First Presentation

All those eyes
looking at me --
my classmates,
meek as lambs too.
Their eyes filmy
with distant voids
sharing their shock for me
when the teacher
calls my name...
her eyes pierce mine
like flying daggers
that aim at me.

I hide under the table --
try not to receive
their condemnation.
No solid closet
with locking door
to crawl into.
Only wide spaces
between chair legs
to peek through.
She repeats my name.
I cannot do it...
even if demon hands
grab me by the shirt,
drag me out on the floor,
scoot and shove me
to the front of the room,
I cannot do it.

No whispering,
no fingers pointing,
just dumbfounded faces
that stare at this girl
too shy to go up there
for her first presentation.

(Author's note: This memory dates back to my early elementary school days.)

A Waiter at El Patio

This tall, clumsy, yet handsome man
wearing indigo and bone,
and well-groomed auburn hair,
smooth talks ol' Al
into serving customers' drinks.
He emerges holding a
big, round charcoal tray --
unstable glasses and bottles
waddle in slow motion,
lean and sway
like pivoting dancers who,
in seconds, swivel, loop
rotate, propel in larger circles
as he approaches our table.

Quick, I push back my chair
pop up from the table
step far enough away.
Tipsy bottles and glasses wobble
clank against each other
like struck bowling pins.
Liquids spill onto the table
on people's laps, onto their hair,
soaking their clothes.
I get a quick whiff of beer,
wine, rum and coke.
Bottles and glasses fall,
crash and shatter on the floor –
startling reflexes, scowling lips,
protruding eyeballs, flaring nostrils.
Patrons shriek, yell,
flail their arms into the air,
grabbing thin napkins
to soak up the puddles.

Dumbstruck,
I rub my chin,
sprint to the left,
skip on my way
to the bathroom, laughing
like an hysterical escapee.

Wishing for Rain

I want to be a turquoise bird
with a sandy beak and sandy legs,
coral rings around blue eyes,
salmon bands across the feathers,
white throat and white chest,
sitting like a sculpture on my
weathered, rustic picket fence,
to feel the wind blow black clouds
southward, to wait like an icon
wishing for the coolness of rain.

Instead I lay down on the couch
and fall asleep like a tired ol' bear
who just ravaged for dinner,
feeling fat as a fully fed female
on a fearless Friday night,
with nothing else to do except
drag her feet around the cave
after waking from a two hour nap.

Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel - St. Louis, MO

I just got back from the ACE Conference in St. Louis, MO. This is my fourth conference as a member. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to go elsewhere outside the hotel and nearby Westport Plaza. I wanted to go to the famous arch, but didn't get a chance. Making the best of the area around me, I took a lot of photos around the hotel and plaza. These are my best shots.

Plants and Flowers Outside the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel - St. Louis, MO

Lake with Fountain by the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel - St. Louis, MO

Duck Outside the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel - St. Louis, MO

On the lake side, there's a beautiful stream with landscaping, bridges, etc., between the Sheraton Wesport Chalet Hotel and the swimming pool. The lake is on the other side of the swimming pool.

A Vase Inside the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel - St. Louis, MO

Portion of a Tapestry on the Third Floor - Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel - St. Louis, MO

Top of a Door Frame Inside the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel - St. Louis, MO

Westport Plaza - St. Louis, MO

There are restaurants, shops, and other businesses in the Westport Plaza in St. Louis.

Westport Plaza - St. Louis, MO

The Pavilion - Westport Plaza - St. Louis, MO

Some Signs - Westport Plaza - St. Louis, MO

The Funny Bone Comedy Club - Westport Plaza - St. Louis, MO

A Bar - Westport Plaza - St. Louis, MO

I thought of my guitar-playing brother when I saw this display while walking around on the Westport Plaza. I love displays, so I took the picture.

Back Street Jazz and Blues Night Club - Westport Plaza - St. Louis, MO

I wished I had known on the second night that this blues/jazz club was so close to the hotel. I could have taken in some entertainment. But it was late and dark, and I hadn't had a chance to explore the plaza at that point. By the third day at the ACE conference, I had more time to explore, found this night club, liked the window display, and took a picture. The place was closed the third night. Shucks!

Flowers in my front and back yard

Copyright - Sue Miller - May 2010

Card

A friend sent me a birthday card.
It touched my soul. The mint green
envelope bordered with butterflies
and flowers -- a young, barefooted girl
graced with leaves for wings
and a leaf apron tied around her waist.
A white pouch filled with strawberries
hung from her shoulder. She wore a
brown top and checkered, funnel-shaped
skirt, stood on a small, grassy hill, bent
forward with her garden kettle,
watering strawberries in yellow pots.

Inside - expressions - white over sea green.
Imagine two newspapers folded into sailors' hats,
like sailboats, and horizontal squiggle motifs
implying waves. A message wished me
to have dreams that sailed far and wide,
and may the child in my heart stay forever –
it's these words taking shape, moving
in hopeful directions, that mattered.

Rosemary

Rub it between your fingers
and smell it. You'll know
if it is rosemary. It smells great
when picked on the spot.
The green-needled leaves
taste superb when they're firm,
slightly rubbed, crushed,
added to vegetable soups
or in a rice skillet dish.

I am blessed to have
a Rosemary bush.
It is a blessed herb,
symbol of remembrance,
helps stimulate memory,
can ease a tired mind.
It is a natural disinfectant,
preserver of beauty products,
preserver of life.

The name Rosemary reminds
me of someone I know.
She is gentle as rose petals,
paints colorful roses, and is like
a sweet, blessed Mary.