Happy Birthday, Mom!

I had a little time to make this video for my mom Betty Stamper. Today is her 83rd birthday.  There is so much that I want to say about her that will take quite some time to finish.  Suffice it to say, it won't be tonight. I will be working on something special very soon. Here is my little video tribute to my wonderful mother!  I love you Mom!

Enough-Poetry

Enough

by Maureen Ucles

You don't care

anymore

Don't pretend

you do

stop the lies

Don't care

never did

going through

the motions

with my

heart

blinded

with emotion

Don't care

never could

cold

frozen

frigid

at best

don't care

never would

Don't care

about me

and my kind

too too good

for you

not worthy

of me

for you

not good

enough

never could

be 

for you

Care?

not

in the least

shunned 

not good

good

 enough

 my best

sacrificed

silenced

not good

good 

enough

Don't care

at all

thrown

pitched

burned

bewitched

no concern

in the least

gone

spent

all

for naught

never good

good

enough

Estrellita Revisited

I read over Estrellita last night and I wasn't quite satisfied with it.  I remember working on it a while back and thinking that it was done.  As I read it yesterday, it just didn't have the flow that I intended. I am revisiting it now to see where it can go.

Estrellita

By Maureen  Ucles

Twinkle, twinkle 

Little star

Got me wonderin'

Estrellita

Where you are

Out in space

Light years away

Just twinkling

All the way 

to the Earth

and beyond

¿Cómo no?

You seem to

Twinkle here

Twinkle there

Twinkling

Just twinkling

anywhere

For what?

For whom?

Bells tolling 

and such

Seems all so full

of nothingness--

absurdity

Thought I heard

someone say

Hey, ya know

if you

twinkle

they will come

was it

James Earl Jones?

Maybe

Kevin Costner listening

Only in a field

 recently abandoned

Out in far right

 dreams unrealized

Put on hold

Thrown in the towel

 for the moment...

at least

Twinkle, twinkle

Como brilla

Tan contenta

Little star

Estrellita

Got me wonderin'

So far away

Oblivious to the day

That I might just

UP and WALK

Away

Wish it were 

today

right now

this instance

perhaps...

Tonight

seems to be

Great time to

take flight

Just might

Twinkle, twinkle

Casanova's nebulae

Hits me right 

in the eyes

In between

Primal scream

Falling down

down down

gravity's extreme

Twinkle, Twinkle

searching 

 respuestas

answers

to my ponderings

constant questionings

Trying to secure

some kinda meaning

signficanza

Devoid

Deleted

Delayed

Beyond belief

¿Quién sabe?

Re-placed

Re-moved

Re-jected

by a twinkle, twinkle

from someone else's eyes

all these years

 life, laughter

 and tears

                                                                      ¿Para qué?

Estellita dime

Tell me 

What did I do?

Por favorcito

Shine your light

Down upon me

Hazme brillar 

Just like before

When the world was new

Light years away

Yet

It cannot be

As for me

Stuck in a vaccuum

Paralysis of thought

emotion

Plain toast

burnt to the core

Don't wanna 

Hang out anymore

Just leave me alone

with your rayas

shut the door

in my face

as your beams

flow

out into space

Estrellita

Me voy

Movin' on

Andale pues

without haste

To a universe

far, far away

No más

Estrellita

Good bye

Adiós

Marioneta-Poetry in Spanish from the Archives

I looked everywhere for this poem. I wrote it a while ago and couldn't find it on this blog. I have posted so much lately, that I can't seem to find some of my poetry. I found it and I hope this one is the revised version.  Many of my bilingual friends help me with revision and editing of my Spanish poetry. I wanted to post this on World Poetry Day on Twitter. I have been posting lots of my favorite poems. I have learned, in the process, to label my posts.  This way I can search for them easily.

Marioneta

por Maureen Ucles

Soy marioneta

Nada más

Nada menos

En tus manos

me quedo

encajada

todo el santo día

sin luz--

vida

Soy marioneta

sufriendo tanto

no hablo

me quedo mudo

sin movimiento

ninguno

Soy marioneta

hazme mover

hazme creer

en tus intenciones

tal vez

maldiciones

¿para qué?

Soy marioneta

con una sonrisa

falsa

fingiendo...

sin movimiento

hasta que me lo digas

encarcelada...

nunca libre

para expresarme

callada

callada

pálida

sufriendo

sin cesar

Soy marioneta

hice lo que

me dice

¿por cuantos siglos

eh?

Pero,  ¿para qué?

Tu rompiste

mi corazón

mi corazón de madera

quebrada en pedazos

pedazos, pedazos

aun que

invisibles…

pero,

¿para qué?

Soy marioneta

a ver

cuando

me vas a  librarme

de estas esposas,

grilletes

hazme libre

por favoricito

quisiera

expresarme...

mis pensamientos 

muy profundos

en mi propia

idioma

mi cultura

con mi gente

que me conoce

bien, bien, bien

pero 

soy marioneta

pero,

…¿para qué?

