CHECK OUT: Phyllis P. Colucci ( aka "Fictiontarot") at ALLAUTHOR

https://allauthor.com/author/pcolucci56/

 

CHECK OUT: Phyllis P. Colucci (aka "Fictiontarot") at ALLAUTHOR (Click on Link Above to SEE MORE! )

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About Author

Phyllis P. Colucci

pcolucci56.allauthor.com

• Genre:

  Suspense Mystery Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Romance Poetry
• Country: United States
• Books: 6
• Profession: Author
• Born: 30 June
• Member Since: Feb 2023
• Profile Views: 6,675
• Followers: 199
• VISIT AUTHOR: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Pinterest, Linkedin,

        AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY... and so much more!!! 

        CLICK LINK HERE  https://allauthor.com/author/pcolucci56/ 

 

 

       

 

 

Poetry and Fiction – Just “One Word” Away (Politics)

 

http://spillwords.com/author/phyllispcolucci/      

https://www.amazon.com/Phyllis-P.-Colucci/e/B00VMU8B44

   

            One word becomes one idea, becomes one sentence, becomes one poem, becomes one story. It must start from just “one word”.  (Spillwords Press / Spillwords.com Submission - 2/21/2024) (Photos from "Pinterest")

 

                      Politics

Untamed lions massacre the earth

and soon the flesh, blood and bone of Man

will be no more than a past civilization

…and where is the lion tamer?

Have the lions turned on their Master

or has their Master run away in fear?

 

Destruction has stretched its tentacles

across this once beautiful Land

As the Master remains in hiding

While all is gone with nothing left to savor

And untamed lions prey on one another

 

The earth seems at an eerie rest now

Blanketed by “sounds of silence”

Tainted by the stench of death among the ruins

We can hear an echo through that silence

An echo of a burnt nation’s battle cry

With drums beating in unison

in the corners of our mind

Faded images of rotted corpses

Musty odors and dampened soil

Gun powder and scattered grenade shells

Memories and Horrors of “our” War

 

The ailing fields climb high and low

Beneath a raging sky

King Neptune orders his powerful seas

To rise and cleanse the earth; far and wide

 

The water flushes out all decay

But the sea and sky no longer kiss

They just fade into a lost horizon

And with barren lands, must co-exist

 

The end is here for a second round

Minus Noah and his Ark

No one has been saved this time my friends

No animal, no human of any kind

The earth has grown cold and dark

 

This was not written in the “Good Book”

This was never meant to be

It was not in God’s great plan

This was once the Land of the Free

 

Yet we chose to bathe in self-destruction

Caused by “We the People” – Yes, You and Me

Political foes of this great land

Many too hateful and corrupt to see

The choice of Communism or Freedom

-  Are you strong enough to stay

-  Or ignorant enough to flee?

(AS POLITICAL FOES, WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE... DO WE LET OUR ONCE GREAT NATION FALL TO COMMUNISM? DO WE STAY AND FIGHT FOR FREEDOM AND OUR BEAUTIFUL AMERICA? OR DO WE FLEE, AND ABANDON OUR COUNTRY? I THINK MOST OF US KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT, YOU AND FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL PAY THE PRICE. )

The "Cremation" (FLASH FICTION)

http://spillwords.com/author/phyllispcolucci/

https://www.amazon.com/Phyllis-P.-Colucci/e/B00VMU8B44

         

        “Cremations” can be controversial; thought I would spin a quick story (Flash Fiction) around it. In this piece, a step-mother makes a decision to cremate her recently deceased husband, with little concern for her husband’s biological son’s feelings about this; adding to an already complicated relationship. 

The “Cremation”

                          

                You died today. When the decision was made to place you into hospice, we knew the doctors could do nothing more for you. Your lungs and heart gave out. You could no longer swallow, eat, speak, move or breathe. The end was near. We all followed the gurney down to the Hospice Unit, and waited. We did not wait for you to get better; we waited for you to pass on because that was the only place left for you to go today. We did not expect it to happen so soon. We stayed there looking at your lifeless body, as you struggled to breathe with the normal oxygen tube that once kept you alive. It was no longer helping. Nothing was. You were there to finish out your life in comfort; not to be treated. There were no more treatments left to extend your life…We were so tired. It was a long and trying day. We decided to go home, since the timed shots of morphine helped you relax, brought you comfort, and made you breathe easier. That was a small miracle in itself. You fought a long, hard, courageous battle…We expected to come back the next morning to sit with you again, even though you most likely would not know we were there.  However, it was not in God’s plan. You passed away peacefully, several hours after we left you. There were no more tomorrows.

