Alley Rose

Walking through the storm

Cool wind to my back

I hear the call of the night

But I am not the same

A light shines for me

An alley rose

Found in my darkness

Gives me hope

That something so beautiful

Can be discovered

Somewhere so desolate

That maybe the world

Holds something better for me

I pick it up

And carry it near my heart

I walk in the rain

But this time

With a smile

Carrying Memories

Nothing lasts forever

But it doesn't change the hurt

It doesn't erase the pain

When things do end

So we carry on

Carrying a memory

That keeps everything real

That keeps them with us

We tell the stories

That hold us together

We keep them alive in us

Through choking clouds

And foolish risks

Something always lives on

Clinging to that hope

We move forward

Carrying with us

The remembrances

That make us whole

Holding the Rain

Rain falls gently in the night

Cold droplets on my skin

Washing me clean of the world

Worry and fear rolling down

Dripping from me

Into puddles of memory

That pools at my feet

My face turned to the sky

Welcoming the cleansing sky

Clearing my mind of doubt

It cascades down my back

And then it is gone

Bathed in the open air

Feeling both old

And at the same instant

Brand new in every way

The breath drawing in

The smell of the storm

Lingers in the atmosphere

And in this moment

I am suddenly so free

And suddenly so small

Yet I am everywhere

The drizzle falling across my hands

And I give myself to it freely

As it gives itself freely to me

We meet in an impossible embrace

I hold the storm

And the storm holds me

Spirit of the Storm

There was a flash of light

A resounding boom

And all was darkness

As echoes filled the air

I could see nothing at all

Ears filled with the relentless storm

When I saw your face

There in the darkness

I could hear your voice

In the falling of the rain

Like a sweet song

In a world where nothing remained

So I let it wash over me

Holding me in the still of the night

I let it embrace me

Though the rain was cold

The touch was warmth to my soul

No darkness could overtake

The light of your presence

Consuming me utterly

In that moment

Nothing else existed

Nothing else mattered

That phantom in the night

That alighted my soul

Overtaking every sensation

Was everything to me

And when the light of dawn broke free

And I awoke to sun and sky

The memory lingers still

Cherished in my heart

Forever and always there

The spirit of the storm

Jesus Killed in the Street

I am thirsty

This was the cry that went out

As he died

The forces of oppression

Bearing down

For no other reason

Than that they could

And a man was dead

Murdered in broad daylight

Because they could

A life was taken

For the sake of order

Peace was not found

In killing this man

There was no justice

Simply malice

In the hands of the powerful

And I'm left to ponder

In the still of the night

The case of a man on a cross

And a man crushed in the street

And I weep

In retrospect and remembrance of George Floyd.

Dirty Laundry

As I move the clothes to the dryer once again

Just to move another load into the washer

I am thankful

Thankful for laundry

The task I often lament as endless

The one that sees me empty one basket

Full of clean and folded items

Just to fill it once again with soiled garments

But still I am thankful

It means that tomorrow

My children will awaken

Bright and renewed

Happy and smiling

And will put on clean clothes

I’m thankful that they have those clothes to put on

That they will wake up to that small blessing

Though I may at times take it for granted

In this moment

I am thankful

As I dump out a basket

And take my place in my kingdom of vestments

I’m thankful for each memory

Remembering the activities of the days

The joys of little ones going out to get dirty

Knowing all too well

That these clothes will be exchanged

For larger sizes

And new tastes

That someday I will only fold my own

But for now I am thankful

Thankful that I can provide for my children

To give them the clothes

That let them wake up

And start each day fresh and new

With new adventures in store

Going out to make new memories

So as each memory is folded and tucked away

Neatly back into the drawer

And new ones piled up again

I will always be thankful somewhere

For the laundry

Still Me

A cloudy night

Nights and days running together

Hard to keep track

Hard to concentrate

Feeling alone

Has never felt so lonely

Memory drifting

And a longing remains

Waiting for the clouds to lift

Revealing a clear sky

And a bright tomorrow

But for now I wait

Trying to remember the day

The week

The month

Temporary solitude

Is still solitude

Even the words struggle

To become a thought

To become something

More than a jumble

A cluster of memories

Flowing together into dreams

Dreams that are fleeting

And sometimes I wonder

If I'm becoming muddled

Jumbled fragments of me

Trying to remain a person

And not just a concept

Is it an existential crisis?

