Satin Ghosts
“Ilse , I am Ilse”
I met an elderly widow, who carried ghosts in her pocket.
She smelled of Avon’s Red Door and mothballs.
She called them memories,
wrapped in satin handkerchiefs.
Folded just right,
leading back to War-zones
when graves were a monument of shoes .
When she spoke of them,
her voice cracked like a
ceramic vase,
shedding secrets
no one dared to mend.
She prays
not for vengeance,
but for mercy,
for the world to remember
the ash, like she does.
She avoids the produce aisle in fear she’ll run into unwanted ghosts,
like potatoes.
Nor does she attend barbecues or go outside mid-snowfall.
Everytime she grabs a paper number from the deli she’s reminded of her fateful death.
The one she was spared.
A seven-digit ghost that taunts her,
with every beep brushing a barcode.
The ghost often visits in many faces.
One as her grandson when he leaves crumbs on the plate
she dissociates.
She still counts things
the tiles on her bathroom floor,
the number of steps to the mailbox,
the seconds it takes
for water to boil.
At times this is the only way she can breathe.
Ilse, I am Ilse,
as if reminding her bones
that she is more
than a number.
Every so often she pulls out the satin handkerchief and preserves a tear,
a keepsake, a memorial.
About the Creator
Natasha Collazo
Selected Writer in Residency, Champagne France ---2026
The Diary of an emo Latina OUT NOW
https://a.co/d/0jYT7RR
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Poetry Workshop
Previously, I published my first ever exclusive story on Vocal. If you’ve subscribed to my work, then you have access to it. Thank YOU for your support. I hope to make each read worth your while. So with that, I’ll be posting insights for exclusive readers only, such as a workshop on my craft. The hows and who’s of my stories. Pretty much revealing my secrets on how I write with you. So welcome fam, and let’s get started!
By Natasha CollazoExclusive • about a year ago
'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan7 days ago in Beat
Comments (16)
Hauntingly beautiful, Natasha; congratulations on your top story!
You made it seem as if she is dear to all of us. So well-wrought. Congrats on top story! 🥳
This is very strong and emotional. Sad and beautiful at the same time. 🌷
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
This is so heartbreakingly beautiful, Natasha. You really capture the emotions of the memories. Congrats on the well-deserved Top Story! 🎉
This poem is a masterpiece! just wondering is it the holocaust specifically or just war?
Heartbreaking in the most wonderful way
This carries its own ghosts with it. Beautifully written
Beautiful piece. Truly. And so heartbreakingly relevant to the world today.
I had to stop after that first line and start again. What a powerful opening! And the rest of the poem is just as strong. Such emotional imagery. Beautifully done. Congrats on the Top Story too!
Gosh this was so poignant and emotional. Loved it so much!
How did you capture such a deep trauma so incredibly well? Absolutely excellent writing, Natasha 🏆
The weight of "never again" hangs heavy in this, Natasha. Incredibly well done.
A very truthful piece. My grandparents never fought in the world war during their time because of disabilities, but the stories of sadness and pain they shared were heartbreaking to listen to. I think we have to remember that when human beings fall during the war, those who never fought in it also suffered and they have feelings too. This is amazing.
Soul-stirringly beautiful writing!! I have a dear friend named Ilse. This fabulous piece made me think of her. I think I'd better check on her. Thx 4 sharing Natasha! 🌸
Beautiful