At the dawn of time, visual arts was born, holding her breath until words joined her. Together, they move the senses with a reckless force only matched by nature. I sometimes meld the two to create one experience, and other times let them each forge their separate paths. Music, the elusive ghost, often accompanies me in my creative journeys
by Ileana Collazo
I wish you luck, kiss your forehead, and say good-bye. My only hope, as years go by you don’t decide to take the wrong path.
You are so young, youth is so blind, I know this from experience. I wish that I could share my wisdom, but wisdom comes from age.
It is the medal life pins on us for the battle scars we bare. As years go by, I hope you flourish.
I want so much for you, and yet so little. Happiness, security, but, much more so, that pain you are spared. That one day you don’t cry helpless tears of despair.
Sunday, April 24, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Fatten wolves by silver light, splash sandy bottoms amidst sharks.
Stalk sacred ground as bells toll midnight approach ravaged vultures chewing on carcasses.
Do as you must, do as you wish, but if you are astute, beware of humans.
June 21, 1994
Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
I am feeling disorganized, irresponsible, unproductive trying hard to concentrate, sitting up straight, shuffling papers.
Starting new projects, neglecting half-done ones; in spite my best efforts, my mind wonders off, and I find myself lost in thought.
April 21, 1994
Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Sleep, sleep my darling, in your dark, dreary chamber, I had hopes for you, I had hopes for me.
All hope is gone, turned to ashes. I sit by your side, watching you.
Are you hiding from me, or from yourself? Would you come back to life if I kissed your lips?
The sight of you makes me afraid, you look so removed from everything.
You hug the pillow. Dreaming about me? I cannot decode your secrets.
I live by day, you live by night; perhaps in death we’ll meet.
April 19, 1994
Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I stay awake tossing and turning, roaming the house, thinking; amazed that you have failed to notice that someone else has touched me deeply.
Are you so sure of yourself? Do you so think no one else could want me?
All the better for me that you don’t figure it out, my dignity and my security bank on our union.
He is all I ever wanted, you are the tool that legitimizes me.
April 18, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Point out rainbows in the sky, fetch unicorns for a ride. Stand in a newly mowed meadow while a dove circles above you,
carrying the worms, it just caught, soaring high, diving low. A purple cloud blocks your view, you hear cooing from afar.
Limbs extended, muscles tight, I touch the bright circle of light. Soft feathers stroke my open palms, wings flap hard, blood stains my arms.
Thorny stem, fragrant white rose, dangling just above my head.
Saturday, May 2, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
Dicen que me he Vuelto Loco por Ileana Collazo
Dicen que me he vuelto loco, que no hago más que hoír el radio, que me levanto en la noche a tomar café y a hoír el radio.
Dicen que ya estoy viejo, que no acepto la nueva invencíon, la televisíon, que ha reemplazado el radio.
Yo me sonrío, les dejo creer que no los oigo, para que me dejen tranquilo hacer lo que quiero.
Ellos no saben que la nueva invencíon, me obliga a mira gente joven, gente linda, gente fea, mi reflexíon en la pantalla cuando la enciendo y la apago.
Pero el radio no me obliga a hacer nada, lo enciendo, cierro los ojos, y viajo, a mi pasado, a otros tiempos, cuando yo era joven, cunado era guapo.
Dejalos que digan que me he vueto loco, que estoy sordo.
Yo me sonrío, cierro los ojos, y en mis sueños viajo.
Abril 21, 1994
Lexington, Massachusetts
Dedicatoria: Nunca has podido engañarme, pocas personas te conocen como yo. Tu eres inteligente, y piensas bien claro; de ti aprendí yo a hacerlo.
by Ileana Collazo
I walk along the edge of my ancestor’s home, feeling a keenness to it, sensing it beckoning me. Knowing that I don’t belong, cognizant that I have a new home.
I watch the surf caress the land, it missing me, I missing it. Mismatched lovers forbidden to join, the wind blows hard, letting out moans.
I visit it often, it can’t come to me, I secretly fear one day it may claim me. Its salty scent and chilling touch beckon me, I submerge myself; my lungs struggle for breath.
My heart aches as I break the surface, under the morning sun as its long fingers caress me and, for that moment, I wish that I had the courage to sacrifice my earth-bound body to this deep blue-green basin.
April 23, 1994
Good Harbor Beach, Glouster, Massachusetts
Farewell by Ileana Collazo
The sweet scent of freshly cut flowers, the wind howling like moaning mourners, raindrops dripping like tears falling, the men in black following closely.