I cannot say

As fragmented thoughts

And partial memories

Float about my mind

Is this new?

Or have I just begun to notice?

I close my eyes

And I recall my face

And realize I'm still me

I'm still here

Whoever that may be today

Through the confusion and pain

I am still here

I am still me

Echoes of Memory

The chill air filled with falling rain

And the thunder calls your name

Just as it always has

Just as it always will

Always calling you back to the rain

Always calling you back to the storm

Chasing whatever it holds

Never knowing what that is

Just knowing that you seek it

I hear your name on the wind

And I wonder where you are

And if you still hear it

The way that I can hear it

Or if it is just the echoes of memory

Summer Breeze

You danced through the forest of my mind
Like a leaf caught in a summer breeze
Not as a memory reflecting in a pool
But something from the here and now
Beautiful as ever I watched you glide
The wind lifting you over any obstacle
Your marvelous form carried along
I followed you with my eyes
Mesmerized by all that you are
And as the wind delivered you
Out into the open meadow airs
I got up to chase after the summer breeze
Trying so hard to not lose sight
Of the most beautiful thing I had ever seen
Praying even just for a moment longer
That my vision could be filled with you
And a longing filled my aching heart
That if I could catch you for a moment
I’d never want to let you go
Afraid that the summer breeze would stir
And remove you from my eyes once more

Those Who Do Not Cry

No tear was shed that solemn day

By those who do not cry

A duty done with task at hand

Done with eyes so dry

It is not for lack of care

By those who do not cry

But done because it must be done

Where others cannot try

A duty laid at answering feet

With eyes that have no tears

They brace themselves and carry on

In the face of other’s fears

It is not a simple thing

Holding emotions all at bay

But they carry on and hold it in

Waiting for another day

Words were spoken soft and true

By those who do not cry

To comfort those in deep distress

Those who came to cry

It is never for a lack of care

This lack of tearful face

But as one who knows too well

That there are those in need of grace

So stoic faces hide the pain

Of those who do not cry

To bring peace to others now

Who can’t help but ask “oh why”

So called are those who help

On the days of deepest woe

Those who hold heads up high

Helping others to let go

It is all for deepest love

By those who do not cry

They love so much they keep it in

Until the moon is high

So when the day is done and gone

With time to heal the sorrow

Remember those who did not cry

And comfort them tomorrow

Bosom of Fantasy

Snow falls in the dark night
Like a blanket to hide the world
And maybe it can hide me too
Conceal me from the bright day
Seeking shelter under the moon
As it causes the snow to shine
Hide me in a world of dreams
Where your touch is real
And your voice whispers in my ear
House me in those hallowed dreams
Where fantasy and illusion
Mix happy and free
Keep me from the world outside
Where the sun melts away those visions
And let me rest in your arms
Until I'm ready to face the world again
Shelter me from all that's real
In the bosom of fantasy
Until I dream enough
To finally make it real

Falling Snow

Snowfall silent in the sky

The who and what and where and why

In quiet night snowflakes fly

It floats and flutters by my eye

Sitting in this darkened night

Falling snow reflecting light

Fog hides the world from sight

A sweater on warms frozen bite

In the dark I sit and wait

And though my heart may hesitate

I sit and ponder our shared fate

Praying feelings will not complicate

A frozen world past my window

What comes next I do not know

Staring out at falling snow

Eyes grow heavy now with sleep

Snow falls down and settles deep

In dark of night can’t hear a peep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

