Water Found
~Deana J. Tavares
Water
Found
Horizontal
She is oak
Lavender
Butter and salt
Trembling sapling
Breaking through
Asphalt
The stuttering
Leaves
That quiver
Upon word drenched trees
The harsh dimness
Of a days
Surrender
Loquacious breezes
Speaking of
Sunlight’s splendor
© 2020
Organic
~Deana J. Tavares
Let me
Spin the truth
Unfurl
The facts
Untwist
The roots
Let me stand
Tall
In this vessel
Like waving stalks
Of wheat
Holding firm
To this earth
Boulder-like
Feet
Rooted in granite
Within
Sedimentary layers
Aligned
Melding
Into every element
Exactly
How I
Was
Designed
© 2021
Blue Sky World
~Deana J. Tavares
Behind closed eyes
The sun
Blood red
Glowing orb
Filtered through
Cells
Epidermal
Layer
It penetrates
Wind jostles
The memory
With a blustery song
Weaving through
Silence
It infiltrates
Touches all the spots
Where sun
Radiates
The wind telling
The depth
Of the atmosphere
The vastness
Of days
Blowing into
Other days
Every tree sways
Within its own breeze
Sings a unique song
Of how
The wind
Weaves
Between its leaves
It’s where
The shadows
End
And the light
Descends
Or where
The light
Descends
And where
The shadows end
Or
Where the light
And shadows
Side by side
Blend
It’s where the shadows
Return
And where
The light
Blends
Where bark
And branch
Tar and grass
Meld
Again
Inside
A blue
Sky
World
© 2021
Processing, Process
~Deana J. Tavares
How do you know
When a palette is finished
When a story
Is done
Being told
When new colors
Cease
To unfold
Days
Months
Years piled up
In colorful layers
Hammered to the wall
Acquiring stares
Inside her palette
Lost loves
Bright blues
Green with grief
Heart swelling yellow
Brightening
Hues
Magenta bursts
With excitement
Ecstatic horizons
Waving through
Acrylic black
And whites
Blending
Harmoniously too
Her dreams
Wrapped up
Paprika and plum
Beauty she’s seen
Elated
And numb
A pool of emotions
Watered down
With her brush
Organically
Conveyed
In this process
She trusts
Life unraveling
Connecting
Colliding
Each day
Within her palette
Subtle hints
Of grey
How much
Would you
Pay
©️2021
OBSERVING THE GENERAL
~Deana J. Tavares
Sitting there
On the edge of green
Oh what a sight
Eager branches reached out
For the first morsels
Of morning light
Black birds
Chanted
Atop weathered stalks
Stacked
Red and yellow
Glow
Against
Iridescent black
©️2021
Two Chances
~Deana J. Tavares
Twice a day
An empty canvas
Unravels before us
Once again
Mornings radiant light
Unfolds
Another palette
At days end
Light reveals
All
Ricocheting
Between silhouettes
Steady climb
A gentle
Fall
The arc of it
The crack
A shift
Reconnecting again
Then a split
Skating upon water
Patterns displayed
Dissected again
Trembling rays
Another chance
To savor the salt
Ride the break
Mist-filled stories
Wide in wakes
Multiplying exponentially
Squinting of eyes
Occupying
All corners
Then
Every
Side
©️2020
SONG OF THE HILL
~Deana J. Tavares
I made my peace
With her
I bid my adieu
Reflected upon all the spaces
Where light
Had trickled through
Where deer met berries
Foxes leafy mounds
Dripping through the branches
Melodic
Bird-like sounds
Every inch of the ground
Junipers they thrived
Tip toeing around
Tiny forest guides
I will carry you
In deep green
Earthy breaths
Where sprigs
Branches
Tendrils bloom
Within an open chest
©️2020
Open Eyes
~Deana J. Tavares
I squish
And crush
The smallest
Flea
Between a thumb
And forefinger
No longer free
Beside the ocean
You
Sea
I can’t help but to think
About me
To that roaring tide
What must I be
Maybe
The smallest
Of all anemones
Merely a flea
Within a raging…
See
©️2019
HOVERING
~Deana J. Tavares
Tall glass walls
Surround
And glazen swirls
Lifelines leading
To other worlds
Onward
This journey
Stories
They stream
Open or closed
A lucid dream
Their pureed
Thoughts
Of participles past
Streaming by in a blur
Snatched
From the atmosphere
Opening doors
It’s in the air
Burnt toast
Of change
Clinging to garments
The scent
It remains
©️2019
Cormorants
Deana J. Tavares
The trees pass by
Green
Then brown
Blurring views
Though breezes
Blow through
Thickened thoughts
Of you
Your hand in mine
Holding tightly
My arms
Around you
Into the night
I want to hold you
As the leaves turn
To rust
Grasses sway
In frigid resistance
Locking eyes
Never
Releasing
To swim
In your seas
Until complete exhaustion
Water logged
By your thoughts
Your touch
A hand
Like barnacles
Upon mine
Fingertips intertwined
Encrusted
Salt stained
Periwinkled
Remains
To taste
Your seaweed tongue
Briny words
Rising
To the surface
Tickling ears
Conjuring tears
To float
Upon your waves
Weightless
Two anemones
Rolling together
Within currents
Flying together
Cormorants
©️2019
GRATEFUL WOMAN
~Deana J. Tavares
(Tribute to my We Did It For You theater troupe-& The women who have paved the way)
I’m grateful, for you
The roads
That were paved
I have strolled
Along too
I’m grateful, for you
I wear combat boots
Pants as I please
A low dipping shirt
Or skirt
That stops
At my knees
As feminine as I wish
Unleashing
My masculinity
Not buttoned
Or tied up
With corsets
I’m
Free
You shouted
In darkness
Protested
In cold
Never quieted
Your voices
When your children
Were sold
Beaten and battered
Bloodied and bruised
Pushed through