            On the day you died, we also learned that “She” planned on having no viewing for you at the Funeral Home, and no church service or burial. “She” planned on having you quickly cremated with plans to take you back with her to her own country once “She” sold the house you shared together. Your final resting place would not be in America alongside your parents in a mausoleum, where we could visit you; it would be in her country. “She” shared this information with us in a room filled with family members, including me and your Son, our Son, as doctors prepared us for your imminent death. Our son and I were shocked at this decision. “She” consulted no one and had no compassion for the family members sitting there as well, listening to this; no compassion for your Son, our Son. Yes, as his wife, perhaps “She” had the right to make that decision. However, “She” did not have the right to callously make a decision like that without at least mentioning it to your Son, our Son, privately or before this day happened.  With little decency and no compassion, “She” instead allowed it to come as a shock to him. Sometimes you learn more about who people really are at the most intense, strained and emotional times in life.

            As it turned out, “She” had a change of heart, I guess, and held a viewing at the Funeral Parlor for just three very short hours. We were all in attendance. Your friends, and all other family members, had the opportunity to attend as well to say a final good-bye to you. Perhaps “She” did it for your family. I will give her that. “She” did not do it for your Son, our Son. She did not discuss the arrangements with your Son, our Son,  at all. “She” went ahead and did it her way with other family members to assist her. Sadly, “She” did not involve your Son, our Son, at all. There was no church service, but a priest did come to the Funeral Home for a short prayer service. That following Monday, you were cremated. It was private, and no family members attended. Perhaps it was too hard to attend. Perhaps they were not in agreement with her decision to cremate you. Your Son, our Son, did not attend either as he was not in favor of his Dad being incinerated. He did not want to be a part of that. We did expect “She” would attend the cremation along with her biological family members who came in from her country. That was not the case. We later learned you were sent to the crematory alone, along with the Funeral Home personnel and driver. That saddened your Son, our Son, and I, knowing it was her wish to have you cremated in the first place; yet, “She” sent you off alone like an animal going to slaughter. “She” received your ashes on Wednesday. “She” never mentioned a word about any of this to your Son, our Son, and we have not spoken to her since. Your Son, our Son, has been kind enough to text her (because “She” prefers no phone calls) to see if “She” may need any help with anything. “She” said “She” was okay for now, but would call him if “She” needed anything. I doubt “She” will call. Maybe “She” will. Who knows. My feeling is that “She” does not deserve your Son’s, our Son’s, help, concern or compassion. “She” showed him none of that when you were alive.

            “She” will go about her life and make her plan to go back to her country, with you in tow in an urn.  There you both will stay. That will be it. “She” came between you and your Son, our Son, in life - and now in death. As sad as that was, is and will be, “She” bears that responsibility, whether she acknowledges it or not. You, unfortunately, allowed it to happen as well; even if you did not mean for any of it to happen. I know you feared repercussions from her. You told me so.

            Despite all of that now, which doesn’t really matter anymore at this point, may your spirit fly with the Angels. May you join your parents in Heaven, and may you be enlightened in the spiritual world and shine your light down upon this earth, as you look after your Son, our Son. May you Rest in Eternal Peace.

"Romeo and Juliet" (William Shakespeare Will Be Wondering) (Poem)

http://spillwords.com/author/phyllispcolucci/

https://www.amazon.com/Phyllis-P.-Colucci/e/B00VMU8B44

 

         A modern day "Romeo and Juliet" connected by a chance encounter (delightfully, through  names only), in a quaint cafe in New York City... A Poem written by me, Phyllis P. Colucci aka "Fictiontarot", for all you Romeos and Juliets out there who have met through fate on any given day - and/or, perhaps, even on Valentine's Day. To all you lovers out there, seize the moment and the romance! ENJOY THE POEM!

 (Photos from Pinterest)

 

                                “Romeo and Juliet”

 (William Shakespeare Will Be Wondering)

A Mercedes-Benz and Designer suit,

  tailored shirt and silk tie

    European leather shoes, oh my

Yes indeed, the eyes do not lie…

Italian love songs playing on a jukebox

A handsome man with

  thick dark locks

 

…This gentleman was seated in this quaint café

The young ladies curiously stared

He remained nonchalant and a bit astute

  and it appeared he did not care

He smoked his cigarette to the tip

  and savored his red wine, sip by sip

 

He enjoyed his own company

  as he smiled from the corner of his eye

He looked so dapper and debonair

He puffed, he drank, without a sigh

As I walked by, he caught my eye

 

I felt trapped within his gaze

Unsteady on my feet, I had to navigate this maze

His foot tapped to the beat of each song

  And I wondered if I flirted a bit...

    Should I, would I, be totally wrong?

