Alenda

As I watched them through the curtains
they drove off and she was gone.
She was looking mighty pretty
all grown up with make-up on.
Yesterday her world was smaller,
puppy dogs and Barbie dolls.
Now I stand knee-deep in memories
Fed by pictures on my walls.
Treasure all your dreams, Alenda.
They're like voices in the mist
on a stage that's filled with promise,
sweeter than an angel's kiss.
Keep reaching for the stars, Alenda.
Keep that twinkle in your eye.
But before you whisper love words
underneath a dreamer's sky--
Linger here a little longer.
Try to make your childhood last.
Love's a pain that's sugarcoated,
Alenda, don't grow up too fast.






Attic of my Heart

A once-neat scrapbook rests in peace
with other fading memories--
Like old broken promise rings,
a photo in a busted heart,
souvenirs that come apart.
All lie sleeping in the attic of my heart.
A tiny piece of tattered lace
adorns the almost hidden place,
like brittle pages of the past
that tell a future that has passed--
of a love that didn't last,


Abandoned in the Attic of My Heart

Memories just gather dust--
Gold earrings inlaid with rust
lie buried in the attic of my heart.
Love letters, long and...
yellowed now, at my feet
make a doormat in the attic of my heart.
One letter stands out from the rest
like some diabolic test
I read the words from long ago
and soon hot tears begin to flow.
The attic of my heart swings wide
a door, and beckons me inside.
As I visit with the past and leave,
I wipe my eyes on memory's sleeve.




Little Ghost

The house was quiet on Castle Hill
but something stirred down at the end.
Nobody woke to hear the dialing
of the telephone~again.
The silence broke in a patient's room.
A busy nurse said, "Room 303."
But the caller remained silent
for a minute, scared to speak.
Then came a whisper, soft and low,
followed by an eerie moan.

"This is not Alenda, she's asleep.
This is just a little ghost on the phone."
The patient read the nurse's face.
He motioned for the phone.
"Is this my little ghost?" he asked.
You'll get us in trouble~groan."
"I won't get us in trouble, Grandpa.
Everyone's asleep, you see.
I just called to say I love you.
This is just a little ghost, not me. © 2000 Patricia J. Castle



 
Cottonwood Designs

Patricia Castle has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including: Liguorian, Complete Woman, Appalachian Trailways, Feelings, Vintage Northwest, Independence Examiner, Metro Paper, online magazines such as Charlotte's Web, Sonata, Wrexers, Clever, the book Late Harvest IV, and in several self-published books.
Visitor's Archives