The silent crowd forms a circle, their bowed heads hanging like weeping willows. As a rainbow paints the morning sky, the coffin creaks, shifts, and settles.
Saturday, April 20, 1994
Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I chase rainbows in the sky, take unicorns for a ride. Lie in a meadow while a dove circles above me chewing on a worm it just caught; flying high, diving low.
Adark cloud comes into view, I hear cooing from afar. Limbs extended, muscles tight, I touch a circle of light.
Soft feathers stroke my open palms, wings flutter, thorns pierce my arms; drops of blood staining my lips.
And then, a fragrant white rose drops its petals on my chest as, one last time I close my eyes.
Sunday, May 2, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I wish there was a magic box hidden in a field of tall wild oats. Little glass slippers with tiny wings sparkling like diamonds in the morning sun.
Agolden key safely tucked away among the dandelions and the buttercups. Your world a velvet pillow Crimson red, sewn with silver thread.
Wishing for you is all I can do, making it come true is up to you.
Monday, May 2, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Ared light flashes, the air is still, a drop of blood cries from my eye. The buzzards feast on rotted flesh the angels’wings are torn by birds.
The sun is covered by the moon, The wolf lies howling in his den. The ground is stripped, the trees are dead, the corpses wiggle without legs.
The horn lets out an aimless cry, the starts keep falling from the sky.
Sunday,April 30, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
Hunted by Ileana Collazo
I know how it feels to be prey; the anger of being meeker, the humiliation of the persecution, the fear of getting caught.
I see your eyes glowing in the dark, hear your impatient stalking, envy your expertise, and know that there is no escaping you, that you will catch me, and, though you may not kill me.
you will scratch me, bite me, and scar me, in some horrific way that I will not forget. You are an expert, because you practice.
You threaten, you tease, you keep me in check; I can never let down my guard, because, day and night, night and day, you are there, somewhere, planning, pacing, hunting, until, once again, you pounce on me.
April 20, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
You live blinded by rage, excusing your actions by faulting others.
You use me, abuse me, tear chunks from my soul.
You walk through the garden stepping on flowers that get in your way.
You marble at strangers, shower them with kindness, forsaking your own.
You quickly forget who quiets your cries, who tames your worst fears.
Despite how you are, regardless of your cruelty, I’ll always be near.
Sunday, April 24, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
Rose by Ileana Collazo
Onion skin petals jealously guarded by her silent lover the thorny stem.
Such a fair beauty devoid of shyness standing so proud in a white headdress.
Her mellow scent permeates the air, her sensual curves provoke my envy.
Stolen from her garden She sit up straight in her watery vase, as if drinking wine.
As the days pass, her scent starts to fade, her white starts to stain, her petals go limp.
I secretly mourn her, yet, wonder if now that she is a memory I could take your place.
Monday, April 4, 1994
Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
My life has turned into a ghastly nightmare from which there is no awakening. How could I have fallen prey to such a hideous thing as he?
Was I so blinded by my passion to long for someone who lives by hatred. If not so, then. How can an angel unexpectedly become a demon?
There is a stranger in my house, a being I don’t recognize. I do not want to see him go, to say good-by forever to who he once was.
How did he ever get into my life? How did he take my lover’s place?
Who is this monster sharing my home, my meals, my bed? Am I afraid? No, not afraid,
I am empty, numb, lonely, and much too hurt to fear. Have I already died and gone to hell? For this is how I feel.
February 21, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I wonder how it feels to be old. Is it like waiting in the dentist’s office? One wants to leave, but there is no escape, when that tooth hurts, there is no other place to go.
I see my father sitting in his chair, licking his lips, rubbing his knees.
I look into his eyes and see his silent scream, he knows, I know, his tine is almost up; this weathered easy chair is his last stop.
April 4, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
Writer by Ileana Collazo
They claim that no one escapes my pen, that I am shrewd, that I am vain. That I write about everyone and everything without shame; that I will soon find myself without friends, that I am insane. I do not think I am shrewd, vain, shameless or insane. The truth is there for all to take, if I offend you, think again about what that says about yourself.
Lexington, Massachusetts Sunday,April 24, 1994
by Ileana Collazo
You were so tough, so shrewd, so heartless; always ready to crush me with your fist, to make me bow in pain and shame.
What happened now? Have you lost all your might? Why do you cry, why do you whine?
I stand before you somber and mute; devoid of pity and filled with dignity.
