Blessings

No doubt the hungry heart is truly blessed

In simple way, imponderable to know.

When grants the gift to see a brand new morn,

The miracle of life is set aglow.

 

To see, to hear, to taste or gently touch her,

To know each subtle fragrance on the air

Takes pause to dance unique before her footlights

And heal the soul with gentle loving care.

 

There is no true, no false where blessing settle,

No day or night, no sun or moon to guide.

In frothy waves that rush to greet her shoreline

She fills the swell, the ebb of every tide.

 

No levy can be measured on her favor,

Nor count be known when blessings fair descend.

She knows no foe, no barrier can stop her

As she glides in weightless wonder with the wind.

 

I gaze into her humble eyes of passion

To find the wisdom in the gift she brings.

To know the selfless joy that she pays forward

And share her satisfaction…

                                     My heart sings.

 

Generations

Beginnings, often unremembered,

Haunt the hallways

-       Space and time -

Recorded in some sacred vault til

Future generations pine of

Seeking secrets distant time,

Tracing spirits left behind.

 

Archives stretched to breaking point

Begin to broach a faded past,

Each puzzle piece assembled

Strolls the footlights as all dancers have

     A part to play,

A line to say,

Reveals the members of the cast.

 

And who am I?

And who are we?

The lessons of the future’s past,

Reflections in a looking glass

As generations hand to hand

Stroll along a crowded beach to

Leave their footprints in the sand.

 

Marathon

Youth has its own way of

         Running in sprints,

Burning the light of a thousand candles,

Searching through nights abandoned of fear,

         Reaching for dreams in a million stars.

 

Humor abounds in unbridled ambition as

Taste for success adds fuel to the fire

         To quicken the pace as

         It blurs the horizon

And pushes the pack with relentless pursuit.

 

But steps take a toll

         As the effort increases.

                  The runner grows weary.

                  Focus turns weak til

The wall of epiphany rises and falls

And truth at last is unkindly revealed.

 

Life is a marathon

         Meant to be run so that every nuance

         Unfolds in its time.

The roses … sweeter,

         The air crisp and clean

When the race and its pace cuddle

         Close to sublime.

 

Holding Hands

A timeless couple, well-clear of four score,

Far beyond caring for all but each other,

Out in the crisp of a clear Sunday morning,

Saunter the sidewalks as one, holding hands.

 

“They’ve been a twosome since Christ was a corporal”,

Says Cassie with confidence like an old friend.

“Childhood sweethearts, coupled for life.”

I smiled, then went back to my coffee and book.

 

“How do you know that?” my left hand remarked.

“We talked in the park a few times,” she replied.

“Children all gone, moved away, some have died.

All they have is each other; sad but sweet.”

 

He was a soldier in some foreign hell-hole, while

She wrote him letters and prayed his return,

Swearing to cling to him now and always as he

Came limping back to her, shrapnel and all.

 

He’s slowing down these days, little by little.

She has to wait as he catches his wind.

Moving still closer, patting a shoulder,

Waiting and comforting, holding his hand.

 

“That’s what I want,” Cassie sighs in a whisper.

“They’ve seen so much, had so much in their time.”

Now, in their winter, to live in the mem’ry of

Strolling a lifetime as one

Holding hands.

Kisses

Kiss me once, then once again.

Let us linger yet a while

Til every thought is you and I

And we have melted into one.

 

One heart, one mind, one endless thought

To travel cross the universe,

Sweet sensations unexplained

Where explanation holds no course.

 

Confectioners could ply their trade

With sweetness garnered from your lips,

And I am lost to ponder

That I once existed e’er we met.

 

And all the seven wonders fail

To fill my simple mind with glee,

And pale before the joy you bring

With but a moment on your lips.

 

Pause I may and pause I must

To count the ways that life is blessed.

No greater bounty could I ask

Than the subtle treasures of your kiss.

 

Hugs

Hugs are those free-flowing candy cane kisses

Wrapped up in chocolate marshmallow pies.

The giving,

         Receiving,

                  The sharing,

Believing in warmhearted greetings,

         Tearful goodbyes.

 

There’s Mom hugs and Dad hugs,

Glad hugs and sad hugs,

“Hi” hugs and “Bye” hugs

And “Have a good day” hugs.

