Four poems by Therese Taylor

Ode To An Author At Fifty

In the blank silence of middle night
Margaret surfaces in front of me
“Take up your pen, set your mind free.”
“Seriously,” she muses, “Words don’t bite.”

At sixteen her works inspired me
Edible prose nourished desire
At twenty-one the oracle broke free
The scribbler sparked my drive on fire

To write, to polish, to publish
That was life before my man
Three kids, laundry, the frying pan
Flooding in another eco dish
Long suffering, like Penelope
Now at fifty, where’s my destiny?

Inspiration

Phrases come to me
Insight in my ear
Words suddenly appear
Inspiration divine
It happens, so sublime
A voice cries inside
Write me down
Remember me
Set these synapses free

Twilight dreams

Life is full of dreams
Some are never seen
Popping into your head
Unfulfilled, full of dread
To sing, to dance
Write a romance
To act, to run
Enjoy abundant fun

Unfulfilled goals
Holes on your soul
Like sour Swiss cheese
Bitter bites never please
Some are never seen
Life is full of dreams

That’s It

Can lit

Studied it

Words writ

Locution knit

Writers’ wit

Inspiration hit

Write a bit

Anxiety fit

Let it sit

Edit it

Submit

Emotional pit

Don’t quit

Keep fit

Write a hit

Get credit

Void debit

Last exit

Final writ

My obit

Albeit

*

Therese Taylor has written columns for her local paper, is a former editor of Women’s Culinary Network News and an environmental activist. Co-owner of Dan T’s Inferno Foods, she has a Masters degree in Journalism and is working on a book about her Mom. She lives in Mississauga with her husband and three children and loves to write poetry.

For information about Brian Henry's writing workshops and creative writing classes, see here.