MY WORKS
Rose Mary Glass writes poetry and prose that explores thorny themes — from the complexities of the American health care system to the quiet struggles of everyday life.
Works by Rose Mary Glass
Thorny Themes
Poetry and Prose
A collection of poems and prose pieces that reflect on life, community, health care, and the human condition. Rose Mary draws from decades of experience as a technical writer, community leader, and observer of American life.
2010
MY WORK
Fledgling Flight
In wild wonderment the fledgling black-capped chickadee fallen beneath the tall oak tree frantically peeping floundered in the undergrowth flexing the immature wings that failed to lift it skyward. Astonished at its plight I watched as it flapped and hopped toward my feet just inches away. To my further surprise, the bewildered peep clambered up on my Fila-clad foot in its fruitless search for who knows what?? In witless wonder I stood still, Silent, agape . . . fearful of what fate might befall this hapless fluff of a bird scampering off into a fearsome future. — Rose Mary Glass, 2020
Read Full Poem →Enigma
From Eve to goddess to Jezebel, the power of the feminine casts a spell. Men find her irresistible, but are ambivalent about their human counterpart and complement. She stands for justice, wisdom, peace and liberty. Yet in the vainglorious conceit of masculinity, is universally deprived of her autonomy and subjected to merciless misogyny. How long can human society survive without the love and civilizing force of feminine energy to keep it on its course. For as the sacred portal through which life and consciousness emerge she is co-equal creator, an earthly demiurge. Enigma — as an ode to the eternal feminine principle — pays homage to this vital cosmic role, in whatever form it may abide. To dignify her grace and beauty, turns her inside out to reveal the inner contours of her soul. — Rose Mary Glass, 2011
Read Full Poem →Breaking Free
Against the canvas of night She leaped so high She cleared the moon in a single try That magic moment transformed her somehow . . . this docile, taken-for-granted cow, She escaped the power of gravity's pull when curiosity and imagination overcame the bull. — Rose Mary Glass, 1994
Read Full Poem →On Being Human
Oh, what a joy to be a tree and always know what you will be Or to be born a dog, or cat, But to be human, what is that? Examples run the gamut--- saints to sinners, without limit No amount of contemplation explains the maddening variation It's nature's most elusive mystery… Who am I and what are we? We've searched for answers through the ages Looked to gurus, preachers, sages. The time has come to stop and look not to teachers, not in a book, but into our own hearts–now that's the trick– to become aware of what makes us tick. — Rose Mary Glass
Read Full Poem →SadTEMBER
Drooping heads of fading blossoms, wilting plants, dried up stalks replacing summer's verdant foliage increase the sense of something lost. As Autumn beauty tinged with the colors of falling leaves and ripening harvest signals its readiness to be reaped and plucked, a chill in the air forewarns of coming frost Squirrels scurry, chipmunks pack their pouches all life prepares for winter's recurring return, scrolling through the seasons flipping the pages on the calendar of time. In this season, a lesson in the art of letting go, energy all but spent, ripe and past my prime, I sigh and feel a touch of joyful sadness a foreshadowing of the cold, dark, silence . . . guaranteed to come. — Rose Mary Glass, September 11, 2019
Read Full Poem →Distorted Vision
When the President told us we couldn't believe our lying eyes, I begged to differ until I realized that the mist emanating from Foggy Bottom and the White House was distorting our vision and perceptions. Despite the clouds, despair gives way to relief that we will see clearly once again when the clouds lift and our eyes adjust to light and a new Commander-in-Chief. Once obstacles to 20/20 vision vanish, We'll begin to believe our eyes again . . . and trust. — Rose Mary Glass
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