fate

Fate

Years passed, no regret
memories swirl in my head
I cannot forget

phone call from the past
your voice beckoned on the line
and our fates were cast

topsy turvy world
standing at the precipice
all my fears unfurled

two lives intersect
the merging of destiny
butterfly effect

warm Bahama breeze
plane taxied down long runway
sailed across blue seas

you showed me true love
something that I never knew
gift from God above

emotions so pure
through life’s sweet and trying times
our bond endures

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
November 19, 2022

This takes me way back to 1987, when my life most definitely changed for the better. Dan and I originally met in 1982 in Oklahoma City, where we both worked for Arthur Andersen & Company. We lived different lives back then, but socialized together in a large group of work friends. It was strictly platonic; however, he did give me a glowing performance evaluation for some work I did for him as a paraprofessional. Then the 1980’s oil and gas bust happened, he left for Florida for a new position, and I eventually divorced and transferred to Washington, DC. He found out through a mutual friend, and she gave him my number. After a series of catching up phone calls with Dan, he invited me down to Florida for our first date. I thought, “Why not? I know him very well already, plus he’s a nice guy and cute, too.” Well, he took me to the Bahamas for our first date – such a surprise! Long story short, we fell in love and knew that we were going to end up together. In fact, now that I think of it we got engaged 35 years ago. One of the best things that ever happened to me!

I have no regrets in my life. I believe that everything happens for a reason, though we may not know it at the time. Our lives are chaotic, we experience heartbreak, we take risks, we give our heart and hope for the best. The journey we go through makes us the person we are. I wouldn’t be the strong person I am today without conquering the challenges I have faced at many points of my life. I am grateful for the love, wisdom and joy that I have come to know in life. That’s all. Just some random thoughts running through my head as I prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Life is such a blessing!

I hope you all have a wonderful, Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Lovey dovey
Inspiration: “Let’s Stay Together” – Al Green

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 20.14 Topic: Topsy Turvy
Hard Bonus: Discuss the Butterfly Effect
Easy Bonus: Mention a taxi or Uber

Spirit of the Forest

Spirit of the Forest

Far above the towering redwoods
Where the lone bald eagle flies,
Steely clouds conspire and gather
To break in alabaster skies.

Monsoon descends upon green woods,
Crystal raindrops mingle with tears.
Shadows creep within the forest,
Stirring up my deepest fears.

A life of suffering and sins,
I hear your cry upon the winds.
If only I could stop the rain,
If only I could ease your pain.

Standing firm in distorted thoughts,
Unwillingness to sacrifice.
Tempting fate until the end,
You made your choice and paid the price.

Thunder crashes across the valley,
Walls of rocks are tumbling down.
They seek revenge, restless natives,
As your spirit walks these forest grounds.

A life of suffering and sins,
I hear your cry upon the winds.
If only I could stop the rain,
If only I could ease your pain.

Would you spend each day as if it were your last one?
Would you ride a white horse into the setting sun?
Would you change your mind if you had a second chance?
Would you dare to leave your fate to circumstance?

A life of suffering and sins,
I hear your cry upon the winds.
If only I could stop the rain,
If only I could ease your pain.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
June 11, 2022

Inspiration: Moby “Lie Down in Darkness”
Mood: Pensive

The Raisonneur

The Raisonneur

Ah, distinctly I remember
It was in the bleak December.
The cold north winds would not abate,
The raisonneur of my life’s fate.

Dark night gave way to morning light,
A winter wonderland of white
Perched lightly on my iron gate,
The raisonneur of my life’s fate.

She turned to me, spoke in hushed tones
Said I must kneel and weep alone.
A thousand years I lie in wait,
The raisonneur of my life’s fate.

Ah distinctly I remember
The raisonneur of my life’s fate.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2015
December 30, 2015

To Mingle With Shooting Stars

To Mingle With Shooting Stars

These tired bones ache
and the futile tears fall
undetected, unrelenting,
like soft rain on a summer day.

The wind stills in deference
to a radiant light rising up,
drawing closer, closer
as I crawl to the precipice.

