She loved that lovely island, 

and her small place upon it. 

Just a pretty little camper, 

transformed into a loving home. 

.

Hurricane straps held it 

securely to the sandy ground, 

and the ocean shore was 

a mere stroll away. 

.

Though tiny and old,

she loved this little abode. 

Seagull cries carried every morn 

in the salty aromatic breeze. 

.

Waves lapped gently

on shores of golden sand, 

or slapped angrily upon them

when a storm surged through. 

.

Every morning with bare feet

upon the warmth of the shore,

they walked together, 

a girl with her pup on hand. 

.

This island home a dream of hers,

since a child and even before. 

To wake with pelicans flying above,

and spy dolphins swimming by.

.

Winter storms and blowing gales,

never a cause for concern. 

Yet, the twist of a pen and a contract torn,

neither of these could she deter. 

.

As it is now and has always been,

greed wiped away compassion. 

Her island home was bought by those 

with money their only passion. 

.

Now the little home is wiped away,

not by wind or gale or storm. 

But by the mighty need for financial gain,

not hers at all, but theirs. 

---

Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris lives in Southport, NC. Published in Whisper’s & Echoes, 50 Give or Take, Visual Verse, Spillwords and in Wounds I Healed. Honorable Mention in Tales from the Moonlit Path 2021 Halloween Challenge. Gypsie-Ami has recently completed a chapbook merging her poetry and photography titled, Reflections of a Woman’s Life.

The roar of a lion 

has never been heard 

The deep trumpeting of elephants 

long ago disappeared 

The sweet humpback whale song 

lay silent beneath the waves 

The eagles triumphant cry

squelched by waste and detritus 

.

Where in the library 

not a library of old

Where weathered books 

lined aged leaning shelves

Where this library floats above 

unseen among the cumulus

Where no one can touch the works 

unwritten or hear stories unspoken

.

Upon the plains the wind blows 

without sound 

Upon the oceans empty vessels bob 

in the waves 

Upon the ground sagebrush rolls 

unhindered by motorists or people 

Upon the mountainous peaks 

snow falls unfettered 

.

Once the Earth was lush and green

and crystal waterfalls teemed with fish

Once the skies were azure blue 

and rain was clear and pure 

Once the planet sustained her wealth 

until man himself destroyed her

Once there was peace in nature 

soon nature will reclaim her peace 

---

Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris lives in Southport, NC. Published in Whisper’s & Echoes, 50 Give or Take, Visual Verse, Spillwords and in Wounds I Healed. Honorable Mention in Tales from the Moonlit Path 2021 Halloween Challenge. Gypsie-Ami has recently completed a chapbook merging her poetry and photography titled, Reflections of a Woman’s Life.

I wish I was a lovely flower 

beloved by a kind gardener 

From tiny seed dropped in the soil

until back into the earth I could go

.

I wish I was a sturdy elm 

grown from a hardy nut 

Buried by an industrious squirrel

forgotten but growing 120 feet tall 

.

I wish I was an ocean wave 

peeking above the golden sand 

Splashing beachgoers to and fro

then returning to my salty domain 

.

I wish I was a soft white cloud 

floating above countries great and small

Providing shade and sometimes rain

before falling and rising again 

.

I wish that I was the luminescent moon

shining bright through the darkest night 

Chasing the sun around and around 

joining briefly at dawns first light

---

Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris lives in Southport, NC. Published in Whisper’s & Echoes, 50 Give or Take, Visual Verse, Spillwords and in Wounds I Healed. Honorable Mention in Tales from the Moonlit Path 2021 Halloween Challenge. Gypsie-Ami has recently completed a chapbook merging her poetry and photography titled, Reflections of a Woman’s Life.