Fashion

I began in knits and cotton
woven carefully to be soft and gentle on my skin
I moved to jersey and sweats
and stretchy pants
I grew into denim and leather
I graduated into cashmere and silk
I decided knits were king again
I took it back and deserved Cashmere
and now it doesn't matter what I wear
as long as it is comfortable and reflects my mood
my style has become a reflection of me and not my age
and now that I'm here I want to be ageless
but rompers don't work and mini skirts aren't what they used to be
and short shorts are risque
what ever shall I wear?!


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January

new beginnings
in cold days
and colder nights
with decorations bright
and champagne toasts
and dancing through the night
do we celebrate the end of the last
or the beginning of the next
suspended in time
we wonder what the next year brings
and then we sing
we should always sing










all rights reserved..ST

seasons

The heavy heat of summer

That keeps you low to the ground

And slow to move

Submerging bodies in water at every opportunity

Sometimes forcing heads under water

That heat that makes the body search for shade

That heat that makes even the breeze heavy and wet

Has finally broken.



The sun still shines and forces sensitive eyes to hide behind shaded lenses

But the heat is slowly going

Allowing the earth to cool

Allowing the breeze to refresh

As the air gets crisper

We find ourselves missing the heat

Knowing that soon a cold will creep in



A cold that gets into bones

And chaps hands and bodies

And forces them into cocoons of wool and nylon

A cold that seems too harsh to be temporary

The kind that submerges bodies in seas of blankets

Unwilling to leave their dens

But then it too breaks

And the heat creeps back



    all rights reserved Sharlene Thornton

Haunting Woman

Her voice fit her like the satin gown she wore


Sliding sexily around all the curves of her body

Surrounding her in a smoke colored liquid shine

She held her head high but not too high

The curve of her neck was provocative

Her hair was the color of maturing honey

It fell in curls around her forehead where it escaped

The chignon

That elegant hairstyle that this event dictated

Her tall frame was exaggerated by the delicately heeled shoes she wore

She carried nothing

And she looked as though she never needed anything

She was soft but striking in this light

The candle light and mirrors reflected her beauty to the whole room

No one knew her

Many wondered who she was

But no one dared to ask

Her laugh was like the tinkling of crystal glasses

Her aura was that of mystery

She left before anyone knew who she was

An angel from the elegant past

Visiting again the place of her final toast

 
 
all rights reserved: Sharlene Thornton

driving home

Late spring weather on an early spring day


Country on the left and rap on the right

Classic rock from somewhere back

Guy in the truck tries not to look like he’s looking at me

Girl in the shades thinks she is invisible

Just because I can’t see your eyes

Light changes

Startled people leave their day dreams and start to drive again

Two mates for life fly over us

Honking their soulful love songs to each other

Stop again

This time to watch the little sparrow chase the blackbird away from her nest

Only a fraction of the bigger birds size she still scares it away

What a mother will do

Go again

Hey buddy, use a blinker next time

Feeling invisible as usual

As cars drift into my pathway

I fade into scenery

Another stop…last one and then I can turn into my neighborhood

Neighborhood…what does that even mean anymore

Just another place to be unnoticed

I don’t know anyone there

I just get my mail, use the pool, and sit on my porch

I spend most of my time inside my unit

Where I am assigned to be for now

What is the point in making roots

No one sees me now

Growing downwards isn’t going to make me easier to see

Here we are

Home at last

In the assigned parking space

Using borrowed keys to enter borrowed spaces

Filled with my belongings

Just things I take along from place to place

None of it matters to anyone but me

Sometimes when you’re invisible it makes thing easier to see

And others times you wish you didn’t have to see how alone you really are

Put the t.v. on for company

Open the door to the porch

The cats rush out to watch the life outside the screens

They barely notice you are home

Except that you opened the door

Later they will cuddle with you and profess their love with rumbling

But for now, you do your thing and they will do theirs

Wait for the phone to ring, it never does

Check email…nothing personal

Think about calling or writing someone, but too lonely to break the loneliness

And so it goes on

Maybe everyone else is feeling just like this ; that would be comforting to know

 
 
all rights reserved, Sharlene Thornton

he grits his teeth anticipating pain
she looks at him and feels it before he does
she doesn't want to say what he doesn't want to hear
but she has no right to keep it from him
he knows what he has done
and he knows he deserves his fate
his love is impulsive
hers is forgiving
she rubs his jaw with warm hands
and wills him to relax
she moves her gentle fingers to his eyes
instinct takes over and closes his lids
forcing his surrender
she loves him more than he can know, and will take his pain into her
and he finds himself giving way under her electric touch
and then she strikes
with a kiss
and turns her back and walks away
his jaw falls slack
and she is gone
away from him
taking his love and his will
and he throws himself
supine
it is over in an unforgettable moment

1:29 AM 3/20/12

woke up coughing again
with the song in my head
"let the wind take your troubles away"
I'd only been asleep a few hours
what was it about?
the dream on the edge of remembering
what floor is Mr. Brennan's office on?
do you work here?
should I get my hair done?
You can wear your dress off the shoulder now
it's after five
I don't want to
it is uncomfortable
you can't share the couch
you have to sleep on the floor
oh no!
here come the chaperons
pretend to be asleep
skip ahead

what do you want to do today?
need to leave the house
vintage stores and record shops
maybe but don't forget the wedding is at two
I need to get my eyebrows shaped and my hair done
what for? this isn't my wedding
"may the wind take your troubles away"