You gave me back my heart, But I refused to take it- I no longer have any use For it, now that you've gone. Instead, I'll leave my breast Hollow, and when I'm lonely I'll call your name aloud And listen to the echo Of the heart you once gave me In the empty cavity Where I used to keep it.

I don't have a title for this one yet, so if you have a suggestion, please share it.:) Untitled Love is a funny thing, really. Sometimes it's a prize, the spoils Won in a monumental conquest, While at other times its given away free. Sometimes it's demanded, as by a Highwayman, and you must stand and Deliver; in others it gradually seeps Into your soul like the glacier ice Melts to form a crystal spring. But you, you've taken my love In none of these ways- instead, You've crept like a field mouse Into the stored corn, and stealthily, Bit by bit, stolen my heart away.

Within my heart I stored all my tears As proof of the anguish you've caused me; And now I've resolved to bring them to you, In hopes you'd relent your coldness. But when I reached you, I'd naught to show, Though I poured out my heart completely; For my heart, the vessel which held them all Was broken- the tears had run out the bottom.

Well, things have been full of drama at work lately. Some idiot is trying to blackmail my store's GM into firing a couple of people, and sent a note threatening to reveal some "devastating secrets" to her family if she doesn't. Of course it's all BS, someone letting malice and their imagination run away with them and their gossip-mongering cronies. The saddest part of this for me is, my GM thinks I did it! Apparently the person used some big words in the letter, and I'm the only one who regularly uses them! Of course, someone who's actually seen this letter tells me that the person misspelled a lot of them, so it's kind of insulting that she doesn't think I'd be smart enough to run a spell check! And when it comes to gossip, I'm always the last to know things, because I don't gossip, I just go to work, do my job, and come home. So everyone knows that I have never spread any of these false rumors, nor do I have any incentive to do so- I'm leaving there in nine months, as they all know. If I wanted to leave the place with a bang, surely I would have waited until I was ready to leave before I started raking up this muck! But whatever. I know I'm innocent, and anyone who doubts that just doesn't know me at all. Anyways, I've been inspired by my anger at the situation to write a couple of poems, the first to my doubting GM, and the second to the Puppeteer who is really orchestrating all of this drama. Doubt I ask you, will your heart know sorrow If I'm driven from this place, Or will you shrug, indifferent To the loss when my endurance fails? Will keen edged regret make you bleed From the raw hole my absence tears, Or will casual disregard fill you up When I'm too feeble to fend off care? Will you taste bitter tears- Not just your own, but mine as well, Or will you laugh dry eyed As I stumble brokenly away? And will the fact that I doubt you, Both in justice, and in pity, Wound your heart as deeply As your words have wounded mine? The Puppeteer It must be lonely where you live- The puppet master who makes us dance To feed your delight in life's game, Only, when weary, to be discarded Like the broken toys of childhood left behind When a newer, brighter thing shines. Sometimes in your play you prompt us to speak, Your lips moving in time with ours, Manipulated into a sameness of mind Which does nothing to prove our individuality. But tell me, don't our lauds ring hollow When they are only what you tell yourself? And yet if we don't, but criticize instead, Your puppet's unexpected voice is perplexingly vexing!

How can I learn resignation, When the only thing that I want Is the one thing you've said can ne'er be mine- I must find another love instead. How can my heart forget how to love The idol it worships completely? For me love exists solely for this- Nothing else could touch me this deeply. So now I must either lie to myself, Or speak falsehoods to reassure you; Believe in me, if only in this- My love (forever silent) won't burden you.

The season has come to gather The fruits of my sorrow and joy, Cutting them free of the clinging vines Which fed and made them grow. I press the juices, bitter and sweet, And store it away to ferment, 'Til aged to a vintage I can gladly pour For any who would wish to drink.

Well, as promised I've taken some vacation photos of Sedona, Arizona, one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. The pictures don't do the place justice, since the day was quite cloudy, and I had so much I wanted to do that I didn't manage to get all the shots I would have liked, but they're still worth sharing. Here's a few of the best- hope you like them!:D

I'm back from vacation, but unfortunately the power jack on my computer, which has been working only intermitently, has completely stopped working. I've sent it off to be repaired, and they say it'll be seven to ten days before I get it back. Until then, my only chance to go online will be using the public library's computers, and I doubt I'll do that more than a couple of times. I'll try to moderate any submissions I get on those occasions, but if I don't get to you right away I'd appreciate a little patince. Talk to when I get the chance!

I'll be heading out of town for a week, back on Thursday the 14th. I'm going to Phoenix for my sister's wedding. I'm taking my laptop, but I won't be spending as much time online, so if anyone is thinking about submitting to one of my shows, I may not get to your submission right away. I'll talk to you all when I get back, and hopefully I'll have some pictures to show you when I get back. Most of my time will be spent with my family, but on my last day there I'll hopefully get a chance to visit one of the nearby tourist sites, such as Sedona. The countryside there is absolutely beautiful, and perfect for even some amateur photography.:)

Well, I knew that I was planning to go to either Italy or Turkey next, but hadn't made up my mind. Fortunately, I didn't have to do it myself- my parents have just signed up for a tour through Turkey a year from now, and when I saw the price listed for it, I jumped at the chance to come with.:) I'll probably end up paying a little over half of what I paid to see Egypt, and I suspect in the end I'll love it more. Don't get me wrong, Egypt is fabulous, and I wouldn't trade my experiences there for anything else, but I'm really into Greek and Roman antiquity, and that is much more richly represented in Turkey. I'll also get to see some Hittite ruins/museum, medieval castles, and more modern wonders, so I'll get an extremely thorough and fascinating look into this great country. The only thing that could make it better would to be to take in a soccer match while I'm there, but I'll probably just have to settle for watching one on the telly.:lol: