Lives of Poetry & Regret by Karen A VandenBos

The smell of smoke mixes with the

sticky residue of food and piss on

the floors and the scent of the

downtrodden is braided with heartache

to make a cocktail not listed on

the menu.

Vacant eyes search the room, unfocused,

looking for ghosts as they linger here

like the smoke from an extinguished

match.

Their lips are bold with thirst,

their hearts aching with the need

to be loved.

Empty promises are written on

the edges of the left behind wet napkins

underneath empty glasses of sorrow.

This is their place of worship, the

place where they tithe. The place

where they come to take communion

and lead their lives of poetry and

regret.

Once upon a time, Karen A VandenBos was born on a warm July morn in Kalamazoo, MI. Her youth was nourished by books and writing. When adulthood opened the door, she was detoured to working in health care for 30+ years and obtained her PhD in Holistic Health. She tumbled into the realm of retirement landing on her feet and was reunited with her creative spark. She can now be found contributing to two online writing groups where she unleashes her imagination and trusts her pen to take her where she needs to go. Her writing has been published in The Ekphrastic Review, Lothlorien Poetry Journal and Verse-Virtual online and some of her photographs have been published in Blue Heron Review.