Now is my turn to watch you weep, like you sat doing when I did; my heart a stone that will not crack.
If you survive, I will do it again, only this time I’ll use a longer blade so I do not miss again.
April 16, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Claws that clutch the victim tight, eyes that watch her with delight
Fire burning in the night, cannot scorch the victim’s might.
Growing stronger with each blow, her power sprouts from deep insight.
Wounds of flesh, mere mortal scars, cannot touch the virgin heart.
Sunday, October 9, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
You are like a thorny rose bush, so painful, yet so fair.
You are like a bird in flight, so handsome, yet, soon out of sight.
You are like a musical note, so beautiful, yet, turned to thin air.
You are like a dolphin at sea, a sight to see, yet, headed elsewhere.
I reach for you, like a hologram, you are never there.
I try hard to get you out of my mind, but your essence lurks everywhere.
Sunday, April 24, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
A bird has fallen from the sky, it is I.
My ruffled wings were clipped by unseen hands.
I flutter helplessly on muddy sand and look up at the sky.
A blue so pale mixes with white. I close my eyes.
An angry wave washes my breast where I struck stone.
It was an awesome plunge I took into the hard, cold ground;
I lay so still now, The sky turns grey, then black.
When morning comes, a gust of wind sends a feather flying high.
Tuesday, February 7, 1995 Lexington Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
The windowpane is moist with dew as she leans her breasts against its sill. The wind chimes swaying in the breeze, are rhyming with the Robins’chirps.
The air is sweet with violet scent, the ground covered with purple grace. The twisted branches of the white ash tree that dropped the leaves of summer past
are casting shadows on the grass her fancied lover tread last night.
Friday, March 31, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Everyone turns away from trouble, no one wants to see tear-stained faces swollen eyes, or quivering lips.
They all go on with their lives, while troubled souls stay behind in spaces devoid of light.
Receding into the shadows, wearing black and dreary gowns; hair unkempt and brittle.
No hope left, no love, no tenderness, to ease the pain he sorrow.
Monday, January 2, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
I see his shadow by my bed, feel his warm breath brushing my neck. I shiver slightly, clasp my hands, lie still awaiting his return.
I know that I can’t ask for much, I know that it can’t be the same. His touch is cold, his image vague, when daylight comes with it he’ll fade.
Thursday,April 6, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
It isn’t right that you left me last night without saying good-bye; a note is not enough.
If there was pain in your heart if you needed to part you could have gone; just not that way.
You left me to wash the stains from my bloody hands, the guilt from my aching heart, while you set yourself free; it isn’t fair.
Thinking only of yourself, you didn’t take me in my sleep. you were so close but, I still did not hear.
You muffled the sound with the white satin pillow where you’d rested your head every night of our lives.
You stained it red, and the walls, and the carpet; and the gruesome picture will remain in my head for always.
It isn’t fair that you left me this morning laid out on a stretcher while the bright sunlight streamed in the room, and a gust of wind blew your last breath out the window.
Sunday, February 26, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Sitting on a bench watching, his body and mind frozen. Does he see what is going on around him? Does he hear the warning horn sounding?
As others pass him, they don’t try to stir him from his stillness; each of focused on one thing, the warning horn sounding.
As morning light fades from his sight, the world around him goes black; a heavy wind brings a black could, the landscape turns to ashes.
Aclump of dust where the bench stood; the man and bench have become one. When months go by and they return, the others cry: the man was wise.
Wednesday, March 1, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Living in a house with no doors, I am forced to put up with myself; staring out walls with no windows, breathing cold, damp, stale air.
Trying to make the best of each moment, I plant black tulips in the cracked cement, cut butterflies out of peeling wallpaper, let our cries into vast empty spaces.
Again and again, again and again I cross my legs.
Again and again, again and again, I blink my eyes and lick my lips.
Again and again, again and again, until one day my brain caves in.
Friday,April 26, 1995
Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
There is nothing left to say, I have said it all too many times before.
Let silence voice what I no longer will. If you strain your ears, you will hear the echo of my pleads, the vibrations of my fear, from the last one thousand years.
Wednesday, October 24, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
There lays my mate, fluttering. Two broken wings, a silver thorn stuck in his feathery breast.
Softly, I land at his side. I have no arms to hug him; I gently run my quivering beak over his bloody brow.
Who could have scarred such beauty? Who took away from me the warmth of he, who so long has shared my nest?
Why?
The day is still, the harsh sun parched his down, robbing him of his right to soar.