 

Then suddenly he acknowledged me

  simply with a nod

I responded in kind, happily

  Yet I felt so terribly odd

This wasn’t me, but I had to see

  what this gentleman had in mind

I could not pass up a moment like this

I was now on pause and rewind

 

With fresh mascara and smokey eyes

  I hoped to reel him in

He winked at me and then I knew

  this could possibly be a win

My burgundy lips matched the wine in his glass

I suddenly felt like "Upper Class"

 

He invited me to sit at his grandiose table

 by a gentle hand gesture I recognized

In ladylike fashion I strutted toward him

  and I shyly, yet gladly, obliged

He snapped his fingers; a waiter appeared

  with an empty wine glass just for me

This stranger I was seated with

  filled my glass from his bottle of red,

    as I blushed in total glee

 

Then he peered at me, straight in my eye

  Oh my God! Who am I?

He asked my name, with an eccentric glow

  So I replied “Juliet, Sir."

    "Who wants to know?"

He replied “Romeo”, with a smile

And although the night seemed a bit strange

  I knew I’d be staying a while…

 

“Romeo?” I asked. “Are you kidding me?”

I giggled for a moment, of course

He just silently stared, then roared like the sea

  with a huge laugh and a hint of remorse

For he understood the humor in this

  But it seemed his words were at an embarrassing loss

After a moment of uncomfortable silence,

  he managed to whisper to me

… “The truth of the matter, my fair lady,

  is yes, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ are we.”

 

This chance encounter in a quaint café

  on a New York City street

    seemed much more than coincidental to me

It was bizarre, yet wonderfully sweet 

We soon became the characters

  in Shakespeare’s tragic play

“Romeo and Juliet” indeed; Come what may!

 

I know for sure, this was not tragic at all

  It was romantic, fun – we must answer that call

So we marveled in the magic of this passionate night

  for we are “Romeo and Juliet”; once Shakespeare’s delight

In name only of course - yet destined to unite!

...This modern day version of two young lovers of yore

  will be rewritten this evening for the world to adore

Is it fate? Or life’s mystery, what occurred tonight?

Neither of us could explain this charming sight

  “Romeo and Juliet”, a fairy tale took flight

 

He gently grabbed my trembling hand

  and brought it to his lips

The floor shook, my heart skipped a beat

  It felt like a total eclipse

He kissed my fingertips to the echo of song

  Italian music – I hummed along

All was serene, peaceful and calm,

  I grabbed on to his strong, masculine arm

The romance was perfect, the lighting just right

  I was mesmerized by this wondrous night

I felt perfectly safe and perfectly sound

  and I sensed Mr. Shakespeare hanging around

 

I suddenly felt lost in this crazy dream

  and hoped to never wake up

    But “Romeo” was real, and so was I

And his essence just filled up my cup

...I placed my hand against his vibrating chest

I had to know for sure

It all happened so fast, I was confused

  as my thoughts became obscured

I felt his heart beat as fast as mine

That’s when I knew this was our time

 

…Suddenly the atmosphere changed like the wind…

  What just happened?

    Has my heart sinned?

We were no longer in that quaint café

No longer sipping wine

We were in a small apartment

  in a Brooklyn neighborhood

This must somehow be a sign

 

We were dressed much less fancier than before

This sudden change shook us to the core

Simply holding hands at a kitchen table

  Struggling to move as much as we were able

Medicine bottles in a plastic bowl

  Yearning desperately for days of ol’

Eyeglasses hanging off our noses

  No more days of wine and roses

 

Our grey hair shimmering in the daylight

  Looking forward to a painless night

Old sweaters keeping our shoulders warm

  Wishing old souls would be reborn

Sipping tea, eating fruit

  Recalling the proverbial “horn” we’d toot

Dozing off while sharing a walnut

  Praying our love would ease this dull rut

Staring into each other’s faces

  Dreaming of past, once youthful places

Counting each wrinkle that brought us here

  I guess this is the part of life we fear

 

This is our story of “Romeo and Juliet”,

  The true story of “Us”

Are we tragically too old now for romance,

  or too old to indulge in a fine lover’s fuss?

No, we shall live in memory

A timeless gift that will set us free

 

So what started out in a quaint café

  will greet us with a smile each day

When our youth placed us on top of the world,

  where we laughed and loved

    danced and swirled

So now what once was, became what is,

  A love that lasted forever

A love that may transcend time, my friends

  Where we will remain still young and clever

 

In this world, perhaps in the next…

Our spirits will remain seated

  in that quaint café of yesterday

    when love grew strong and heated

Paving the way for new lovers

  and the many more “Romeos and Juliets”

    who may revel in surprise chance encounters,

      having absolutely no regrets

 

No tragedies to speak of,

  Just images of days gone by

Always reminiscing

  No longer having to wonder why

Embracing old memories from a "Play" of sorts

  Forever thankful to recall; our last resorts

 

…And may our dear William Shakespeare

  enjoy this replay of his work 

We know he will be wondering

  with a grin and perhaps a smirk!