Hope is...

Hope is a dancing balloon
Tied to a string
In the hand of a child.

New Year

This old year is sliding away as sand
that drains through the hourglass;
a mound of memories buried
deep in layers of days.
Turn it over.
Each little minute
now awaits its turn to slip
through to form another, shifting
foundation for our hopes and dreams.

December Joy

Yellow sun
Splashes through the window;
Glides across the floor
In golden shoes.

Blue sky
Glares through the pane;
Dares me to wonder
Has winter come?

Black night
Covers up my world;
Hovers, as so silently
The mantle falls.

White day
Unrolls yards of lace;
Dresses up my world in
December's best.

It's Who You Are

You have a secret.
I can see it
Peeking out from those deep blue eyes
And
Playing around the corners
Of your crooked little smile.

You're keeping a secret.
But not forever.
Every day you give another clue.
I can see you want to tell it.

Your secret is meant to be told
A little bit at a time;
One day at a time.

God is My Healer

God sent you here.

He saw the hole in my heart.

It was just your size.

And so

He sent you here

To fill it up.

Not Giving Up

This is it.
Summer slipped away
In the night
While the colored trees swayed

Jade to crimson
Saffron to sallow

Stark sticks in brilliant blue heavens
Gesture their defiance
Then sleep
Awaiting their rebirth

Victorious

Jesus
is alive
who walked this sod
in human form
who fed
onetwothreefourfive thousand
famished men
with scant loaves
and fish
Man
He was suberb in everything
and what I want to know is
how does it feel to be vanquished
Mr. Death

Birthday

You can't stay.
It's your birthday.
A day for reflection.
And looking forward.
See the glow of twenty-four candles
Illuminating the doorway to your future.
Beyond, another Light
Reaches only a step or two ahead
As you go.
But you must go.
Walk in the Light.
You can't stay.

Aftermath

Lives and livelyhoods
Flung
Far and wide
By
Wind and water

Disrupted
Displaced
Destroyed
Devastated

Here and there
In sheltering arms
Brothers and Sisters
Black and White
Rich and Poor

The remnant will take root
And overcome

War Dead

We see them as names engraved
On a wall that is black and gleaming.
Is that our reflection, or do we see,
As through a dark screen,
Their faces scanning ours?
We reach to touch their names,
Letting our feelings of awe penetrate the etchings.
The feeling is dreamlike, but serious.
We are aware of death's blurred nature.
We are on both sides of the wall.

The Storm

In my mind's eye I see something at the heart of the storm.
It's a blackness;
Swirling in the wind.
Clouds thicken,
Skies turn gray with the gathering dark.
Up ahead I see a beckoning shelter.
The place is calm and I enter its rest.
My cares are blown away;
Gone.
But the wistful feeling lingers.

Absence

When you are separated by distance, attitudes, things, or other people,
You have a yearning towards
A return;
A homecoming;
A restoration.
You may be absent
Even while you are present.
Someone who loves you can be lonely for you
While you are right there in the room.
Your absence kindles a caring in their heart that goes beyond fondness,
Or even love.
It's a yearning that grows and grows
Until it spills over
And floods their world.

Best Friend

Everybody needs that one, true, loyal friend.
The stick-with-you person you can count on.
The one who is there, come what may.
Like the steady rhythm of a drum beat;
High times and low,
Your strong friend is there for you,
Keeping cadence at your side.

Childhood

I'm a kid again;
Running fast,
Black hair flowing back.
My skin is smooth and glows with health.
My strong legs carry me tirelessly.
I am youthful and carefree.

Mary M

This is a poem to my sister Mary M
Who hides the fire in her heart until it spills
And then it fills the space between us.
Her listening reflects the way she cares.
Her love is fierce and her sympathy flows
To the low spots in my life.
I love the way she loves to play;
Our laughter leads to tears.
She hides some fears but I've seen the fire
Of unmet goals flaring up to engulf
All the obstacles.
She perseveres.

Taking Turns

The world keeps on turning, day and night, never ceasing.
A continuous flow of people
Passing through the turnstile of life
Taking turns at living.

They show up, go about their little things, and move on.

Just once, someone, do an about face.
Turn around.
Look around.
See the others in their quest.
Your turn is no more important than theirs.

Dog Days

Parched grass crackles underfoot.
Haze hangs heavy in the air
With hum and drone oscillating.
Wildflowers bravely stand,
No breeze to lift their spirits.
High above, the golden disc steams slowly westward.

My Dear One

It hurts me when you hurt.
When I hear you laugh, I cannot help but join you.
I've known you in all your emotions; the ups and downs, the level places.
You are dear to me, all the more because you are yourself with me.

Barefoot Dancing

You light up my face.
What begins as a grin can't be contained by lips and teeth.
I feel the tug of a chuckle in my throat.
Out it bursts.
I watch you dance.
And prance.
One arm up, two feet kicking.
You twirl.
And so does my heart.

Frangible Heart

Frangible heart.
Intangible feelings pressing on my very soul.
I dared to try.
Hope cracked my armour.
I let it in.

Friable heart.
Un"try"able things; I allowed myself to dream.
Hope glimmered and grew.
Then flashed and waned.
Untended hearth grew cold.

Chilled heart.
Stilled, wounded, seared with stony pain.
Alone, encased.
My frozen armor, unyeilding,
My one true friend.

Entombed heart.
Womb of hope reborn, a fainting pulse.
Redeeming love.
Full, throbbing force.
HIS purpose ever mine.