The darkness
Changed
All the rules
Your light
Gave us power
The hardest granite
We’ll blast through
Excavate hope
Tread soil paths
To our
Truths
I learned
From your lessons
Heeded
Your words
My wingspan is wide
I too, can fly
Like those birds
I’ll carry the seeds
That you planted
Disperse them
Throughout my days
Repave the paths
Shining spot lights
That ripple
Within
Their waves
©️2019
To learn more about the We Did It For You musical and the women who have paved the way go to: wediditforyou.org
ANATOMY OF SIGHT
~Deana J. Tavares
Inside your eyes
I linger
Luscious lashes
Splash me
Into your pools
You
Thread
I am
Spool
Roaming cornea corridors
Casually
Cautiously treading
Dissecting light
Behind lids
Holding onto
Night
Traveling upon
Iris interstates
Swerving
Within winding lanes
Shadowy images
Remain
Pupil pathways
Unveiled
Preposterous
Pan’s labyrinth
Obscured views
Breaking through
Gooey centers
Limited
Few
Fishing pole lens
Lancing
Reveling
Relishing
Drawing right in
Calling light
In
Floating upon
Vitreous bodies
Of brightness
Marbled
Through darkened waves
Memories stippled
Stumbling
Beauteous caves
Retina retained
Recollections
Pulsate
Personification of time
Curtains part
Revealing
Signs
Optical nervousness
Oppenheimer opines
Nautical knots
Florets of knowledge
Hold onto features
Curves
Slowly unwind
©️2019
TAKE FLIGHT
~Deana J. Tavares
It’s ok
For me to go now
For you listened
From the start
It’s ok
To touch the sky now
For I’ve given
All my heart
The laughter
We all cherished
The aching
Of our sides
It’s ok
For me to go now
It’s ok
For me to fly
©️2019
Reservoir Of The Heart
~Deana J. Tavares
Everyday
She falls
In love
With beauty
Abolishing
Fear and hate
The heart
It swells
Contracts
Though she never
Locks
It’s gates
When reservoirs fill
With sadness
Love cannonballs
Into
Its depths
Splashing away
All moisture
Until
New tears
Are wept
©️2019
Migrant Mother
~Deana J. Tavares
She parted the earth
Soil
Permanently ingrained
Within her callused palms
No bracelets
Upon her wrists
No shiny
Charms
Her inky black braids
Dusted
With mineral particles
Swirled up
Into the wind
Powdery residue
Upon her arms
Revealing scars
From where she’s been
Unseen
Though she
Is
A beautiful soul
Drops in a seed
It grows
Then feeds
The whole world
©️2019
TO BE THE MISSING PIECE
~Deana J. Tavares
The only
The patch
The path
The bridge
In between gaps
The relief
The restraint
The release
The force
To make weapons
Cease
The quencher
The harvest
The love at first sight
Day
That overtakes night
The cuddle
The comfort
The cure
The solution
The revolution
And more…
©️2019
The Nature Of Equality
~Deana J. Tavares
Nature bends and bows
Shimmers and glistens
Upon furrowed
Or flattened brow
Did the sun rise
Aiming its rays
To caress
Only your face
The oceans swelling
Roaring
Grace
Do worms tunnel below
Giving nutrients
To thousands
Of fiberous arms
And roots
Only to bless
Selected hands
With the sweetened
Tender fruits
Did the mockingbird
Perfect its trilling trills
Caw…caw…caws
Those tweets
They impersonate
Only for specific ears
To resonate
Do the flowers
Scent the air
Blossoming accordingly
For particular eyes to see
Or are they breezily
Blowing
Happily free
Did the clouds part
Allowing the suns warmth
Solely
To grace your skin
I’m certain
The buttercups grew
To also dance
Their delicate light
Across my
Chin
©️2020
RESILIENT FLOWER
~Deana J. Tavares
The leaves
Frowned
Upon the petals
For falling in love
With the sun
Lingering scent
Heated
Amplified sweetness
Toppled
Bitter grasses
All around
Parting the fields
Of discontent
Exact coordinates
Where she
Could be found
Lily Of The Valley
Was lost
In thoughts
Of grandeur
Filling her cups
At high velocity
Swaying upon the
Musical winds
Glowing
Luminosity
The frigid rains
Gently whispered
Outside her
Crystal balls
Neither hearing
Nor heeding
Their calls
Radiating warmth
Essential
For a living
Creature to thrive
Statuesque
And stoic
She
Remained
Alive
©️2018
A TESTIMONIALS JOURNEY
~Deana J. Tavares
Her words they clung
Onto broccoli
Grains of rice
Spiraled back down
To where they started
Oh, dearly departed
Within chunks of meat
Theirs festered
Eliminated
Overtaken by maggots
Ingested again
Festered
Again
Feeding the vulture
Trapped within talons
Of a silent, culture
Sealed lips
Throughout generations
Big
Bright
Blurred eyes
Innocence
Taken
By surprise
Keep your mouth shut
A word
To the wise
Those falsely labeled
Signifying monkeys
They
CAN
Fly
For days
For years
Decades
They churned
Words swarmed
Through her organs
One thousand
Stinging bees
Oh, the burn
Words sloshed
Through veins
Tucked away in
Pains
Tendon
And bone
Shaken from dreams
Images repeatedly
Cloned
Vowels
Climbed back up
Clawed
They scratched
Gall bladder foot holds
Upon kidneys
They latched
Trembled
Yet still
Held on
Their journey
Dauntingly long
Acidic misted
Syllables
Overtaken again
Cartilage entangled
Lyrical fingernails
Jagged
Mangled
One more push
Through the inflamed
Tender center
The core
That narrative
Not just hers
Anymore
Open your ears
Hear
The sorrow-filled sounds
Raise her up
This time
Don’t let her drown
That empty
Bile-filled hole of
Instant release
Oh dear, beautiful survivor
I DO BELIEVE!
