Heather Gelb- Two Poems

Fragrant Garden of Melancholy

I was always the one who

Pleaded for all moods to

Smile for the camera while I

Handed out cheery dispositions

With my collection of

Rose-colored glasses.

I completely identified with the

Perky persistence of Joy

In the movie "Inside Out".

But one day I found a friend

Who wore her disposition for gloom and doom

Like a brooding character from a Burton film or

A line from one of Keats’s Odes.

When I looked at her I saw

Smudgy rings around the moon,

And turned my head to the sun

While offering her my rosy lenses.

She absolutely  refused to smile through the tears. Instead,

She cared enough to gently refuse the glasses and

To invite me to visit sadness  seated

On the cloudy charm of melancholy.

I hesitated, tried to armor myself

With fragrances of joy and sunny mornings,

Then finally took the plunge into her inner world.

I felt immense awe and respect walking through the

Fragrant garden of melancholy,

Open to the mingling scents of

wistfulness, reflection, and windowsills sprinkled with

Wilted roses and tears.

And I finally  understood that it really is ok

To experience sadness fully

In order to feel authentic and

Just get on with life.

-------------------------------------

Scent of Rosemary

The piney scent of rosemary

Lingered on her fingers

As she adjusted her hat and

Set up her easel to

Paint a memory that I have

Never seen from my window.

Even her choice of

Lines and colors reflected a reality

That some college campuses would 

Confine to a Designated Safe Area.

Spiders crawled nearby with

Enough poison to bring down

Dozens of pink elephants, and

Snakes slithered though the thorns

Clutching cameras in their toothy mouths

Ready to photoshop another story to

Spread to the masses.

But still that artist with

The  floppy hat comes to paint

Her truth, leaving behind the

               Scent of rosemary.

Brief Bio: I often feel like a gazelle as I leap from hilltop to hilltop.

On one of these hills I recently publish my memoir, my spiritual journey from the hills of one land to another:  http://www.amazon.com/From-Hilltop-Path-Rwanda-Israel/dp/1937623076

One of my poems based on this book was  featured in the fall edition of Poetica Magazine.

I have also published stories and poetry in other various publications like Green Panda Press, Deronda Review, Jellyfish Whispers, Stepping Stones, IJN and Esra Magazine.