kiss – Colleen Keller Breuning

Vertigo

Vertigo

My head is spinning round and round,
My feet unsteady on the ground.
I’m caught up in this undertow,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

I try to still these waves of change
And close my eyes to rearrange.
I sense your warmth as cold winds blow,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

In fields of gold, your lips meet mine,
We savor taste of autumn wine.
Hold me close, never let me go,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

My head is spinning round and round,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
September 17, 2022

This is a poem I started a month ago, when I experienced a very brief period of vertigo that lasted for only a few hours one morning as I was trying to work from home. I threw down a couple of lines and left it unfinished. I came back to it this morning and it morphed into a Kyrielle Sonnet. That is kind of how I’ve been rolling of late, lol.

Life has been extremely busy with work. This week was the September 15 tax deadline, and I ended up working many hours of OT. Whew! Lots of things (mostly all good) coming up in the next month, though. Tomorrow night, the concert I have been long awaiting – PORCUPINE TREE!! Haha, not many people even know this progressive band. I can hardly wait to see lead guitar genius Steven Wilson and his band perform at The Anthem in DC. We are spending the night at the DC harbor. Then on Wednesday night, PET SHOP BOYS! Yes, that old pop band from the 80’s. I just love them. Remember the song “West End Girls?” AH!!!! They were the soundtrack from the 80s for me, great memories of when Dan and I got together. Our kids grew up listening to their music. It was originally scheduled in 2020, but was postponed twice due to COVID. I don’t know how this old gal is going to handle two rock concerts in one week, but I will hang!

Then on September 27, I’m having gall bladder surgery. Yippee…. NOT! Yeah, this wasn’t in my plans…. but I had some URQ pain over the summer that I finally got checked out. After some testing and a surgeon consult, I was diagnosed with multiple gallstones, so that organ is soon going to be history. Wondering if that has been contributing to a lifetime of GI issues? We shall see…. I’m not nervous about the actual surgery, just a little unnerved at the possible after effects. You know how I love my food and red wine!

October will be a busy work month, with lots of deadlines to meet before a long Florida trip we have planned. It’s a driving trip, with three stops: my BFF Marianne’s house in the Villages for one night, Disney trip with Katie, Brenton and the grandkids, then to Vince and Natalie’s house for some relaxation and fishing! I can hardly wait to see everyone!

Through all of this, I intend to enjoy the pleasures of my favorite season – AUTUMN! My house is already decorated with shades of gold, red and pumpkin. I can feel the crisp change in the air, ever slight that it is. I am looking forward to the beautiful hues that will soon bloom all around us. Take care, friends and remember to cherish the beauty all around you!

xoxo Colleen

Mood: Crazy Busy
Inspo: Porcupine Tree: “Time Flies”

Light Fading

Light Fading

Twilight is falling,
autumn breeze blowing.
Past the honeysuckle bushes,
my tired feet are slowing.

My breath comes in gasps
under periwinkle skies.
Can you see the light fading
when you look into my eyes?

Is this how it will go
when we get to the end?
Will you take one last glimpse
and let my spirit ascend?

Will you hold me and dance
beneath the amber moon?
Or kiss my lips tender
as the wayward geese swoon?

I’m grasping onto moments
like the free-falling sand.
Can you see time slipping through
my pale weathered hands?

Now the wind pushes onward
and like a willow, I bend.
As I grow ever weaker,
will you hold me til the end?

Then search for my light
in the field of white stars.
Speak to me nightly
as I watch from afar.

Tuck away our memories
and forget them, never.
My spirit glows in your heart,
for my love is forever.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
August 21, 2022

I wrote this about a month ago and tweaked it today, on my Dad’s 88^th heavenly birthday. As I get older and closer to the age he was when he died back in 2002, I can only imagine how sad he must have felt in his final months. I am sure he wanted to hold onto all of us for as long as he possibly could, despite his pain… It made me ponder and think of how I would feel, if I knew that my time was ending soon. How much I would miss my sweet husband, my children, my grandchildren, and my family and friends! Not wanting to cause pain, but knowing they would be devastated after I was gone. It also provides some insight and a reminder that we should live every single day to the fullest, and be grateful for those in our lives. We never know how much time we have left on this Earth.

Not trying to be melancholy, but sometimes my mind goes to these places and this is how I deal with it. My poetry is my refuge, my comfort, my way to deal with overwhelming emotions. I share it so that you can take from it what you want, and to feel whatever emotion the words might dredge up inside your soul. I wish you all peace, love and pray that you continue to make happy memories and cherish your loved ones. I know I certainly will!

xoxo Colleen

Inspiration: Moby “Everloving”
Mood: Thoughtful

A Little More Wine

A Little More Wine

The fireplace glows, the mood is set,
Sparks ignite like the day we met.
One glass of red, warm and divine…
May I have a little more wine?

Hot molten wax burns down the wicks
On sterling silver candlesticks.
Passion burning, I’m feeling fine…
May I have a little more wine?

