Letters Never Sent

Introduction

Opening

Introduction

✦

"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o'er wrought heart and bids it break."

— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

I do not know what calls me, what impulse drives me to write— only that fleeting landscapes haunt me. A pressure builds within — unrelenting. And only the cascade of ink on paper brings relief.

The words that spill onto the parchment are tears I have not wept.

Letters Never Sent is an intimate collection of poems written for those who now exist only in memory. The poems are unsent letters to the lost, the distant, and the once-beloved. Moving between grief and wonder, the collection gathers reflections on friendship, childhood, and the vast, unanswering universe, where what was unspoken is finally given voice.

In Memoriam

In Memoriam:
Mommy Clarita

✦

Well-loved books crumble to dust— yet the words live on in memory,

Beloved toys, worn out by time— but childhood laughter echoes.

Petals withered by sun and wind— still the fragrance lingers,

Words of a favored song are half-forgot— but the melody timbres in the soul.

What the heart once loved, it can never lose, And souls entwined, not even Death could cleave; Though memory's embers dim with time, Love eternally blooms.

Note I was privileged to have had two mothers in my life. Mommy was my paternal grandmother. From her I learned to love musicals and classical movies. During siesta in the afternoons, we would lie down side by side in her bed and read books and magazines while watching old movies or musicals. She was a passionate cook and baker. She also loved tending to her roses and orchids in her garden.

In Memoriam

Guiding Light

for Mama

✦

You look down on the ground: Weeds crown her tombstone now, Grown through cracks on marble. Sun and rain has aged the stone, dulled your grief, but not the longing.

You kneel to light the candle you have brought with you. An offering to guide her spirit home: You strike the match, a golden flame blooms in your hand burning yellow-bright in the deepening twilight.

You close your eyes and recall: the lilting sound of her soulful voice, as she sang and strummed her guitar. A sudden breeze blows out your flame, And you stagger in the sudden dark.

You blindly stumble 'til one by one, the scattered stars whisper into existence. And you gaze up in pure awe At the river of stars poured out above you, Winding brightly across the night sky: She lights the path to guide you home.

Revised 2025. Cat Hermoso.

Note Mama's favorite song was Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life." She had a sweet singing voice before a nodule near her vocal chords made her voice raspy and hoarse in the latter part of her life. But I still remember how she loved to sing and play on her guitar.

In Memoriam

In Memoriam:
Lolo Zimo

✦

He would often gaze out into his cornfields with stalks that stood as tall as men to consider the season's harvest.

His hands were large and rough, dark as the fertile earth he toiled. Strong arms swinging the heavy pick to break the rocks, his cupped hands gently laying the kernels for the next harvest.

When clouds darkened the horizon, He would fall silent, listen to the whispers of the wind to foretell when the rains would come.

I remember how he stood, proud ruler of his green demesne.

Now, he lies in his hospital bed, grown pale. A plant leeched of chlorophyll withering from lack of sun.

Age has withered his limbs, His eyes grow clouded, Each rattling breath a struggle.

He is fed nourishment through plastic tubes, And sleeps his remaining days within white walls, losing himself deeper into memory and shadow.

In His wisdom, the Sower calls His seed to the final harvest, freeing him from the tangle of plastic tubes and withered flesh.

With tender hands, The Maker lays him down to his peaceful rest, cradled by the rich, dark earth he once called home.

Note Lolo Zosimo and Lola Leoncia were farmers. I remember spending time in their farm during summer. As a city girl, the farm was an amazing place to be. I was amazed at the chickens and goats they raised, and the crops that my grandparents planted and harvested. Multiple stacks of dried corn filling every available space in their house.

Paper Dreams

Poem

Paper Dreams

✦

I remember the wind— its phantom fingers running through my hair, tendrils brushing against my cheeks.

I remember the sky— clouds chasing each other across a sweeping canvas of vivid cerulean.

I remember laughter— the tinkling clarity of a child's joy, yet untouched by despair.

I remember my kite— bits of colored parchment and bamboo, bound together with nothing but string, rice paste, and faith in dreams.

I remember as it soared high, buffeted by unseen hands, my ungainly, misshapen bird marring heaven's blue expanse.

I remember the battle of wills: the surging currents of the wind tugging at the strings, trying to wrest my kite from untried hands.

But youthful stubbornness and pure faith held it aloft, though I had only anchored it with the slenderest of strings.

And the wind, vanquished, carried the echoes of my lilting laughter across rolling hills and verdant plains, up to the sky to fuel my paper sails.

I remember still— as my fading eyes track a kite's course, or when a summer breeze tosses a string of children's laughter to my ears.

Remembering… I close my eyes and smile, And dream of paper wings rising to the sky.

Copyright 7 Jun 2009. Revised 23 February 2025. Cat Hermoso.

Friend

Poem

Friend

✦

You who echoed my laughter And dried all my tears, Gave me a shoulder to cry on And soothed all my fears.

You who stood by me When I needed you near, Listened to my woes When I needed an ear.

You who spoke the kind words I longed to hear, When my spirit was heavy, You gifted me laughter amidst tears.

You who helped me see The lesson behind the pain, Held my hand in the dark, Sheltered me from the rain.

You who gave me faith To help me endure, Cheered my triumphs and in failures You were always there to assure.

You who uncovered my eyes, Revealing my true self, Discovered the strength I had yet to find in myself.

I am honored to call you 'Friend', But this word alone cannot contain All the gratitude and love, Our bond—the strongest chain.

So all I ask is this: A simple chance to be The friend to you You've always been to me.

Insomnia

Poem

Insomnia

✦

At night, when shadows start to play, The me I know begins to fray. And I begin to say The words best left unsaid, At night, when shadows play.

Emptied of secrets, unplugged and lost, Still no closer to the me I seek, I turn and toss.

Sanity returns at break of day. But I dread the creeping gray, When the me I know, begins to fray.

Navigating Silence

Poem

Navigating Silence

✦

Is it just my mind that conjures specters, in the wake of your sentences?

My fears that populate pockets of silence with the treacherous eddies of suspicion?

What is left unsaid teases tempests, swirling thought to chaos;

And your silence is a sea I cannot navigate, where tracing constellations lead to isolated continents.

The Poet's Garden

Poem

The Poet's Garden

✦

I pluck whispers from a passing breeze, warm them in my hands, coax and tease each word 'til it blooms and unfurls, and loose their fragrant meaning into the world.

With patient hands, I prune what overgrows, shape each line 'til its true form shows. In shade and light, my woven verses bear, my laughter, dreams, and despair.

And in this garden where words flower, I find my purpose, peace and power.

Astronomer's Lament

Poem

Astronomer's Lament

✦

I search celestial spheres, hoping to find eyes gazing upon me here.

Sorting through galaxies, I find only ghost-lights— frozen echoes of worlds long lost, their suns turned dark, long before the dinosaurs roamed.

So I launch messages into the void, past comets and asteroids, While I wait—clock ticking— on this rock spinning, as it circles a dying star.

Introduction

In Memoriam:Mommy Clarita

Guiding Light

In Memoriam:Lolo Zimo

Paper Dreams

Friend

Insomnia

Navigating Silence

The Poet's Garden

Astronomer's Lament

About the Author

In Memoriam:
Mommy Clarita

In Memoriam:
Lolo Zimo