Category Archives: free verse

day 20 … a tiny glimmer

Not gonna lie. Today is going to be a dark day for many of us. Sometimes we find glimmers deep inside. It’s worth guarding. To all keepers of the embers of hope, love, peace, justice…we are one. Hold onto the light so that others may find their way out of this present darkness. Peace, love and glimmers to you.

And in the words of a great man whose life we commemorate today…

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

frozen over

I was there
the day hell
froze over
when demons raided
our hallowed halls
to crown their king
laughing
in the face
of liberty
her torch
extinguished
by the tears
of our mothers
as decades
were blotted out
by a sharpie scribble
when the halls of justice
usurped by profiteers
sold their souls
and ours
to the highest bidder
filling their pockets
with coins of bit
someday
if my children’s
children’s, children
should wonder
please tell them
I was there that day
face bitter to the wind
guarding the embers
of faith, hope, and love
in my soul
in my dna
that they might
one day
find a spark
in their heart
to lead them back
to the light

~kat - 20 January 2025

Day 14 ~ a detour

when enough isn’t 

a glimmer of hope
is enough to ignore
a full bottle of pills
whispering in the dark
a glimmer illuminates
the breadth and depth
of the abyss and the edge
where cold toes grip
teetering against gravity
hope is no small thing
it is fragile, like rice paper
translucent, a parting of
the veil offering a glimpse
of the rhyme and reason
for a life unspent, adversity
holding a royal flush,
ante up, lay your bet, truth
or dare, don’t pull the trigger
it’s your move, the waiting
just a thought simmering
a thread to hang on
a glimmer of hope is enough
reason to stay in the game

~kat

Sorry for this detour from bright glimmer gleaning. Writing is my way of working through stuff…I was tempted to use an expletive here…shit…there I said it. It’s grueling to sit front row to the suffering of someone you care about.

Living in the presence of invisible chronic pain feels like balancing on the point of a needle. It is like watching the last shards of sand tumbling through the narrow passage of an hourglass, only to be flipped just in time by hope, even a glimmer is enough. I live and pray for those glimmers for those who suffer, but it’s not up to me to decide when enough is enough.  And I worry every day that I’m not.


Day 9

Frankie Napping ~ January 9, 2025
today

I remembered
to breathe today,
drenched in the warmth
of the morning sun.
savored slow sips
of earl grey, sweet with cream
feasted on hearty lentil soup
and buttery biscuits
worked a bit, tended to
my little dog, the cats,
the bird, and the fish
joined our nation vicariously
via tv to bid a final farewell
to a good man…a very good man
a life, lived well, inspiring
honesty, integrity, and justice…
we need all those things
and more, these days
it was a full day
it was a good day
I remembered to breathe

~kat


Today’s glimmer…actually succeeding at living intentionally….remembering to breathe. Peace and glimmers to you!


when comes the wind

when comes the wind

the winds come
and the trees hold ground
for their roots run deep and wide
from seedling to sapling to towering timber
they have learned to bend
when the tempests rage

the winds come
and the house holds firm
for it was built on a solid foundation
from brick, to plank, to shingled roof
its walls crafted to shelter kith and kin
when the tempests rage

the winds come
and i shall keep this space sacred
for my ancestors, my children, myself
from maiden to mother to crone
i've grown in perseverance, grace, resilience
when the tempests rage

~kat

70,916,946

70,916,946 

seventy million, nine hundred sixteen thousand, nine hundred forty-six
sparks of light flicker in a sea of darkness
believers in love, compassion, inclusion,
justice, truth, civility, kindness, peace
we cling to hope as winter closes in

seventy million, nine hundred sixteen thousand, nine hundred forty-six
despite what you may have heard
is proof beyond a shadow’s doubt
that you are in good company,
light bearers shining for all to see

seventy million, nine hundred sixteen thousand, nine hundred forty-six
reasons to grieve, to take time to heal
to cling to the promise of spring…
of a bright dawn after the darkest night
to protect each precious ember of light

seventy million, nine hundred sixteen thousand, nine hundred forty-six
did not a landslide make, nor mandate
for those who choose the ways of hate
may love’s light lead us from the edge
and gather us to forge the path ahead

seventy million, nine hundred sixteen thousand, nine hundred forty-six
hold space for victory in this fight
one day we’ll surely get this right
just not today, true change takes years
so rest your hearts for now, we need you here

~kat