top of page

The Hallows

Nicole is in the willows, amongst the tangled boles,
The blue skies far above her, the shades amongst the leaves.
She strayed into the forests and tripped upon the holes
That separate the moonlight from creatures she should see.

In the reeds stir tiny voices, despairing of their needs,
Left among the shadows given over to their pleas.
Nicole sheds teardrops for her wounded, bloody brow
For she harbors her resentments as the fears inside her growl.

But Nicole, among the willows, sees a path before her feet
Now ascending, now traversing the pillars of the skies,
Once the gleam of sunlight has dried her bleeding eyes,
She climbs upon the mountain to a summer noontime seat.

There is hope above the Willows if she turn to look upstream.
There is sunlight on the mountain; it's enough to make her scream.

Joseph F. Neri, by profession, is a grant writer for nonprofit organizations. Poetry and playwriting are his passions. He is 70 years old and resides in Long Beach, CA. Writing has always been a major part of his job experience, whether jobs with the government, private enterprise, or nonprofits.

He studied English and Art in college in his younger years and did attend an unusual mountaineering school when he was young that instilled a certain degree of self-confidence in him, along with a great appreciation for nature and the beauties of our world. His philosophy of life is dependent upon the harmony of the natural world. May we preserve it forever.

bottom of page