Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

Memories--

temporary imprints of ourselves

lost and found in the sand.

Whirling seagulls,

squealing children,

doped in the moment

by the calm of your hand.

At the water,

the waves drew us out--

bubbles forming a heart,

popping in the sand.

At low tide,

awed by its stench

a dead sea lion

drew us in,

to us.

Mother and sons,

making footprints and memories

Minus one.

Poetry Reading

Mark your calendars! I will be reading from my book of poetry, "SaltWild" at Lyon Bookstore on Tuesday, April 29th. from 7:00-8:00. Hope to see you there!

Sherry

Sherry

In memory
 
 
You drove alone
east
into the fading line.

There are only

so many roads
on our map
 

and you drove

the only
one you hadn’t tried.
 

Along the way,

you pushed the pedal hard

then harder.

Needing to get there

fast,
first.

When you ran out of gas,
you slowed
to a stop

and walked into the wilderness.
Your shadows grew
in the moonlight.

Specks in the Sunlight

She watches a speck
dance in the sunlight

and slips into childhood,
a child.

Her aged hands reach
for the sparkle.

It slips away
before she can touch it.

She reaches for another.

Still Open

It sits,
still open
right where we left

it, when we got up
and walked
away. It's thick 

with memories.

I may need your help
to put it away.

Every Thornbush has a Rose

She outlived them both:
the one they accepted
and the one they didn't.

Torn by faith and tradition,
Rose married, not for love,
but out of obligation.

He turned to hitting
when drunk and once
threw her into a rosebush.

"Now you're a real rose!"
he mocked and slapped
his knee until he stumbled

over his own stupid humor.
When she left him,
the church frowned.

She went to California
and fell in love with a new man.
When she tried to marry him,

the church said, "You are
impure, Rose. We can't
marry you here."

But that didn't stop her,
she sent her children to church
so she could get the message,

pure,
filtered through their innocence.

SaltWild Available on Amazon

Here is the link to "SaltWild" on Amazon. I hope you enjoy the read:)
~Lisa Anina Berman
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=saltwild&sprefix=saltw%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asaltwild

The Winning Team

Parents beam at sweaty teens
and pat each other
on the butt. Buzzing higher,
smiling wider, than their kids.

Link to SaltWild

My book is live on Kindle! I will be sharing the link for bound copies of this book within the week. Bless your day! ~Lisa Anina Berman

http://www.amazon.com/SaltWild-poems-Lisa-Anina-Berman-ebook/dp/B00I6QRH56/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391542124&sr=1-1

Beautiful

Who knows what pain
a caterpillar
must endure
before becoming beautiful?

Who knows how to measure
time that allows the ocean
to create gems
from broken glass?

Who knows how a vine
can seek out
a speck of light
in the darkness?

Who knows if love
isn't captured
in a rainbow
and splashed across the sky?