Time for the Thaw

Sunlight pours down
and spreads through
stiffened limbs
like warm honey,
inch by inch
restoring life along
with grace.

The world relaxes
into color as
the outlook shifts
from gray to green.
SAD days are over--
time for the thaw.

Ides of March

Happy Ides of March! You may think it morbid to celebrate the day given its historical significance; however, the Ides of March has become more to me than the anniversary of Julius Caesar's death. It has become a family holiday for my sister and me--an inside joke between the two of us that none of our co-workers can understand since they don't share our literary tastes. As teenagers we had our own version of the famous prophecy associated with this day, "Beware the eyes of _______" (insert name of creepy guy that rhymes with March). As I said, only a true literature buff would see the humor in that.

But this year, the Ides of March has become more to me than just a literary inside joke. I have decided it is a day to celebrate friendship and loyalty, a day for true friends to stand by each other. Although for Julius Caesar this day meant betrayal, it does not have to be that way.

On the Ides of March
I do not say beware,
but take heart.

For when Brutus comes
I will be there
and others as well
to stand between
you and his knife.

With our loyalty
we will surround you,
protecting from betrayal
and willing, if need be,
to take the blow ourselves.

My friend,
on the Ides of March
do not beware, but take heart.

Mask and Miscalculation

The mask--
I donned it willingly
knowing full well the consequences
the sacrifices required

Yet somehow
miscalculating the placidity
of my own soul

After years of practice
I think I wear it well--
that frozen smile

But inside I
languish beneath the mask
drumming fists against
the rigid facade

Pining for a
few unfettered steps
outside the glare of
the magnifying glass

The choice I made
this visage I wear
weigh heavy on my soul
how long I can bear it
I do not know