A Pacific Northwest native, I have been writing poetry over 40 years. My poems reflect a woman’s journey through the later years, with recurring themes of loss and renewal.
I have read at many local poetry venues and am a member of Seattle Poets Table. My first book, If the Moon Came Out Only Once a Month, was published in 2012 and my current book, What the Tulips Said, was published in 2019.
Thank You: Hourglass photo, Samer Daboul – Harp photo, Lorelie Olson – Music painting, Susan Reynolds
THE ONLY FAILURE
If you hold a paint brush
in your hand too long
the color disappears.
If you hesitate
on the dock too long
the boat leaves without you.
Sunflowers become seeds,
cherry blossoms fall,
the spotted deer
bounds out of camera range.
How long will you wait
for the sky to clear?
Know this –
it will never be ideal,
it will never be enough.
You must go on stage
without choreograph or score,
dance your imperfect dance
and sing your imperfect song.
Stars explode while burning bright,
and no one can predict
when your hourglass will empty.
To do nothing is the only failure.
Take the pen, the oar,
the instrument.
Begin.
To view the previous C Ross poem – click here
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