SL Poetry: Fall

Fall is a slow but beautiful death

The end of the bounty,

of growth.

With a last hurrah the trees triumphantly display all their colors;

flowers struggle to hang on to the last vestiges of sun and warmth,

but they too will wither and die.

Trees shed their leaves and stand barren in their wake.

We harvest and reap the product of the summer's hard labor

we reap what we sow...

Insects begin their desperate struggle to live,

creeping into homes, buzzing about frantically.

The sun wanes more and more each passing day

and its warmth diminishes.

School starts, traffic snarls;

With dreary resolution we dive back into the very humdrum aspects

of life.

Summer is gone...we prepare for the dead of winter.

Shellie Sands

Poetry: "I am a New Yorker"

I am a New Yorker
I do not live in the five boroughs or on the Island or Upstate
I may live hundreds or thousands of miles away
Or I may live just over the GW Bridge
But I am a New Yorker nonetheless

I am a New Yorker
Whatever took me out of New York:
Business, family or hating the cold
did not take New York out of me.
My accent may have faded and my pace may have slowed
But I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker
I was raised on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Rockefeller
Plaza,
The Yankees or the Mets
Jones Beach or Rye Beach or one of the beaches on the sound
I know that "THE END" means Montauk.
Because I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker
When I go on vacation, I never look up
Skyscrapers are something I take for granted
The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are part of me
Taxis and noise and subways and "get outa heah" don't rattle me
Because I am a New Yorker

I am a New Yorker
I was raised on cultural diversity before it was politically correct
I eat Greek food and Italian food, Jewish and Middle Eastern food
and Chinese food
Because they are all American food to me.
I don't get mad when people speak other languages in my presence
Because my relatives got to this country via Ellis Island and chose
to stay
They were New Yorkers

I am a New Yorker
People who have never been to New York have misunderstood me
My friends and family work in the industries, professions and
businesses that benefit all Americans
My firefighters died trying to save New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers
They died trying to save Americans and non-Americans
Because they were New Yorkers.

I am a New Yorker
I feel the pain of my fellow New Yorkers
I mourn the loss of my beautiful city
I feel and dread that New York will never be the same
But then I remember:
I am a New Yorker

And New Yorkers have:

Tenacity, strength and courage way above the norm
Compassion and caring for our fellow citizens
Love and pride in our city, in our state, in our country
Intelligence, experience and education par excellence
Ability, dedication and energy above and beyond
Faith--no matter what religion we practice

Terrorists hit America in its heart
But America's heart still beats strong
Demolish the steel in our buildings, but it doesn't touch the
steel in our souls
Hit us in the pocketbook; but we'll parlay what we have left
into a fortune
End innocent lives leaving widows and orphans, but we'll take
care of them
Because they are New Yorkers

Wherever we live, whatever we do, whoever we are
There are New Yorkers in every state and every city of this nation
We will not abandon our city
We will not abandon our brothers and sisters
We will not abandon the beauty, creativity and diversity that
New York represents
Because we are New Yorkers
And we are proud to be New Yorkers

Trader Whiplash (trader1.whiplash): from 8-1-1979 to 9-11-2001 my work address was Four World Trade Center, NY. NY, 10048

SL Poetry by Shellie Sands

I curse you!

I loathed you so I left

Now I curse you cause you're dead!

You left me with the fallout, the expense, the children to deal with

I hope you are in a better place and

I hope there is someone wherever you are

to welcome you

and love you

But LET them love you!

Shed those negative thoughts, feelings

let the negative things in your body float away

Give it up!

RIP William

Shellie Sands

SL Poetry - Intimate Moments and Thoughts of Us

A time to lay together
when comfort envelops us
like a soft, warm blanket.
The times are few and far between
but we relish them
like good food or fine wine.

Such hope laced with
trepidation;
such joy laced with
fear...
The joy courts uncertainty,
The fear carries sorrow.

And one day
The dam will break,
and every hope, dream and fear I have
will go crashing downstream
as rapids over jagged rock
magnificent in their freedom
and the truth will be revealed.

