|
BLUSH
OF LOVE
If
love can make a heartbeat flush
The glowing cheeks in reddish blush
Then it is this, my radiant face
A mirror of love's deep embrace
For
love brings heat and trembling chills
A breathless sigh, a cringe of thrills
A heart that skips a beat or two
Each time that I remember you
Although
we parted long ago
A burst of heat, a subtle glow
Quite unexpectedly appears
When thoughts of you dissolve the
years
Some
day when all is said and done
And skies are filled with scarlet sun
I'll spend the twilight of my days
Imbued in red of glowing rays
And
in the blush of sunset's cast
I will confess my love at last
WITH
AGE
Age
has slowly now refined
the gracious word, the soul and mind
enriched the thought, the verse, the
rhyme
enhanced the bloom upon the vine
It's not the years, but miles
tread
that strengthens heart's most fragile
thread
But nothing can erase the dread
of having left three words
unsaid
|
|
THE
VOICE
Bundled
in a blanket's wrap
In comfort of a winter's nap
I was awakened from a dream
Not by a noise, as it would
seem
Though
sleet was crackling on the glass
And falling snow was piling fast
It was a quiet voice I heard
Though I remembered not a word
With
howling of the blizzard wind
I snuggled ever deeper in
And drifted off in slumbering bliss
But was awakened by a kiss
Not
a person was in sight
Alone was I that wintry night
And no one knocking at my door
I drifted off to sleep once
more
But
I was wakened by my name
As snow eclipsed the window pane
In dead of winter, I could smell
The spingtime flowers I knew so
well
Fragrance
of the lilac bloom
Had permeated bed and room
T'was then I recognized the one
Who had in silence sweetly come
A
mother's kiss, from heaven's blue
A quiet whisper, I love you
|
|
|
|
FAMILY
ALBUM
Photographs
from decades past
spark visions in the mind
Of days forgotten, friendships lost,
and places left behind
Each page that's turned recalls anew
all the joys of childhood
That future eyes will gaze on
with the truth misunderstood
For
no one truly knows the grief
behind a smiling pose
And family secrets disappear
when album pages close
Pictures etch a heritage
in silence of a mime
Of one life to another
in a frozen face of time
To
know a life through photographs
is just to know a dream
For life displayed in images
may not be what it seems
From an album filled with faces,
the sentiments depart
And truth is carried only
in the mind and in the heart
And
so I think that pictures
are a token of a soul
Exposing just the outer shell
in what the eyes behold
The portrait of a father
is a portrait of a son
But the truth behind the picture
is a treasure fondly won
Let
the stories take you back
and be a vital part
So that the lives of those before
can penetrate your heart
An old forgotten photograph
is half a ballad sung
And so I tell the truth about
each picture to my young
The
album then becomes alive
with joy and pain and strife
And heritage more precious
in the meaning of a life
|
|
IF
I HAD KNOWN
If
I had known in youthful days
The power of love, the way it stays
I surely would have recognized
The depth of love within your
eyes
If
I had known a butterfly
Could conquer space and wind and sky
I would have seen her splendid ways
And not the wings of colored
glaze
If
only I had listened well
To music from the valley swell
I would have harbored deep within
The meadow lark's most sacred
hymn
I
wish that I had walked the mile
To seek the riches most worthwhile
I would have known the loveliness
Of hillside woods in autumn
dress
I
don't regret the life I chose
But if I'd breathed the scent of rose
The fragrance would have lingered here
In my surroundings year to year
If
I had known that to survive
The spirit, too, must be alive
I wouldn't have lost a love so fine
A treasure that was nearly mine
If
I had known I loved you so
I never would have let you go
But youthful eyes are in a daze
And only see the colored glaze
With
dainty wing and willful might
The butterfly takes distant flight
How could my heart have seen those
things
Beyond imbued and fragile wings
I
haven't any one regret
Except that I cannot forget
|
|
|
|
IN
THE COMPANY OF THOUGHT
A
word unborn awaits to touch the tip of
feather quill
A pen that dare not sketch the silhouette
of my malaise
With voiceless ink too thin to scroll my
sorrow with its fill
Too heavy is my grief to be the burden of
a phrase
Nor
do I have the sweet finesse, the words of
powdered lace
To sprinkle wings of moth with butterfly's
translucent hues