No more fluttering. So still, so stiff, his glassy eyes stare up at me.
I hold the moment in my tiny brain, because it is our last.
Tuesday, October 24, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Before I go to sleep at night I pray to God my life to take, to free my body and my soul from all the pain and sorrow.
I close my eyes and hug my pillow, preparing for the trip, till I waken the next day to find it all the same.
Lexington, Massachusetts Monday,April 25, 1994
Collazo
The shadow on the wall playing with the light; stretching high, crouching low.
Sneaking past the window near the lamp; dancing in a circle, crash…
It is dark, a cloudy night, the shadow feels the walls, searching, crying, for morning light; terribly afraid of the dark.
March 1, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Tree branches bow, weighted down by fallen snow. Powdered sugar, sprinkled thick, blanketing the ground below.
Icy spears, winter’s frozen tears, sparkle in the sun.
Alight wind blows a thick white cloud; when it settles look around; and you may find the winter rose.
Tuesday, February 28, 1995 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Twirls of haze embrace me, licking my nose, tikling my lungs. I squint to see it, expanding upwards, out of the woods, onto the clearing.
Contrary to everyone’s fancy, its scent is faint, tauntingly haunting. Fluid, yet solid, shapeless, yet massive; far out of reach, I feel it touch me.
I sense it grasping me from within, a warm sensation caress my breast; barely a moment, then it is gone. Heaven is pale, there is no sun.
My chest still tingling as if a finger remained indented upon my heart.
Saturday, December 14, 1996 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Painting landscapes without canvases, molding sculptures without clay, blowing thoughts like dandelion seeds, sending them where the wind blows.
Each word worth one thousand more in tenacity and veracity, tearing fiber, sewing holes, dividing and uniting all.
November 15, 1996 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Anticipation of the visitation, my throbbing heart, trot gently. Fingers in and out of twine, the flurry almost spills the wine.
So quiet, I can hear the crow rustle its feet along the corn. As the first start climbs on the wall, I bathe myself in twilight glaze.
Lexington, Massachusetts Friday, November 15, 1996
by Ileana Collazo
A hand so heavy lands upon my cheek, anguished and helpless, frozen I remain. The buzzing sound bouncing in my head, my stinging tears burning me with fear.
My beating heart, my shallow breath, my muffled cry, with pain I swallow.
Awakened by the morning light, a moment’s doubt crosses my mind.
But, when I touch my wounded flesh, alone at last, I shout in rage.
1996
Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
A dandelion ghost flying in the wind comes to rest on a brussels sprout; both small, both round, yet so unlike in color and weight.
The brussels sprout shouts: “Get off me, find your own space.”
The dandelion ghost replies: “I do not have one, I am always astray.”
The brussels sprout shakes its leaves, the dandelion ghost bursts. “Oh my, what have I done? You have come undone.”
“Don’t worry about me for, it is you, sitting on your earthly throne, who soon will end up on someone’s plate.”
Sunday, July 29, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
The agony of melancholy wrings the heart, clogs the throat.
The wear-and-tear of pacing thoughts stumbling aimlessly inside a cluttered brain
can make eyes cease to see, ears fail to hear, and most all other systems halt, except for one:
that rusty piston in the mind that grinds and grinds like rotted teeth when they are clamped too tight.
Thursday, November 6, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I have, I have, I tell myself, the power to do anything.
I will, I will, jump off the ledge headfirst into the pool.
I can, I can, scale those rocks until I reach the top.
I am, I am, much too afraid to leave my room at all.
Thursday, October 2, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
A strand of silver hair over my brow, I brush it off, it falls back down;
a single filament of yarn unraveling from an ebony spindle.
A lock of silver hair over my brow, I brush it off, it falls back down;
lace intertwined with sable down, weaving themselves into a studded crown.
Friday, January 17, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Deceit, from someone that one trusts, is hard to comprehend.
Consequently, by the time the mind accepts it, it is too late to evade.
Sunday, February 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I am a thief who steals from herself, jewels of time shaped like beads of water, so hard to grasp, exploding in space, as I labor to string each one into a necklace
my naked throat to dress, my dried-up flesh to moisten.
Tiny liquid pearls, they roll under the carpet as the clock announces the time of my departure.
In mourning threads, I dress, embraced form head to toe by soft frosted black satin that slithers in the wind.
Treading through muddy passages, making my way, headed nowhere, again.
February 17, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
The children stoop, I lean, we all severe five rubies each from their umbilical cord.