Bright stars collide as our souls meet,
Quenching desires, savory sweet.
Lips taste of grapes straight from the vine…
May I have a little more wine?

The fireplace glows, the mood is set…
May I have a little more wine?

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2020
December 11, 2020

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 40.13 Topic: The Day We Met
Hard Bonus (2 points): Include a quote from the movie Roman Holiday (“May I have a little more wine?”)
Easy Bonus (1 Point): Use the name of a winery (Sterling – located in Napa; we visited that winery, so lovely!)

SECRET BONUS GUESSES:

1.  Best Friends Forever
2.  Teen Texting Buddies
3.  Social Distancing
4.  Just Me and my BFF
5.  Hanging out with my bestie
6.  Tik Tok Time
7.  Chilling in the park
8.  Social Media Scene
9.  Fountain of youth
10.  Cool by the pool

Topic: Tyler Pic: Christine

Coulée de Serrant

Coulée de Serrant

I remember Coulée de Serrant
the tempting taste of 1973
never-ending summer days
wandering amber fields
our sun warmed fingers
plucking succulent grapes
sticky and delicious
from bounteous vines
fruit of the valley’s womb.

The finest vintage
decanted into cut glass
its bouquet awakens my senses
sweet honey on my palate
lucid liquid gold
toasting chilled bones
as melting wax drips down
trails of molten lava on
wooden candlesticks.

Autumn harvest looms
as early snow descends
in blankets of white
threatening vineyard yields
their virtue choked by
temperamental terroirs
frozen broken branches
crying out in despair
as empty cellars echo.

Now, nothing remains
of the Coulée de Serrant
in this barren basement
but a hollow jade bottle
haunting memories
the lingering essence
of your saccharine kiss
as I thirst eternally
for you.

Colleen M. Breuning © 2012
February 16, 2012

Paradise

5123 — "Bahama Seagulls"
Colleen M. Breuning (c) 2011

Paradise

A balmy breeze ruffled the palm trees as they lay in the sun, in the sanctuary of their wooden cabana. The gentle surf tumbled and pushed forth, leaving ripple marks in the sugar soft sand. Overhead, black-headed seagulls dipped, scolded and cried out to their mates, landing on the barrier rocks searching for food. If this wasn’t paradise, it was pretty damn close in his mind.

He glanced over at her lying in repose, clad in her new leopard print swimsuit, her skin bronzed by the Bahamian sun. He shut his eyes and thought of their moonlight rendezvous, shuddering with delight. No…. there was no need for bringing back sexy moves or adding spice to their relationship. Last night was proof that it had never left, even at this juncture of their life. He felt blessed that the fires of passion still burned between them. So often he heard coworkers joking and make derogatory remarks about their old “ball-and-chain” wives. She had never been that, and never would be to him. He would never, never give in or stoop so low to say one negative thing about her. True, she had her faults; she was human, after all. But in his mind, she was simply perfect.

He still remembered the very first time he looked into those big brown eyes of hers, how she captivated his heart with her warm Southern accent and her easy manner. They had belonged to others then, but something inside him told him that they were destined to be together. He once confided his innermost feelings to a mutual friend, and it was she who put them back in touch. For that, he would be eternally grateful.

The heat of the April sun was building, and she stirred, stretching lazily like a cat. She asked him if he wanted to take a dip in the ocean with her. They rose and holding hands, strode to the water’s edge. The breakers caressed their ankles and enticed them to wade out deeper. The seawater was shockingly cold until they immersed themselves completely. As they rose out of the water, their skin puckered with goosebumps, they erupted in giggles. She circled her arms around his neck, and he embraced her, carrying her deeper into the water. She sighed and nuzzled beneath his earlobe, whispering that she felt so lucky to be in paradise with him. He told her that no matter where they were, it was always paradise to him. She drew away and looked at him with those big brown eyes, now etched with fine lines, and smiled. As his lips covered hers, her eyes closed and she sighed, floating deeper into paradise beneath the Bahamian sun.

The Cleansing Tide

Blogophilia 7.4 Topic: “A Blanketing of Whispers”

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2pts): incorporate a Chinese proverb
(Easy, 1pt): mention the words “impossible to miss”

Final date to post: April 19th, 2011 GMT midnight
Final date to post ALL GUESSES: April 16th, 2011 GMT midnight

The Cleansing Tide

Evergreen branches shimmy and sway
as the wintry breeze blows…
A blanketing of whispers
beneath the hush of snow.

Fingers of sunshine caress the earth
as the robin takes wing…
A drop of water shall be returned
with a burst of spring.

Shooting stars blaze rocket red
against velvet indigo night sky…
In a cradle of verdant meadows,
crickets sing their lullaby.

Emotions tumble to the ground
in a bed of crimson and gold…
Harvest moon rises on the horizon,
a sight to behold.

Subtle changes in the seasons
are impossible to miss…
Like the heated crescendo
of a passionate kiss.

Apprehensions and misgivings
stir the turmoil inside…
Love heals the wounded heart,
a gentle, cleansing tide.

Inspired by the Chinese Proverb:

A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring.