Poetry by Sara Castaneda

Dandelions

I think the dandelion is a bit like

all of us.

we are beautiful

although a weed –

but that’s what makes us different

from the usual bloom

we are resilient…

we have to be.

some of us sprout in a field

some through the cracks of a sidewalk

but wherever it may be

we survive

we are poets

we are the dandelion itself

and the little downy

parachutes of seeds

that wishes are made upon

are the poems we create.

it’s different for each person

their poetry

but that’s the beauty of the wish

…our poem.

Five Course Dinner

An out of the way restaurant a table set for two a five course dinner your Prince has reserved a grand gesture just for you.

The amuse bouche arrives quietly a taste of the night to come Are you happy? your Prince asks you

I love you so my dearest one.

The fish course is introduced a fragile beauty…a delight! encrusted by a salted dome jeweled snow in soft candlelight.

The waiter chips away at the delicate crystal dome somehow the fish seems naked a disappointment, she stands alone.

Some of the fantasy’s faded the fish, it tastes a bit odd a bitterness, it lingers and now she tastes like a fraud.

Politely you excuse yourself to visit the powder room

Give me your phone your Prince says Tonight it’s just me and you.

Hesitant you hand it over you don’t like this ask from him somehow it doesn’t sit right perhaps it’s a fleeting whim.

The chicken is served upon your return the skin’s overcooked the skin has been burned.

You start to summon the waiter Prince quickly puts your hand down

No need to call attention my dear

No need, I’m always around.

The Duck

But I don’t like duck you say

But you will my darling, just try it my way.

The gaminess too much you fight the urge to scream I don’t like this meal at all!

But you dare not make a scene.

Finally

Finally the cheese course the end you want to get out you want to talk to a friend.

The check arrives He reaches to pay He forgot his wallet I’ve got it you say.

Back at your apartment he’s somehow casually moved in just pieces here and there but now it’s less you it’s more him.

Time presses on very slowly…so fast things have changed for you two the fairy tale has passed.

He’s put you on a pedestal it’s ruled by fear and isolation you stand on it bewildered the object of his fixation.

You’re exhausted

You’re broken Your reality’s dim Who are you Who were you Who are you without him?

Then one day you see your reflection a hollow ghost stares back at you where is the woman you once were resolved, you know what to do.

In the dead of night you plot your escape there’s no room for error no room for mistakes. You leap from your pedestal a blind leap of faith in yourself you must fight for your life or nothing all you have to escape this shelf.

Out in the world the sun shines you blink hard you’re not sure what to do you wander into a diner you look at the plastic menu.

No fancy five course dinner here just simple comfort food boldly you order one course one perfect course all for you.

Sara Castaneda is a Dallas, Texas poet. She graduated from American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and went on to work as an actor in New York and Sydney, Australia. She moved to Los Angeles working as a Casting Associate at DreamWorks and ABC. She returned to Texas and writes poetry full time. Her poems reflect observations from the everyday through her experiences and her lens of humankind’s rich history and cultures. Her first book of poetry, Underdog Bet (Pegasus Publishers) is set for release in 2025. She is currently working on her second book.