©️2018
AWE AND DELIGHT
~Deana J. Tavares
The lightest air
Passed through
Every strand
Of her hair
Within her hands
She clasped it
It wouldn’t go stale
Held it to her nostrils
And deeply
Inhaled
Suddenly lost
Within another dimension
Microbes and fungi
Vines woven
To perfection
Warm soil
Welcomed fingers
Drawn in
To warm
Then cooled center
Tiny tunnels created
Paths
Where new life
Would enter
She saw all the rocks
Their imbedded flecks
Of minerals
House Sparrows
Perching
Upon green roof finials
Cardinals and Bluejays
Called to her
She returned
Their song
They were never gone
For very long
©️2018
I Have A Voice
~Deana J. Tavares
Tattered tongue
And wicked wit
I see all this
Upon my hands I sit
A staunch advocate
Of the positive
Positively motionless
Frozen is the mind
Mindful reflections
Of the past
Past the ocean of fear
Up the mountain
Of enlightenment
Freed are the words
Revealing a voice
A voice so deep and broad
It can never be contained
Nor will it be confined
Within the dark underbrush
Of truth or reality
Really, the loudest thing
You will ever hear
And oh so crystal clear
Clarity beyond measure
With fog proof glass
Glassy eyes see through you
And miss nothing
Nothing can touch you
Like a word
Such an incomprehensible thought
Thinking, thinking
My brain is shrinking
As the words pour off
The tip of my tongue
Leaving a sweet and sour taste
Within my mouth
My mouth
My fiercest weapon
My undeniable power
My proof of existence
I exist
And I do have a voice
That can
And will
Be heard
©️2018
Candlelight
~Deana J. Tavares
On our next
Journey
That’s where
I’ll see you
A pond bed
Lily pad pillows
Curly words
Rolling
From barreled tongues
Everlasting sun
Floating for days
Spinning
Upon words
Filtered through
The sun’s rays
Singing songs
Never before
Heard
©️2018
PUDDLE DIVER
~Deana J. Tavares
No one
Ever acknowledged
How full
The puddles
Had gotten
There was always room
For
One
More
Drop
No memories
Of the bottom
Saltwater pools
Became ponds
Ponds
Became seas
A swimmer
Is what she
Was destined
To be
Swordlike hands
Carved through
Pounding waves
Blue whale
Finned
Feet
Rescued
Within
Darkest
Caves
©️2018
SHE LINGERS
~Deana J. Tavares
Her petals
Silken
Open
Pollen dusting
The corners
Of the mind
Brightness
That blinds
Subtle
Parallel lines
A core of darkness
Absorbing light
Memorizing warmth
Enhancing sight
©️2018
LOUD SILENCE
~Deana J. Tavares
Sometimes silence barks
It bends
It breaks
It barters
Balances
Upon the loudness
Of beauty
©️2018
CHANGING SPRING
~Deana J. Tavares
Tomorrow
No promises exist
We live for today
Through skies of blue
Through skies of grey
To touch the leaves
That veins run through
Maybe the last of the green
Eyes ever knew
Rain like tears
Upon battered shrubs
Pathways of fears
Never lead
To new loves
Shedding
Of thick bark
To find the tender center
Where new life
And light
Find bridges
And enter
©️2018
SOUNDING LOUDER
~Deana J. Tavares
The train is circling, around again
Its horn is hissing
P-e-a-c-c-c-c-e
Smoky words pass
Through stubborn
Hills
Traveling west to east
The few that board, stoic
Representations
Of the past
Caught within an awakened state
Two worlds
Shall merge at last
©️2018
DEWDROP
~Deana J. Tavares
It was all right there
At last
The entire universe
Within one dewdrop
Clasped
Contained inside
Mars
Mercury in retrograde
Tall slender shadows
From sharp
Grassy blades
©️2018
NATURE’S SEDUCTION
~Deana J. Tavares
The silhouette grabbed hold
Reeled me in
Black sharp brush strokes
Against a slate grey sky
Some days don’t know
Where I’m going
Or why
Diving in each time
Feet together
Head first
Longing to skim the water
To wet these lips
Quench my thirst
Deep sharp frigid breaths
Enliven dormant souls
Heightened senses detect
Each and every organism
Along for this stroll
Organs made up of
Soil
Moss
Mycelium
Lichen spiderweb cradled heart
Lost within painted thoughts
Again
Once more I see them
There
Highlighting
Creamy grey-blue hues
Horizons dancing
Swaying
Flirtatiously
What ever shall
I do
©️2018
ALWAYS RISE
~Deana J. Tavares
You will always rise
From hips to thighs
To sunken eyes
To bare your soul
Your face
Your breast
With eyes wide open
Never settle for less
Your beauty always
Surpasses you
Not just in the
Tied up
Twisted
Augmented
Or lifted
There is so much more
Yet to be discovered
With brains
With heart
With hands
Delicate
Yet strong
Hidden away
For far too long
©️2018
FLEDGLINGS
~Deana J. Tavares
When pastel breezes were blown
Upon the windows ledge
They morphed into
A grenade of words
That could not be
Unsaid
Tepid rays
Sliced
Through the morning mist
Illuminating widening eyes within
Mincing lingering dreamy thoughts
The torment would begin
