the scars of time

once more, an unfamiliar journey
yet fair, this lap which must be run
outdistanced by the future
bound into an inevitable race of one

hesitate, or leap forward unafraid
empty of regret, blind to the lost illusion
the pounding excavation of tomorrow
at the font of love's confusion

so hail the unsung hero now
for yesterday is soon undone
sliced from memory, yet written
in the scars of time, for some


Copyright © 2004-2010 by Eryll Oellermann

an ocean apart

thirty one straight days of sunshine! may not sound like a lot
to some of you, but ...
as a resident of the misty isles ... wow!

it was hard to leave my boy.
to be home is a joy tinged with sadness at my inability to
be beside him at this most difficult time in his life.

his dear love is still in the ICU, fighting, day by day to
survive and grow a little stronger.

we may be an ocean apart my son, but ...
you are always surrounded by our love.

dry my beloved country!

flying from the misty, dampness of scotland to a dry, dry johannesburg at the end of winter ...

the sun shines every day! gauteng is a summer rainfall area, we have not yet enjoyed spring rain. the air is dry!
my poor nose ... nasal passages adjusted to a coastal scottish clime reacted to the dusty dryness in the way they deemed best. they shrivelled up and cracked leaving me with a stuffy, bleeding nose.
things have improved with time, me and my nostrils are slowly adjusting ...

i remain a happy non smoker!

my boy is a Vegan with a capital V, he is also an artist in the kitchen. my previously blood soaked palate is learning the pleasures of meatless eating.

what next???

i hear the hadida

i am home, under the african sun. surrounded by the familar, the voices of my people, the sights and scents of south african spring.

i did not expect to be here, i expected to be watching summer fade from my ayrshire window.

the unexpected has brought me here, here where i need to be at this time.

our dear g, my son's partner, soul mate, life love ...
suffered a massive heart attack last tuesday.

we have to wait now, while machines monitor his body and time accomplishes her healing. there are no guarantees, there is hope and love, belief in his strength and his will to live.

19th august 2010

today i delivered ms sugar to glasgow airport ...
herself, her two cats and five suitcases boarded the plane for
newark.

sometimes ... love is not enough.

i found the fox

in the summer heat
i found the fox
and the cold burn of anger
the fox ran the line
where trains travel
clickety clack
full of humanity
yawning their way to work
the rumble of great freight carriers
coal and oil on the line
to somewhere
in the cooling dark
of the long days end
i found the fox
and the ice of rage
the fox sat in the shadows
on the bank beneath the line
waiting for what
and i remembered
that nothing lasts forever

Copyright © 2004-2010 by Eryll Oellermann

four weeks

today herself has been here for four whole weeks.
a couple of times i spent three months with her in the states
but this is the longest time herself has been away from
new york!

today my lady is a little homesick and weepy, missing
her daughters,friends and familiar culture.
almost every day we discover a new something, a difference in
the way we view the world around us. we agree, we disagree, we
fight and make up. sugar and the wolf are learning to live
together ... rueful smile!

for myself ...
she has brought laughter back into my life, we laugh, we giggle,
at times our sides ache and tears of joy run from our eyes.
my mind is constantly challenged, ms sugar is a woman of
considerable intelligence and deep held beliefs. naturally at this
beginning stage of our life together, we fairly often find
ourselves at odds. we are no spring chickens! herself grew
up in the bronx and i grew to adulthood under the african sun.
so ...
is it at all likely that we will agree on everything? hell no!

the wonder of our relationship lies in the fact that we are
together, we are commited to a shared future.
our love and time together will enrich and enliven us both.

for now, it is enough to drift off to sleep, knowing that my
lady is safe by my side, that tomorrow will not bring a heart wrenching
separation.
i wake in the morning secure in the knowledge that whatever
the day may bring - we are together.

we survived a long distance relationship for five years
and five months.
it was never easy!
was it worth the wait?

hell yes!!