Now We Are Sixteen and Thirteen

It’s sometimes unsettling

to look up or straight ahead,

when I was so used to crouching down.

It’s disorienting

to see a mustache of hair

instead one made of milk.

It’s bewildering

to see my favorite sweaters

skip out the door

on a straight haired version of myself.

I miss the days

when they thought the best thing in the world

was hearing me read to them in funny voices

while they dipped apples into peanut butter.

I miss the days

when all it took was me singing

about a frog’s aspirations or the loneliness of a unicorn

to soothe their hearts.

But

I love the curious young woman

who walks with me every afternoon,

and whose open heart and open mind

makes me smile and inspires me.

I love the earnest young man

who talks with me about video games and politics,

and whose depth of insight and empathy

makes me think and gives me hope.

I’ll look through their baby albums today,

then put them back on the shelf,

looking forward to good conversation at dinner.

I hope they clean up their dishes this time. 

Song Choice: Since the inspiration at Imaginary Gardens at Real Toads was based on Bittersweet Melodies by Feist, I'm going with that.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Wicked Little Grooves

I may be getting older, but I still love birthdays. I like the idea that I made it a whole other year going on some new adventures and taking on some new challenges. When I talked with my fellow April baby, Miss Magaly, about trying new things this upcoming year, we both realized we had talked about doing something collaborative before, but never had gotten around to it. So when she suggested it’d be fun to co-host a month long run of micro-poetry, I was thrilled to give it a go.

I also loved Magaly’s idea of making it a community effort. A birthday celebration ought to be as fun for the guests too, so I’d like to invite my readers to play along with me as well. You can help direct my flirtation with micro-poetry this month by suggesting song titles you think would inspire my Wicked Little Grooves on my Facebook page (I'm keeping the micro-poetry there to better organize my poetic efforts. I plan on being quite busy in April).

Also, for those of my readers who are visual artists, if you have a piece you’d like me to feature along with my poetry for Magaly's Dark Poetry for the Cruelest Month, please let me know. I’d like to let the world know what talented readers I have! As always, I will give full attribution to work you’ve created and include as many links as you’d like to the piece in question (a gallery of your works, your storefront where your works can be purchased, a Facebook page, etc.). As for my fellow word smiths, please consider joining Magaly's poem-palooza too. The attendees were all quite supportive of each other's efforts last year and it was a lot of fun to rise to the challenges meted out. 

I’m excited to see the suggestions I get. Remember, this is a co-hosted party; be sure to go to Magaly’s In Darker Words Facebook page and feed Magaly's muse with some of your favorite quotes, then follow it and her blog in April to see the finished products. You’ll be glad you did – the lady is a wicked awesome poet. Thanks for helping Magaly and I celebrate in grand style!

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice:  The Trail We Blaze from Road to El Dorado

The First Magic

Music was the first magic I knew.

I was taught by my father

when he played a bit of Billy Joel or Elton John

on an old piano or keyboard,

or when he sang along to Stevie Wonder.

Later, I learned where to find the notes

on a piano and in my throat,

but I did it quietly and only by ear.

In my room I’d listen to sweeping crescendos

of guitars that wailed desires I had no name for yet,

and let lyrics pull me away like driftwood in a riptide.

When I found the courage to sing the notes out loud,

I understood the delight and delirium that comes

from creating a space for beauty, even if just for an instant.

I discovered the thrill and terror of weaving moods

that can transport a soul.

And although I make room for all the artful beauty I can,

I always return to the joy of notes well sounded,

and luxuriate in the depth of my response to them.

When I find the right song, the magic comes easily.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song choice: Drift Away by Dobie Gray 

This song was created in response to the Prompt given over at A Dash of Sunny: Music