Treefrogs trill in the trees that enjoyed a sprinkling of rain
from the clouds that last night hid the red moon eclipse,
Pretty black cat joins me on the back porch,
but as I sit, my fingers turn cold as ice from a light breeze blowing;
I return inside, to the warmer air of my daughter’s kitchen,
and await the heat of Summer.
cfblack, 3-14-25, Pi Day
March lament
March 14, 2025The piano
February 20, 2025I remember the day you came to us,
Excitement intense and real,
I was the one who mastered you,
who played for hours on end.
Four years learning to play your keys,
to lift my fingers,
prance them along,
to play with emotion and haunting beauty,
There were times I would stop, sit in silence,
cry, tears rolling down my cheeks,
Frustrated, not moving,
staring at the keys,
until my Father called to me,
“Later, take a break,” he said,
“Come back to play it later.”
and I thought, one day, you might be mine,
to play in joy and solitude.
When my mother passed, there was no way
to bring you to the South,
so you went to our oldest daughter’s house
and lived there for awhile,
Until one day, she gave you away, to another family,
their daughter wanted to learn to play,
and so, you went to them.
There was too much symbolism
to bring you here, even if we wanted,
the meaning of you took on other hues,
of shadows and of sorrow,
so once again, I now release
the pain of former years,
Detach myself from physical things,
thick with meaning and memory,
You travel on, away from me
to the home of a total stranger,
while I am left, as a little girl,
with memories that haunt, and linger.
cfblack, 2-7-14, revised 2-19-25
We have to believe
January 10, 2025We have to believe
our efforts matter,
small changes,
one neighbor to another,
kindness, compassion, sincere love,
while winds blow cold around us,
we keep logs upon the fire.
cfblack, 1-10-25
polar vortex
January 10, 20252:30am, it’s cold in the South,
25 degrees outside these walls,
heater broken, won’t shut off,
fan is stuck in “ON” mode,
We fold blankets against the doors
to cover up the cracks,
the ones that will let sunlight in
when morning comes again,
For now I sit, wrapped in red coat
from my mother-in-law,
watch for random snowflakes,
drinking cherry bubbly.
cfblack 1-10-25
Total Strangers
January 1, 2025As I sit and listen to firecrackers
in our neighborhood,
and wonder how long they will last,
how long dogs will cower under covers
and animals in the park think their life is past,
I think of total strangers —
the ones we met in airports–
The “snowbirds” going back to Florida,
bought a condo, didn’t like it,
headed to Fort Myers,
They smiled freely with dancing eyes,
sharing bits about their lives,
were happy with each other;
Another couple next to them — the woman,
heavy makeup, self-absorbed,
her husband staring at us, then Naylah,
confused, dumbfounded, back and forth,
trying to figure us out;
The lady in a wheelchair, patient and kind,
not really worried about the long line,
said she was “thinking about the end result”
and knew it would all be worth it;
the lady checking our IDs and bags
who barely mouthed her words,
wanting to go home,
she looked for her shift to end;
The woman on a plane, on her phone,
giving orders, making arrangements,
losing patience with whoever it was
on the other end,
her child, excited, next to her,
wanting mommy’s attention;
The young man who fell sound asleep,
mouth open, lost in a dream,
the steward trying to give him a drink
finally giving up;
a baby who cried throughout one flight,
another who played happily;
the Captain who made many announcements
none of us could hear;
I think of them all,
how absurd it was,
all of us 2 miles in the air,
never to meet again;
I hope they met their connecting flights,
got home safely, luggage in hand,
now sit home with family or friends,
as we look to a new year,
and now it seems, fireworks have stopped,
but sirens tell me others have not,
their new year starting with trouble;
so now, I brush teeth and go to bed,
look forward to seeing the sun again,
and waking up, tomorrow.
cfblack, 1-1-25 1am
December 22, 2024
Leaves in the water,
hide the fish
hide the turtles
tell us how hard it rained last night,
the trees now nearly bare,
even in South Carolina,
where we have change of seasons,
but not ice and snow,
they shed their clothes without shame,
stand naked in the cold
will don new outfits in the Spring.
Wintry day South Carolina
December 11, 2024Wintry day,
South Carolina,
Gray skies and falling rain,
More leaves on the ground than on the trees,
branches glisten orange and red,
Stumps of some cut off just below
where Helene broke off the rest,
Loplolly pines stand above, swaying in the breeze,
Birds up there are unaware of all of us below,
warm at 65 degrees, one can enjoy
the screened-in porch, with a jacket on,
I think of many winters past,
snow and ice that does not melt,
snow piled into mountains
children try to climb,
but now we’re here,
in South Carolina,
Wintry days of falling rain,
sitting on my back porch
hearing it hit my window pane,
watching squirrels, deer and birds,
who don’t know how very lucky they are
to be southern.
cfblack, 12-11-24
Trees
November 19, 2024Trees don’t care who’s President,
They just want to live another day
to reach up toward the Sun.
So do people.
cfblack, 11-19-24
I cry for you, America
November 12, 2024I cry for you, America,
home of the brave, land of the free,
I cry for you, America,
it is of thee that I sing,
O beautiful, for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain,
Our National Parks will be ripped apart,
there is money to be made.
We are a nation of immigrants,
have we forgotten on whose land we stand?
Our forefathers took land from others
who were here, before we were,
still others came in slavery
to build our economy,
their backs were broken in southern fields,
their children sold away,
so this is not the first time
people have suffered in your name,
America, home of the brave,
the world’s icon for liberty,
America, I weep for a nation
still blind to your own cruelty.
cfblack, 11-12-24
Hurricane Helene
October 11, 2024As Helene rips through the park
uprooting trees
obstructing our view
they start falling,
but as they fall, screaming,
they reach out for one another,
and now, in each other’s arms,
they hold each other up,
until the chainsaws come.
Hurricane Helene, Columbia SC, Friday 9-27-24, we had only wind. A tornado ripped through our park — that is our belief — based on the numerous trees ripped from the ground, large ones blocking our view, laying across the path, hiding the basketball court and community center.
Doctor Grandma 