Shellie Sands

SL Poetry - Life Cycle

the old tall oak
stands firm in its roots
it has stood there for many years
wind blows, rustling its leaves

still green leaves
splashed against
a perfect cerulean sky
on an october afternoon
an idyllic scene

it welcomes the birds that come
and perch on its branches
each day

the birds convene
they chatter back and forth
the tree smiles
it loves them like children

and the birds have had their meeting
they fly of in a gathered flock
as though children of the wind

And the tree smiles once again
and bids them farewell ...for today

They will be back tomorrow
and the cycle will repeat


Shellie Sands

SL Poetry: Revelations

I know now clearly

the difference between sex
and love

Souls rediscovering each other
the other half to our own
hearts beating together
arms and bodies embracing
like two perfectly carved puzzle pieces
made to interlock
designed to complete one whole

I am at a loss to describe perfection;
it is unfamiliar to me.

and as the reconnection moves forward
our love continues to grow and blossom
our hearts grin wider and wider
and our souls smile their wisdom...
they know they are home.

Shellie Sands

SL Poetry - Pandora's Box

One has to wonder
why certain events unfold
at the time points in our lives
that they do.

A chance encounter online
opened an unexpected
Pandora's Box,
erasing away years of time

This Pandora's Box released
great joy, love and passion,
comfort and trust
the likes of which had not previously come to pass .

You came and breathed new life into me
at a time when I thought
there was nothing left to inhale.

Stunned by our reaction to each other,
thinking about what we might have had,
could have been...
but it was not our time.
We moved on through our separate lives
almost not remembering,
yet never completely forgetting

Fate, however, has chosen our time
quite mysteriously.
The obstacles seem insurmountable,
the terrain rugged and unexplored.

Patience and determination,
love and trust
These must be our guides
if we are to arrive at the place
that fate has chosen for us.
The journey begins...

Shellie Sands

SL Poetry - Ocean Home

The magnificence of the ocean
it's strength and sheer power;
it is wondrous and haunting,
and spellbinding all at once.

I watch in awe
as the waves do their sidewinding dance along the shoreline,
rising and falling,
pushing then pulling back,
like a hesitant lover.

The waves lap up against me
in a nudging gesture of welcome.
The ebb tide pulls me hard
willing me to go,
and the sea whispers...
welcome home, my sister soul,
this is where you belong.

Shellie Sands

SL Poetry - I Know A Man

I know a man
who became jaded by life
by events and scenarios
beyond his control.
He lost himself along the way.
I know a man who wanted
to take control
but didn't know how
looking to others
to do it for him.
Radically oppositional,
he is alone
in his misery.

I know a man
enormously talented
engaging and intelligent
sarcastically amusing.
He controls what he can
and ignores the rest.
Idealistic to a fault,
he is sensitive and loving.
Trying to find himself and
his personal utopia.
I fear it will remain beyond his grasp
until he can manage
his own reality.

I know a man
who tried hard in life
but had more failure than success.
Constantly seeking the
approval of others,
attracting many, but keeping few.
Overwhelmed by feelings of
abandonment,
he is lost and afraid.
It drives all he does.

I know a man,
whose accreditations
and common interest
piqued my curiosity upon meeting.
I said "hello."
A family man
smart and witty,
he has been my sounding board
for ideas and thoughts.
He is wise but doesn't believe it.
The biggest shoulders I know,
upon which I have cried many a time.
He is my strength
and my guidance.
I am not saying goodbye.

I know a man.

Shellie Sands

SL Poetry - The Pedastal

It's a funny thing how we
sometimes place people on a pedastal
it's a fine line between trust
and uncertainty

Some trust unwittingly
without fear
knowing they are justified in that trust
no chance of betrayal in any way

And then...
without notice
that trust crumbles
dissolves into ...
nothingness
and we are left to feel
outwitted, used perhaps
fooled into believing

the pedastal vanishes
and we feel foolish for ever
having placed anyone on it

And IF we are smart
IF we learn from it
There will BE no more pedastals
and we will walk away
knowing...for the time being
that everyone
is flawed


Shellie Sands