Scandal Mongers

Scandal Mongers

Off on a tangent, as though knowing all,

The reality of facts ne’er from their lips fall.

The heartbreak of scandal on innocent heads

Embarrassed beyond all shades of reds…

Speculation’s a game that has many risks.

Judgment’s a call of many tsk, tsk, tsks.

I told you so goes up the cry

Even if the truth be there to deny.

ã4 May 1999, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

Love’s Crumbs

Love’s Crumbs

She runs as if from danger,

Running with no time to spare.

She’s running as from a stranger fate than she has found there

In her isolated little room

Where her phone is her only source

Of life ouside her lonely tomb…

Draining of life force…

She’s too sad to sit and weep;

She’s too numb to feel;

She’d prefer to eat and sleep…

Upon her lips a seal—

You don’t miss what you’ve never had, do you?

She wonders.

She’s not had much share of joy…

She sighs, thinks she’s bad…
Her eyes are sad yet full

Of life…

She’d give her all for a crumb of love

And swear it’s the best she’d ever had…

She walks through life not knowing

Her own beauty or her power

Has a lovely way of showing

Her as a rare and beautiful flower.

ã12 November 1998, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

First Varsity Goal for Lerong Ajang

First Varsity Goal for Lerong Ajang

Dark hair gleaming in the sunshine,

Sweat dropping from the brow,

He dribbles around four defenders

To tap the ball just behind the goalie—

A corner pocket,

A sweet goal for Beall.

All the players know him by sight and by name,

“Lee,” they cry as they scramble

To mark him to no avail,

For such is his skill.

ã29 August 1998, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

Jorge Campos

Jorge Campos

Wickedly mischievous smile, then a laugh,

The white teeth against his dark tan skin

Gleam with a knowing prank

To be played on the strikers

Approaching his goal…

He waits…flies…

Then blocks the seemingly

Sure goal.

ã20 April 1998, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

Double Joy

Double Joy

In your eyes I see projected fierceness,

I see fire, and I see pain.

Behind that I see a little girl afraid and full of shame.

Who could have hurt you so deeply to leave such nasty wounds?

   My heart cries out to you—

   I’ve been there, too.

   I’ve known trauma, terror, and shame.

But I’ve also learned that in sharing another’s sorrows

Out of friendship and with true heart

Halves the pain and begins the circle of healing.

   So, may I come alongside you

   As a friend and a trusted sister,

   As one wounded, too?

One day we’ll share great joy,

And I’ve found shared joy doubles the joy.

So, for the joy set before us,

May we walk the sacred path together.

ã15 December 1993, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

A Marvelous Mixture

A Marvelous Mixture

A woman’s worth is not her size or her girth.

It is not her position or face.

She is not a trophy to be boasted of,

Nor is she all froth and lace.

A woman is a human being,

A person in her own right.

She is not a piece of property

Nor a whore to screw at night.

A woman is a marvelous mixture

Of all a human can be,

And if it’s not too shocking to say it—

A woman is, well, me.

ã5 December 1993, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

Miscarriages

Miscarriages

Where have the children gone?

Where are their lovely faces?

Tender and naughty, curious and fun,

Why all these empty spaces?

My heart longs and aches to hold my lost babies

Even as I hold this precious one,

And I am a very diligent and grateful mom

As I teach my only son.

ã5 December 1993, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

A Woman’s Time, A Mother’s Heart

A Woman’s Time, A Mother’s Heart

The time of my moon is a powerful time

When I feel my womanly strength

And feel a part of the cycle of life,

Traversing its breadth and length.

There is life in the blood, and it is strong

As I yearn for more life to grow—

All around me and inside me again,

Seeds of life to sow.

When it is time, may life come forth.

This is the desire of my heart,

And to those around me with each smile,

Each glance, a gift of life impart.

ã5 December 1993, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

Posted: You Must Show Positive Proof of Sanity Before Entering These Premises

Posted: You Must Show Positive Proof of Sanity Before Entering These Premises

I think if I ever get involved in another Indian gathering

That I’ll post a sign right at the gate to stop incessant blathering:

“Certain behaviors, attitudes, words and such are strictly not allowed—

Jerks, rednecks, wannabes, and groupies will be disemboweled.”

Signed: the Chairman of the Committee

ã4 December 1993, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

I Come to You in Friendship

I Come to You in Friendship

I open my hand to you

With helpfulness and sharing it lends.

I open my heart to you

With love each word it sends.

I open my mind to you

With appreciation it comprehends.

I open my arms to you

With compassionate hugs it mends.

I open my ears to you

With deep caring always bends.

I open myself to you

With hopes that we’ll be friends.

ã4 December 1993, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.