http://slow.writerscafe.org/Tracie%20O%27braks The original writings of author Tracie Skarbo en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1775967575 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 “Why can’t a woman change her mind?”  Her voice was shrill and grainy, and her brown eyes darted over my appearance as though somehow my clothes or the way I held myself would give her the ammunition she was looking for.  I could only stare at her incredulous, as it had b.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/677154/ Give me graphiteSmooth writing Grey tonesWhich scrape pagesWith pulsating Pleasure fullSound whispers Those best heardIn the dead of nightBy candlelight Reflecting off Dream visionsOf grand possibility Give me pink nubsTo rub-washThat deemed UnworthyGu.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/677005/ Each of us, by the grace of divine wisdom and enterprise, are unique perfect beings with our imperfections. We may think we are small when our image is cast upon the heavens and the planetary orbits... but there are molecules who if they had conciousness, (and who is to say that they don't) that wou.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/676102/  Those that touch soulsThroughout dripping night-landsOf dreamscape Swathe meIn iridescent indigoLifting me up amongstLofty wisdomShowing me that tempered tranquilityIs not a complicated forge Tempting turquoise kissesCaress my cheek gentlyAs mist like beingsWit.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/676003/  The ocean Caresses my skinWith briny lipsAnd coaxesSalted scales fromMy thighs She accepts myVelvety air filled orbsWhich rise to her smooth visageAnd replaces themWith opalescent pearlsBetween my bare breast I listen to her frothyLullaby as she Play.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/676000/  Love is a thrill that will Give and give Until it is time to take.  It is in the taking moments When love gives the most, And you find out exactly what You are capable of... http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/669463/ Learning At Home: Our First Term Well the first term is over and from the results of my son’s first report card, we seem to have adapted well to the unfamiliar concept of home schooling.I am the first to admit that when we started this program I was not sure how this journey would w.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/668923/ There was a sharp brisk knock on my front door today.  I found, upon answering it, a man bearing a gift and good news.  I signed my name to the package he held and looked at the address of the sender.  A broad, wide smile broke through my quizzical gaze.     &n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/668374/ I write by candle lightDrawing depths of soul upon paperAwakening excitementConsidering possibilities Intelligence attracts my wandering eye   Darkness creeps outside this ring of light And peers into tomorrowA world I create   Raindrops scatter over th.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/628249/ I glanced up to see Stephanie open the door to the shop and look around.  After knowing her for over ten years, I could tell by the way she was scanning the room that something was up.  Her red hair falling about her face and shoulders like a river of fire, and her cheeks flamed with the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/627783/ It was a dark and stormy night when I came upon the monstrosity before me.  To say that the mansion that held my eyes captive was huge, would not be honest or give you a true rendition of what I saw.  It was a surreal, grandiose and grotesque creature.  It rose up out of the ground an.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/623225/ The Fury of Coco  It was supposed to be an ad for Channel the newest perfume Coco had concocted.  A photo shoot to capture the essence of the woman behind the scent, and show off her newest line of “White Innocent” designs.  Although I don’t know what she was thi.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/622887/ Night speaksThrough heartbeats breathForcing taut thoughtThrough battled dreamscapeThin wisps of meaning I try to Grasp with skeletal clawsBut they are weakAnd fleetingAnd IBound byFour strong wallsAnd eightPairs of eyes,Am too mortalTo climb theseHeaven shafts of light.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/621957/ Jump, hop, skip,Out the door And burst into Bouts of converging Dancing breathWhile witnessing dewStrewn spider websMy fingertips withdrawFrom the chillSpirals of swirlsSeek shelter in body Warmed layersThe sun kissesNewborn pink intoStratus brush strokesAnd my vision i.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/621697/ Symbols scar into palmsAnd run up the soles of feetTattoo’s to walk the pathwayWith love and compassion Mistakes are only sins To fall out ofTo rise fromTo flower forth and emerge wiser Without these would weSing with such bittersweet notePaint with unimagined.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/621667/ Here. Now.Presence of mindhiccup between breathswhere realms of possibility entwine,and co-exist http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/620679/ Recently I was asked how I thought the divine talk to us; if they even speak to us at all.  I immediately thought this a perplexing and intriguing question, worthy of meditation.  