Dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore - 2008

The Mask (poem - November 1993)

For now we see through a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then shall I understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.

I Corinthians 13: 12 (Bible, Revised Standard Version)

one night, I awoke and found myself walking
through the misty darkness and dewy grass

to the brightness calling out in the distance
beckoning, come home (come home)

over the dunes and to the beach, along the moonlit path
a celestial being took my hand

guiding me to the silvery shore, the boundary
separating life and death, this world from the next

like a silken cocoon hiding the wings of a Monarch,
a majestic ship waited, sails at half-mast

cherubim and seraphim ushered me
inside towards the beckoning brilliance

swept into ecstasy, helpless without fear
I surrendered my soul, joyfully dancing forever

in the warmth of the light with those gone before me
many faces, some familiar, all of them friends

suddenly, stood the One, statuesque and strong
peering but through a mask

I knew those eyes, but how? I'd not been there before
then, His guise removed, I knew

Jack in the Money (short story - 1995)

(class assignment - didn't turn out exactly as well as I wanted, but Jack was truly a confidence man, and I wanted to attempt to capture his spirit).

Working in customer service at USA Today is a crazy kind of existence. Clocks are ticking everywhere, but there is never enough time. The pressure is unrelenting, but we do our best to juggle deadlines and customers. While the deadlines pass, the steady stream of customers seems to flow for eternity. Our jobs require that we recognize that "the customer is always right." And everyone does. Everyone, that is, except Jack.

Men at Work (poem - October 1995)

(class assignment - personal/reflective prose)

Five against one, but there was no turning back
I braced for their cat calls, fearing an attack

Frantic, I grabbed for the spray in my purse.
And proceeded with caution, no time to rehearse

Hey little sweatheart, why you actin' so afraid
Have no plans to hurtcha, I'm just looking to get laid

Rolling up his sleeves, he flashed an eery, toothless grin
'Most Wanted's where I saw him or at least his evil twin

Like Goliath, he came charging, felt my knees begin to give
My heart pounded like a hammer, but I knew I'd fight to live

I warned and then pleaded; he politely conceded by grabbing me 'round the waist
Without hesitating, I fired like a robot; some say I acted in haste

The others ran to him, the joker and flirt, the otherwise harmless drunk
But even they knew he had gone too far; yes, in their eyes he'd sunk

Though I could have stayed and chatted; I quickly fled the scene
But I wrote about my triumph, sent it to Ms. Magazine

Looking back, too bad I had to teach him such a lesson
At least it was with mace, though, and not a Smith and Wesson

Introduction: Writing and Visual Media Design

In my late twenties, I happened to take a creative writing class. I can honestly say it was among the most fun and cathartic experiences I have ever had, and for a time I belonged to a small writer's group. This is not to say, of course, that my short stories and poems were particularly good. I would even say that some are a bit disconcerting. But they reflected a youthful intensity. I will share a few of them with you and am thinking of revisiting this whole creative writing thing again. There is a lot I would like to say, but as a mom and student, and one who works full time, I don't get much free time. I have recently begun to dabble with visual media development tools and photography. I am just a beginner, to say the least. However, I'm having fun, and that's really what matters. Stories, photos, and other creations on the way! :) Please let me know if anything strikes your fancy, speaks to you, or whatever, and free to share your own creative works!

Note: I am not posting in the order that I created these things - just as I find them.