My Life is a Packet

Here is a poem that I worked on a few years ago. I was knee deep in benchmarks and looking over STAAR Reading and Writing released tests. I wanted to write a poem from the point of view of a packet and comparing it to life.

My Life is a Packet

By Maureen Packet Ucles

My Life is a Packet

What a concept, right?

Nicely stapled

Papers lined up

Just right

Take a look inside

You'll find

My life is a packet

Neatly placed

On your pristine desk

Waiting to be read

Yearning to be known

Only a 

Packet

Go ahead

Turn the page

Hey!  Anyone home?

This is so confining

Refining

Hindrances

 flowing

Got to get going

Can't quite

Break free

From this incessant

TYRANNY

So nicely stapled

on your pristine

Always clean

Cherry-wooden desk

Packet

Turn the page

Nah!  

More like

Rip 'em away!

Set the pages free

Why don't 'cha now?

Just like me

Wishin' I could explore

Not be such a bore

My sorry life

in a packet

Packet

My life

Packet

Convenience

No mess

No worry

Just so very

Perfect?

Hardly

Really?

Yup

Perhaps so

Perhaps not

I say NO!

Not in the least!

Not

True

Fallacy

Balancing

Total

Smoke Screen

Calloused

Worn down

Packet

My life

On the way

Outta

My 

My 

Ever Loving

Mind

Kind?

Straight Jack-et

Repose

Pages exposed

Life

Is

A

Packet

Just Trying Some Things Out

Just trying out some things
Put on a rhyme or two
Maybe three four
Out of my door
Into the vines
Ain't got the time
for me

Everything's a blur
Too darn fast
Yes, ma'am
No sir!
Can't slow down
even for a second

Throat is soar
I am devoid of feelings
numb
running out the door
Alphie
What's am I here for?

Time heals all
wounds inside
and out
Seriously?
Not buying it
In the least


Need to reju
Rejuvenate
Get this mess off
my plate
so full of
overwhelming sense
of velocity
inertia personified
I am

Calgon can't help me
Mama won't call
Dogs at the groomer
Not having a ball
Feel out of control
Like I lost me
My soul
SLOW DOWN
Smell the rositas
No time!
No present
past and future
Just a blur!

BLUR
Where I reside
Just look deep inside
You'll find no more of me
Just lost in a black hole
with no hope at all
SLOW down
put on the breaks
can't take it anymore
Wanna get away?
Southwest Airlines
Fly me to Bermuda
Throw me through the triangle
Until I can renew-
Slow down...for a second
Make sense of it all

Today, tomorrow, next week
In view
only partial
stuck on the dirty side
of Hurricane of life
When will it subside?
Winds of change a comin'
Tidal surge
I'm on the verge
of letting it go
But the change is incremental
Way too stinking slow!

One day soon
Soon never comes
Knocking on my door
traffic
bumper to bumper
Houston style
HELP ME!
I need to get out!

Estrellita-Star Gazing-first version

Here is a poem that I wrote about a few years ago.  I think I will rename it Estrellita.


And it goes a little something like this...

Estrellita

By Maureen Twinkle Ucles

Twinkle, twinkle 

Little star

Got me wonderin'

Estrellita

Where you are

Out in space

Light years away

Just twinkling

All the way 

to the bank?

Como no?

Hardly...

Twinkling there

Twinkling here

Twinkling

Just twinkling

for whom?

For what?

Seems all full

of nothingness

Heard someone 

say

Hey-

If you twinkle

They will come

Only in a field

abandoned

Out in far right field

dreams unrealized

Put on hold

I have

Thrown in the towel

 for the moment

at least

Twinkle, twinkle

Como brilla

Tan contenta

Little star

estrellita

Got me wonderin'

So far

away

Oblivious to the day

That I might just

UP and WALK

Away

Wish it were 

Today

Right now

This instance

Tonight

Great time to

take flight

Just might

You trippin'

No

Hardly

Twinkle, twinkle

CasaNova's

Nebulae

Hits my eye

In between

Primal scream

Out of

of my mind

heart and soul

Twinkle, Twinkle

You got the ansa?

to my ponderings

chalk full of wonderins'

Trying to find some meaning

Meaning

Voided

Beyond belief

Re-placed

Re-moved

Re-jected

by a twinkle, twinkle

from someone else's estrella

all these years

sweat, blood and some tears

for what?

Some things 

Some place

Some  thoughts

Worth it all?

Tal vez

Depende

Quien sabe voz?

but makes me not

so so encantada

got a fistful of thanks

Por favorcito

going through my

hands like water

escaping through a

sieve

being vetted for 

the last time

final sequence

spent

So sorry, so sad

Pink slip delivered

tristemente

in a brown bag

open it up

Nah!  

A  little later

mas tardecito voz

Ahorita voy

Can't bare the news

Can deal with it all

what I'm goin' through

WHATEVER

Movin' on

Vaya pues

To a theatre near you

Twinkle, Twinkle

Adios