A Day in the Life… And Other Poems

By Ann Christine Tabaka

A Day in the Life…

dishes piled high in the sink.
dirty laundry strewn over the back of a chair.
all life in chaos and disarray.
nothing seems as it should.
twisted visions of dreams from the past.
crumbs on the kitchen floor.
thinking I need a day off.
life running in circles that never end …
spiraling out of control.
breaths exhaled in a deep sigh.
eyes closed to the truth.
as soon as my feet hit the floor …
each day it begins over again. 

A Miracle in the Making

A jade-green bullet with droplets of gold,
glistened in the sun. It caught my eyes as
it dangled from a fading asclepias tuberosa 
plant. Contrasted against silken white tuffs 
escaping from ripened pods. I examined it 
closely. Its beauty entranced me.

Days passed slowly. Like an expectant 
mother, filled with hope, I waited for new 
birth. The pale chrysalis began to transform. 
I watched as hours crept by. Then breaking 
free, new life emerged. Wings pumping and 
expanding, it flew away, leaving me in awe. 

Gloriously lifting ever higher, I understand 
the truth … it is only in dying to ourselves 
that we truly live.

Winter is Here to Stay

Ice clings to rocks as the swift moving
stream journeys homeward. Time does
not hold to boundaries – it should be spring.
No sprouts emerge – no bird songs lift. 
Winter decided to stay – taking up residence
long past his due. Wind, ice, snow - I become 
the winter storm. My touch freezes hearts. 
My words induce shutters. The years have
taken away all that is good, yet I continue on. 
A numb earth heaves, crumbling underfoot. 
Vegetation dead and brown. A landscape
painted in grief. I walk among cinders &
thorns strewn upon the pathway. Months 
stretch on forever & I must close my eyes to 
spring. Ice breaks free to float downstream 
dashing me on the rocks. 

Ann Christine Tabaka was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize in Poetry; nominated for the 2023 Dwarf Stars award of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association; winner of Spillwords Press 2020 Publication of the Year. Her bio is featured in the “Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2020 and 2021,” published by Sweetycat Press. She is the author of 16 poetry books, and 1 short story book.