Betty Bleen

What would I do if I didn't have you
You're so full of wisdom that you can see
All my faults and fallacies
And splay them out in front of me
...

Toasted English muffins spread with peanut butter and grape jelly,
a simple meal, it is all I have to offer.
I pour you the last few ounces of orange juice, knowing as I do
that you prefer to drink your fruit,
...

Some people are so naïve. Take for instance,
Little Red Riding Hood. There she is, skipping
through the forest, which she knows is inhabited
by dangerous animals, wearing a scarlet cloak.
...

I don’t know much about war,
at least first hand I don’t.
But in my neighborhood,
when I was a child,
...

My dentist knows my mouth intimately.
And, like any man who recognizes a lover
across a crowded room, merely by her stance
or the way she tosses her hair, my dentist
...

Before the actual birth, I tried to convince myself
there could be no room for fear. That in fact, the
only way I was going to get through this and come
out smelling like a rose was to keep my wits about
...

I'm looking for a man, a prince of a man. He
doesn't have to be knockout gorgeous like
the one who bedazzled Cinderella, nor does
he have to be as tall, dark or handsome as
...

In the photo my mother is beautiful.
Though it is in black and white,
I picture her cheeks rosy as pink Chablis.
Her hair cascades thick and wavy to meet
...

My grandmother made donuts every
Sunday morning, dumping memorized
ingredients into a crock mixing bowl,
punching down the malleable mass
...

Perhaps this is the way Picasso got started,
as a baby sitting in a high chair, dumping
the dish and the cup, the fork or spoon onto
the floor, delighting in how the green peas
...

Home again ... arising early I wander through
my parents house, searching for memories.
In the pantry are the small clear glasses,
handpainted with tulips. Instinctively I lift
...

The roses on my table appear to be singing,
so sure of themselves and their beauty.
Both proud and arrogant they break into song
the minute they are alone, when they think
...

My body is no longer the flawless manuscript
most men would take time out of their busy day
to read; no longer as exciting as the latest novel,
nor as interesting as the daily news.
...

to see you as I was getting off work.
You stopped by, you said,
for a cup of coffee.
I smiled as the words
...

Early September and the leaves are falling,
they crunch beneath my feet
as I walk the dogs through the park.
...