Charlotte Ballard Poems

You delight the nose with evocative
Promise of stringy cheese, pepperoni
And tomato sauce warm. Each piece
Contested over, grabbed, hungered over
...

Man of Sorrow
Man of Pain
You took it all
Without any gain.
...

Emily, your words breathe fire.
From simple words to grand designs-
Heaven drops, sweet nectar.
I propose a promise
...

I never had a mother
Who read “Hello Moon”
Fifty-seven times before
Tossing it behind the refrigerator
...

My mother keeps a poem
That I wrote when I was
More than a child, but
Not yet a Woman.
...

Just now, Michael spoke
Not from courage
Nor from hope.
'I'm dying, ' he says
...

I work the books
As if knowing the
Words could somehow
Translate into
...

Taps are being played
In the middle of me
To say good-bye
To that part that
...

I don't have much
That I can claim-
Just an old brush
With half the bristles gone,
...

(inspired by Stubborn Students)
 
Locked doors
Closed windows
...