I am about to take my last voyage,
a great leap in the dark
where faith meets fate,
where screams in dreams are silenced.

Will I fall like a lead weight
or sprout butterfly wings;
sink into the fiery depths
or ascend a stairway to heaven?

Plunged into the frigid darkness,
holy water seeps through my skin,
coming clean of past transgressions,
purifying my tarnished soul.

Thunder shakes heaven and earth,
the sentinel angels have spoken;
my body and spirit finally set free
to mingle with shooting stars.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2015
September 1, 2015

For my dear friend Deborah Truitt…RIP. I love you.

Falling

The sun has gone missing
held hostage by defiant clouds
heavy skies aching, stripped of light
while the dark matter pulls us down…

We are blind to our own blindness
thinking inside narrow boxes
afraid to color outside the lines
hiding within our own shadows…

Falling for fools, falling in love
we fall out of favor with ourselves
trying to pretend time stands still
as the mirror reveals hard truths…

C’est la vie, mon ami
it’s just the way of the world
for the Earth tilts on its axis
hurtling towards tomorrow…

We defy the theory of relativity
stepping into the black hole
free falling to our destiny
faster than the speed of light….

…and gravitation cannot be held responsible.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2015
August 12, 2015

Into the Sun’s Embrace

One life lived in limbo,
teetering on the brink.
You swim against strong currents
as all hope begins to sink.

Stripped of all belongings
and rendered colorblind;
Restless nights and wasted time,
the past has been unkind.

You stand alone in judgment
and utter truthful words.
They echo in the brittle air
like a distant crying bird.

As I bow my head to pray,
maternal instincts swell.
If only I could scoop you up
and save you from this hell…

Open up your broken heart,
shed your fears, atone.
Feel the warmth inside you,
know that you are not alone.

With the golden dawn comes hope,
the promise of something new.
Step into the sun’s embrace,
where a new day waits for you.

Colleen M. Breuning © 2012
March 27, 2012

Shadows of My Father ~ The Poem and The Book

somfthumbnail1 — "Shadows of My Father" by Colleen Keller Breuning © 2011

Shadows of My Father

As a child, I walked through the park
hand in hand with my father.
Brimming with energy and innocence,
I played a game of hide and seek,
jumping into his enormous shadow.
My elfin figure was gobbled up
by his lumbering adumbration,
stretching long across the path
illuminated by the springtime sun.

Young and stupid in love,
I felt as if my father’s shadow
was falling over me, somehow
supplanted in my subconscious.
Though I could not see it,
I could feel his image lingering,
cutting through the darkness,
watching me as I made mistakes
from which he could not protect me.

I could sense his shadow slipping
away that New Year’s Day,
battle weary from the fight of his life.
With a weak smile on his face,
my father gazed at me
from his hospital bed.
I knew from the far away look
in his soft hazel eyes
that I was saying goodbye.

Now as I walk alone
with the sun on my back,
my own blackened silhouette
extends before me.
There are no huge hands to hold,
no large shadows to jump into.
But my soul is at peace,
and I smile, knowing that I carry
his shadow inside of mine.

This poem was the one that inspired me to do a tribute book of poetry to my father. Though the book contains many poems about experiences with my father, there are other subjects covered in the work presented within. I want to thank my family, friends and network of fellow writers who have shown great support, not only by purchasing the book, but in giving me such positive feedback throughout this process. I love you all!

Published in “Shadows of My Father”
Available now on Amazon:

https://www.createspace.com/3556166

The Details

The Details ~ Blogophilia 5.4
Blogophilia 5.4 Topic: “A Crazy Twist of Fate”
Bonus Points:
(Hard, 2pts):Mention 3 Sports (I used curling, wrestling, sailing & hang gliding)
(Easy, 1pt):Use Tap Dancing

Final date to post: April 5th, 2011 GMT midnight
Final date to post ALL GUESSES: April 2nd, 2011 GMT midnight

The Details

It was a snowy day in February
when you first laid eyes on me.
I sat on display in the partner’s office,
my chocolate hair curling down my back.
It fails me when I first spotted you
from behind my glass partition.
Our hearts were tethered to others;
you kept a respectable distance for years.

