WITHOUT YOU
by Ann Christine Tabaka
Without You
A thousand years ago
it came to be, or so it
seems. It spit my heart
in two, or so it felt.
Emotions drift upon
a waft of smoke, burning
my eyes once more.
Past’s subtle nudge
You fell out of nowhere
into my life. A life that
was thus far a blank
canvas, waiting for color.
Seasons came, and
years passed, yet I never
knew the truth. We were
too different, you and I.
It was never meant to be.
Here I stand, and out
there somewhere, you
soar among the doubt.
Holding on to distant
visions, I continue on
my life’s journey –
without you!
Vision Quest
Brilliant rainbow of thought,
going beyond all knowing
and believing to a place
that never was. Roaming
dark halls of illusion where
no one has trod before.
Losing all sense of reality,
unanswered questions follow
close behind. As she walks
away, her colors fade into
a yesterday that she never
knew, entering a tomorrow
that would not exist,
except in her own mind.
Repentance
What is it that you want from me,
to hold a hand before your eyes,
to shield you from your past?
I am not the savior of your ways.
I cannot mend the rift
that swallows your own guilt.
The sins off the fathers
are not passed on.
We bear our own trespasses.
Sheltered by our own ignorance,
little do we know of consequence
of things we did before.
Our shoulders burdened with fault,
we must make our own amends.
I cannot save you.
Salvage
This old body is failing
from stem to stern.
Riggings creak and moan,
neglected and forgotten.
Once sunlit sails,
blinding white,
raised upon a breeze,
hoisted high above earthly cares.
I glided on
a sea of dreams,
with thirst
for high adventure.
Vessel now leaky,
with rusted hull
moored at the dock
of unattainable desire.
Listing to one side,
adrift upon unfamiliar waters.
A glowing future
is now the past.
Hawser secure,
I await my tow to
the final salvage yard.
Dismantled in the end.
About the Author:
Ann Christine Tabaka was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize in Poetry, has been internationally published, and won poetry awards from numerous publications. She 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.