While I am not sure that this is how the divine speaks to everyone, if they speak to us at all, this is how I .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/620444/ How much longer Can I watch you claw Into cinderblockWith a plastic knife And bloodied fist Searching for cracksWithin the foundationTo spring forth fromSecretly conspiringYour flight You and your new foundComradesRebel against the establishmentThinking yourse.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/617958/ I do not recognize theseScattered visions you tryTo distract me withPointing this way and thatInto normalcy So desperate to convince Yourself More so then those Around you thatYou are not in pain Sage scented hairBound up in rouge And lavenderHave some wonderi.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/617711/ Michelle, my best friend, and I decided it would be a good day for a swim.  Checking the schedule of the local public pool, we found a public swim at three pm.  My father said he would drive us if my brother and a friend of his could go too.  I agreed.  It wasn’t a sacrific.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/615038/ Dorothy climbs up her liquid laddersAscending to her secret heaven She beats on her soulClamoring for attention Night comes and under the starsDorothy visits with the planets positionSeeing rainbows within Saturn’s ringsWhile Grandfather Moon tends the harvest .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/614343/ Sunsets are magical, Hearts beatingAgainst an impermanent drum,Enjoyed only by those Who are aware of them The sun does not careIf I am here, sitting on the beachWatching her brilliant dance,She is unaware of my eyesReaching out to her Struggling to grasp onto the moment,.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/569842/ I walk Down the harbor frontFollowing  Cobblestone paths Sun peeks From behind Cotton ballsAnd the salty breezeToys its fingers Through my hair Coffee sipping mothersPass byWith mouths full Of gossipAndGurgling babiesIn strollers I look to .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/557486/ My run three quarters finishedI veer to the left and Down the hill to the beach I traverse over virgin sandBreathing the gusty Briny airGuilty of my footstepsMarring the beauty Of the landscape I look for evidence on Beached logsCarvings of lovers pastBut they t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/557483/ Raven stared out to the seaHis stomach was rumbling like thunderHe was so hungryHe knew the ocean was full of foodIf only he could get to it somehowHe thought and he thought Then he got an idea The Fog Man Saw Raven coming And snatched up his hatPulling it down on his head.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/556237/ In the morning lightWhen dawn kisses the skyWith newborn pink kissesYou could see the minersWalking by Traveling in pairs Or in triosThe soles of their bootsWet with dew And brown with Dirt from the road Scots, Brits or CanadiansIt didn’t seem to matter .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/556218/ What would you do if Death came to fuel up at your gas station? http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/555655/ What would you do if a stranger on the street handed you a box of treasure? http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/555473/ Everything wonderful in lifeIs all about timing The way a special personWill come onto your pathNot when you are full of want of themBut when you are most ready to Receive the relationship Those moments of lingering Before a first kissWhile you look into the eyes Of.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/555306/ Moon-boots, the neighbor’s cat, likes to come over to our house to visit.  When he sees my son or me he will scamper over the yard, tail held high and twitching in a question mark, and will greet us with a stuttering meow. I suppose this might be because we like to spoil him with.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/554998/ They were special times when we would pack up the yellow station wagon and go for the hour and a half trip up Island to my Grandma’s.  My brother and I would watch the landscape rush by with egg salad sandwiches in our thoughts.  Grandma made the best egg salad, served in huge Buns M.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/554855/ I lie beside him and look with longing at what lies beneath his head, I move closer wanting to share.  He has had a ‘night mirror’ as he calls them, and has come to seek shelter and warmth in my warm cocoon.   His disheveled brown hair, rosy red cheeks, and pink lips r.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/554390/ I submerge into the warm,Deep, watery cradleSteam swirls its tendrilsThrough my hair; about my face. Cascades of round bursts of scentWipe stress and tensionsWith a delicate touch And slight of hand. The glass door Secures this wombWhere all sound Seems far away; .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/554016/ Night swathes meIn a cocoon of tranquilityAnd yet slumber is Elusive and aloof. African masks adorn the Walls of this room,Complimenting the photosOf Elephant and Giraffe,Pictures my mother capturedOn Safari. A Zebra print blanket on the bed,And mosquito netting.