Polished Composure
Timid love alights in garland eyes as I remember the tranquil sway of cattails in spring. Laughter and love permeate the air we breathe. My sun-kissed skin glistens with the reflection of the clear, chilly pond water. The yellowish-orange bills of the great egrets keep tune in this symphony of sound. Now wet, the weight of my long brown hair caresses my shoulders and hips as you saturate the air with your gentle words. My white eyelet dress clings to damp skin as your scent, laughter, and vernal touches melt my heart. I release my fears, insecurities, and all the shame of home as I savor all your body offers and give thanks for this moment of surrender.
You are my sliver of hope, my prayer of connection, no matter how small the cord. The breeze on my bare shoulders cools me in the humid summer of the southern days when I taste love. Adrift in the ambrosian whiffs of the Gardenia tree with white satin flowers, the summit of polished composure is where I abide. On our weathered porch, with roseate dreams of what will come of us, nightly, I wait for that station wagon to emerge. Three years, and you have never been late. Your eagerness to embrace has been as boundless as mine. A sense of panic moves over me like the dark shade of seed ticks finding flesh. Am I a moonflower that will lose her one chance to bloom under the stars? Can I even exist without you?
To continue reading, please visit Hotel Masticadores, and be sure to like, subscribe, comment and share. Have a beautiful and blessed week filled with love and blessings! ❤️
Thank you so much Joni for writing this story. 🙏🫶
Thank you so much, Mich. It is always my pleasure. I appreciate your support and publication of my work. I loved your piece on Robbie and her son, what a beautiful piece. Big hugs and Happy Holy Week. I know you have been celebrating Easter for weeks, so this week is very special to you and the girls. Love you, Joni
A wonderful story, Joni. Bravo 🌹
Oh thank you so much. I really appreciate you reading and your very thoughtful comment. Sending big hugs and blessings, Joni
Congratulations, Joni.
Thank you, Tim. Those first loves are hard to forget. It still packed a punch when I found out that he fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck, he didn’t get to live to see his “golden years.” A tragedy. Have an amazing week Tim, big hugs, Joni
A wonderful story, Joni. Bravo 🌹
Thank you my dear friend for reading and I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind comment. ❤️🦋❤️
A wonderful story, Joni. Bravo. 🌹
Many thanks my friend and lots of blessings. 🦋🦋🦋
Congratulations, I’m heading over now, Joni.
Thank you my friend. I hope you are having a great week. Hugs and blessings. ❤️🦋❤️
Yes, darlin..busy start to it, but I have the morning off, so I got some writing done, and I’m now catching up on WP.
I hope you are having a wonderful start to your week as well, Joni.
I am thank you my friend. Lots of wonderful comments on your lovely publication for this wonderful cause. ❤️🦋❤️
Congratulations, Joni, that your heart touching story was published on Hotel Masticadores!
Tim, thank you so much for reading and leaving a comment on my site and Hotel. You are always so thoughtful. “Love really does make the world go round, especially when you are seventeen. I went to your site again today and I am guessing that you do most of your current posting on Facebook. I got off of Facebook at least two years ago for a lot of reasons. If I am missing any other place where you post please let me know. Blessing to you and your family and happy Easter. I hope the family get together is a blessing for everyone.
Your writing always pleases me, Joni. At my age, I’ve really slowed down in my posting.
I take that as a compliment, Tim. Thank you. I understand the slowing down. You get to a certain age, and I am there too, and you realize you love the community, but unless you plan to continue writing books, I would rather spend time having fun with my husband, much of the time. I wanted to tell my story, and I have, and I often think that if I didn’t miss the people, I would just be grateful for what I achieved in five years of writing and stop. I could write for myself. Happy Easter, Blessings with your family. Big hugs and lots of appreciation for your friendship over the years.
Congrats on being published on Hotel Masticadores! You’ve written a well-crafted story, Joni 🌞
Thank you so much Dave it means a lot.