Friend hugs and lover hugs

Under the cover hugs,

Bear hugs and comfort hugs,

Tell me you’ll stay hugs.

 

Kissy hugs, feely hugs,

Send a heart reeling hugs,

Grandmother loves you hugs –

As good as it gets.

No matter day or night

They don’t know wrong or right.

Hugs give back willingly

Without regrets.

 

Another Parade

Standing quietly in a crowd

Brimming with anticipation,

Humbled by the celebration

Soon to amble into view.

 

Politicians press the flesh

Or wave as they go rolling by.

Part-time soldiers stepping high

To carry the red white and blue.

 

Suddenly the calm erupts

As sirens blast and engines roar,

Banners wave and streamers soar

While drums and bugles fill the air.

 

Flowered floats go sailing past with

Girls in flighty, frilly fare,

Jugglers juggle by the pair and

Happy thoughts race everywhere.

 

Joy is beamed across the sky.

Another parade is passing by.

 

Last Dance Tonight

Rituals feast on the edge of a dance floor.

         The tilt of an eyebrow,

         The curl of a smile

May oft be perceived as guiltless flirtation

Or bold invitation, sensual style

As the beat and the rhythm both

Heighten the game

Fueling the flame while passions burn deep,

And joy steals the venue

Creating a genuine safe panacea of memories to keep.

 

Yet joys are but vaporous whispers of air,

Pretenders who dare mask reality’s bite,

Purveyors of flight to a world unafraid,

Rescuing maidens like galloping knights.

 

So, cling to your partner as heaven recedes

In the music that pilots to limitless flight,

To linger the moment that lives in those eyes

And captures the prize of

         The last dance tonight.

 

Just Because You are You

Splendor bides to celebrate

The magic that is only you, and

Wonder wanders commonplace

When cradled, nestled by your side.

 

Moonlight pales as constellations

Ride your wave of endless sky, and

Ocean overflows her bounty,

Tranquil in your evening tide.

 

Not because the world stops spinning.

Not because time takes a pause.

Not that logic dictates that

What once was false is somehow true.

 

Words can never be a prophet

To predict your story’s end.

You fulfill your destiny

… Just because you are you.

 

These Hands

These hands once held the promise of youth,

The gesture of truth

    In a troubled world.

Hopeful and skyward they carried the weight,

Tempted by fate

    As the brash tempest swirled.

 

Never a challenge too large or too small,

You processed them all

     With your delicate touch.

Even when tempted to yield to the strain

You never complained

     That the load was too much.

 

Now I observe in the harsh light of day,

The forces at play

     As time takes her toll.

Freckles of age, the thinning of skin

As furrows begin

     To take permanent hold.

 

Hints of mortality creep through my soul,

Darker than coal

     Yet bright as the sun.

Teetering closer to Heaven’s clear day,

These hands cleared the way.

     The battle… won.

 

If You Don’t Know the Words, Just Hum

Just three notes was

All it took to

Put this song inside my head.

Now it’s like

A barber pole of

Alternating white and red

Turning, churning,

Never ending,

Echoing in lost refrain,

Patterned chaos,

Just enough to

Drive a simple mind insane.

 

Time was I knew all the words,

But that was oh, so long ago,

As memory plays empty

Like a violin without its bow.

 

No pity for the lonesome mime

Who slowly beats a silent drum.

In truth, if you don’t know the words,

My gentle friend…

     Just hum.

 

A New Life

Ten little fingers,

Ten tiny toes,

Sweet sighs, soft cries

And cute button nose.

A smile ear to ear

Shining bright as a rose.

A new life

Sent from Heaven above.

 

Clean slate of innocence

Ready to learn.

No sad regrets,

No bridges to burn.

A book of blank pages

To fill as they turn.

A new life

That fits like a glove.

 

Laughing or crying

You fill hearts with glee.

Plans for your future

Could flood every sea

As your village surrounds you

So passionately.

A new life…

The essence of love.

 

Enter Singing

Quiet little lotus blossom

Nestling in silent waters,

Would you disallow the world

The wonder of your rainbow smile?

The softened sigh of your sweet voice,

The Heaven fragrance that you breathe,

The pleasure of your company

If only for a little while.

 

Tapping softly at my door,

Your angel voice a welcome song.

Come share with us the lilting joy

Of all that life is meant to be.

