Pool of Life

When once a pool deep and full, 

Now only muddy puddles remain;

 Once waters teaming with life,

Are shallows emotionally drained.

The struggle that's life still goes on,

But in waters too murky to see;

Circling round with no clear direction; 

 As separated from the main sea.

Will the last little puddle go dry?

Or the fragile balance be maintained?

Dreams and life's lines hardened in clay,

Erased in a torrent of rain.

Such are the lines of my life,

Lost in a flood of salt tears;

Leaving new clay, soft to be molded;

Free from traces of yesterday's years.

Souls

Walk with me on a mountain path,

Do not hold my hand;

For its touch is just the physical,

And the physical is but fleeting.

Sit with me and sense the view,

No, do not hold me;

Know the warmth of the sun,

The vastness of the moment and the sky.

Breathe deeply and feel the air;

No kiss is needed;

Share my silence and my thoughts,

They are but the whispers of the wind.

Drift into my eyes,

See my soul, it's yours;

Join me in spirit, meet me in thought,

Touches more lasting then a kiss.

Past Loves

Pictures given up to scrapbooks,

Letters stored in boxes or drawers;

A dried flower, petals tattered,

Mementos of memories shared.

All in neat compartments,

Folded away in our mind's corners;

Hidden, viewed at whim,

Wrapped securely in melancholy.

A scent, a song, a place,

Gives life to old emotions;

Regret, sadness, warmth, pain;

A tenderness, as yet not healed. 

Long Winding Road

Where are the sprites,the muses and fairies,

That watch over me?

Where is the angel who protects me;

From things I cannot see?

These are the times when I am the lowest,

That I hold on fiercely with faith;

I will not stop believing,

And I will keep my values safe.

I know I'm not alone,

Yet there is silence in my night;

And I whisper a prayer,

That all will turn out right.

There have been so many clouds,

In this life of mine to date;

But there is always a silver lining,

If I am patient and I wait.

In the darkness of my emotions,

Comes the strength that I have known;

Once again I am uplifted,

Once again, it seems I've grown.

For Those Who Need A Miracle

Some have trod the wintry path,

Down by the water's edge;

And walked upon the frozen snow,

That makes itself a ledge.

Some have caught the creeping fog,

As it rises from the lake;

In the crispy hours of dawn,

Before the city comes awake.

Some have glimpsed the mountains,

Frosted in winter icing;

And shuffled through the snow,

So soft and so enticing.

Some have heard the silence,

Upon a wintry stroll;

And seen ice broken branches,

As winter takes its toll.

For those who've felt this season,

And the beauty that it brings,

Have witnessed but a miracle,

When Winter turns to Spring!

1987                 

Regret

Did I ever say, I love you,

When the days were long,

And our patience short?

Did I ever say, I love you,

When you worked so hard,

And loneliness was all I saw?

Did I ever say, I love you,

For good times, memories of the past,

Blocked by the tears of the present?

The times I wanted to be close,

And wanted just to hear; 

But you never said, "I love  you".

1994                

Tears

Sometimes they fall at will,

Their will, not mine;

Or sometimes something stirs my thoughts,

And they need no other sign.

Once, I vowed no tears would fall,

I'd hardened up my heart,

But now that you have passed away,

I've seemed to come apart.

For years, we played our roles so well,

Evasiveness versus sparring;

And now it seems, I miss even that,

Despite the telltale scarring.

It seems so very long ago,

Yet, just like yesterday;

When sorrow came to be my partner,

And share the hours of my day.

I cannot think about the future,

There's no retirement in sight;

Just working hard throughout the day,

So I can sleep at night.

1994