Another piece well done, Joni! Wishing you a blessed Easter weekend, I hope you get to spend it with your beautiful family! ❤🤗🐰
Hello Tiffany thank you dear friend. I hope you have a blessed weekend as well. We get to see the family in June and we are very excited. Thank you for asking you are always so thoughtful. Wishing you lots of continued inspiration and love. Big hugs 🤗 🙏🤗
Gorgeous, mesmerizing writing on all levels, Joni. A tour de force of lyrical prose and imagery. Your creative energy and inspiration are otherworldly. I’m reminded of my time in the South, those hot and humid days, the air thick with heat haze and redolent of the green scents of trees and water… You’re pretty good at this writing gig, my friend! What a masterpiece! 😊
Dearest Mike,
Thank you so much for such a truly freehearted and stunning comment. I am glad it took you back to the south and those days, even though many were challenging for both of us, as with me, I am sure the smells and beauty of the south also linger. It calls to me. It is truly amazing how I feel when I take myself back to those free hours where I felt so loved and cherished by another. Every tender touch and enjoying the water, the trees, and the wild, lush, fauna and flora surrounding us was heaven for me as I lived in fear the rest of the time – or anytime I had to return. So I suppose that is why those moments with the first man I loved were even more gratifying. Thank you Mike for reading and your comprehensive and kind comment, it means so much. Love Joni
I’m swept away by the melody of your verse Joni
Dearest Trâm, Thank you so much for reading and for your gracious comment, which is always so appreciated. I always feel honored when you read my work, as I am such an enormous fan of your honest, raw, and awe-inspiring poetry. Also, the incredible ability to give so deeply of yourself to translate and publish other raw and mystical poets. I appreciate you so much. <3 <3 <3
<3
Hello Joni!
I got your lovely email last night.
So, I am commenting again, or maybe I dreamed I commented?
However, I did see my comment on Hotel, and your wonderful reply to me.
Sometimes having 2 blogs with 2 email logins, confuses me.
I have thought about combining them into 1, but I just can’t seem to figure it out. They each seem so remote from the other.
I am reading a novel right now, and “Petals” is right after. Lol! Don’t hold your breath! I am one slow reader, but all gets read.
Sending BIG HUGS!
Hi Resa,
Thank you for your kind response. I think keeping one blog up is doing great so two all the better my friend. We got home late due to car trouble. There is no hurry on reading the book my friend. A lot is going on in this world of ours, although I hope you are happy with the Canadian elections, as you know, there is a lot of turmoil here, and difficult to be focused on poetry right now for me anyway. I will write soon. Many blessings to you. Sending BIG HUGS right back.
Thank you for everything, Joni! I hope your car is all fixed now.
I am happy about our elections, and that some of the world is following our lead and standing up to “him”.
Still, a lot of your turmoil spills over the border.
There’s always been a U.S. copy-cat element in Canada.
BIG HUGS!!! xox
Dearest Resa,
I am looking forward to writing you today. You are kind to ask about the car, it took replacing the tires, but it is done now, and it needed some other work. What a thoughtful thing to ask about. I thought you would be happy with the elections and I was too. All the Canadians I know, seem to be happy about the election results. One of the biggest fears here is that social security could be taken from those who earned it and paid into it all the years of working. Without Medicare, many people, including myself, could never afford many of the medications I need to live a healthy life. I am so happy that the elections went how many of us here in the US had hoped. Big hugs and love, Resa, Joni <3 <3 <3
Joni,
Nice to see you back!
Yes, our election went well, but losers are a poor lot these days.
It seems good sportsmanship – in all areas of life – has gone the way of the Dodo.
The after the election, the losing side does nothing but complain and bad mouth.
What about working for a better country and world?
Anyway, lovely to have you around. You are appreciated.
xoxo🤗😻🥰
Dear Resa, Thank you sweetie. I am happy for you guys there. I like your reference to the Dodo. Thank you for your kind words. Sending you my love and appreciation.
Back at you dear Joni! xx
Hugs and love Resa <3
Joni: My Goshhh, it was just a beautiful poem EVER, I love the lyrics you share within the poem… I transfer myself into it… its crazy and I can feel everything you write.
I MISS YOU SO MUCH HONEY!!!!! Thanks for being my favorite writer.
Miriam you have a way of reaching out when my heart needs a kiss, a limb to swing on or a trunk to hold me up. Love you sweetheart, and thank you for your kindhearted soul. 😘
Happy Mother’s Day, Joni! <3
Dearest Anna, I am sorry I have missed this kind Happy Mother’s Day, and the same to you, my friend. A lot has been going on here, and I hope to try and get in touch with you soon. I enjoyed talking with you so much, it was just like talking to the same person that I have known for years online. The interesting, intelligent woman whose voice I finally got to hear, and what a blessing that whole day was for me because of that call. You are an amazingly resilient, intelligent, and kind human being. It is an honor to know someone who donated so much time helping those with legal issues that would otherwise never have been able to obtain the finances to get an attorney like yourself. What a blessing you have been to so many.
I left a comment over there, dear Joni!
Thank you Dawn, just seeing a whole lot of comments – we don’t know what happened with these. Trying to answer them now. So sorry for the delay. Sometimes things just happen in the system we can’t really explain.
Excellent Joni! I loved this one! Awesome job on it <3
Many thanks dear Carol anne. I have always appreciated your kind support. Great big hugs and love coming your way.