Hinge

~ rdicarne ~ Leave a comment

#Verselove Prompt:  the golden hinge: a form in which a borrowed line can be read horizontally as the first line of the poem as well as vertically down the left spine, as the first words of each line.”

I borrowed the line “Though we need to weep your loss” from the poem “On the Death of the Beloved” by John O’Donohue.

Though we need to weep your loss

we need to remember the love

need to keep telling stories of you

to keep your memory and spirit alive

weep we must, sometimes we’re sad

your leaving left a huge, unfilled void

loss is difficult, but remembering the love helps

Savoring Flavors

~ rdicarne ~ 1 Comment

Today’s Verselove prompt: Choose one “spice” to guide your writing today, and let it season your free verse poem as your thoughts move freely across the page.

Garlic

Sautéed, smashed, confited, or raw,
garlic was a staple in our home.
Its subtle aroma permeating the house
meant something good was coming our way.
Our personal chef was creating delicious dishes
inspired by his southern Italian roots,
which he learned from his father as a boy.

From Sunday sauce, sauteed spinach, and bruschetta,
to shrimp scampi, roasted pork, or garlic bread,
these are some of the places hints of garlic would
rise from the beautifully presented plates
and dance through the air and onto our taste buds.

Now, garlic is a staple in the homes of his children
where they cook for their families using
some of the recipes they learned by his side
proud of their southern Italian roots.

Loss and Love

~ rdicarne ~ Leave a comment

Today’s Verselove prompt: write a poem about beginning again. The suggested poetic form was an etheree. The poetry form, Etheree, consists of 10 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 syllables. Etheree can also be reversed and written 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

I
lost the
love of my
life to cancer
shockingly, quickly.
He was my everything.
He is still my everything.
I long to hear his voice again,
to see his mischievous eyes and smile.
Hoping he appears in my dreams tonight.

Dreams and memories are all that I have
to get me through the long, lonely days.
The glimpses of the past must do
life lines when I’m feeling blue,
the laughs, the tears, the love.
These must sustain me.
For I believe
in my heart
love lives
on.

Wishing and Hoping

~ rdicarne ~ 27 Comments

wish – verb

: to have a desire for (something, such as something unattainable)

What do you wish for?  When you were a child, you might have wished for a day off from school or a special present from Santa. As we get older, our wishes change. Maybe it was for the perfect job, a raise, or a promotion. I used to wish I were thinner or that we would hit the lottery.  Sometimes I wished for perfect weather or for my favorite team to win.

Can wishes come true?  Some can if you are willing to set an intention, work hard, and be patient.  Others are only pipe dreams. Since my life was turned upside down in September, I have found myself wishing for the impossible.

Widow Wishes

I wish I understood the level of grief that came with losing your spouse, so that I could have been more helpful to those widows I know who came before me, but you can never understand until you walk that path.

I wish I didn’t have to experience this pain, but unless we died simultaneously, I would be leaving Chuck with the pain, and that seems selfish.

I wish I had more time with Chuck, but I know that was not up to me, and honestly, no amount of time would have been enough.

I wish I could see into the future and know when I will be reunited with Chuck, but that wouldn’t make the waiting and living any easier.

I wish I could learn to notice all the signs I believe Chuck is sending me, but I also believe he is near and watching over me, even when I don’t see them.

It is okay to wish, but wishing away your life is not healthy or productive. I am working on changing “I wish” to “I hope.”  

hope – verb

: to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true

 My hope is to continue to work through my grief and learn to allow it to live beside me, not consume me. I had many hopes for the future. Now, that future looks different, but it is a future nonetheless.

Safe Haven

~ rdicarne ~ 1 Comment

It was going to be our stepping stone

from the red brick row house in the city with a cement patio and back driveway

to an aluminum-sided twin in the “burbs” with a fenced-in backyard.

Each move was meant to bring us closer

to the larger single home with a two-car garage we imagined,

but instead, the twin house on Carriage Drive became our forever home.

