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?

Where Was I?

Where was I
when I heard a woman
sobbing silently?

Tell me,
where was I
when I watched a couple
let go
and walk apart?

Please tell me,
where was I
when the fireworks splashed
across the night sky
and I wasn't awed?

And tell me,
where was I
when my gut knew
before my heart
and my head
that we were through?