And flutter sorrow in the breeze with wind
against its face
A wing of beauty masking pain in
iridescent blues
I'd
rather that the tip of eagle wing aloft
and free
Glide around in circles through the clouds
of my despair
And drizzle inky mist onto the page of
apathy
Too burdensome my grief to be suspended in
the air
The
silent ink is stirring in the bosom of its
wells
And reaches to my core to find a phrase
not yet conceived
My weary hand too weak to lift a feather
as it swells
To lay upon a virgin page the loss that I
have grieved
My
pen cannot unravel wordless nets in which
I'm caught
And so I sit in silence in the company of
thought
DOWN
SNOWY BANK
On
powder topped with icy crest
When snow is at its' very best
A blade of steel will hardly budge
Until it gets a little nudge
A
simple push then off it goes
Down laden hills of fallen snows
With whispering swoop of sliding sled
The white tailed doe perks up her
head
Into
the woods she flies the breeze
And leaves her prints among the trees
On needled branch the blue jay swings
Then dusts it off with fluttering
wings
Past
evergreen the runners glide
While blue jay flaps and rabbits hide
Each creature's path on snowy white
Are little footprints of
delight
On
unmarked path, first sled to go
Leaves telling trail marks in the snow
Then others follow one by one
Until the thrilling ride is
done
Then
up the hill to trudge they must
On slippery foot in icy dust
They leave their boot prints in the
deep
Of snows that crunch beneath their
feet
But
willing to repeat the prank
A hundred times down snowy bank
There's nothing like a snowy day
To fill the air with child's
play
The
snow is silent, white and deep
It makes them laugh, then makes them
sleep
|
|
DON'T
WAKE UP THE SUN
Fall
gently, sweet dew drops,
don't wake up the sun
Or let purple shadows
of dawn come undone
Hold on to the lingering
fresh early mist
For these are the moments
when I will be kissed
Don't
waken the lily
or petals of rose
Let dew settle soft
before everything glows
Still wrapped in a blanket
of deep morning haze
For these are the sweetest
hours of my days
When
I am awakened
by sounds of a lark
Which echo so sweetly
in mist of the dark
I capture these moments,
exquisite and true
With misty eyed tenderness
wakening you
The
vapor of dawn
is the dew of delight
The mist of enchantment
that came through the night
Don't hurry the sunbeam,
let dawn's light resist
For this is the moment
that I will be kissed
FOREVER
GONE
The
rose is now forever gone
The scent remains the whole life long
And visions of a petal's hue
Abide within the depth of you
The
wine he poured and slowly sipped
Remains on wetness of your lip
A taste so sweet does not depart
Embedded in a tender heart
A
touch of silk, a feel of soft
The sense of rising up aloft
To touch the clouds, to soar the sky
Still dwells in reminiscent eye
How
well we save the little parts
Of sweetness wrapped within our hearts
And never count the solemn tears
That fill the soul throughout the
years
His
words are scrolled in lyric rhyme
That live forever in your mind
His eyes that once enchanted yours
Are diamond's gleam that still
allures
The
rose yet blossoms in your eyes
It is a flower that never dies
|
|
|
|
PAPER
PROMISES
In
attic's dark and musty gloom
With moondust settled in the room
My thoughts are swirling in the haze
Remembering the splendid days
Letters
stained with fallen tears
Wrapped in ribbon through the years
Are holding vows upon a page
Mellowed now with marks of age
Carefully
the bows untie
Unleashing every written lie
But still I seek to feel once more
The love I lost forevermore
Cricket's
chirp's the only sound
To pierce the hush of my surround
A single lightbulb's dimming cast
Allows a moonbeam through the
glass
In
shadows of the attic's must
I speak aloud the words of trust
Unfolding each handwritten note
And fingering the love you
wrote
No
need to read through teary eyes
The words so firmly memorized
Carved deep into my spirit's vein
Where they still waken stirring
pain
The
moon has vanished in the dawn
Just as the love that's come and gone
With morning comes a muffled trill
Of cooing dove upon the sill
A
soothing lovely peace he leaves
While perched beneath the attic eaves
I slowly peek to watch the pair
Of loving doves in calmness
there
More
faithful is the mourning dove
Than paper promises of love
|
|
THE
BEHOLDER
You,
who have looked
into the eye of splendor,
and have not responded
with a radiance from the depths
of your being,
have not lived the day.
For
the beauty of nature speaks
to you in exquisite ways
and your eyes respond in joy
and mirror the wonders they behold.
Your dialogue with nature
is not in words from your lips,
but in the dancing of your
spirit.
Nature
responds to you
in the fragrances of the earth,
in the songs of a gurgling brook
and in the wings of an eagle
soaring the open sky,
casting a moving shadow
across the valley of your
contentment.
When
sun's falling beams
illuminate an opal cloud
and the last crimson rays of sunset
cling to the mountain's edge,
your eyes allow them to drop
beyond the horizon,
and your spirit still dances,
knowing they have slipped
into your tomorrow
|
|
|
|
ONCE
UPON A CHRISTMAS EVE
Once
upon a Christmas Eve,
in blustery chill of night
The wind was blowing sparkling
icy beads of crystal light
The powdery snow in spiral twists
blew off new fallen mounds
And made a lovely wonderland
across the moonlit ground
At
midnight hour through howling wind,
from places far or near
The sound of bells pierced through the
night
and touched upon my ear
The moon had passed behind a cloud
alit in glowing light
And cast a shadow of a sleigh
onto the misty white
I
rubbed my eyes in disbelief
of what I was to see
Nine reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh
across a starry sea
But then it turned and sped right down
upon our laden roof
Piled high with snow that muffled
sound
of sleigh and pausing hoof
I
quickly hid myself from sight,
for I had always dreamed
That some day I'd catch Santa Claus
in white and puffy sleeve
And there he was, I know not how,
for I had locked the door
I didn't believe that Santa would stop
at a house so poor
For
we had placed just one small toy
beneath the Christmas tree
For each young child to open
Christmas morning happily
But now it seemed that they would have
more presents to receive
This Christmas would be happier
than any I'd conceive
But
Santa set his bag aside,
and took no presents out
Instead he looked around and then
he slowly turned about
And there he saw that we had placed
a little stable scene
With Christ Child in the manger,
as three kings bowed in esteem
Santa
stood in wonder
and then knelt so humbly there
Before the Lord and Savior,
he said a Christmas prayer
His words were spoken softly,
and before he went away
He touched each empty stocking,
not a toy did he display
So
strange a scene disturbed the night,
and I could sleep no more
Knowing Santa left not one
small present for the poor
But then I fell into a slumber
til the break of day
And laughed away my silly dream
that snowy Christmas Day
When
morning broke, the children woke
and rushed downstairs to see
Each found his gift with ribbon
wrapped
beneath the Christmas tree
No presents in the stockings,
as they could plainly see
But one son looked in anyway,
and said "This is for me!"
It
was a note from Santa Claus,
it said you are so blessed
To have two parents who have
given you such happiness
And so I leave for you this day
a present from above
For Christ has sent for each of you
a stocking full of love
And
in each stocking was a note,
that Santa stopped to leave
Full of love and blessings,
for each child did true believe
The little ones then held the
stockings
to their hearts in praise
For they already understood
the richness of their days
|
|
TO
YOU
To
you I promise swaying trees
A hint of jasmine in the breeze
The smell of earth in April rain
The drizzling drops on window
pain
To
you I promise morning's glow
A crocus popping through the snow
The early bird with orange breast
The contents of a robin's nest
I
promise you a flower bed
A feathered wing of cardinal red
The sound of stream and gurgling flow
Meanderng through the fallen
snow
To
you I promise scent of rose
A meadow where the heather grows
The golden beams in sunset sky
And painted wing of butterfly
I
promise you an ocean strand
A bucket full of silver sand
A windy beach where sea gulls swoop
The gentle sway of lazy sloop
To
you I promise hills of green
A little brook of clear pristine
And filtered sunbeams dancing round
The fallen leaves on forest
ground
The
rhythms of life's flow and ebb
A spider's silver lacy web
White clouds that pass in sky of blue
Sweet smell of spice I promise
you
I
promise leaves of crimson red
And candles in a pumpkin head
The geese that fly beyond our reach
The scent of apples, pear and
peach
To
you I promise crystal flakes
Steep snowy banks and frozen lakes
And icicles that clink and chime
The music of the winter time
I
promise mist on country pond
And stars that you can wish upon
A cricket's chirp, a bullfrog's leap
The life in Mother Nature's
keep
I
promise you a Christmas Eve
Of magic thoughts that never leave
The dream that comes in evening's haze
And lasts the rest of all your
days
I
promise you the joy and fun
Of things I haven't seen or done
The dreams that you have yet to dream
In shadows of a moonlit beam
All
these things that I have sworn
I'll promise on the day you're born
I'll promse you a sunset sky
And painted wing of butterfly
...
