sea – Colleen Keller Breuning

Ode to a Trucker

Ode to a Trucker

The road is my life
miles passing, grinding my gears
wheels stuck in the mud

Riding the asphalt
through lush and verdant forests
across desert plains

The landscape may change
but the song remains the same
there is no escape

The road is my chain
and my journey has been long
time to be set free

I have been waiting
for the wind to carry me
to greener pastures

A place of comfort
where I can rest my weary bones
and dream of the sea

Where sunsets beckon
with shades of pink and purple
in heavenly skies

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2024
January 27, 2024

Hello everyone. I hope you have been enjoying the crazy spring-like weather here in the Southeast! It got up to 72 degrees yesterday – it was just 8 degrees the other morning! This afternoon I was finally able to get out for a 5.5 mile run, first time since January 1! It felt so good to move my body, and it was perfect running weather!

This Haiku series just kind of tumbled out tonight. I had no time to even think about writing until this evening. I think the fact that I’m beyond tired is what led me down this path. I’ve been working quite a lot of OT the past 3 weeks, with the upcoming January 31 deadline. Work, eat, exercise, sleep. Repeat. That’s about it. I’ve made a lot of progress, knocking out quarterly/annual payroll filings, 1099s and helping clients solve other various problems. And even though we’re only 4 days to the January 31 deadline, it still feels like there is so much to be done. I’m not overwhelmed, everything will get done. I’ve been working steadily at everything. I’m just tired LOL. Probably because I’m getting too old for these long days and need more sleep! Next weekend I am hoping to do NOTHING but relax and work out.

Anyway, the prompts made me think back to the many long road trips we made to Florida, and encountered so many different truck drivers. I can’t imagine what it must be like to drive, drive, drive all day, long hours, sometimes weeks away from family, with the treacheries of the road ahead of them. So it ended up being a little ode to them. They risk their lives on the road every day to ensure we have food, products, and necessities in life. So thank you, truckers! You rock and deserve a rest and time with the family.

But the poem can also be metaphoric. If you’re on that same treadmill in life, that journey that never seems to change, when you just want to rest and relax. And someday retire? Ha ha, that seems like a pipe dream now with the horrible economy and tanking 401Ks. So it can apply to almost anyone who finds themselves “stuck.” And…. that is all for my pontificating. I’m tired and going to go have a glass of wine and crash. Have a great weekend, and hang in there no matter where you are on your journey! I love you! ❤

xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Weary
Inspiration: “My Body is a Cage” by Peter Gabriel

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 30.15 – The Road is Life
Hard Bonus: Finish the sentence “I have been _____”
Easy Bonus: Reference getting stuck in the mud

Lost At Sea

Lost at Sea

The stars are falling cold
from the moonlit velvet sky
their light disappearing
into clouds of indigo.

Beyond the faded sun
the angry sea roils and churns
waves crash on craggy rocks
as a bitter wind blusters.

Memories crash and burn
as I sink into the void
forever lost at sea
a rogue letter gone missing.

Tears burn along my eyes
unleashing trail of sorrow
I brace against the pain
holding on until morning.

As a new dawn blossoms
I bask in your warm presence
as your soft voice whispers
my soul is renewed with hope.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
December 2, 2023

Happy Saturday! Wow, I can’t believe it is already December. Where did this year go?

This poem was inspired by reading Dylan Thomas poetry. I was particularly struck by the line “the stars are falling cold,” and that got me thinking about my Dad and the void that I feel every holiday season without him here. Lately I am feeling my mortality watching the years rush by and seeing the aging process in my mom, my relatives and even myself. Sometimes it feels like I’m on the sinking Titanic, panic washing over me. It’s been extremely sad to see many of my relatives pass away during the last 15 years. There are so many fond memories of all of them, and I miss them deeply.

It’s that time of year when Christmas preparations are in full swing. I did a lot of Black Friday through Cyber Monday online shopping last week, avoiding the crowds at the stores. Since we’re traveling during the holidays, I am having many of the gifts shipped to Katie’s house so I can avoid overloading the car. That means I’ll have some wrapping to do when we arrive down there, but that’s okay.

Today it’s a foggy, relatively warm day. We plan to put up a few outdoor lights, but we’re scaling our usual decorating back since we’ll be gone for the last 10 days of December. I am doing some country country style BBQ pork ribs in the crockpot and rice/black beans for dinner. I am also hoping to get out for a run this afternoon since it’s going to hit 60 degrees.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and may you be filled with the spirit of the holiday season!

