ANN CHRISTINE TABAKA

ANN CHRISTINE TABAKA

LESSONS LEARNED

Never let go of what you love,

keep it close at hand.

For tomorrow you may find

everything has changed.

Looking back on what we were,

and what we hoped to be.

I see mistakes were made

throughout those many years.

We took for granted what

we had, what we shared.

Along the way we faltered,

we did not make amends.

We did not stoke the fire,

we let desire die,

withdrawing within ourselves,

as separate entities.

I know now, what I did wrong,

too late to set things right.

Hoping only to reclaim

an inkling of what once was.

So lessons learned,

I live my days in lonely solitude.

Remembering what could have

been, if only I knew then …

never let go of what you love.

HAIL THE CONQUEROR

A cold gray day

creeps into the warmth

of a sunny morning.

Brightness turns overcast

as dark clouds win out.

Wind picks up its tempo,

and chills by the hour.

Snow is on its way,

snow is on its way.

You can smell it in the air.

You can feel it in your bones.

There is no escaping as it

looms on the cusp.

It fills your lungs with ice,

as it closes in around you.

Nothing left to do but wait.

Snow is on its way,

snow is on its way.

Treacherous in its beauty,

it grinds all to a stop.

Danger lurks beneath it

as it accumulates its strength.

Deeper and deeper it piles,

it drifts, it conquers.

Snow is here to stay,

snow is here to stay.

EMBRACE LIFE

Toss a stone into a pond,

watch the circles grow.

Grab a silver ring from the

merry-go-round of life.

Whistle into the wind,

let vibrations run through you.

Skip along a walkway,

let giggles emerge.

Put aside your chores,

let the daily grind rest.

Time and time again

we miss the modicums of joy.

ANN CHRISTINE TABAKA

ANN CHRISTINE TABAKA was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize in Poetry, has been internationally published, and won poetry awards from numerous publications. She is the author of 9 poetry books.  Christine lives in Delaware, USA.  She loves gardening and cooking.  Chris lives with her husband and two cats. Her most recent credits are: Ethos Literary Journal, North of Oxford, Pomona Valley Review, Page & Spine, West Texas Literary Review, The Hungry Chimera, Sheila-Na-Gig, Synchronized Chaos, Pangolin Review, Foliate Oak Review, Better Than Starbucks!, The Write Launch, The Stray Branch, The McKinley Review, Fourth & Sycamore.

*(a complete list of publications is available upon request)