Shiny, smooth outside, sweet, fleshy inside. Our teeth sink deep, leaving their tracks.
We sit on the moist grass, picking caked dirt form the soles of our sneakers.
The sun has left to visit summer, too far away for us to see it, leaving behind rainbows of painted leaves for dazzled eyes to feast on.
October 9, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Distance stands between us, its long arms extended reaching out to touch us.
We grasp its wiry fingers, and press them to our hearts to make the connection.
As we travel through it with our lonesome minds into each other’s arms.
Monday, October 20, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
The wind barked loudly for half the night and then,quite suddenly, fell silent.
Its chill still clinging to my bones, a dress too tight to slither out of.
My teeth still shattering as I paced about the sparkling fireplace mouth its lavish flames licking my toes a loyal hound, I bent to feed.
January 17, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Walking on the sacred stones; if I lose my beat, I burn my feet.
Bending at the waist at the precipice; balancing my weight, keeping my poise.
My heart ablaze as the blinding sun with a single ray scorches my soul.
September 27, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Onion skin wings framed by bent wires, sprinkled with rainbow dust, baked in the summer sun.
Riding gusts of wind whispered by rustling leaves, kissing marigolds with velvet lips.
Wednesday, October 22, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Free yourself child from yourself, so, you can become the you hiding inside. Open your heart and flap its wings, parade your beauty for all to see
Don’t be afraid to fall inside a cloud, don’t be afraid to land back on the ground. That smile that hides behind quivering lips, those hands that flutter longing to reach for dreams, they know the way that life should be, allow them to lead the way. Free yourself from yourself, for life is yours for you with joy to live.
June 10, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I wish the world and everything in it were mine, and I could stretch the dusk-bound shadows and weave the threads that sun rays spin, and freeze the clock’s hands at that moment when liquid gold bathes all jade.
Friday, September 28, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I love you, I do, no matter what I say, no matter what you hear.
I know that I do because when I look at you a bright and fiery light ignites inside my heart and lights my path through all those junctures when our life becomes a dark tunnel.
Monday, November 10, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
To fall inside the sacred fire, to be devoured by golden flames,
to quench the thirst of my desires until my flesh loses all sense.
February 23, 1997
Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Sleep, sleep my darling, in your cavernous dark chamber. I had hopes for you, I had hopes for me.
All hope has gone, my mood so somber, as I sit by your side watching you.
Are you hiding from me, or from yourself?
Would you come back to life if I kissed your lips?
The sight of you makes me afraid; you look so removed from everything.
You hug the pillow as you toss and turn Dreaming about me? I wonder.
I live by day, you live by night, perhaps in death we will always be together.
Tuesday, April 19, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Sometimes we tend to forget our daily disintegration, the corruption of a system that runs in pretense conjunction
with a world that won’t decay in a manner quite as obvious.
Without looking in the mirror, we quickly tend to forget that we dwindle with each breath as the earth around us blossoms.
January 27, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
The wind is rattling my window, pleading for me to let it in.
Its echo moans across the canyon, tree branches trembling in its path.
I sit inside, looking away; to face the wind means to face death, relinquishing my one last breath to lost souls who have taken flight, their languid moans the mocking echoes of angry fiends who’ve come to claim me.
Sunday, February 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I slip through our bedroom door as softly as a breeze, pausing one moment to watch you sleep; refraining from brushing your lips with my trembling fingertips.
I know too well what you would do, reach out for me and grab me tight, so tight that I would gasp for breath, and I cannot have that.
I made plans to fade away and come to say good-bye; I cannot wait for your reply, for danger lies in that.
You turn towards me and your mouth gestures as if to utter words; your lashes flutter and you stir, which makes me flee with dread.
For, if you were to look at me with liquid amber eyes all my resolve would quickly melt, and you would have me back.
Monday, December 29, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I built a little house out of colored tissue paper, cut out little windows, and hung curtains made from onion skin. I wanted flowers, I had to have flowers, so, I fetched a vase and filled it with water.
Water and tissue paper, not a good combination, yet, I failed to recognize this. I arranged the flowers, set the vase on the table, and invited my kin to admire my creation.
They all came and praised my work, then, somebody bumped against the table. The water spilled, and my little house melted into a rainbow of colors smudged into the soil.
After everyone left, I sat on a stoop next to my shattered vase and my wilting wildflowers.
Lexington, Massachusetts October 13, 1997
by Ileana Collazo
My arms extend further and further, groping like roost under the soil until I reached you, dry and brittle, with nothing left to offer.