to my unborn grandson
HOW
CAN I SAY GOODBYE
Would
you have me say good-bye
On such a night as this
With rings of love strung round the
moon
And into star's abyss
The
winds are warm, the evening young
The moment's right for love
And little stars are flirting with us
In the sea above
The
cricket chirps, the night owl hoots
The earth goes 'round again
How can we stop life's yearning
With two words of sudden end
Good-bye
is such a heavy song
To ooze from out this heart
A requiem to mark the tides
That force two souls apart
How
can my lips voice sorrow's wake
Through yearnings of a kiss
How can you have me say good-bye
On such a night as this
|
|
|
|
THE
SCENT OF A ROSE PETAL
The
scent of a rose petal
is all its own
And yet by the breeze
it is tenderly blown
And each one who breathes it
instinctively knows
That this is the scent
of a beautiful rose
The
meadow lark sings
his own lovely song
And nobody dares
to attempt sing along
Though we see not the bird
in the morn's early dark
His song in the breeze
is brought right to your heart
The
maple turns crimson
when autumn arrives
It reminds us the winter
is soon drawing nigh
Though the tree may shed leaves
in a place we can't see
The breeze lifts them up
and it brings them to me
When
I am alone
in the hour of grief
My pain will be shed
by a bright crimson leaf
And sung by a lark
in the manner he knows
And carried to you
by a sweet fragrant rose
The
breezes will touch you
and brush on your face
And circle your heart
with a warming embrace
My sorrow and grief,
they will gently impart
And my friends with come quickly
to comfort my heart
|
|
THE
QUIET SPIRIT
(Parkinson's Disease)
Who
is this quiet spirit
who has come into my world
Creeping slowly towards me
as his mysterious traits unfurl
Discourteously intruding
without asking to come in
With no consideration
for the person who's within
He
walks in silent footsteps
both steadfast and precise
And slyly interrupts
the daily rhythm of my life
He deliberately alters
my step, my gait, my hand
And manifests himself
in ways that I can't understand
But
the ruinous disease
failed to realize from the start
That he may control my movements,
but he can't control my heart
And that, my friends, is why
I have come to realize
That his destructive nature
will not be my demise
In
fact I think I'll thank him
for the favors he has shown
He forced me to consider
certain failures of my own
He made me realize my life
was full of useless stress
And revealed to me the treasures
with which I'm truly blessed
He
opened up my eyes
so that I could look inside
The window of my soul and see
convictions that I hide
My heart feels strangely more content
in very special ways
It seems I savor every moment
of every single day
I've
discovered things about myself
which never came to light
Expressing thoughts for me had been
a constant losing fight
So timid and misunderstood,
I always felt apart
And now I feel the urgency
to open up my heart
Rarely
a letter did I write,
seldom a note I sent
So difficult it was for me
to say just what I meant
But suddenly poetry came
flowing from my pen
And thus this verse to tell the world
how truly blessed I am
|
|
|
|
THE
LADY IN WHITE
A
lady in a dress of white
politely smiled and asked
My writhing mind so unprepared
to live up to the task
What word or phrase is eloquent
enough to ever prove
The beauty of a place called home
that's now so far removed
Somehow
her inquiry injected
life into the vein
The very notion of it's truth
helped ease the horrid pain
A bed of steel and soreness
somehow softened by her eyes
And stains of blood evaporated
into tropic skies
"A
thousand greens of summer
set against a wooded hill
A little house of white and laced
with April daffodil
A running spring of coolness
bursting out from earth below
A little creature's foot so finely
etched into the snow"
"A
yellow field of buttercups
beyond the old stone wall
Crimson gold and umbered orange
leaves come in the fall
And on the night of Christmas Eve,
across the fields of white
The moon makes crystal diamonds
on the blanket of the night"
"The
sky is gray, the woods alike,
but when the spring arrives
Colors spread across the earth
and dead becomes alive
The summer birds flock there to nest,
the trees dress up again
And I awake to hear the happy
warbling of a wren"
The
memories were herbs that killed
the grueling pain and fright
My eyelids opened slowly
to the clinic's ceiling lights
Above me stood some doctors
with patients of their own
Who stopped to listen to the splendor
of a place they'd never known
A
nurse in white beside my bed
compassionately had come
And asked a simple question,
"Tell me dear, where are you
from?"