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/553638/ Teardrops of lightFallFrom her eyesRollDown her cheeks andDropFrom a delicate jaw. She can see him Out on the ocean’s cliffPlaying his fiddle.Its sad melody echoesWith longing and lossPiercing her heart withAnother ever fresh wound. His soul vibrates.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/553614/ Ok so I was poking about the internet at different sites for places of submission that I could send some material to, and found this. It was on a site of a major book publisher. This was listed under what not to do when submitting...6) Don't send jewelry, food, toys, 3-dimensional representations of.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/551681/ My mother, the wonderful woman that she is, was planning to make Thanksgiving dinner one year.  She is the type of woman who goes all out when she has a mind to do something, often with lists upon lists of to do’s.  So she went to the local supermarket to get all the wonderful foods .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/551677/ My father took my brother and I fishing on lazy Sunday morningsWhen early pungent mist hovered over the water; like a second skinGiving the lake a spooky visage and making me feel as though its waters were eternal We would have to traverse this wonderful old bridge that stood over the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/540204/ The dust plume clung to his feet as he ambled over the long cacti shadow. He was walking into the singing silence of solitude, like an old Tomcat preferring to die alone.  I circled around, never taking my eyes off him; sun caressing my form.  A pale blue sky grew out of the horizon, g.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/540169/ Raindrops slip and fall from the clouds embraceRejection stings their hearts as they reach back with crystal spires; a one armed stretch towards the lovers that thwarted themTheir bottoms round with friction, become voluptuous glittering tear gems Facets reflecting disbelief of the cloud's mur.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/539576/ The fridge stands openAnd I see the Pepsi cansStanding at attention Upside down  On the metal shelf leaning with The bottoms against the inner back of the door You have always thought that this Position somehow invokes a more Savory flavor in the colaBut I think you jus.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/539461/ I am wondering how much longer I will have to write and be free of the others droning on and on about how much time I spend without them.  How much time has been taken from them to serve my fingers and thoughts with no regard for their feelings and desires? This of course reminds me of the cons.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/534638/ When I tell someone that I am a writer, I am usually then greeted with an incredulous stare, which is then followed by a river of questions.  What do you write?  How do you find the time?  Where do you find your ideas?  Have you ever been published?  What is writing like?&nb.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/534365/  I am clearing the sticky gears Within my mindOf the stray wordsFloating upon the breezes  I findThat time will clog the cogs teethWith stranded ideasAnd thoughts, almost as though jealous Sometimes a written conceptStill struggles for breathAs it oozes .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/534101/ Upon her violent visageScars of white froth emergeResembling rolling writhing wormsThat decay and dissolve againInto the brine and deepest depths Charcoal clouds pregnant with Pungent moistureRelease uncountable beads of pearlsTo the howling winds; the mistress seaWill not b.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/530777/ Happiness is being bold enoughTo look for your passionAnd embracing it when you have found it It is when you let your passion become what it must beAnd having the strength to evolve into who you will becomeWhile it is in service to you When you are not afraid of stepping ou.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/528313/ The cliffs of Mt. Baldy were ripe with all kinds of birds, but it was the gulls I was after.  They were a good size and looked slow enough for me to catch with the fishing net.  I had fastened some rocks and shells to the bottom of the net so it would have some weight when I cast it out.&n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/527378/ Washing my clothes in the surf with the bio degradable detergent, I inspected the clothes I brought with me to the island.  I am amazed at how beat up they have gotten over the six months of use.  No amount of my washing will get some of the stains out.  Good thing I didn’t take.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/525690/ Over the next week I spent a lot of time fishing.  Now that I had the two of us to cook for, and with Ankars huge appetite, it had become a full time job. It was no longer enough to just have the fishing net to provide for us.  I had to go out with the spear gun too.  John had always .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/525228/ The storm finally abated and Ankar and I awoke to birds chattering in the jungle.  I walked to the entrance of the cave and looked out into the bright blue sky.  Breathing deeply I smiled, I was so glad that the beautiful weather had returned.  I looked over the jungle from the caves .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Tracie-O%27braks/524623/