For, in the drought your heart endured, the fruit of love has rotted.
September 28, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Time is transparent, we cannot see it bumping against the wind, tip-toeing to our window, pacing back and forth, waiting for us.
Impatient, it squats, as we carelessly slumber, while it traces on our faces the lines that mark its presence.
November 14, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Vestiges of him who left the nest remain scattered about. Fewer and fewer tangled branches as he moves his to his new coop.
Wounded rooster courts a limp, pecks at wounds from the last cock fight. Forsaken hen minds her chicks, gathers straws to fill her hen house.
February 17, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
You come to steal from my grave the peace I finally found, your tears of pity for yourself usurp my resting ground.
Do you not know I came to rest detached from earthly sorrows? Are all your tears because you envy my liberty and abandonment?
Sunday, February 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Erato by Ileana Collazo
I dress in lace and pearls; I need no shoes to wear to sit on my front porch step.
Sunlight showers plants and flowers with precious tears of gold.
Morning dew dances on their surface, their tiny glass slippers aglow.
When the sun hides behind the hills and the moon rolls in like a balloon, my hair gone limp, my dress all wrinkled, my eyes half-closed, I float in shadows
to my night chambers to wait for you to come and claim me.
Sunday, October 5, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
If I had wings, I would… If I had fins, I would…
If I was the wind, I could… If I was the rain, I could…
I close my eyes and fancy doing the many things I never will attempt at all.
Wednesday, February 19, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Swift were her eyes as they pierced every scene, keen were her ears as they captured every rustle.
The hands that fell upon her like the paws of wolves devouring, the lips that drank her breath and enmeshed her loins with longing; playing such havoc on her senses, rendering her limbs so sluggish.
Were they worth it, were they worth it, all the perils she endured?
Once the raging flames extinguished sending smoldering ash scrambling, blown away by distant winds that came and went unexpectedly as the passion that aroused them when the stars clustered the heavens
died out at the wake of dawn when dew dotted every grass blade.
Saturday, February 22, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
It was the pre-dawn hour when my lover sighed, I turned and held his tender face with my trembling hands.
“I cannot go on living, it hurts too much inside.” “I cannot bear to lose you, curl up under my wings.”
He fretted on my bosom till daylight cracked a cloud, igniting every shadow with sudden bursts of light.
He settled then into the nook of my left shoulder blade, and let out one last languid breath before closing his eyes.
I laid him on the pillow, bowed silent, kissed his cheek, amazed he got so cold so soon after leaving my side.
Thursday, March 6, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Thirsty for life, the drink from their watery basin, trying to hold on to time as it evaporates.
One petal drops like a teardrop, a hand plucks several dry ones.
When night falls on their crystal death bed, moonlight caresses their velvet, morning light illuminating their horrible putrefaction, the same hand that once caressed them, tossing them out with abandon.
Tuesday, September 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Is it time for us to run away?
To leave behind the burdens that we share? Where will we go? What shall we take?
Is you and I all that we need?
I, so burdened by my muse, You, merely my shadow on the wall.
Sunday, February 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Fingernails peeling wallpaper, fingertips bleeding from splinters, kneecaps raw from too much kneeling, oceans spilling through shut eyelids.
Dandelion seeds in mid-flight land on the freshly mowed grass. Ragged silver bolt of lightning reduces the old oak to ashes.
Thursday, June 26, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Irrepressible by
Ileana Collazo
You come to me; I will await you perusing in my chambers. Braiding my mane into a crown dusting my flesh with rose scented powder.
But if you linger in your quarters and I become restless, I will command my slumbering sentinel to take your place among the feathers that fill my bed with softness.
Sunday, February 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
As far back as my eyes can see, you have littered my path along the way, with rage, insults, threats, and shouts.
As long ago as my mind can recall, you have always blamed me as the ghosts and the witches, who haunt you still cast the spells that make you restless and render you lifeless. Why do I, then, so carelessly linger?
Because in your eyes, behind a black veil, a garden of roses mixed in with wild daisies is waiting to bloom behind iron fences.
September 20, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I flow through veils of whispering breezes that flutter in the wind, barely caressing my feathery lashes as I timidly tread forth.
Wearing a pink cloud as a bonnet, a sun ray thrown around my shoulders, I skip barefooted through a daisy forest; glass pebbles scattered on the path. I reach a plateau of bare cobblestone, and bend to pluck a buttercup that bloomed inside the spiral obelisk, bring it to my lips, and murmur softly in its ear before I bring it to my chest, my heart for it to hear.