|
|
RAINY
TUESDAY MORNING
Rainy
Tuesday morning slumber
Overcomes the spirit's will
Warmth of blanket keeps me under
Spells of tapping on my sill
Puttering
raindrops softly rapping
Lazy rhythms on the pane
Soothe my ears while I'm still napping
To the music of the rain
Getting
up is such a struggle
When I hear that lullaby
Plinking plunk just makes me snuggle
Deeper into warm and dry
Would
that I could stay forever
In this cozy dreamy bliss
Cradled in the down of feather
Taking in a moment's wisp
Time
won't stop to wait or ponder
Slothful yawns of sleepy head
Still I lay in warmth and wonder
When to topple out of bed
In
dreamy snooze, my mind's too fizzley
In the sputtering morning mist
Lazy moods are wrought by drizzley
Tuesday mornings just like this
POET
FRIENDS
I
strung a necklace made of stars
Each star a poet from afar
Each glimmering charm, a cherished
friend
A verse of love without an end
Soulmates
without face or name
Stars of glory without fame
Minds of wonder pouring words
Into a hymnal yet unheard
Fresh
new phrases light the page
With wisdom of no time or age
And words displayed in silver lines
Of poetry in verse rhymes
Songs
of beauty, words of will
Heartaches cup of sorrow's fill
Joy unmeasured but by space
Dimensions of aesthetic grace
Captured
visions etched inside
The tenderness of orchid's eye
The rhythm of a seashell's ear
The silence of a falling tear
I
gather them and make a charm
A star embraced with open arms
Then string them on a golden chain
And near my heart they will
remain
|
|
|
|
POSY
PETALS
The
remnants left of posy red
Once pressed between a page
Now shriveled down to petal dust
Recalls another age
A posy dead, yet rosy red
Still dwells within the eye
That we may draw it's beauty from
A memory by and by
What
joy remains from laughter's tune
Immersed in tender tears?
Melodic lilts of pleasure hymns
Forgotten through the years
A treasure box of reminisce
That opens now and then
As chiming echoes of the past
Come forth from deep within
What
now endures of love that's lost,
But tastes of bittersweet?
The sorrow of a starless night
Clings on, as memories creep
More vibrant though, the pulsing bliss
That lulls within the vein
And gushes forth when music strikes
A chord of bitter pain
The
dreams still drenched in posy flush
Of lovers' ruby days
And laughter churned by simple joys
We grabbed along the way
Are sweet remains of love that's gone
Still rustling in the breeze
The lasting strains of passion notes
Among the willow trees
And
posy petals crushed within
The mellowed paper leaves
|
|
THE
TREASURE HUNTER
He
searched the waters fathoms deep
In shipwrecked crafts of ancient steep
For treasure of the ship marooned
The pieces of eight and gold
doubloon
And
would not e'er his spirit rest
Without the find of treasure's chest
For heavy on his mind the weight
Of gold doubloon and pieces of
eight
It
was the quest for years of time
This secret treasure he would find
And then one day in deep lagoon
He found the chest of gold
doubloon
He
raised it up to meet the sun
This buried box of treasure won
And set it on the whitened dune
His cherished box of gold
doubloon
But
when the chest was opened wide
And wealth of gold doubloon he spied
His thought then turned to passion's
love
Who waited in the hills above
For
she would be the winner of
The treasure sought for sake of love
And she would in her patience wait
For riches found in pieces of
eight
But
she had long since left that place
For gold was not upon her face
The treasure lost in deeds he'd done
Was greater than the treasure
won
|
|
|
|
LITTLE
BOY BLUE
It's
trucks and it's tractors
Kittens and dogs
Flittering butterflies
Snowflakes and frogs
It's
mud and it's puddles
It's baseballs and bugs
Peanut butter kisses
And Teddy bear hugs
A
picture book story
A little lost shoe
A kiss and a hug
And then Winnie the Pooh
A
world made of moments
A heart made of love
Two eyes that are made
Of the blue from above
The
face of an angel
The mind of a child
The trust of a little one
Tender and mild
He's
everything precious
The moon and the sun
The gold of the earth
And the hearts he has won
He
steps out of babyhood
Into a boy
And with it he thrills us
With laughter and joy
What
shall we say to this
Little Boy Blue?