Swift gulps of glacial
Stale night air
Rushed straight to their heads
Blocking blood vessels
Twinging nerves
Left motionless
In their beds
©️2018
Juxtaposed
~ Deana J. Tavares
Barbed wire beauty
Piercing
Through the clouds
She delicately bobbed and weaved
Magenta
Screamed aloud
A silken back drop of white
Revealed
Her stoic presence
Hazy days blank canvas
Showcased her very essence
Quivering green stalk framed
Like flags
Fish tailing upon the wind
Tattered frayed
Brown edges
Warm metal
Slices thin
©️2018
Deeply
~Deana J. Tavares
The words of the ages
The ageless
Nameless
Faceless
She…heard…them
Cutting through the vastness
Doggy paddling
Through an ocean of callousness
Traipsing through fields of introspection
Repeatedly
Changing direction
She…Heard…Them
Through the clovers and stalks of wheat
Whispering through the pines
The litter-filled streets
Yelling from atop anthills
Dust covered miles
Piercing chills
Captured
Within the lightning’s flash
Hailing down
Upon her
At last
©️2018
THE TIES THAT BIND
~Deana J. Tavares
The bars are strong
Many years
To break
Trapped within
This subtle quake
Aftershocks one by one
How many more
To come undone
After all there is a key
locked inside
A memory
The flesh
the blood
the veins
It resides
The cello’s cry
Knows where
It hides
Spongy pathways
Blurring routes
Rays shine in
Hands block out
Revealing walls
Six-thousand feet
Piled high
All concrete
White matter muffled
Music plays
Can you hear that note
Just a recollection
Lump in the throat
Break the bars
Crush the shocks
Find the key
Or pick the lock
Clear the path
Move your hands from the light
Unveiling days
Forgetting nights
Stairs six-thousand feet
Hidden within concrete
Climb them all
And then you’ll find
A symphony
Coherently
Outlined
©️2018
CLARITY
~Deana J. Tavares
You gave me a world
So colorful
So clear
Beauty as far as the eye could see
But
You didn’t see me
A pool of glass
In which to see my reflection
I almost fell in
Forever
Floating
In a bubble
Of clarity
©️2018
CAPTURED THOUGHTS
~Deana J. Tavares
To touch the taste
And smell the sight
Not sure whether it is day or night
My heart beats
Between corrugated walls
The constant reverberation
Exhausts the strongest of souls
Today is tomorrow
Tomorrow today
Slips through the cracks of yesterday
Enhanced is the mind
Accumulated thoughts
Rushing through for a moment
Afraid to be caught
To fill in the blanks
Maybe
Or
No
Thanks
©️2018
RIPPLES
~ Deana J. Tavares
Our fingertips
Touched the water
Brass contained
The warmth within
Gently placed upon a cloth
Our journey would begin
With words unspoken
Unfamiliar eyes
Suddenly
Became familiar
Our gazes brief
No worldly ties
Ripples of kindness
Grew
A thousand cranes wings
To fly
Through every fiber
Of that moment
Bright threads of compassion
Were neatly woven
I walked through the door
Without expectations
I left
With my heart
Embolden
©️2018
Rock Collector
~Deana J. Tavares
She collects the rocks
Filling her pockets to the brim
Pants slide down
From the weight
That’s within
She collected enough
To build
Her very own wall
Though rocks without mortar
So easily fall
Through spaces in between
Water and light flooded in
Growing bountiful lands
Wallpapered thick
Moss and lichen
The tiniest inhabitants
Reside
Within caverns deep inside
Faint little voices
On which she can rely
The rock collector makes
Various stacks
Selecting as she goes
How many will she gather
Nobody knows
©️2018
Precious Ones
~Deana J. Tavares
You were forged
Within the fires
Of generations past
Until
Malleable
Cooled in the rivers
Dredged from the mud
Silt and weeds
Nile tears rested
Upon your cheeks
Cast into oceans
Crossed over countless creeks
Feet soft
Though heart thickened
From trudging across
Rough terrain
The wheat whispered the words
From cotton breezes
Sweetened with sugar cane
Wampum beads
Adorn your wrists
Energy from
The oceans core
Roars within
Hidden amongst
A Northern Atlantic haze
Other perspectives
At times
Too thin
Himilayan breezes
And Sahara winds filled your sails
Carribean squalls
Propelled you
To these shores
Lungs expanded
With courage needed
To open
Unknown doors
Over rolling hills you came
Over green
And sand
Similar topography
No
So distant
Lands
Hurricanes brought you here
Tides carried you in
On persecutions waves
You rode
Thunderous Wars
And Famine’s flow
Brought you here in droves
From all points of the Atlantic
Across the Pacific
And Mediterranean Sea
Tiny grains came together
To form
Many variations
Of beauty
Sand and ocean merged
And we were created
Propagated
Cultivated
Then harvested
From within the belly of a clam
The most precious of pearls
From the waters
Of the world
©️2018
DO YOU THINK OF ME?
