Penne Wilson
Anderson Island Arts
Media: Poetry, painting
“The Cleansing”
Woodland pond
Silent reflective waters
Made passive by a fog of fear
Protected from storms
By a deep forest of spent emotions
Sheltered by doubts
Undisturbed
Into the mist
A gentle breeze
Lifts the edges of fog
Softly stirs the pond’s stagnant surface
Underneath, currents long dormant
Awake, uncomfortable slowly intensifying
The unrelenting breeze
Pulses, pushes against the fog
Raises white caps in the water
Eddies once locked in fear
Clamber to be free
“The Summons”
Alone on the worn wooden swing,
I drag my bare toes
Trace enchanted patterns
Through powdery soft earth
Cool restless breezes arise
Tempt my hair – tease it from its tangled braids;
Lift my spring green skirt
Caress me with a sigh.
Summoned by my desires
A nut brown pony appears
Drawn by my dreams
Born of the naked dirt.
I lift my face to the breezes
Mount my untamed friend
Twin manes flowing behind,
We glide across dream splattered meadows
Together
soft brown, pale green
freedom.
“Wanting”
Having a love I do not want…
Wanting a love I do not have…
If, suddenly, this love for which
I have so long desired were mine,
Would I want it anymore?
Wanting a love I do not have…
Having I love I do not want…
If this love I have possessed for so long
Were suddenly stripped away,
Would I want it back?
Wanting a love which eludes me…
Having a love which ensnares me…
Or is it simply that…
I am wanting?
I moved to Washington, in 2016 from Albuquerque, NM, landing first in Puyallup and then fulfilling a life-long fantasy to live on an island, I purchased a home and moved to Anderson Island in 2018. I was born in California but spent most of my first 34 years in Pueblo, Colorado, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in English, married. and had my children. In my 34 years in Albuquerque, I raised my children, got a divorce, and I earned a Ph.D. in distance education and multi-media and a Master’s in Educational Administration from the University of New Mexico.
I have two wonderful daughters: My older daughter, Karie, is an attorney in Las Vegas, NV, and the younger one, Jaime, is a counselor at Puyallup High School, in Puyallup, WA. My amazing granddaughter, McKenna, will testify to the wonders of Anderson Island. I also have two adopted sons: Jeff who lives in Baton Rouge, LA, and Keonte, who lives in Albuquerque, NM and four grandsons: Parrish, Ashton, Jackson, and Amir’e. I live with my menagerie, Mack the cat, Layla a senior citizen cocker spaniel, and Riley, a miniature poodle.
I have a total of 50 years of experience in education and I am currently teaching high school English at Great Lakes Learning Academy, a totally online school located in Lansing, MI. In addition to teaching, I am a published poet and I paint, take photographs, read, sew, garden, and live every day to the fullest, enjoying the many blessings of my life.