We'll say Happy Birthday
Today he is TWO!
LAST
MOMENT OF SUNSET
I
tried to grasp the sunset hour
And hold the sun at mountain's edge
To savor more the loveliness
Of delicate light on field and
hedge
So
sweet the final fleeting moment
The subtle radiance it throws
The way it touches a child's face
Like a soft angelic halo glows
And
now it's gone, the moment lost
But oh, what a delicious sorrow!
For now my heart sings better songs
In wait of sun's tomorrow
|
|
THE
BURDEN
Into
the darkened
Cathedral she plod
With sin-weary heart
and a spirit downtrod
Seeking atonement
and love from her God
Then
making her way
down the aisle alone
As light from the alter
before her was shone
A path to forgiveness
with steps of her own
A
life full of sin
of a soul gone astray
She meant to confess
as she entered that day
A penance of sin
she was willing to pay
With
a trembling hand
and a faltering step
Up to the alter
she cautiously crept
And as she approached it
she openly wept
Before
she could possibly
utter a sound
She discovered forgiveness
on that holy ground
Like a pilgrim whose new
Promised Land had been found
She
had carried her sins
like an old albatross
Forgetting redemption
was Satan's own loss
The day that a Prophet
was hung on the cross
Year
after year,
every Easter went by
The meaning and value
she'd always deny
And now she remembered
the Who and the Why
A
tear from her spirit
still wet on her face
She was freed of the burden
of sin and disgrace
As her past was wiped out
by His Heavenly Grace
As
she knelt down and prayed
at the feet of her Lord
His Love and His Grace
was to be her reward
And into her soul
was abundantly poured
Upon
simple honesty
character's built
Forgiveness comes swift
when admitting your guilt
|
|
|
|
ONCE
UPON THE BRINK OF LIFE
Once
upon the brink of life
Before a single breath
I pondered all this child faced
Until his final death
A
lifelong battle he would fight
To work and stay alive
A complex world of namelessness
In which he must survive
A
world with no more peace of mind
A struggle to the death
All these things I thought
Before he took a single breath
There
upon the brink of life
I wanted so to say
Why don't you wait until there comes
A much more sunny day
But
there he was, an angel child
Born into the world
He lit the room with happiness
His little hands unfurled
My
heart was overflowing
With so much pride and joy
So fortunate was mankind to have
One more little boy
And
I could see as I looked down
Into his little face
The world is changing, oh, so fast
Into a better place
|
|
MYSTERIES
A
spider's web in dewdrop's quiver
Draws my eye to watch the sight
As sunlight hits the prism mesh
Intriguing pupils to delight
A
maze of wonder, gift of beauty
A sparkling canopy of lace
A silken web spun to perfection
Of spider's own inherent grace
Who
has taught her how to weave
A veil to catch the morning dew?
I would write poetic verses
Of this mystery, if I knew
Warblings
of a creature stirs me
Days of stifling scorch and haze
From out the earthly crypt he crawls
And climbs a tree in August
days>
Donning
light and fragile shell
Camouflaged against the bark
He knows the hour of his rebirth
Appearing from his place of
dark
How
does locust know the moment
To emerge through morning dew?
I would write poetic verses
Of this mystery, if I knew
You
and I in love's dimension
Discovering our time and space
There is a true exquisite moment
When two souls are in embrace
How
do lovers know when love
Has reaped the scent of morning mist?