~Deana J. Tavares
When the tide turns
And memories of lost loves
Fade further into
The dark
Brittle
Underbrush of your mind
When brewing storms
Threaten
To extinguish every thought
Of those tired tender hands
That held you
When dark thunder clouds
Poured down
Upon your cheeks
When in your
Stumbling
Confusion
Delusion
Blurred eyes wake
Through a pounding
Heads ache
Remembrances of fingertip
Stroked hair sleep
When your tears of terror
Cried a different face
On dimly lit walkways
Blue light trances mimic
Shadowy footprints merge
When your coffee is too thick
Bringing to the brim
Charred remains
Of yesterday’s brewing
Cigarette stained lips
That don’t fit
Unfamiliar
Thrusting
Screeching
Quiet
Hush
Now
©️2018
PIANO CONFESSIONS
~Deana J. Tavares
Yellow rooms echo
With melodies past
Hauntingly beautiful
Spells they can cast
Sounds penetrating ears
Drawing out verse
Plumed pens descendant
Scribbling words
Great sadness exuded
As ivory keys plunked
Empty room filled
With emptiness
Multistory
Invisible junk
©️2017
FOR YOU:
~Deana J. Tavares
I have a gift
For you
Rationed
Spread far and wide each day
Presented without packaging
Or bows to throw away
This gift was found
Deep inside
Under layers of birds
And waves
And trees
Little messages whispered
Into harsh winds
Within the pollen baskets
Of tiny bees
If you missed it
Another one
Will come your way
Real soon
Rocketing good intentions
Bouncing them
Off the moon
This gift it spreads
Like mycelium
It grows upon downed trees
Tiny messages flutter
Cascade
To the ground
Parachuting amongst the leaves
With acorns crunching
Beneath our shoes
Creamy horizons in the distance
Blues often brightened
By various hues
Our colors blending with persistence
Energy
This is my gift to you
Though you too are wrapped inside
Your thoughts
Your laughs
Our memories clasped
This gift
Our gift
It is alive
©️2017
THE MERCHANT
~Deana J. Tavares
The Merchant
She sells her wares
Weary
From all her travels
Barrels of sorrows
Filled to the cusp
Split open with
Bows and arrows
Poised and reflective
A voice like mine
Spoken through different lips
Her breast
Her hips like mine
And a heart with many rips
Thickened ventricles
Propel
Warm pulsating streams
Calcified pebble scars
Still inviting in her dreams
Splintering repeatedly
A tree
With thickened bark
Still can stand
Her words like fingers
Slipped between cracks
Then decompressing
Within my hand
©️2017
Ice Cream Cone Of Words
~Deana J. Tavares
When I was a little girl
I had an ice cream cone of words
That I could never finish
Dripping
Dripping
Drop by drop
Scattered everywhere
A huge puddle beneath where I sat
Carried upon the wings
And sticky feet
Of pigeons
And morning doves
My shadow hovered above
As a young girl my ice cream cone
Was still top heavy
But I managed
Lost some drops
But slurped some up
Somehow a tiny hole
Would always form
In the bottom
My maple walnut
Rocky road words slowly
Seeped out
Every time
I struggled to catch the
Drops on the tip of my tongue
Before they hit the ground
But that top heavy cone
Always came
Crashing and splashing down
Now as an adult
I never get the cone
Only the cup
Different flavors each time
And I never
Miss a drop
©️2017
SWORDS
~Deana J. Tavares
Those swords
Just to intimidate
I shall fear no weapons
Small or great
I will gently pass them
Back your way
Meant for you
Not me today
Though many cracks
I have found
I’ve sent them crumbling
To the ground
Towering walls
Kicked them down
Mortar mixed
Quickly patched
They stacked the bricks
Repaired the latch
Although my tools
They are strong
Patience
As the day is long
Carving through
Sand and dust
A task like this
Feels unjust
Gently removing
Brick by brick
Billowing clouds
Grey and thick
Repaired again
Then reinforced
Daunting
Must resume the course
The smog
Then
It led me in
There was a box
Tall and thin
Tucked deep inside
Impenetrable
What did they hide
Made of the finest
Hardest woods
A question to continue
I thought I should
Then I found
One rusted nail
Breaking
Crumbling
Weathered and frail
So I decided
To peer right in
Just a glimpse
And I was sold
Stacking and building
Brick by brick
The mortar they would fold
Blocking out the light
Sealing every crack
Without knowing
About my tiny hack
I started removing them
At the base
Before the mortar dried
Suddenly
Sunlight flooded in
Everything was visible
Inside
©️2017
Ethereal Friend
~Deana J. Tavares
The wavy trees
The wavy trees
Wave in between
The buoyant leaves
A feathery blur
Glides in to greet
A magical friend
Suddenly at my feet
Over and over along my path
This long-necked wonder
My attention
She grasped
No words to be shared
Just a silent connection
A heart instantly full
Within a grey days reflection
©️2017
GRANDFATHER CLOCK
~Deana J. Tavares
Time rests upon
Low hanging branches
It is its fruits
That we all pluck
Between juniper berries
And robins nests
Our time is neatly tucked
A rose petals
Gentle folds
Can hold many
Of our minutes
Needly pine abysmal skies
Some time gets lost
Within it
Encapsulated inside
Glass-like spheres
Dangling
Upon leafy green slopes
Sliding down ridges
Keeping us afloat
Gently grazing
