Solitude

Another short poem written some time in 2012

Solitude 

by Julie Gengo

celebrating solitude in the midst of forgiveness

sleepy eyes close as the voices continue

blessed by the riles of willfulness

and sanctity of corners where pockets bear abundance

Jeremy and Beatrix by Julie Gengo

Here's another one from a few years back....I wonder what I was thinking back then and who about???? Enjoy...Listening to Parquet Courts while I post this....

Jeremy and Beatrix

By Julie Gengo

As she usually does on Saturday morning, Beatrix was pulling up the weeds with vigor. She liked to make a contest of it all, challenging herself to uproot an entire section with one try. This made her happy and at times, prompted her to shout “YES” out loud.

This time, her yes was particularly loud, so loud that it caught the attention of an unexpected visitor.

“I heard that,” Jeremy said as he turned around to say hello.

“Hello. It's Beatrix isn't it?” he shouted back as he leaned his bike against the fence that encapsulated her garden from the rest of the world.

“Hi,” she said as she peered up from the brim of her hat. “What can I do for you?”

“I was just on my way to town to pick up some tickets for this band that I hear is really fantastic when I heard you shout. I thought you might need some assistance.”

He didn't wait for her to reply. “I'm Jeremy and it's lovely to meet you,” he said as he peered over the fence, closer to where she was working. Jeremy had wanted to do that for quite some time, but his nerve always got the best of him.

In a normal day, he just looked up and smiled as he passed by, but today was anything but normal. He had woken up with a good feeling about everything. There was a buzz in the air that warmed his fingers, turned off his doubt, and kept him from riding on.

“Can I come in?” he said, without hesitation.

“Yes, by all means, she said, "but no, I'm fine.”

Beatrix stood up, wiped her hands on her dress and reached out to shake his.

“Town? Aren't you taking the long route?” she said.

Beatrix was curious. She had seen him before, passing by on this bike. He always seemed to be smiling. She liked the idea of smiling back but usually just kept on gardening as if she didn't notice.

“Well, it's more scenic this way and besides I was interested in what you were growing there next to that bunch with the small white flowers,” he said.

“Turnips,” she replied.

Beatrix had a thing for turnips. Their round onion like body had a splendor that made her happy and they also worked well in her soups.

“Perhaps you would like to try some sometime? Turnips make my soups a bit sassy,” she said as she smiled.

“Okay then.” Jeremy lifted his eyebrows in anticipation. He liked the idea of soup with turnips, but her words took him by surprise. After all, she had always been a mystery. He imagined her to be rather reserved and he thought she was pretty, yet completely unknown.

“Can I call you B?” He said.

“You can, if you like,” she said. “I mean not to be rude, but Beatrix must remind you of...” She interrupted. “The Potter stories? Well it’s not like I have friends that are mice running around and a pet rabbit named Peter. The cat takes care of the mice and...well.” Beatrix laughed. Jeremy amused her.

Jeremy on the other hand felt very stupid for ever bringing up the subject. His words were losing their way and his face turned a blush rose that matched the flowers behind her.

He did muster up enough of whatever it is he needed to ask Beatrix to join him to see the band that was playing the following week. She thought about it for a moment and told him she would think about it and let him know soon. “I have to check with Mrs. Puddle Duck to see if she can keep an eye on the soup,” she giggled.

“Super," Jeremy said as he hid his face in his hands. "I'll pop 'round in a few days.” He then made his way down the road and in a few moments he was out of sight. The idea of turnip soup and Beatrix kept him smiling the entire way into town. 

Other People's Wishes - by Julie Gengo

Artwork by Blu Gengo

It's been a while since my last post. This is a flash piece from a few years ago. I'm working on a new series about music and some new lyrics with vocal melodies that you'll have to imagine, I imagine.....stay tuned....

OTHER PEOPLE'S WISHES

With no commitments, meetings or appointments pending, Celia slipped into the park through the side entrance. Clouds were meeting in anger. Carefully choosing a time when strollers were off to indulge in lunch, and lovers too consumed to notice, she sat down on the edge of the fountain and paused. The cherubs were smiling as she dipped her hand into the brisk water. The wind tensed her body.  She could feel the chill rising up her dress.

Celia took a long, full breath, then reached in. Her slender fingers moved toward a penny. She clasped it in her palm, moved her hand out of the water, then up to her ear. She closed her eyes.

This penny spoke to her as they always do – others people's wishes echoing in her head. Some reeked of love and marriage while some resembled a desire for someone or something to work out.

She remembers one coin, a penny from 1983 that was embedded with a double request. A precocious boy who lost his father to a strange disease wanted a replacement – a dad who would take him to the park and play with his other request – a dog. A dog with no specific measurements or color or any distinctive markings. Just a dog.

