Act 2
The rhythm of the residence is preserved at the hour as the clock strikes.
The furniture remains intact.
The last of its fledglings flown.
What was a home shines through the vacant hallways.
Echoes cascade through the footings.
Dreams that seize the heart glide beneath the sheets.
How can it be empty of life?
The future becomes my enemy.
Reflections of my former self have come to pass.
As the spotlight finds me, hopes of a second act shine.
1968
My parents formed a counterculture union on foreign soil,
creating new identities away from their heritage.
Their naive dreams of the future were paved with ambitious expectations,
so young was the couple when I emerged.
My parents instilled their aspirations within my being.
We existed in a bubble, like floating objects in a globe:
a family that struggled to peer beyond the blush-colored haze.
I grew hoping for unconditional admiration from my creators.
As I reflect on the past, I find secrets locked in my mind,
never to be whispered.
Hiding my true self for fear of shame—
my mother and father remain forever frozen in a bubble of denial.
Christine Leoni lives in Tallahassee, Florida with her family. The journey of life and the dream of becoming a writer has led to this new, exciting path. Christine’s poems are inspired by the common stages of life everyone encounters. She plans to continue to write, inspire, educate, and encourage others.
Grand Little Things 