Translucent wings
Throughout the air it swirls
Around us
All-inclusive
Time’s tendrils
Slowly curl
©️2017
Lichen
~Deana J. Tavares
The lichen knows
The lichen grows
Down from the brain
Out through the nose
Crawling covering
Lips of rose
Trailing down
This winding road
Suddenly the pace is slowed
Sprouting looms
Silken arms
Weaving webs of witful charms
Tangled strands
Latch onto sleeves
Stammering
Stifling
Smoldering thieves
Enveloping asterisks
Question marks
Exclamations
Breaking free
To salutations
Paper-like
Blown in the wind
Wispy chains
Adhere again
Flapping wings of songs contained
Subtle wrinkles
Still remain
©️2017
BEAUTIFULLY COMPLEX
~Deana J. Tavares
I am so much more than
That stereotype
Within your brains catalog
Where preconceived resides
And the past leaves behind
A fog
I am so much more than
Just red
Just green
Just yellow
Just ivory, brown
Just tan
So much more than
Just woman
Or man
You see
I am energy
I am color
I am light
Dark globs within palettes
Splashes of bright
I am many thickened layers
Tertiary colors of paint
Neither a demon
Nor a saint
I am so much more than
Breasts and butts
What lies between the thighs
The chitter
The chatter
The buzzing
You hear in hives
I am
Distressed and sanded
Then smoothed
Sometimes new colors
Always adjusting
To new hues
I am, open
I am, real
I am, convex
I am
Human
Reaching out to the world
Beautifully complex
©️2017
THE CELLO
~Deana J. Tavares
Reverberating humming strum
Drawing in
The lonely one
Deeply wailing
Calls abound
Feet quickly lifted
Up
Off the ground
Unexplained
Melodies
Crying eyes
Swaying trees
Familiar sounds
Open doors
Something heard
In lives before
Glistening notes
Pulling near
A beautiful sadness
Not to fear
Tired strings
Plucking hearts
E minor echoed
Worlds apart
Bringing back a moment
Lost in time
This intrinsic journey
And it’s all mine
©️2017
This poem is dedicated to the memory of Olive H. Prouty and the beautiful gifts that she gave to so many over the years through her healing garden, The Prouty Garden. Many of us have benefited from her generous gift. Not only plants grew in this garden but compassion, kindness, understanding, acceptance, and hope were generated there as well. Many will continue to spread these gifts around. Thanks again Olive Prouty!
(Please consider donating to the making of the film honoring her gift of a healing garden, all of those that it touched, and the struggle to save that sacred space.)
FOR MORE INFO:
THAT GARDEN
~Deana J. Tavares
For some
Maybe the hospital
Was quieter than their home
Maybe close proximity
Made patients feel
Just like family
Maybe
For me the garden was
Constant
Illuminating my darkness
Bringing light into the life
That I was constantly blinking
In and out of
Where horizontal perspectives
Showcased
The tallest most gentle giants
Green leafy and blue
Healing with hues
Grey seemed miles away
Down fluorescent lit
Corridor freeways
That garden
My Ellis Island
Emerging
From amidst the fog
Oxygen after a long
Difficult journey
Giving me the strength
To go on
Reconnecting again
And again
Like an IV
Directly from a plant
A tree
To them
To me
We are all interconnected
Don’t you see
Metasequoia umbilical cords
Feeding and nourishing
Tiny lives
Constantly
The little ones knew
It too was alive inside
Long after they were gone
That garden
It would thrive
Little did they know
The cord would be cut
And a building just might
Swallow the Prouty up
©️2017
SKIN
~Deana J. Tavares
I Am them
And you are they
She is him
And he is she
Humans inevitably
Strip us of our skin
Our hair
And we would be
Unaware
Unaware of the fabric
From which we were cut
Unaware of the patches
That stitched us up
Unaware of the chains
That held us down
Unaware of the differences
That we had found
Instead we would see
Red muscles
Ivory grey tendons
Green veins
Beneath bone
Coils of information
Similar brains
Would we then see
All of our similarities
Or focus
Upon size
Or merely the fact
That we have
Different colored eyes
Would flexion occur
Or tension persist
My ulna and humerus
You don’t have to twist
I’m ready for change
With all of our skin
Intact
When our differences
Unite us
And acceptance
Becomes fact
©️2017
The Artist’s Mind
~Deana J. Tavares
I am an artist
I write
I paint
I dream
I sculpt
Whichever way
It all comes out
I’m not in control
It bowls me over
Storming out of the gullet
A torrent of soldiers
Semi-automatic ideas
Too fast to be counted
The lucky few will be
Stuffed and mounted
Never doubt their power
Or their force
Just let them out
To run their course
Organic matter splattered
Across canvas
Paper
Paint
Thread
Wood
Plastic
Metal
Floods out of this hole in my head
Staining my hands and face
Charcoal and paint
Stroke after improvised stroke
Until I faint
My brain is a musical and fluid instrument
Unlike the outside world
Maybe a curse
Or just a beautiful pearl
My art a choreographed dance
That I am always learning
Words
Images
Emotions
Constantly churning
Its innumerable steps I follow
A student of my own mind
Diving deeper and deeper under each time
Diving until the images are defined
Released in peaceful waves
Released in shouts