But I still remember what I was wearing…
a crimson blouse with white piping,
tartan plaid wool skirt and dress boots.

Our lives took different twists and turns —
you moved south and I moved east,
bound by the long cord of mutual friends.
I was wrestling with my desperation,
weary of my mind numbing existence
when you called me that hot night in July.
I don’t remember exactly what you said,
but you sent my heart sailing like a kite.

But I still remember what I was doing…
hand washing dishes in my lavender suit,
sweat dripping down into the soapy water.

It was a sunny day in late November
that we sat in the hotel restaurant
watching sunlight glint on aqua waters,
the seagulls hang gliding in azure skies.
You and I, on the other side of paradise,
gazing into each other’s eyes
and tap dancing around our future.
I can’t recall the exact plans we made.

But I still remember what I was eating…
a cheeseburger with pineapple,
dill pickle spear and a side of fries.

I never went searching for another prince
because I don’t believe in fairy tales.
So perhaps it was predestined
or written in the distant stars,
perhaps it was a crazy twist of fate
that our lives would intersect.
The sands of time fall, memory eludes,
but some details you just can’t forget.

And I still remember how I was feeling…
like the luckiest princess in the kingdom,
to finally have another chance at love again.

Dedicated to my husband Dan!

SECRET BONUS POINT GUESSES:

Mystery lady/mystery woman, masked woman, belle of the ball, masquerade, princess, Cinderella, Mardi Gras, fairy tale, who’s that lady, hoop skirt, hidden, behind the mask, wicked, candelabra, opera candles, burning up, candle crown, phantom of the opera, opera glasses……..

The Gardener

Blogophilia 48.3 Topic: “Spring Fever”

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2 pts): incorporate 2 electric wood working tools
(Easy, 1 pt) : mention a cracked pot

The Gardener

Every March saw him grow restless,
he felt the rush of spring fever
coursing through his ambitious veins,
evidenced by dog-eared Burpee catalogs
and tattered gardener’s books
stacked beside the painted pantry.
Strong arthritic fingers dug
into coarse, pungent loam,
pushing tiny seeds deep down,
in a blanket of black compost,
sprinkled with water and love.

In his modest backyard garden
lilac bushes perfumed the air,
purple morning-glory caressed
the varnished wooden arbor,
tangerine daylilys waved from beds
beside rows of violet snapdragons,
standing tall, on guard like soldiers.
Robust bell peppers pushed forth
in brilliant hues of green and scarlet,
savory sun ripened tomato vines
crawled high up wooden stakes
like rogue bladerunners
reaching for the cloudless sky.

But in a cruel twist of fate,
the heartless hands of winter
took the tired gardener
during the bleakest blizzard.
Spring dawned with April rain,
but the tiny garden fell
into inevitable disrepair —
cracked pots of terra-cotta
speckled with mud lay
beneath the weathered arbor,
weeds sprouted up, choking
the life out of the seedlings,
leaving once fertile beds
dry and barren.

The latch of the shed has rusted,
but the aluminum door gives way
to tools of his precious trade.
I feel a surge in my restless veins
as I grab the blue tined rake
and work the dirt, sweating,
sifting out stones, dead roots,
and clumps of dried weeds.
My nimble thin fingers
enrich the beds with loam,
dig trenches to scatter seeds,
rubber boots tamping down soil,
embellishing with cool water
as my heart fills with hope
that life and love will bloom again…

I can almost smell the lilacs.

Note to Marvin: My tools are the saw and the bladerunner. The Rockwell BladeRunner RK7320 Cutting Machine is a combination of a jigsaw, scroll saw and band saw, all in one variable speed machine. Versatile machine cuts wood, metal, PVC, ceramic tile and more. Hmmm…. put that on my birthday list, hehe….

SECRET BONUS POINT GUESSES

Taking out the trash, Louis Vuitton bag, rags to riches, bags to riches, fit for a king, designer garbage bag, rich man’s bag, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure (or woman’s treasure), recycling in style, cats got the bag, my front porch, rubbish, no dumping allowed.