Xoxo,
Colleen

Mood: Introspective
Inspiration: “Woven Song” by Olafur Arnalds

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 22.15 – A Letter Came in the Mail
Hard Bonus: Quote Dylan Thomas (“The stars are falling cold” & “That burns along my eyes”)
Easy Bonus: Name a ship (Titanic)

Lucky Charms

Lucky Charms

Gold
sunlight
on waters
aquamarine
embryonic warmth
seafoam between my toes
I reach my arms to the sea
my thoughts ramble and turn to you
summer breezes and rocking chairs
crashing ocean waves, music to our ears
beachcombing, scooping fingers snag treasures
scallops, lightning whelk and fighting conch
mollusks covered in silken moss
seashells bring sweet memories
grateful for your presence
counting my blessings
as I hold close
my precious
lucky
charms

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
March 17, 2023

Sláinte!!! I hope everyone had a Happy St. Patrick’s Day yesterday! Dan and I both had to work all day, but he stopped by Wegmans and got me some salmon to make Salmon Teriyaki, baked sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus for dinner. Yum, that has become our favorite meal! So that was our St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

I wrote this double etheree poem yesterday, thinking of what my lucky charms are and how to integrate the challenge prompts this week. Well, my family and cats are my lucky charms, of course! Lucky charms are like treasures, and for some reason my thoughts turned to how I would beachcomb and search for shells at Captiva Island. The place is a mecca for shells, the entire beaches are covered in them early mornings after the tide has come in. When we lived in Florida, we went at least once a year for a family vacation and have wonderful memories from those trips. I collected bucketloads of beautiful shells over the years, and I remember giving some to my Dad years before he got sick with cancer and passed away. He kept some of these shells in his cigar box of treasures, along with various photos I’d taken of the Captiva sunsets, Europe and other trips. I had always hoped to take him to Captiva someday. But it was not to be.

When Dad passed away, I put one of the fighting conch shells that I’d collected on his gravestone. Everytime I would visit his gravesite, the shell was still there, surviving all the snow, summer weather and gusty winds. It was originally a smooth and shiny, and it had a bright orange pink color. It faded to white from the sun’s bleaching over 19 years. One time last year when my Mom visited him, she noticed it was gone – either blown away, picked up by an animal or disposed of by the groundskeeper. It brought me comfort to see it there for many years, so I really need to go back and take him another one of these shell treasures.

Though Dad never got to see the beauty of Captiva in his years on this planet, he sees it all now. The beach reminds me of Dad… we spent wonderful Keller family vacations at Chincoteague when I was younger. In 1987, we took Vince to Ocean City when he was just a toddler. We stayed at the old Lankford Hotel, and I will never forget summer nights on the porch. He would smoke cigarettes, rocking in the big rocking chairs, and we just sat together silently, listening to the crashing surf. It was such a wonderful memory that stays with me always! I wrote a poem about it called “The Lankford” back in 2005 or 2006. I also wrote of the Captiva seashells I gave to him in the poem “Fighting Conch” in late 2000’s. Both of them are featured in my book “Shadows of My Father.”

And so for you, Dad, here is one of my favorite Irish sayings:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Pensive
Inspiration: “Be” by Neil Diamond – one of my Dad’s favorites

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 37.14 Topic: Lucky Charms
Hard Bonus: Mention an Irish saying in your blog (Sláinte!! and The Irish Blessing)
Easy Bonus: Include 3 different shades of green (aquamarine, seafoam, moss)

Whistle of the Train

Whistle of the Train

I can hear your voice calling me,
a gentle breeze across the sea,
in the mourning dove’s sad refrain,
with every whistle of the train.

As tracks of hot tears stain my face,
my heart longs for your warm embrace,
a balm that soothes this endless pain
with every whistle of the train.

The candlewick is burning low,
twenty years gone, I miss you so.
My love for you will never wane
with every whistle of the train.

I can hear your voice calling me
with every whistle of the train.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
February 25, 2023

To Dad… I know you are watching over me. I miss you and love you so much!

Mood: Missing You
Inspiration: “Dear Father” by Neil Diamond

Happy Saturday, everyone! I started this poem on the 20^th anniversary of my father’s death, which was February 17, 2023. But for some reason, I needed some time and space to finish it, so I put it aside. I have been so busy at work, and I was aware this day was coming soon. But when I looked at the calendar that morning it hit me like an anvil to my heart. I started to weep, tears of sorrow falling for the man who gave me life. I couldn’t seem to shake it, so I let the emotions out.

