All that I have done

All that I have
done:
I danced on bars
and climbed the
Pyramids at sunset,
Have kissed movie stars
and refused their further
advances,
Drank next to Keith
Richards and walked
past Mick Jagger
in the park, under snow.
I have cried deep
with relief from
finding
a twenty on the pavement,
knowing then I could
eat, but fed a homeless
man and his dogs during
the Covid lockdowns
because I had lost a home too,
a big one, and not
only
in my heart.
I went on expeditions
up the Niger River
and down the Amazon
as if it were normal
because that is how
everyone around me behaved.
I kept so many tears
and plentiful awe close
to hand, to write;
Because the Taj Mahal
is really something, at sunrise.

Love and love and
love.

I have died
while playing the role
of Cleopatra and shed
the veils of Salomé on
a New York City stage.
So I can put myself
in your shoes
or combat boots
for I have survived
treason and
bankruptcy, moral and
monetarily held.
There is nothing,
not a dime, coming in
for my retirement.

So I rub my eyes
red, dry from too
much drifting,
this breath of in-between.
A January seeming
says “look back” with
an encouragement that
leads me to books.
Look what I have
done and ready
my stretched limbs for
coming Spring.
One not for youth,
a tender time of
petals pushing,
hoping for the surprise
of blossoms, yet
expecting none.

All that I have
tried, and what I know
only I have done.

***

Wishing you all a Happy 2024,

With much love,

Heather

13 comments

  1. Dearest Heather, I wanted to leave a comment on Beyond The Red Carpet but I think that you disabled them. In any case, I will comment here.
    Just to let you know that what you wrote there made me cry a little bit. Because I realised that Ben and Kipling have both passed and that, yes, we have ‘known’ each other for so many years now and have shared a little bit of our lives on different platforms with each other.
    You are a gentle spirit Heather and I love the way you write. It is like you paint a vibrant picture of a fleeting moment, revealing a lot without revealing too much.
    One day I will make it to Provence and we will meet up for a coffee. A redhead and a brunette 🙂 Until then, take care, my dear friend. I hope that life treats you with all the gentleness you deserve.

  2. Oh we have been through so much since 2010! Our hair is going to change along the way too!! 😉 Sending so much love back to you and a big hug.

  4. Hello Katherine. I am ok actually – just sorting some things out. Sometimes my writing reads sadder than it is! Sending you good energy and gratitude

  9. Love this beautiful poem, and love the idea of looking both back, and forward, at the new year. It’s good to take stock and to have hope! Hoping 2024 brings a visit with YOU!

  10. I have missed your writing so much!! I hope 2024 inspires you to write more and leave us those nuggets of beauty to revel in!!

  11. Lovely to see you again. You look beautiful. It seems you are not feeling beautiful. I am sorry. Life is so hard and it is difficult to suffer without feeling bitter, as I do – this I know well. Stay with the light – it is there, still, if you can look.

  13. A happy, healthy 2024 to you, Heather. Thank you for this poem — there is so much there, I will be reading it again and again. And, also, look at your fabulous hair! Sending much love xxoo

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