wonderful night. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome Holly.
A smile makes the heart feel joyous and happy. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does and you bring a smile to my face. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a pleasure to read your prose, though I don’t think you can write anything that doesn’t read like poetry. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Diana, that’s such a beautiful compliment, thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This made me heart skip a beat. Your last paragraph left me utterly speechless; I loved this so very much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading this, thank you for the lovely comment.
LikeLike
Rene, this brought memories of my homeless friends. Because of isolation, I don’t see them and wonder how many are still alive. Your words bring me the assurance that you are still fighting to save the lives of others. This has been the bright spot in my otherwise monotonous day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dennis, one must worry and wonder what is happening with the homeless when even our elderly in care homes are at such terrible risk. I know you have and do all that you can. Take care of yourself!
LikeLike
Wow, Holly!! I really loved this!! The description of your hair color was so great – rusty nail!!
Your ending was so masterful, beautiful and pensive!! Bellissimo, My Dear Bellissimo!!
xoxo 😘💕🌹
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Chuck, you are amazing, I really love your comment. xoxo
LikeLike
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Chuck 🌸
LikeLike
wünsche mal wieder einen wunderschönen Tag ohne große Sorgen, Klaus
LikeLiked by 1 person
Danke 😊Haben eine wunderschönen Tag , Lieber Klaus .
LikeLike
What a vibrant share. The colors are heart inspiring! Have a blessed day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you AOC
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Your share was most impressive! ❤️🌺❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. ❤️
LikeLike
I rarely follow anymore. Which is a selfish thing to say as a blogger. But I followed you! I love your writing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That really makes my day Diane, such a lovely compliment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Lost Dudeist Astrology.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YVW!
LikeLiked by 1 person
TY!
LikeLiked by 1 person
An undertone of incredible sexuality. Loved it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much George.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now I can see why Hyperion loves your stuff. You move souls…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you George, that’s such a wonderful comment and so appreciated.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bonjour mon Ami, Amie HEART

Ce matin je passe sur ton blog avec
Des paroles de douceur, qui en fera pour moi et toi des moments de bonheur
Ce sont de simples écris et des mots trouvés, qui te mettra des étoiles dans les yeux
Prenons ensemble le temps et la joie d avoir des matins heureux
Qu’ils fait bon se réveiller au petit matin de suivre en joie son chemin
D’avoir eu des rêves plein le cœur
Ce matin pense à aimer et oublier , les blessures du passé
Pense juste la magie de la beauté du jour d’avoir une belle vie pour toujours
Je viens juste te souhaiter une bonne journée par ces quelques lignes
Bisous avec toute mon amitié
Bernard
LikeLiked by 1 person
Merci dear Bernard. Thank you for this lovely message. Sending wishes for health And happiness! Bisous, Holly.
LikeLike
Holly, you are one of the most soulful poets I’ve had the pleasure to read!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so very humbled, I feel your poetry is some of the most beautiful and your words on this make me feel very good about it. Thank you Lance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, Holly. And, thank you for your thoughtfulness and support!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so just wow… this took my breath away. I felt like I was with you walking past that woman, the wall, into the garden. So beautiful
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for reading and the wonderful comment!
LikeLike
Any time. It was my pleasure my friend!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Welcome!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person