Just one chorus, then one more,

Sweet manna to a grateful throng,

The Merlin magic you employ

To set a wistful spirit free.

 

Bright lights fill to every corner

Casting shadows wide and long,

And happiness surrounds you when

You enter singing love’s sweet song.

 

Nostalgia

Sweet whipped cream memories, Ghosts from the past

Sleep soft on my shoulder, a whisper away,

Come calling, revisiting simpler moments of

Moon Pies and Mary Janes back in the day.

 

Skate keys and Bobbie socks,

Pigtails and poodle skirts,

Pin curls and Bobbie pins,

Raggedy Ann.

Bosco and Mickey Mouse,

Jukebox and saddle shoes,

Flying with Pater Pan through Neverland.

 

Baseball cards slapping on bicycle spokes,

Eight tracks and Betamax, bad knock-knock jokes.

Viewmasters, Lincoln logs, erector sets,

Lone Ranger’s sidekick… As good as it gets.

 

Old wringer washers and rotary phones,

Listening on party lines, waiting your turn.

Lost on the day that the music fell silent.

Peace symbols, love beads and incense to burn.

 

Dark drive-in movies and black high-top sneakers,

Jiffy pop, rabbit ears, spats and D As.

Pick-up-sticks, Polaroids, tears for Old Yeller,

Time capsule mem’ries tucked safely away.

 

Opening Night

Places! Places!

Dim the lights!

Tempo. Timing.

Make it right.

Attack the stage.

Forget the fright.

Finally it’s

Opening night.

 

Grueling weeks of

Late night trends,

Burning candles

At both ends.

Do it over

And again

Until we get it all

Just right.

 

Love the crowd.

Forget the crowd.

Stand up proud

And shout out loud.

Overture,

Curtain, lights.

Bring the house down

Opening night.

 

Awake at a Wake

(A Conversation)

 

“He was…”

         “I know.”

“I’ll miss him.”

           “Me, too.”

“Remember…?”

         “So well.”

“Such kindness…”

         “It’s true.”

“And laughter…”

         “That too.”

“He so loved to laugh…”

         “To sing.”

                  “And dance.”

“To toss back a few.”

 

“Up for a challenge…”

         “Taking a chance.”

“One of the bravest I ever knew.”

“He’d want us to celebrate.”

         “Raise up a glass.”

“Have one for him.”

         “At least one.”

                  “Maybe two.”

 

“He looks really good in that suit.”

         “Yes. It’s new.”

 

Simple Pleasures

Full moon enters my bedroom

This morning.

I watch it descend to the

Western horizon,

Inching its way over

High-arching rooftops,

Winging through feathers of

Billowy clouds.

 

I see it winking,

Watching and wondering,

Guarding the night

As it silently sails through

The harbors of heaven

Casting pale shadows,

Keeping a promise to

Always return.

 

Night bird announces

A new day is dawning,

And sunrise grows miracles

Fresh in her garden.

The world is alive

With peaceful endeavor

And life’s simple pleasures

Abide everywhere.

 

Growing Old

“You’re not growing old,” she said.

“You’re simply growing beautiful.”

I smiled and hugged her with my heart

And placed a kiss upon her cheek.

To be so young – so innocent –

And yet so wise beyond her years,

My eyes stay tears

As memories flow

To fill my simple mind with joy.

 

Fleeting summers come and go

So quickly in a moon-kissed sky

As subtle scents of lavender

Give yearning pause to sunset’s glow.

The mirror grieves a faded past

Of tears and laughter –

Understood.

If only I could keep those precious

Diamonds through eternity.

 

Be still, my sweet.

Be brave.

Be bold to

Relish the joy of growing old.

 

Ice Cream and Cake, Candles and Clowns

Come to my party, please,

         Help celebrate.

The invite will tell you

         The time and the date.

You won’t want to miss this.

         It’s gonna be great,

Guaranteed to erase all your frowns.

 

It’s prizes and favors

         And candy, all flavors,

With singing so loud it

         Disturbs all the neighbors.

Where fun lasts forever

         And everyone savors

The ice cream and cake,

         Candles and clowns.

 

And after the ice cream

         And cake are consumed,

The candles blown out,

         The clown danced ‘round the room,

The bloom of excitement will

         Fill every pore,

And a wrinkle of memory

         Lives evermore.