Obscurity
A
place, a time
not
mine, like the past
a
brief repast, a look
a
book title, a film
discussed
with a smile,
a
while it’s been since
conversation
was pleasant,
did
not make me wince
or
cringe away from thoughts,
a
day gone by recalled
Sometimes
I am appalled or
at
least dismayed when I
remember
those times but
talking
reminds me of trust
Friendship
must endure, in order
to
push the past into obscurity.
A Clarinet is not a Piano
They
thought the clarinet
would
be a viable substitute
for
the piano I longed for.
There was no
room in our house for a piano,
I
was told.
I
carried the battered black clarinet case
to
school with me,
hating
the weight of it
hanging
from my hand,
despising
the reed I was forced to suck on
prior
to practicing shrill,
ear
piercing scales during my lesson.
I
never played more than childish tunes,
didn’t
try out for band and
shoved
the clarinet
into
the back corner of my closet,
in
order to forget it.
A
Clarinet is not a piano.
A
Hundred Years of Skin
Now
it’s mine,
the
locket she took
from
around her neck
reminisced
back to when
her
grandmother fastened the
clasp
for her, told me stories old,
a
hundred years of skin, neck creased
wrinkles
she earned, babies raised, some
lost
before their time, tears ran down cheeks
she
didn’t bother to wipe away, placed hands
on
my shoulders, I tried not to shed tears
I
wanted the locket, stories from Gram
listened
closely, hand touched chain
a
hundred years of skin recalled
links
of gold, golden moments
her
grandmother and mine
I
hold the past, hidden-
a
chain linking my
life
to my gram
a
lonely kid
stayed
to herself
not
knowing
there
were
other
lonely
kids
shy
reserved
no
one
to
get these
lonely
kids
together
we
could
have
had a
group
of
lonely
kids
but
no
one
noticed
Julie A. Dickson has been writing poetry for over 50 years, published in many journals and in full length works, she has considered herself to be a writer for most of her life. Dickson holds a BPS in Behavioral Science, is now retired and spending time with her grandson and her two semi-feral cats Cam and Jojo. A past poetry board member and push cart nominee, she is also an avid reader.
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