A Dalmatian Named Frederick

I dreamt about a Dalmatian named Frederick
On a Tuesday night, a week or so ago
Now I can't stop thinking about his pink tongue
Lolling, and his happy tail swinging side
To side, and his spotted paws dancing
On my carpet
I want a Dalmatian named Frederick
Because he reminds me of my childhood
Of a dog I once knew, who climbed
Many stairs to reach a loft on the top floor
His snout always joyous, his energy
Seeping into the floor, couches, and kitchen
Of course, that Dalmatian is long gone
As is the energy that he summoned
With his barking and whining
And chomping food from the bowl
Why did I dream about a Dalmatian named Frederick?
Could he be a returning ghost
Of a life long forgotten?
When I collected all the plastic figurines
From 101 Dalmatians, back when
They came with the nuggets in the Happy Meal
The Dalmatian brings back an innocent time
He's all I can think about
This spotted dog luring me into his world
For one day he will meet my children
And brighten my home
And I will name him Frederick

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We Pretend

We pretend that we'll live forever That tomorrow will bring something better We pretend we're not made of stars As we roam the streets and bars We pretend we'll never die That our kids won't ever cry Over the loss that is our end Every student, teacher, friend Everyone we've ever known Has a constellation they call home When the moon comes out at night I look to them to see the light To all those who did pretend That their story would never end But on some nights, breezy and clear I see the stars and they feel near I can grasp one and hold it in my hand As it takes me to another land We pretend this earth is all there is to see Yet the stars and crickets have spoken to me We pretend we'll never die Because we truly won't To someone's eye

Lost in Rio

Jesus looks over The lost souls and bones below In the jungle sun To witness such beauty And such devastation God painted with one brushstroke Merry men sing Holes in their shoes The dark night lit up By police sirens And the crescent moon Bats flail around Like me, lost in the jungle Eyes glaring all around I hope they're monkeys Or jaguars I hope I can keep a piece of This country with me Safe in my pocket It smells like tropical rain And feels like The clam shells Washed up on the shore It tastes like fried bananas And heavily salted steak Sounds like seabirds cawing Samba on the streets And looks like a page From a storybook About parrots and palm trees Of finding a golden treasure A magnificent, uneasy place When she sun goes down So do we Leaving the night To the creepy crawlers And innocent stray cats

Miles Away

I refuse to sell my heart, not for twenty-five cents The auction is closed, ladies and gents I’ve already sold my eyes, when they caught sight of the streets So now everyone can see the beauty of my Italian retreat I sold my tongue for gelato, feeling so young Letting the wild berries dance around on my tongue I sold my feet when I traveled to see our Holy Mother in gold Like a saint on a mission, I’ll walk until I get old I sold my ears when I heard beautiful Aida open her lips Echoing through the theatre in which the ancients used to sit But I won’t sell my heart, it is still free For my heart belongs to God and not really to me My heart aches for home, too many miles away Yet for now I am here and I will live for today Yes, I sold my eyes to Italy; it’s all I can see How I wish you were here seeing these treasures with me I’ll try to buy back my sight, taste, and ears too So that I’ll be able to share these memories with you

Olga's Poetry & Thoughts

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