If I knew that splendid moment
I would write a poem like this
|
|
|
|
MUTUAL
ADMIRATION
The
stars are smiling down at us
As though a cherished friend
In twinkling winks they wonder why
We stand and gaze at them
It
does seem odd that little earth
On darkened side still gleams
With sparkling diamond midnight lights
As stars look down and dream
What
fortunes could abound on earth
That draw so many eyes
To worship these electric beams
As wonders of the skies
And
we on earth look to the heav'ns
In wonderment and lust
While those insistent twinkling eyes
Keep gazing back at us
|
|
TIME
THAT MYSTIFIES
These
are days of desolation
Moments of dismay
Watching castles in the sand
Erode in misty spray
These
are days of introspection
Time that mystifies
Watching tip of hawk's wing
Write your name on blackening
skies
These
are days of tearful grief
Dark shrouds of agony
Hours on end to watch the end
Of dreams that used to be
This
is soul's enlightenment
To know the depths of strife
And seek a place of comfort
To endure the pains of life
Tomorrow
will be different
All the grief will be undone
And feather tips will write my name
In gold across the sun
And
night will not seem dark to me
The night that once was ours
And God will mirror all our joys
In glistening crystal stars
|
|
|
|
THE
STONE FENCE
An
old stone fence divides the land
On one side woods, the other field
A farmer long ago had cleared
His rocky track that wouldn't
yield
He
placed the large rocks carefully
To mark his lot as best he could
Between the field and neighbor's woods
And made a fence that since has
stood
He
never thought that in the future
Toiled hours to clear the land
Would be for us a thing of wonder
Wrought of nature, made by hand
A
simple fence of granite rock
Between the woods and meadow's green
Adds dimension to the landscape
Grace and beauty, calm serene
A
meadow laced with daisies now
The loveliest sight I've ever known
No canvas could contain this beauty
Framed by woods and granite
stone
So
lovely is the piled stone fence
Along its edge I slowly plod
And pondering its ageless charm
I think it was put here by God
BEYOND
Beyond
the pockets full of stones
Sticks and other things unknown
Below
the scruffy head of hair
Beneath the bandaged knee
somewhere
Underneath
a skip and hop
And remnants of a lollipop
The
hanging shirt tail out of place
And scuffed up sneakers still
unlaced
Beyond
the peanut butter face
There is an angel full of grace
I
LOVE YOU AS
THE DEWDROPS BLEED
I
love you as the dewdrops bleed
As Blue Jay loves the sunflower seed
As Hummingbirds the nectars kiss
And lilies hug the morning mist
I
love you as day opens up
The yellow folds of buttercup
As sunlight dries the morning dew
And lights the garden's brilliant
hue
My
love is deeper than the depth
Of nature's secrets sweetly kept
And cooing of the mourning dove
Is like the wonder of your love
My
love is like the sparrow's wing
The fluttering sound the feathers sing
My heartbeat sounds the joy within
As sparrow clings to dogwood
limb
My
love grows like the rambling rose
And only God its power knows
|
|
GIVE
ME A KISS
(A Poem for my
Grandchildren)
Give
me a kiss
and I'll tell you a tale
Of butterfly wings
that flutter and sail
That tumble and twist,
but when they are still
They make your heart throb
at the wonder and thrill
So
dainty and light,
they are swept by the wind
You could never imagine
the strength from within
How in the world do
they manage to go
On a round trip vacation
to old Mexico?
