1863. What's That Sound?

What's that sound?
Is it
Sleigh bells jingling
Or the more profound
Clang and rattling
Of all the screws
Coming loose
In our economy


Life in San Francisco

1862. Political Seasons

To the novice
Political office
Must seem
Very appealing
This is
Before realizing
How quickly
Cheers
Become jeers


Life in San Francisco

1860. Healthy Christmas Recipe

Christmas
Trees
Create
Instant
Holiday
Feelings
They're
A perfect
Recipe
For good
Cheer
Without
Calories


Life in San Francisco

1856. Skinny Dipping

Swimming
In soft sheets
And the touch
Of our skin
Thanksgiving
Is indulgence
In each other


Dating

1849. Pre-Thanksgiving Feeling

Today's balmy
60 degrees
In San Francisco
Hardly feels
Like Thanksgiving
To me
After an upbringing
In colder climes
Then again
Warm weather
Is
Something
To be thankful for
It's quite
Remarkable
Just a few days
Before
Scheduled fun
Of late November
Time with family


Life in San Francisco

1848. Silent Treatment

I thought
The silent
Treatment
Was a tactic
Reserved
For adolescent
Girls
I guess
Others
...Adult and
Male...
Also practice
It


Dating

1847. Unsolicited Advice

Guys:
Don't treat
A woman
You're dating
Like you would
A colleague
In a business
Meeting
It's extremely
Offputting


Dating

1847. Picturing the Past in Dance

Snuggled warmly under covers

I'm not the first to dash to class

Early on a chilly Sunday morning

Especially as my cat in a curl

On the pillow beside me is purring

I'm too much enjoying bed's soft textures

Feelings like these will not help me

Get back to stage performance

It's a good thing I got pictures

When I had the chance

Life in San Francisco

1846. Not So Bad

Reading magazines
At a beauty salon
While my hands
And feet
Get pampered
Helps me realize
Sometimes
It's not a bad
Life after all


About Women

1768. Queen Me

Starting
My own
Company
Leaves me
In a California
Quandary.
When I say
I, me, or my,
A Buddhist
Friend
Chides
My use
Of personal
Pronouns.
My only
Answer:
Well, If I
Become "we"
Without officially
Adding people
- Not advisors,
Contractors,
Friends, or family
But real FTE
Employees
Or Co-Founders -
To my team,
You can also
Refer to me
As Your Highness
Or Your Majesty
As I'll need
To be
The Queen
- Using
The royal
"We."


Life in San Francisco

1734. Drowning Her Troubles

It should not
Surprise me
At all
That a woman
I met
At a bar
Is a full blown
Alcoholic
It saddens
Nonetheless
To discover
It's true
That's who
She is


Life in San Francisco

1835. Poetic Struggle

I'm
Struggling
To write
A poem
Tonight
That's safe
To share


On Writing

1844. Not Intended

You're
A man
Who's
Not sure
About dating
My gender
Let's make
This easy
It's clear
Anything
Between us
Is not
Meant
To be


Life in San Francisco

1843. No Thanks

No,
I won't
Date
You,
A man,
Who
Is married
Already.
Refer
To
My earlier
Poem,
Which
Expresses
My feelings
On sharing.


About Women

1616. Scratch That

Finally
A man
Wrote
A poem
To me
Too bad
He's
Married
To another
Woman
Already


Life in San Francisco

1517. Freeze It Off

Crazy
People
Swimming
In San
Francisco
Bay
On a
Cool day
Must be
Trying
To kill
Whatever
Ails them
Freezing it
Into submission


Life in San Francisco

1474. Non Reciprocal

My brother
Scolded,
"You've gone
Too far
Bringing him
To meet
Our family.
To whom
Has he
Already
Introduced
You?"


Long Relationships

1693. Unexpected Reaction

I got
A new job.
That's great!
Did you
Celebrate?
No, I cried.
This is not
The life
I wanted.


Life in San Francisco

1804. Smelling a Gay Male

I met a man
Who shares
The name
Of another,
Who used
To give me
Happy
Goosebumps.
I'm afraid
This new male
Is gay.
He hasn't said it
Or experimented,
But I can
Smell it.