Choking on bile-like words
Until I spit them out
Unveiled with an urgency
They made it to the light
How suddenly day becomes night
Giving birth again and again
With a new idea
More clarity emerges
No more fear
©️2016
They Are With Me
~Deana J. Tavares
There are faces
Behind my eyes
Behind my smiles
So many faces
Encapsulated
Within every
Rough
Ridden mile
Within every
Starry-eyed sky
And tumble weed scene
The glassy
The glazed
The big bright eyes
Still gleam
I take them all
With me
Down every
Dusty road
Through every
Open door
I feel their footprints
Reverberating
The wood planks
Upon
Every floor
©️2017
Collaged Life
~Deana J. Tavares
Clip the stories
Clip the ages
Clip the smiles
Magazine pages
Clip the words that you like best
Clip the positive
Forget the rest
Clip the beauty
Flip past the death
Clip the life that you like best
Clip the yes and leave the no
Clip the places you want to go
Clip the girls
Or clip the boys
Clip your favorite colors and toys
Clip away images that haunt
Flip past the parts that you don’t want
Clip expressions
Clip the eyes
Clip the truths
Flip past the lies
Clip what you want at the start
Flip right past the broken heart
Clip the love
Flip past the hate
Clip which roads to navigate
Clip the art
Flip past the war
Clip the windows
And open doors
©️2017
Yellow
~Deana J. Tavares
Yellow dawn
Yellow trees
Yellow floating
Painted leaves
Casting light
Upon textured bark
Distant sounds
Curiosities sparked
Colors change
As moonlight dims
By morning
Wrens will sing again
Swaying branches
Milky abyss
Howling winds
Frigid kiss
Come one
Come one
Come one and all
Heed the bluejays
Warning call
©️2017
I Am
~Deana J. Tavares
I am the ebb and flow
Of every rolling wave
Crashing upon your shore
The roar
The rush
The gentle gush
Of tides
That have come before
I am a vibrant blend of ivory
Tan
Red
Yellow
Orange
Green
With many other colors
Scattered about
Some still yet to be seen
I am the voice of many
Screaming aloud
So every word can and will be heard
The tears of birth
The screech of death
On the wings of every bird
I am the wind
The trees
The blowing leaves
The song that pops into your head
Then suddenly
When you change your mind
That road you take instead
I am the positive voice
Echoing and repeating
When negativity is blocking the path
The tickle
The sigh
The kiss goodbye
The thought before the laugh
I am ten million oak leaves
Bursting from their tender buds
Come spring
The arms that hold
And keep you safe
The hand that fits the ring
I am the words
To every heartfelt song
Softly whispered into your ear
After the windshield wipers
Swish and swash
The first thing that is clear
I am that perfect puffy cloud
High up in the sky
Allowing sunshine through it’s rain
The beating
Pounding
Steady heart
That tells you you’re alive
And holds you close
Even when there’s only pain
©️2017
Heavy Silence
~Deana J. Tavares
Today
I lost my words
I lost them
Within a flood
Under quaking rubble
Land sliding
In the mud
Windswept thoughts
Tangled
In wires and trees
Would it even matter
If they were seen
Knotted within stomachs
Lodged within throats
Mangled and shredded
Banished without boats
I think the words
Found their way
Up
To my eyes
Seeped out slowly
One letter at a time
Smudged
As they ran
Together
Struggling
To make sense
While my phrases
Tied with red tape
Now, a past tense
Impenetrable
Stories
Churning all around
Feet no longer
Standing
Upon sturdy ground
Words take on new meaning
Water means breath
Money and jewels
Are useless
When nothing is left
©️2017
Skylight
~Deana J. Tavares
Within my chest
There’s a vacant place
A microscopic girl
Lives there
With a nameless face
I sustain and nourish her
In the absence of light
Though she lingers there
Both day and night
Curled up tightly
Between my ribs
Telling her stories
No one to call them fibs
Filling lung cavities
With salinated woes
Gently rocking
To and fro
Climbing rungs
To my esophagus
I quickly swallow
The journeys
Swift
Now waist deep
In acidic streams
She climbs again
Knowing
Up high are dreams
©️2017
(I’m extremely honored that this poem was chosen by the Poet Laureate of Boston Danielle Legros along with twenty-nine other poets for the City Of Boston Mayor’s Poetry program April of 2017. They are all currently on display at Boston City Hall the 9th floor for Woven Threads. These poems about Boston will remain on display for one year.)
Woven Threads
By: Deana J. Tavares 2017
Have you seen the little fruit truck
It’s mangoes he sells
How about the pride flags
Wind-blown upon sills
The workers they scurry
All through the town
Suddenly emerging from underground
Dog walkers roaming
With handfuls of leashes
And the man who sells mangoes
Sometimes sells peaches
On moving day
Furniture stacked high
Upon sidewalks
Children drawing colorful pictures
With chalk
Crowds gather to see
Concerts on the lawn
How clean the streets look
Once the street sweeper has gone
Students lie upon blankets
One minute enveloped by grass
The next quickly running
To get back to a class
A vast sea of marchers
A towering call
Have you ever seen anyone
Building
Or
Dividing us
With walls?
