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