In this home, we hosted Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas Feasts of the Seven Fishes.

With folding tables and chairs, we packed in guests like sardines.

Still, there was always room for one more to join the chaos.

It is where the love of everything Philly shines with pride –

where yelling at the TV on football Sundays or at the Phillies or Sixers

was a common occurrence, but the love for the teams never died.

Here, our children learned to cook by watching their dad  

make delicious dishes with the special ingredient: love.

Grandchildren come here for sleepovers with Nona,

to watch movies, make crafts, play games, and eat snacks.

It is my safe space to come home to at the end of the workday,

where the love of my life welcomed me home with a smile.

Now, I come home to an empty house, welcomed only by the memories,

but the memories are still so sweet, and I still feel safe.

Cul-de-Sac Reflections

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

I am from a cul-de-sac in a small town,

10 miles northwest of Philadelphia, where I grew up.

It is where we watched our children grow and pursue their interests,

where I established my 40-year teaching career in Catholic education.

I am from a cul-de-sac in a small town,

where we were once a young couple with young children.

Now I am the resident living here the longest (but not the oldest!),

with a house empty but for the memories.

I am from a cul-de-sac in a small town,

where neighbors look out for each other, especially when it snows.

It is where a neighbor, whose children have long been adults,

still has a basketball hoop out front for the kids.

I am from a cul-de-sac in a small town,

where we gathered to watch each other’s children go to prom,

get married, and have children.

And now we talk about the grandchildren.

I am from a cul-de-sac in a small town,

where I hope to live out the rest of my days,

knowing this is a circle where

everyone looks out for each other.

Detour

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments
Orange road sign with text ROAD CLOSED AHEAD DETOUR and a right-pointing arrow.


The road to growing old together

closed on 9/26/25

when he died at 69.

I thought there would be more time: 

more meals together

more goodnight kisses

more smiles when our eyes met

more late-night laughing

more watching sports together

more sitting in the same room together

just being together.

So now I am taking a detour,

learning a new route

with new experiences along the way

praying these roads eventually lead me

back to the love of my life.

Day 31

~ rdicarne ~ 7 Comments

At the start of this challenge, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to write every day for 31 days this year, but I made it! 

Thank you to the staff at Two Writing Teachers who provide us with this wonderful platform for 31 days in March and every Tuesday throughout the year. Thank you to all of the other slicers who encouraged and inspired me to write.Thank you to all of you who read and commented on my writing across several different platforms. 

Thank you to all of you for allowing me to share my grief journey with you, to give you a glimpse into what a wonderful man Chuck was, and to be vulnerable in a safe place. I appreciate all of your kind words of support. 

I look forward to continuing my writing journey on Slice of Life Tuesdays. 

If you are interested in flexing your poetry muscles, join some of slicers at EthicalEla.com in April. We are writing poems every day. I am hosting on 4/12.

Thank you Chuck, for always being my biggest cheerleader and continuing to inspire me from up above!

National Pencil Day

~ rdicarne ~ 6 Comments

There is nothing better than a super sharp No.2 pencil.  My weapon of choice is a Ticonderoga. Pencils are such an underrated writing utensil.  They offer you the comforting, soft scratching sound as they move across the page, and you can easily change your mind. 

When I came across the above quote, it really struck a chord with me. What kind of mark am I making? Will I be sharper after all this pain subsides? Those questions will be for another day. 

“It’s what’s inside that counts.” This is a lesson I learned growing up and one I tried to instill in my children and my students. I think this is the most important lesson of all. Goodness and beauty begin from the inside out. 

On this National Pencil Day, be like a pencil. Remember, you make a mark on everyone you touch, pain will make you stronger, and your best side is your inside. 

Sunday Sanctuary

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

Sundays are for relaxing, 

That’s what I am doing today.

Sitting by the fire now

Letting my cares drift away.

Spending time with family

Is always good for the heart

Making memories to keep

For when we are apart.