Rosalie's Picture

I wrote this in the voice of an elderly gentleman. I was inspired to write this when I saw an old man get on the bus and as he flashed his bus, I caught a glimpse of a black and white photo. I guess my imagination ran away with me!

When I board the 88 bus,
with my senior citizen ticket,
I see Rosalie sitting in my wallet.

From where she’s sitting
I can’t see the blush in her cheeks,
the shade of her dress,
or the flower’s color which rests
in her hair. Luckily I studied

her for so long, each detail
is memorized. Her cheeks,
a pink blush from the sun, the flower
matching the blush, the dress
blue. Well green. We argued
over the color. Today she wears

some earrings I bought her. Every day,
she wears the earrings I bought her.
They have two pearls resting, supporting
each other with a silver charm dangling
at the end. A smile slides down

my brain onto my lips. The bus
driver clears his throat, looking strangely
towards me. As he nods his head
I’m unsure if it is to acknowledge
my ticket, or something else. Either way,
I find a spot on the near empty bus.

But I don’t travel alone.

Day Before Autumn

This is the first draft of a poem I am currently revising. It was a blank verse exercise I wrote last fall. I failed at the assignment in many aspects, but I also feel that I accomplished something more valuable than perfect form.

I plucked a leaf out of the branch

and think how I have thieved its life.

Its goal to thrive, destroyed by me.

My gust of strength tore it down,

trampled now into the dirt. And I

apologize to the spring and summer

months of which I robbed a leaf,

a day. A season of life and sun

stolen by me. The wind of autumn

has begun a day to soon.

The Chocolate Chip Waffle

So I've begun to follow an amazing blog, The Chocolate Chip Waffle.

This blog makes me smile for so many reasons, and it will make you smile as well. One reason I'm smiling about this blog is that the blogger is doing an end of summer giveaway. I wish I had been cool enough to think of that! Alas, I wasn't. But I'm more then willing to enter myself into this giveaway! Which is what this post is all about.

The rules clearly stated that i had to tweet, facebook, or blog the contest. Don't get me wrong though - I truly do love this blog and all it has to offer and was more than willing to give my readers another amazing blog to read! So, if you are a fellow blogger, enter the giveaway as well. If you are simply a reader, add The Chocolate Chip Waffle to your list of blogs to read.

My Nose

I smell the hot dog stand scent like backyard
barbecues and family gatherings. I breathe in
market colors through the incense, elephant
ears, and strawberry lemonade. I taste fruit
and vegetables without them touching my
tongue. You assist my daily ritual of appreciating
life. Yet daily, my mirror and I hold a ceremony
to remember the great weight your awkward
smallness places on my life.

Bitter/Sweet News

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to take a minute to say thanks to all my followers and readers! We are approaching 75 posts with 15 Google followers, 22 Twitter followers, and 97 Facebook fans! This is really exciting to me.

I made it a goal to reach 100 Facebook fans by the end of August. We are almost there! If you haven't gone to the page yet, click here and become a fan!

If you are at all familiar with Portland, OR, you will probably know about Wordstock. It is a literature festival that spotlights many amazing authors. I know this because my two term poetry instructor, Alison Apotheker, was one of the readers last year. This year, I will be volunteering at the festival, hopefully with my friend and fellow blogger, Jamila.

Please continue to follow and comment. I love hearing any input you have!

- Tsionah N.