Bad Ghazal

Truth can only be if you
believe you have a stronger voice.

The nightmare that still haunts me
is when my mother took my voice.

I always sway in the back though
I'm told I have the best voice.

Early at the apricot dawn,
I can still hear Charlie's voice.

Lillian Raymondi says faintly,
"Nicole, you are my voice."

Dark Night of the Soul: Ghazal

Lord Byron's biography quietly
whispered in my ear "The end is near."

Shortly after "Pomp and Circumstance"
I knew the end was near.

Restless hours, amplifying hearing
me. It might be ending here.

Lying on the floor, I see a spider
in its web, the end is near.

Phantom voices of my children
as the beep grows strong. The end is here.

Fun Repetition Exercise

I wish I had a buck or two
for every time I said I'll do
something tomorrow morning.

You treat me like a worn out shoe.
I wish I had a word or two
to say to you and get you back.

I should have stuck to him like glue
on the boulder by the swans.
My heart's missing a beat or two.

Confessions

I'm scared of growing up.
I wish I could make someone cry with my poetry.
I love horses,
but I'm allergic.
I wish I was still in a choir.
I don't kill spiders.
I kill mosquitoes.
I don't think M.J. was guilty.
I do think O.J. was guilty.
I love all kinds of music,
and that's not a lie.
I miss my roommate.
My Grandpa thinks my name is George.
He says I need to lose weight;
like father like daughter.
I envy Sylvia Plath.
I have her birthday.
My mom needs a psychiatrist,
but she refuses to go.
I wish I could just move away.
I wish that I could stay.

My Earrings

My earrings in fourth grade were nonexistent. A faux bloodied needle helped ma clear her throat.
My earrings in fifth grade were brand new. Ma was reluctant to rhinestone.
My earrings were in a box I carried with me. Ma called me ridiculous.
My earrings looked like Mickey ears. I lost one on the bus.
My earrings came from Gram's house, inflaming with infection.
My earrings were spheres and spikes of rainbow. I got them at FAD.
My earrings were pearls:one fake, one real. Ma would've killed me if she knew.
My earrings were too big. I got in trouble and wore them as bracelets.
My earrings were feathers on chains. One got away.
My earrings were large, dark hearts for two years.
My earrings at prom used to be Grandma Tiger Lillian's.
My earrings got me friends at college.
My earrings lived at Dad's for a month.
My earrings hate ma because she steals them.
My earrings are with me and lay nestled in the crib of my watch.

Quatrain Exercise

Today, the day I lie in bed
And sigh for half an hour instead
Of getting up to catch the flight
Back home, is my pathetic plight.

Though Grace is back in her un-home
I still will sadly write this poem
In selfishness, and brutally
Think what might be her eulogy.

Sorrow never came to me
Like this. So much, and heavily,
I'll miss this place that is now mine
And should be for the rest of time.

Irony Exercise

Waking waves of wind rush past the branch and swirl the particles of powdery dust that are shaken from the petal of the daisy, as it beats and beats rapidly without ceasing.