Asking the Moon

A starless sky greeted me
In the dark of the night
The cool crisp air
Brushed against my cheek
It touched me gently
As the silent moon looked on
And as it shone down
I felt you in the wind
Wrapped around my body
I was strangely warmed
In that quiet moment
I was no longer alone
But I could feel you
I closed my eyes
And there you were
I lingered in the night
Just wanting it to last
Asking that moon to let you stay

Bunny in My Garden

Whenever I see you
I'm reminded of why I fell in love
And in some ways
Why part of me
Will always love part of you
Maybe if I'd learned then
What I've learned now
About being selfish
It would have been different
I could have cherished
That bunny in my garden
You’re still beautiful
And in my eyes
You always will be
But that isn't enough
To repair the past
So I let it rest in my heart
A memory of lost love
And now when I dream of you
I can smile

Still

Iridescent

Shining through infinite luminary lenses

Launching over veritable eternities

Yellow orchids unfold

Aside navy daisies

Irreplaceable

A light will always yield silhouettes

Wavering in listless lingering

Mystery Together

Here's one from the archives that I don't think I've posted anywhere before.

She doesn't know about you
And I'm sure he doesn't know about me
Nobody is supposed to know
It spares everyone the hurt
I'll never know who you're thinking about
When your lips meet mine
But you don't know where my mind is
So we're both a mystery
But we both must remain a mystery
Letting others think
That "we" don't exist
That there isn't any "us"
So that nobody gets hurt
That we are under the cover of night
Under the covers together
In a place we don't belong
Because we can't seem to belong
To someone else
Without these feelings interfering
Pretending they don't exist
So that our real lives can go on
Escaping sometimes into fantasy
Where we explore something
That would destroy them
But keeps calling us back in

Just Believe

Sparkling wine at midnight

The best of company

To cheer in the new year

We laughed and hugged

And I knew everything would be OK

Because the smiling faces

Looking ahead to the new year

Told me I would be fine

I will let that guide me

In this new year

In this new decade

If they think I’ll be OK

I should just believe

Because I have no reason not to

Christmas Night

The stars were out
On Christmas night
From far away
They shone their light
In weather pleasant
I went walking
A silent night
Without much talking
A gentle breeze
Brushed my face
And all was calm
In this winter place
No church bells rang
No carol singing
Just the darkness
The night was bringing
But all around me
Peace was there
In my footsteps
And on the air
It filled my heart
And so I smiled
In the night
Gentle and mild
I breathed it in
As I walked along
My heart now filled
With joyful song
Of peace on Earth
Of Santa's sleigh
Of being home
On Christmas day
Of Christmas trees
And noses so red
Of joy to the world
With mistletoe overhead
And even alone
On Christmas night
We have seen great darkness
But still find a great light
I step forward again
As the night closes in
Knowing a new day
Will soon begin
It is up to me
To remember it all
When winter has passed
And spring comes to call
Christmas is here
And will never depart
When you keep Christmas joy
Alive in your heart
Merry Christmas to you
May blessings abound
And keep Christmas with you
All the year round

I Was There

Fresh night air
So calm and cool
The dog runs through snow
Endless exploring
My tired eyes try to track
Footprints in the snow
I close my eyes
I breathe in
The only sounds
Are from paws pattering
And snow crunching
Underneath my boots
The world is asleep
And ice blankets the ground
The only star I see
Is right above my head
In that moment
As I peer up at it
I cannot help but feel
That star staring back
Wondering who will blink
To close this connection
The dog pulls
Ready to move on
The sky feels distant again
But I can't help but feel
For one moment
I was there

Christmas Bells

A Christmas carol plays

In the lonely night

I sit sipping whiskey

Looking out at the snow

A solitary street light

Brings no warmth

But only allows vision

It flickers and dims

And I am left alone

Sitting in the dark

Ding Dong Ding Dong

Christmas bells are ringing