Monday, January 6, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
What lies beyond that front porch door? Its eyelet curtain halfway open. The sun sneaks in, barely a few feet, hardly enough to let one see in
September 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
One by one they toss their silk garments to the wind, standing naked to the elements. undulating, sensuous curves.
Like one thousand dancing snakes waiting for the flute to play, they pause with their arms extended listening for the wind’s song.
Shameless in their bare glory, bathed in sunlight and in moonlight, they stand waiting to receive their tight-fitting diamond garments.
Monday, November 10, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Do not punish me for crimes others before me committed. Poison fills your veins, not blood, your bite infects me with rage.
Your mind re-runs all the images you brain filmed so long ago, your retrospect fueling emotions filed under the wrong name.
Sunday, October 12, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
I heard the tearing of my uterus, and felt the fluid spread like velvet.
My pelvis warm as it extended, easing your way from inner darkness
into the cradle of my cupped arms; both of us blood stained, both of us trembling,
I, too aware of the task awaiting us, you, slightly dreading the unexpected.
Both of us knowing the deed is done, we must proceed as fate intended.
April 8, 1997
Lexington Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
All that binds me lingers here, I leave drenched in loved one’s tears.
As I ride this silver bird that glides hidden inside clouds, the ocean dancing below me, endless void stretching above me, the weight that crushes my heart triples as the gap expands.
Saturday, August 30, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Sunflowers bow their noble heads, their petals trembling in the breeze, too shy to look up at the sky for fear the sun will think them vain.
Sunday, October 12, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
My fingertips tingled as my mind reached out to touch him.
My lips quivered as my thoughts trifled with kissing him.
My eyes sparkled as my lashes blinked off teardrops.
October 18, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
It is there within my reach, waiting silently for me praises sung inside my heart for the glory I’ll attain
when and if I take the risk to unleash my brain and pen. What if I don’t never do that, and my muse and I die silent?
When my soul floats to the clouds, and my thoughts become spring showers?
October 2, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Uncommitted by
Ileana Collazo
He, who remains partial in battle, will be shot at by both sides.
And, when truce is called, will be seen as a foe by everyone.
February 23, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
Perched on a branch just above her, he looks out toward the horizon,
pondering, wondering, if danger lies beyond it, if it is worth it to waste so much chirping in this safety.
Beautiful, quiet, violet scented, blueberry bounties, no predators present.
Should he, could he, flap his wings with swift abandon?
Would she, could she, leave this haven and follow?
October 11, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
By Ileana Collazo
I am awed by the vision of your coming full circle,
of your plodding your way through the deserts and mountains, through the rains and the snow
to the core or our oneness to the birth of our fire, to the crib of our passion.
While I waited, I knew I would not wait in vain, welcome back my dear lover to the warmth of my bosom.
Saturday, November 29, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
My arms stretched beyond the mountain, my fingers resting on the meadow,
I gently stroke each blade of grass, a melody to pluck from each dew-studded emerald stalk.
Licking the moistness from my lips, my thirst for life to quench.
Thursday, February 27, 1997 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Ahand is used to strike a chord, a hand is used to strike a cheek, to carry grapes home from the vine, to throw dirt on a fresh dug grave.
Ahand can speak with great emotion Without a sound it ever uttering; closed fist deep purple from its rage, long fingers weeping a good-bye.
Hands folded over a still heart that gone to sleep will never beat zealously guard the virgin soul on its long trip to the unknown.
Thursday, March 9, 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
The remnants of my distant past, the threads of all those loose ends, have stitched themselves into a quilt that sheltered me from winter’s frost.
Rose patterns overlap black satin, blush pink runs into crimson velvet; tear stains spill rivers to its edges where folded hands for hours rested.
Now that I have been put to sleep, quilt folded neatly at my feet, a string of pearls around my neck, my eye lids shut, and my lips sealed.
All of those things that I held dear, will not join me on this long journey, a dream from which there’s no awakening, as all my flesh fall from my bones.
Saturday, March 28, 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
I
by Ileana Collazo
I died at dawn, and I remember when daylight closed my eyes. My lashes fluttered in an effort to take one last long look.
But something pulled me from within, and made me focus inward; all of the answers to my questions, right there inside me waiting.
We are the vessels of infinity, all starts and ends with us.
