In the Wake of Irene

You didn’t surprise anyone.
We gazed with watchful trepidation
As you brewed and churned
In deep blue waters far from shores of island nations.
Growing stronger with each hour.
Moving slowly, building forces
Far beyond our petty powers to control,
We pay the toll
 As you begin your path of torture.
 
I cower in anticipation,
See the first drops pelt my windows,
Feel the building strength of winds
That drive the deluge to my doorstep,
Saps the power from my veins
With seemingly relentless power,
Wondering when it will end,
Filled with dread,
Drained of will,
Spent and left to feel so small.
 
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Early Morning Splendor

Thunder rumbles deep and low
As storm clouds loom in western skies.
Sol has yet to show his face
And I shrink down to half my size.

Creeping, crawling, reeling, rolling
Ponderous peaks of garish gray
Stumble til they reach my doorstep,
Almost takes my breath away.

Lightning flashes ever closer
As the deluge comes at last, and  
I, as witness, gaze in awe
Until the spectacle has passed.

Who creates such splendid splendor?
What great wisdom might inspire?
Such a rush of rapid rapture
Had to come from somewhere higher.

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Balance

Tiptoe lightly into wakeless
Shades of sweet oblivion,
Fighting sleep and desperate hunger
Til I cross the Rubicon.

Would you please repeat the question?
I’m afraid my memory
-Although my wits remain intact-
Is not quite what it used to be.

Listing wild from port to starboard,
Tilting hard in stormy seas,
Must hold tightly to the railing
Lest it brings me to my knees.

I just need to find some balance
Somewhere between yang and yen.
Looking forward to tomorrow,
Dreaming of what might have been.

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A Child's Folly

Tuck me in and say goodnight,
Now the day, at last, is done.
A gentle kiss upon my cheek
Says everything will be alright,
Helps me sleep straight through the night,
Keeps the monsters from my closet
Once you’ve turned off all the lights.

Gentle dreams are sure to follow
In a new world far away
Where daffodils play on the hill
With Mother Goose, Jack and Jill,
And all the king’s horses find their gait
As they primp and prance about at will.

And I have thoughts of being big,
I do what I see grownups do.
In ever-so simplistic ways
I banter through their hectic day
To recreate the fantasy
Til morning’s light comes into play.
 
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Are You Happy?

Do you wake up every morning
Looking forward to the day?
Are you happy?
Does the smell of coffee brewing
Put a faint and hopeful grin upon your face?
Are the dreams that you dreamed yesterday
Still living in your heart
Like a sweet desire that cannot be replaced?

There are questions to be answered
And tasks to be completed in the offing.
Priorities to order
And people to be greeted on the way.
But this grownup world you’re living in
Shouldn’t kill the child who dwells within your body,
And you owe it to yourself to always
Set aside some time to simply play.

So I ask again, quite honestly.
It’s a simple question,
Really…
Are you happy?

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