We
think we invented
all manner of flight
But we're awed and appalled
at the butterfly's might
Give
me a hug
and I'll tell you a tale
About the impossible
feats of a whale
He spews out a fountain
of mystical mist
And speaks with a whale-like
linguistical twist
Like
a rocket he suddenly
propels from the sea
Laborious and glorious,
victoriously free
He dapperly dives
to the deep darkest depth
Maintaining his grace
and sustaining his breath
We
think that we've conquered
the oceans we sail
Still confused and bemused
by the cues of a whale
Sit
on my lap
and we'll talk of a bird
Who sings the most beautiful
song ever heard
On a tropical palm tree
the Sabia sings
His music is honored
by poets and kings
His
melodies tease
and pleasantly please
As they float over rivers
and rain forest trees
They enrich and bewitch
other birds all around
Who are lured to his tree
by the musical sound
We
think we produce
the best music by far
But the Sabia laughs
at our poor repertoire
Give
me a hug and a kiss
and we'll look
At butterfly wings
in your butterfly book
Come here to Grandma
and listen to tales
We'll ponder the wonders
of wonderful whales
We'll try to imagine
the Sabia's song
That has captured and raptured
his world all along
Please
give me a kiss,
it's time now for bed
Let the butterflies tumble
and twirl in your head
Grab onto a whale
and swim into the deep
Let the Sabia's music
put you to sleep
|
|
|
|
THE
BOYS WHO FOUGHT
A Memorial Day
Tribute
We've
heard the stories told before
The boys who fought the Civil War
They all stood up and took their turns
And left their mark in powder
burns
The
songs have been forever sung
The boys who fought in World War I
They said a prayer and would not yield
And fell upon the battlefield
They
marched away and got their due
The boys who fought in World War II
We sent them off with hope and pride
And on the beach they humbly
died
We
watched in silence and in calm
The boys come back from Viet Nam
The ones who went to heed the call
Are now inscribed upon a wall
We
must not fail to honor those
Whose fate was one they never chose
They only went for you and me
And country, soul, and liberty
To
those who died, I now salute
The deeds we cannot restitute
To those who live, I now embrace
The sorrow written on your face
|
|
BUBBLES,
BUBBLES,
I'VE GOT TROUBLES
Bubbles,
bubbles, I've got troubles!
I just spilled my bubble stuff
I was in here to be napping
Mommy's going to make a fuss!
Now
my troubles just got doubled!
I just spilled my paint water
All over mommy's brand new carpet
I will hear some words from
her!
Now
I am in big, big trouble!
Sneaking out to get a drink
I spilled milk on Daddy's briefcase
Troubles worser than you think!
Accidents
get you in trouble
Trouble is my middle name
I spilled Mommy's brand new perfume
She will never be the same!
Back
to my bedroom on the double
To continue with my nap
I tripped up and broke a lamp
She will not be pleased with
that!
I
cleaned everything right up
And jumped back into bed
I heard Mommy's footsteps coming
Quickly covered up my head!
Mommy
came into my bedroom
Not a single word she said
She sat down beside me and then
Kissed me gently on the head
|
|
|
|
THE
LITTLE ANGEL
A
little angel floated down
With creamy wings and halo crown
Descending through the morning dew
And settled there within my
view
She
looked at me with cherub face
And hovering steady in one place
She played upon a tiny harp
Such wondrous music in the dark
The
glow of halo lit her face
A smile so sweet and full of grace
As I upon my pillow lay
Let little angel fingers play
She
plucked a song that ever rings
So tenderly upon the strings
This magic music raptured me
Into a sense of ecstacy
These
tunes so dear filled with delight
Like crystal prisms in the night
They filled the room with rainbow
hymns
Of music chords I felt within
Never
had one played like this
With resonating chords of bliss
What caused an angel to appear
To play sweet music in my ear?
Then
in a wink she sped away
Just upon the break of day
I knew that this was not a dream
This angel sweet with wings of
cream
Perhaps
the angel came to me
And played a hymn exquisitely
So that my heart would be thereof
Prepared to follow her above
But
'twas not so, for on that day
'Twas hymns of joy the angel played
For very early on that morn
My baby grandson had been born
|
|
GOLDEN
WISH
I've
got money in my pocket
I've got wind upon my sails
I've got golden rainbow wishes
Guiding me on moonlit trails
Let
the ocean's sparkling waters
Carry me to far off lands
I've got visions waiting to be
Written by my poet hands
I
will never stop believing
In those precious golden dreams
At times the hourglass of life
Can empty faster than it seems
So
sail away, my dreamer's vessel
I think love has just begun
Let us sail away together
Til the hour of rising sun
You
and I alone in pleasure
Drifting on the cresting sea
Is it real or just a vision
Are you really here with me
If
this love is just a dream
Then dreamer I will always be
And I will drift forever on the
Golden wish of you and me
WINDING
THE CLOCK
What
fascination holds a little mind
To want to help in winding of the
clock
Could it be the pendulum that swings
Or clicking of the ticking and the
tock
A
mechanism mesmerizes eyes
Tightening the springs to make it
chime
A weekly chore that little boys adore
And cherish fondly in the course of
time
Allowing
little hand to lightly push
The pendulum into it's rhythmic swing
Brings Grandfather so close to little
boy
In weekly ritual their spirits
sing
|
|
|