His mother couldn't afford a dog now that her husband wasn't there to make things work out, the way they used to. Her lifeless job also came without enough money for the two of them, and a dog to live on. All of this in a city where people move in circles that are closed and void of sensation.

Another wish she remembered was from a tall thin man who yearned for his long lost love to reemerge and walk into his arms; the place he thought she belonged. She left him for another man who had a direct path to a prestigious future; a man who wouldn't take no for an answer. The moment the other man saw her, he couldn't let go and did whatever it took to claim her even at the expense of another's heart.

This other man didn't care that she was involved with the tall thin man, and she, she was caught up in the whirlwind of life. For her, it was the easy thing to do.

The tall thin man thought he would grow old with her as that is what she said while lying next to him, one night, when her supple rose-colored body was pressed against his in a small bed that barely fit the two. The tall thin man was now growing old with another woman; a woman who wouldn't take no for an answer.

Today the wish caught Celia off guard. It came from a shinny penny so new that she turned her head to see if the wisher was still around. A splash of light emerged from the clouds. This didn't distract her. She listened closely. This wish was different. Instead of hearing the wish directly from the wisher, she felt its violent nature; as if she were struck down by a dagger. She saw a women scurrying for her life. She thought she was seeing something that may not have happened yet. Her hands began to shake. She felt helpless, as though life was fleeing and she couldn’t catch hold of it.

Celia knew the woman was in a hopeless situation and for the first time, she added on to the wish in an effort to double its strength. She wished that the women would be cleared from danger and the attacker removed from her life. She wished hard and threw it back into the water then walked away in silence as the clouds began to part. Hints of sunshine followed her. She looked up and smiled. 

Sleeping Children - Song Lyrics from the 90s

Lyrics from the 90s+

Sleeping Children

By Julie Gengo

Sleeping children sigh

In the morning I grow weary

Something crossed my mind

A distraction I see clearly

Deeper I climb

Into my slumber

I’m searching for the words

That will guide me through the storm

It weeps

It’s caught me by surprise

And I can’t hold on to anything at all

I sit around the circle

I wonder for myself

Sleeping children sigh

In the morning I grow weary

Something on my mind

A distraction I see clearly

Deeper I climb

Sometimes I ponder

Why words are so forlorn

A fraction of their size

I dream

And bundle up my pride

In the distance I can see the angels fall

To comfort all the strangers

That lie upon my shelf

A sensory that fails to keep

Me

Here beside you

I wish for dancing days that shine again

In time

Sleeping children sigh

In the morning I grow weary

Something crossed my mind

A distraction I see clearly

Deeper I climb

     deeper I climb

Deeper I climb

    deeper I climb

Deeper I climb

    deeper I climb

Merry Widow - Song Lyrics from the 90s

 

MERRY WIDOW

Lyrics and Vocal Melody
By Julie Gengo

The cradle rocks desperately  

And you break down

While the merry widow sleeps

You break down, break down

You ramble on all alone

But your pockets aren’t sewn

And there ain’t nothing left

You can’t buy your lifeline with it

Or a place called home

(Guitar Break)

How reckless abandonment 

That has raped your soul dry

Could still exist

There is no pride

Or a lullaby called home

And you still can’t reach

But your hands are untied

So you can’t complain

And they taught you not to ever speak again

Speak again

The light seems so pale 

Reflecting off your skin

As deep as your despair 

Penetrating within

And you break down 

And you break down

And you break down

And you break down

And there ain’t nothing left

You can’t buy your lifeline 

Or a place called home

And you still can’t reach

But your hands are untied

So you can’t complain

And they taught you not to ever speak again

Speak again

Speak again

Speak again 

Speak again 

Speak, speak again…..

 

If You Lived Near By

If you lived near by

I would become thin

and crawl through your cat door

and sneak up

as you sat in your chair

reading your book

I would light a candle

and sit next to you

to keep you company

We would play cards

or chess

even though I don't know how to play

If you lived near by

I would call you from a phone booth

on a rainy night

and make you come to your window

I would smile and wave

and you would come down

and we would dance

in the warm rain

and get soaking wet

If you lived near by

I would bring you zucchini

from my garden

and a pumpkin

when they were in season

I would teach you

how to make soup

and how adding in

a little bit of this and a touch of that

can make all the difference

If you lived near by

I would hand deliver

postcards from exotic places

that I found at garage sales

I would write little notes

on them

pretending to be having a

fabulous time

but also sending you love

and kisses

and telling you how much I missed you

Hello

Hello
by Julie Gengo

hello from the back

of the hollow wall

the sound of last year's 

concert in the park

a tiny murmur from yesterday

remains

girl peers out

from behind a book

and listens

counting the meter

as the words 

catch up to the 

day that changed everything