©️2017
Finding Hope
~Deana J. Tavares
Please don’t hope less
Help US
Hope more
Idealistic
Altruistic
I’ve been called worse things before
The very word hopeful
Can inspire
Motivate
Open doors
Hopeless is final
The elevator doesn’t go any lower
We’ve reached the bottom floor
Hope is eagerly waiting with bated breath
That answers and solutions
Will soon arise
The lack of hope will not
Let anything living
Thrive
Better yet survive
Lungs and hearts are crushed
By hopeless bricks
Though there are hope filled hacks
And hopeful tricks
There are many cancers that hope has kicked
Hopeless never won awards
Never saw what was behind
Unopened doors
Hopeless never found new paths
New roads to follow
For hopeless there was no tomorrow
But hope will tread a different route
Find the light, not block it out
Even under layers of wood
And dust
Slabs of concrete
Stand up and walk
Upon broken feet
This hope it lives inside us all
Wake up
Shake off the dust
Break down those walls
Preconceived notions
Stereotypes
Assumptions
Will only divide
Put it all out there
Then nothing can hide
Or break
Or crack
The earth around US
Rumble and shake
Everything that grounds us
Creating a fissure
A rift
A crevasse
For without hope
We are all lost
A hopeless world
Will swallow us whole
Flush all of our dreams
Right down the bowl
Please don’t hope less
Help each other
Hope more
©️2017
Strength Of A Woman
~Deana J. Tavares
The strength of a woman
Comes from various different places
Influenced by many
All with different faces
My mom taught me
Not to fear someone’s
sickness or disability
Nothing should keep you from
Comforting someone in need
I can say that she exemplified
Just that
Indeed
Rosa Parks taught me
That I am worthy enough
To sit just where I please
With calmness
And with grace
Just not down
Upon my knees
Joan Baez once conveyed
Dylan’s lyrics
The answers
Were blowing in the wind
And she was right
When I listened
Very carefully
I found many
Still in flight
Billie Jean King showed me
That a woman with skills
And dedication
Can and will be a winner
Ashley Graham
Clearly demonstrated
That models don’t always
Have to be thinner
Professor Kellerman
Encouraged me to express
My deepest thoughts
And emotions
Of course
This was contrary
To some men’s
Preconceived notions
Frida Kahlo showed me
That even with great adversity
Your talents
They don’t have to vanish
We speak a common language
Although it is not Spanish
Mrs. Mello
My second grade teacher
Taught me
If I really look
If I really see
The words to describe
Were right there
Visible in front of me
Oprah displayed
All at once
Great strength and vulnerability
Two things many of us
Never thought possible
Simultaneously
Froiline Maria’s character
Reminded me
To always sing
No matter how tough
Circumstances get
Happiness
It shall bring
Jane Goodall
Demonstrated how
A little compassion
Could turn the wildest creature
Into a gentle giant
We are all capable of this
Whether you believe in
Religion or Science
Sara Bareilles told me
To stop holding my tongue
Then I looked
Between the lines
To my words no longer a slave
So I took her advice
And I learned
Just how to be brave
Mrs. Nobrega showed me how
Fresh baked cookies
And phone calls
Can turn neighbors into family
And quiet noises
Between walls
Ellen Degeneres told me
Through a tiny fish
To just keep swimming
What your looking for
You will find
But throughout your journey
Just always remember
To be kind
Michelle Obama said
That there is no room
That I cannot
Proudly walk into
I am worthy
No matter who I am
Or what
I have been through
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Reminded me
We can no longer be silenced
Especially after decades
Of oppression and violence
We all have our words
That we want seen
And heard
We all have a voice
Whether we use it or not
It will be our choice!
©️2017
(We all must ask ourselves this question)
Will You Stand By Them
~Deana J. Tavares
Will you stand by them
Though they are from another nation
Will you stand by them
Even when there is retaliation
Will you stand by them
When they are no longer strong
Will you stand by them
When crosses burn
Upon their lawn
Will you stand by them
When tattoos are placed
Upon their arms
Will you stand by them
When they are shot down
With a right to bare arms
Will you stand by them
When their children are ripped from their loving embrace
Will you stand by them
A different culture
Another race
Will you stand by them
Immigrants just like me
Just like you
Will you stand by them
Becoming the many
Instead of the few
Will you stand by them
When the lack of pigment in your skin
Keeps you safe from danger
Will you stand by them
An ethnic
female
gay
disabled stranger
Will you stand by them
When hijabs, flags, and melanin are prominent
Will you stand by them
When it’s negativity
That is dominant
Will you stand by them
Tearing down walls
Before they are built
Will you stand by them
Because this is the hand that we were dealt
Will you stand by them
Mixed races
Different creeds
Will you stand by them
I will indeed
©️2017
We Were Poets
~Deana J. Tavares
(To: my fellow Joiner Institute writers)
We were just poets
Through the headscarves and beards
The childhood fears
We were poets
From between the lines
And the pages
Ageless
Raceless
Brave and courageous
Just poets
Within word drenched rooms
Puddles converged
Energy consumed
Poets
©️2017
Gabby
The world can be filled with a great deal of negativity at times, but we all have the ability to uplift one another. ~This poem by jummyjeenz was inspired by Gabby Douglas
Gabby
~Deana J. Tavares
Gabrielle Gabrielle
With the strength of many
Don’t let them tap your reserves
Because girl you have plenty
Handed down from those
Who came before
They broke those chains
Unlocked those doors
Your discipline, your essence
Your torch burns strongly within
Heed the words of those who fan your flames
Whenever they are dim
Others hide behind the keys of a message board
Aloud they never would utter such insensitive words
Afraid to come into the light
That you have shined so brightly by day
But unfortunately some
Know no other way
They have been taken down
Then choose to take others with them
While you have uplifted
Inspired millions
Your hair connects you, a source of pride
Each strand woven
With the DNA of your ancestors
Locked deep inside
You have moved mountains for many
Clearing away some hurdles
Opening new paths
So many young girls can follow your lead at last
Words on a screen
Not the same as in person
Said to your face they would bear
An exhaustible burden
Not hatred, just inadequacies, insecurity, and boredom
Sparks they may have found
But never had the chance to explore them
Your accomplishments are so extensive
Your journeys not over
For in a field of many
You are that four leaf clover
Keep your head held high
Retain your calmness
Your grace
Continue to let the light beam
From your beautiful face
©️2016
jummyjeenz 