Dad was our rock, a gentle giant, a silent man. However, when he had something to say – you listened! I feel like he was my protector, as most of siblings undoubtedly feel, too. He realized that I was young, stupid and was going to learn things by my mistakes in life. Yet he stood by me and loved me throughout these challenges. Both he and Mom have been there for me through many difficult times, my darkest days. I am ever grateful to both of them for giving me the best possible childhood, even though we struggled financially at times. I have the happiest memories to carry me through life.

Trains have a significant meaning in my life since my Dad worked at the railroad yards. Growing up, he would take me to some of these locations, let me explore the parked caboose and roam around the yards. I would clean up the office space, even cooked a baked bean dinner on a small gas heater one time at Cumbo, a remote rail yard in West Virginia! That probably would be considered taboo in this day and age, but I loved it. Every time I hear a train whistle, I think of him. I don’t hear them often where I live now or when we lived in Florida. But at my Winchester office, I hear the nearby train whistle several times each day, and it is such a comfort to me. I feel as if it’s my Dad telling me he is just fine.

Naturally, we all wish we could have had more time with him. He died way too young, only 68 years old. It was small cell lung cancer, as he was a life-long smoker. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to see how that disease consumed him. It really hit me thinking how Dan and I are inching ever closer to that age, and facing our own mortality is frightening. I guess we need to try to make the most of every day we have on this Earth! I think that is a message we should all take to heart.

The video I am posting from Neil Diamond is a song Dad loved and played often. It has a special place in my heart and evokes memories each time I hear it. Have a good weekend!

XOXO Colleen

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 34.14 Topic: Freedom of Choice
Hard Bonus: Write a Kyrielle Sonnet (my writer’s choice)
Easy Bonus: Include a train whistle (my writer’s choice)

Shipwreck Heart

Shipwreck Heart

Black
sea churns
as waves crash
on rocky beach
storm rages offshore
distant lightning flashes
neon bolts splitting the sky
the turmoil is moving closer
but there is no shelter from this storm
I crouch in the sand, pelted by fine grains
as the west wind whips into a frenzy
thunder rumbles as the storm rages
a tempest in my shipwreck heart
reeling that you were taken
when I needed you most
your silent presence
to calm my soul
in this vile
world gone
mad

Colleen Keller Breuning
June 19, 2022

A double etheree inspired by writing prompts and the music of Enigma.

Broken Clouds

Broken Clouds

Ashen gray clouds
hang low to the ground
a thick layer of fog
rising like dense smoke
infusing the atmosphere
with its petulant moods.

All I see is alabaster sky.
The moon has gone missing,
the sun hidden in a sempiternal stretch
of colorless stratus, dull like
a bolt of sparkly silver tulle
that has lost its shine.

And I am walking on broken clouds,
knee deep in ambivalence,
rain falling beneath my sodden feet
to the barren earth far below me.

And I thought I heard
the ocean siren call to me,
with her song of hollow promises
echoing against the crash of waves.

The seas have eluded me.
The skies have betrayed me.
The sun has ignored me.
The moon has shunned me.
The clouds have denounced me.

Where do I go now in this netherworld,
in this endless purgatory?
As twilight beckons, shades of indigo
dissipate the broken clouds.

The crescent moon glides by
with a shy smile and thin hopes,
as a vagabond wind transports me home,
an escalator to waiting distant stars.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
January 13, 2022

This idea for this poem was sparked in the Atlanta airport on a recent trip to Florida. As we were walking through the terminal to make our connection, the current weather board sign caught my eye. It simply stated, “Broken Clouds,” and I immediately knew I would write about it. It stuck with me as I scribble scrabbled some words, listening to mood music on our final flight to Florida. It was very cloudy, foggy with a bit of rain and yes…. broken clouds everywhere.

Then this stayed dormant in my notebook due to work commitments, until I finalized it last night. It morphed into this mood piece, after two rainy, gloomy winter days of editing.

Funny how the writing process can be. It’s been a while since I wrote consistently due to travel, holidays and work. I feel out of practice and intend to get back into my weekly writing routine. It is a form of therapy, and I sure do miss it when I can’t find the time to write! Stay warm, everyone.

xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Cloudy
Inspiration: “River of Rain” by Jami Sieber

Beyond the Spanish Moss

Beyond the Spanish Moss

Scrub pines and banyans beckon
bedecked with Spanish moss
lazy cumulus clouds drift free
across the periwinkle horizon.

Fiery sun rises opposite the moon
its early morning heat blazing
as the dragonfly silently hovers
alighting on dew drenched lily pad.

The blue heron turns, unblinking
lifts long delicate wings in flight
gliding gracefully across the bay
and the seagulls are calling, calling.

The wind is shifting as waves crash
and there’s a white mist blinding me
tears trickle, my world shifts and tilts
I feel my heart being pulled homeward.

Shall I cling to you like Spanish moss,
move in tandem with balmy breeze?
Might my lips burn like the August sun,
and make the heat rise within you?

Soon our arms entwine and lift in flight
as we soar across the azure sea
sailing far beyond Spanish moss
ascending past the stars into eternity.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
July 11, 2021

Dark Sonnet #2

Dark Sonnet #2

Ominous storm clouds in my head
Unspoken words need to be said
Under siege of hostility
And I am ready to break free.

I fall to pieces in the night
Fighting through waves of dark and light
Sinking deep in turbulent sea
And I am ready to break free.

Washed up on the rock laden shore
I find the strength and close this door
A world of promise waits for me
And I am ready to break free.

Ominous storm clouds in my head,
And I am ready to break free.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
January 22, 2021

Yeah, I know…sorry for two dark sonnets two weeks in a row. Clearing some clutter and stress from my head and writing is my release. 🙂 😦

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 46.13 Topic: Writer’s Choice – Break Free
Hard Bonus (2 points): Writer’s Choice – Incorporate a Patsy Cline lyric (“I fall to pieces”)
Easy Bonus (1 Point): Writer’s Choice – Include a turbulent sea

SECRET PHRASE GUESSES:

1.  Bear with me
2.  Out of hibernation
3.  Hungry Mama Bear
4.  Not out of the woods
5.  Yogi Bear and Boo Boo
6.  Smokey the Bear
7.  The bear/bare necessities
8.  Black Bear on the loose
9.  What’s for dinner?
10.  Snack attack

Mourning Has Broken

Mourning Has Broken

She clasps secret old love letters
in her weathered, frail hands
raises them to face, inhaling deep
the faint scent of old spice and must.

She wades amidst turbulent waters
the sound of waves crashing
the music of the years gone by
tumbling through her mind.

Time and fate take their toll,
and the mourning has broken.
Too many memories left unmade,
too many words left unspoken.

She cries out to the raging sea
fervent pleas silenced in the wind
with only sea turtles and blue herons
witnesses to her pain and anguish.

She turns her eyes toward the sky
hands open, letters fall into the sea
clouds burst, releasing pent up tears
but someday the sun will shine.

Time and fate take their toll,
and the mourning has broken.
Too many memories left unmade,
too many words left unspoken.

I wasn’t sure what to write this week, so I decided to channel the image of someone who has lost a great love from times past. I love the idea of collecting secret old letters from your loved one! It’s really a shame that in this modern day nobody probably even bothers to write a love letter since it’s all about texts, face timing and social media. *sigh*

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 4.12 Topic – Secret Old Letters
Bonuses:
Hard Bonus (2 points): Include a lyric by The Ink Spots (“The music of the years gone by” and “but someday the sun will shine.”)
Easy Bonus (1 point): Incorporate “turtles” in your narrative

SECRET PHRASE GUESSES:

1. Tangled Up in Blue
2. Love is Blue
3. Shades of Blue
4. Secret Lovers
5. Chagall
6. Blue Lovers
7. Sealed with a kiss
8. Embrace
9. Blue is the color of my soul
10. Watercolor

Topic: Christine Picture: Barbara

Summer’s End

Summers Endjpg

Summer’s End

The destination of my dreams
is not as distant as it seems.
Watch the fading summer sun start
the liquefaction of my heart.

While eagles soar with high esteem,
the destination of my dreams
is painted in the sky’s blue fields,
where hope abides and sorrow yields.

As raging seas soon turn to glass,
the pangs of your sadness will pass.
The destination of my dreams
infuses my last breath, it seems.

Shut softly your watery eyes,
no time for tears or mournful cries.
I’m free to ride the gold moonbeams,
the destination of my dreams.