Dating

1807. Ideas in Love Don't Count

I loved
The idea of you
Not you yourself
Personally
So don't feel
Guilty


Dating

1839. Refusing Abuse

I avoid
People,
Who
Make
Cry,
As that's
Abuse.
Right?


Dating

1841. Crying???

If you
Make
Me cry
In the
First
Five
Dates,
You're
Not
Worth
More
Of my
Time


Dating

1808. No Sense In It

There is
No sense
In pining
For a man
Who wasn't
All that
Grand
In real life
No matter
What
My mind
Made of him


Dating

1828. The Badlands

Badlands
Fields of sand
Oceans
Of nothing
Stretched
Before you
Thirst
Growing
Knowing
No water
Is close
To you


Life in San Francisco (actually South Dakota)

1832. Chemistry Indicator

Good chemistry
Is when you
Want to
Crawl happily
Inside each
Others' clothes
Nose to nose
And touch
Every inch
Of skin
Kissing
And caressing
Recklessly


Dating

1833. Attracted Like Magnets

True attraction
Is present
When
You're in public
And find
It impossible
To stand
Quite
Close enough


Dating

1835. How To Spot Attracted Couples

A couple
In pheramone
Heaven
Is easy
To determine
Or verify:
As they stand
In public
Their
Feet & fingers
Practically
Intertwine
Their hands
Caress
Each others'
Shoulders
And backs
They snatch
A delicious
Snack
Of lips kissed
Clandestine
And chat
Happily
About everyone
And all
Around them


Dating

1827. Full Stop

If you don't
Want to be
With me
Physically,
I prefer not
To be yours.
Period.


Dating, About Women

1823. Technology Disease

Interviewing
For jobs
In technology
I meet
Young men
With nervous
Ticks
Without their own
Homes
Or families
But with lasting
Coughs and colds
In their computers'
Cold glow
They work
Till their last
Breath
Is extinguished
Like a modern
Technologist
Keats or Shelley
Who died young
Of TB


Life in San Francisco

1822. Pink Dream

Seeing the sky
And ocean
Both a sea
Of pink
Brings
A smile
That washes
Over me


Life in San Francisco

1798. Loving What's True

I fell in love
With the idea
Of a few of you
Now I've found
A man
Who'll see me
Through
Life's ups and downs
Its unexpected
Sideways turns
Its peaks, puddles,
And forward
Bounds
Together
We'll learn
What true
Love means
And we'll be happy
Honestly and deeply


Dating

1819. Playful Interaction

You held
And examined
My hand, and
Feeling
Playfully
Trapped,
I wiggled
My fingers.
You laughed.
I loved that
Interaction.


Dating

1813. Noticing Details

Your hands
Are gentle
And your nails
Are not some
Strange red
I like them
He said
Meanwhile
It makes me
Happy
That he
Sees me


Dating

1814. Eyes Alive

I like
Your
Intense
Eyes
With no
Whites
Showing
They are
Boundless
Glowing


Admiring Men

1811. Almost Carried Away

This is another story that's just too unusual not to share - even before it makes its way into poetry:

Last night as I was leaving a networking event with a group of friends, a man I don't know picked me up, not figuratively or metaphorically, but rather, actually, he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me from the floor. The man had grabbed my hand as I walked toward the door and expressed some anguish at not having talked to me before. After that, he asked my name, and in the usual professional credentials exchange, I volunteered that I've founded a company to build iphone, online, and social networking applications and have previously worked in enterprise software marketing organizations. That was all I said, and it prompted quite an outsized reaction. Next thing I knew, I was airborne in a big, unexpected hug with my feet dangling a foot above the floor. For some reason, some men instinctively feel they want to just kiss me spontaneously or carry me off with them within 5 minutes of our first meeting, which as you can imagine, for me, can be disconcerting. Even stranger than this singular occasion is that this type of thing has happened to me not just once - but twice or three times - including once at a business networking event for the San Francisco American Marketing Association. Fortunately for me, yesterday evening, another man saw what happened and came to my rescue. My rescuer stood patiently observing the other man, who was so enraptured that he promised to join my networking group in order to see me again; happily, my rescuer got me quickly and safely to my car. Having seen this incident, my friends' eyes were understandably wide with disbelief - as were mine. I'm still shocked from it. Perhaps strangest of all, these men are not on the surface freaks or ne'er do wells on the streets. These are businessmen just released from long days of meetings - mostly sober except for what appears to be their instantaneous intoxication from meeting me. It's not what I was wearing as that was normal fare of a conservative tan top, black knee-length skirt, and high heels. Truth certainly is stranger than fiction.