Marth 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
My hands as heavy as two pounds of lead, my heart as dreary as the grey landscape, I stare out of my bedroom window timing my tears to the falling rain.
The clock keeps ticking inside my head, my heart keeps beating inside my chest. The chains that bind me clatter like church bells each time I stir inside my tiny cell.
Sunday, Mar 1, 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
Mid-summer Day by
Ileana Collazo
I sing one note and hold my breath, to hear the sound until it fades. I cry a tear and cup my hand; a tiny pool to make.
I follow with my sleepy eyes, a cloud that stretches across the sky to form a monarch butterfly that turns into a puff of smoke.
I bite the bitter blade of grass I hold between my teeth, and lay on the newly mowed grass to let the sun tickle my skin.
Sunday, March 29, 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
I walked out on the frozen ground so hard and so unyielding; a harsh, cold wind gnawing at my fingers, a full moon hanging like a pendulum.
Each step I took, a crunching sound, much like the sound of brittle bones breaking tore through the pre-dawn silence and lead me closer to my maker.
I walked until a giant circle, a gold so bright that my eyes watered, climbed from behind the highest mountain turning my checks into rose petals.
I felt that I had reached my summit, that open arms awaited me, until a cloud the shade of burnt coals stole my last hope of ever reaching them.
March 1998
Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
Each time a day begins, it ends for me. Blue skies and golden sunshine my eyes will never see.
I snake through charcoal pavements cracked open from the drought, making my way in shadows back to my deep, dark cave.
Tuesday,April 18, 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
by Ileana Collazo
The last day of winter was dreary and quiet; no snow, no wind, no rain, just a drab coat of grey.
The next day birds and squirrels knew the queen was arriving dressed in satin and pearls.
With silk bows, she swiftly tied one thousand emeralds on the tree branches,
pulled out tulips from the earth’s womb, dragged the sun back from the topics, pinned it on the northern sky,
whispered breezes that made us sigh, and dressed the ground with blades of grass.
Wednesday, March 18, 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
Ileana Collazo
It is early dawn, the time of day when the world awakens.
My heart full of promises, my head full of shredded dreams, I walk to the window
expecting to see the blooms from seeds planted long ago once the clouds give way to the sun.
The dew drops clinging to grass blades suddenly freeze with fear when jagged swords fall from the sky and thunder breaks the silence.
I sit and watch the storm unfold, and a patch of dirt turn to a puddle where all my dreams will drown.
Thursday, March 19, 1998 Lexington, Massachusetts
Prayer by Ileana Collazo
Before I go to sleep at night I pray to God my life to take, to free my body and my soul from all the pain and sorrow.
I close my eyes and hug my pillow, preparing for the trip, till I waken the next day to find it all the same.
Monday,April 25, 1994 Lexington, Massachusetts
We meet at Dawn and Dusk by
Ileana Collazo
We meet at dawn and dusk, myself and I, and barely touch as I mutate into that other thing I have become.
Ashell without a snail thrown about by the tide, a nest without a bird left on a branch.
March 1998
Lexington, Massachusetts
My wild soul drums to the rhythm of my beating heart: I learned all I needed to about writing poetry and creating visual art as a young girl in my grandmother's gardenwhere I sat doing what, as an adult, I call meditating. That quiet spot became my temple. Many years passed before I began to birth the creations conceived in my early daydreams. I started to write fiction and poetry, and then my mind exploded into a galaxy of colors, shapes, and movement as I started to paint on a variety of surfaces, digitally, and then added digital collage to my artistic spectrum. My art is representative of the twists and turns we take in the course of our daily lives, and of the awe-inspiring beauty that surrounds us. I was born in Cuba, and have lived in Spain, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts. I presently reside in Miami, Florida; where I work and play at Collazo Art Studio with my artist husband, four dogs, and cats in the yard. I strive to write poetry that touches the heart and create visual art that stimulates the senses. Like a patchwork quilt, my words and art document my life experiences from communist Cuba to a safe haven in Spain, New England, and Florida. I am inspired by places and spaces that transform into layers of memories, shapes, and colors. My most recent exploration is my invention of HICAE (Human Intelligence Creative Artistic Expression) Digital Art Generated by IC, an intricate interchange between technology and the human brain. My artwork has been included in group and solo exhibitions throughout the world.
https://www.ileanacollazo.art | YouTube Channel fivemuses@gmail.com 1-305-613-4725
The treasure chest from which I pull out every dream my muse will use
Spread them wide and fly so high that I would see my past and future