1806. Starting with G and PG 13

I'll share
With you only
The G and PG 13
Poems I've written
After last night
Or since
This morning
If after getting
To know me
You're bold
And dare
To want me
Completely
I might
Venture
To show
You more


Dating, On Writing

1801. Le P'tit Laurent

My favorite haunt
In San Francisco
Is Le P'tit Laurent
All the staff and owner
Know and greet me
With kisses and bonhomie
I appreciate them
More fully
Than they can imagine
They create for me
In San Francisco
A bit of Paris


Life in San Francisco

1802. American Dream Alive

Barack Obama wins
The American
Presidential election
Celebrations
Break out in San Francisco,
London and Kenya
All the world watches
As average Americans
Renew global hope
In the American Dream


Life in San Francisco

1797. Open to Possibilities

You love me?
I'm so happy
You do.
If you keep
Experiencing
That feeling,
Maybe
I'll start
To love you,
Too.


Dating

1791. Muse

If you
Make any
Impression
On me
You'll
Be
My muse
For poetry


On Writing

1796. Erasing the Past

I guess
It would be
Better
For me
If there were
No record
In my memory
Of ever
Loving you


Dating

1793. Ghost

Thoughts
Of you
Follow me
Still
When will
This
Feeling
Of loss
And longing
End?


Dating

1792. Better Never Felt

Maybe it would
Have been better
Had I never
Met you
You're still
In my thoughts
And my sense
Of longing
To be yours
Never ends


Dating

1788. Worst Date Ever

First, he was 30 minutes late.
Then, when he learned
I'm mostly vegetarian,
He proceeded to tell me
A story about his friends,
Who kill animals
For entertainment.
Upon hearing I'm a poet,
He laughed,
Making numerous
Inappropriate assumptions
About what he supposed
Were the hidden meanings
Behind my poetry.
After our lunch,
He looked and waited
To see if I'd reach
And offer to split the bill.
Offering me a ride
On his motorcycle,
He chided that I'd
Never be successful
In business
Until I learned to take
More risks.
This was after I told him
I'm a dancer and prefer
Safer modes
Of transportation.
He said he has a PhD
In psychology
But never wanted to practice
As a psychologist.
Maybe he needs more schooling
In how to be a decent, thinking
Human being.


Dating

1789. Another Worst First Date

He took me
To a restaurant
And proceeded
With a 90 minute
One-way interview:
Tell me how you
Moved from one
Field of study
To another
And then every job
You've held
Starting from age 12
To the present.
I kept trying in vain
To turn the tables
And create
A more two-way
Conversation.
At the end
He told me
His pre-rehearsed
15 minute
Personal pitch
Of how he came to be
So successfully
Where he is today.
A meat and potatos guy
He winced a little
As I happily devoured
All my vegetables.
By my doorway
As he kissed me goodnight
And I didn't invite
Him to come inside,
He looked a mix between
Confused and disappointed.
Had I mastered my wits
And been fully aware
Of my choices
I would have left
In the middle
Of the interview,
...er, dinner.


Dating

1790. His Audition

He offered to come
See me dance
And then in fact
Spent the entire class
Watching another,
A busty-er woman,
Meanwhile, I thought
.... NEXT!!!


Dating

1784. Daylight Savings

Daylight savings
Often leaves me
Craving
Extra sleep
But this time
I arrived
An hour early
That's quite
Unusual
For me


Life in San Francisco