Tears

A tear rests at the corner of the eye
To softly say, “I’m proud of you.”
It’s there as well in jubilation
For each attempt to raise the bar.
It will be there for skinned knees, too,
And even more so for those times
When I can’t be there to watch,
To comfort, to protect, to honor, to share
And I will feel the less because of it
And there will be lots of tears then.
You will have them, too, as you learn and grow
I will dry as many as I can,
But I will understand when you must have silence
If you must work through your troubles on your own.
I will sit, fidgeting, waiting for the phone to ring
Hoping for your call, to say, “I’m okay.”
And then a tear will form in the corner of my eye
As I marvel at your strength and nod, “I know.”

In Ink

I am but a point of light, a spark
That soon becomes a flick’ring flame
As the image from a dream is bursting
Forth from deep within my soul
And the words begin to overflow my cup
Pictures in the mind becoming more
Than formless clay or shards of stone
And I begin to see the sword float
Up, out of the mist and skyward
As grace alights upon my shoulders
The knight of creativity finding its berth
Within my mind, each word a landscape,
The scent of mystery, serene velvet soothing
Each blessing in my imagination, a total grasp
Of whispers relayed in rolling ink.

The Who

In dreams we hear the echoes
Of long-forgotten wishes
Spoken over birthday candles
When there were but a few
And somewhere we found our limits
And told ourselves we needed more
Until we stole the twisted life
From our earliest imaginings
So we could walk the social plank
So we could keep up with the neighbors
So we were success, self-sufficient,
Some robotic appendage of a corporation
Dressed as prescribed, crunching data,
Until we desire our own identity:
Comfort, primal screams, a lantern
That illuminates what hides in that cave
At the back of our subconscious,
The who, the what we wanted to be.

Chakra Joy

Soft petals of inward energy rise
Opening the life force, lifting heat
And balancing the right and the left
Ease and release, tension is no more,
Blockage is no more, illness is no more.
Energy rises with tiny footsteps
With each breath, like fingers walking
Up the spine, through each vital organ
Purifying, cleansing, flushing toxins
Delivering harmony and delight in the self.

You Miracle You

I don’t know if I beheld the miracle
That you are the day of your birth*
Or if it took your first steps
To let me know how special that you are
I only know you are a gift to the whole world
Your precious heart recalls an angel.
And I want the best in all you do
Sing and dance, rise and shine, dream….
Let the glory in the heavens fill you up
And cheer your soul, may you smile
Each day the sunrise wakes you up.

*This poem is dedicated to my amazing children.

Sunshine

A spot of sunshine is just the place
For a kitten to curl up and snooze
As if all that matters is the dream
That goes ‘round his young mind
And the heroic fantasy of banishing mice
As he licks his paws before he pauses
To lean his head back and stretch
Absorbing the warmth and comfort of the sun.

Anticipation

Red buds have popped out
On all the trees except the pines
Just waiting to explode
Like so many green fireworks
That will shade the garden
From the bright, summer sun
As we sit in the lawn swing
Sipping our lemonade.

The Diligent Gardener

The green comes from beneath brown leaves
As my neighbor rakes his yard
His satisfaction all over his face
Because he takes pride in his lawn
And he stops a moment to wipe away sweat
From his brow and look up at the blue sky
Then goes back to his raking, stroke after stroke,
Ever the diligent gardener minding his duty,
And I think one of these days I should do likewise
To tidy my yard though I haven’t the energy
To be so persistent and exacting as my neighbor.

The Walker

Bold strides he takes forward
A bright pink crocheted cap
Warming his head on top,
Whiskers on his chin
Black tights and knee length camouflage pants
Suggest perhaps he has little to spare
But he fuels his fire with a lit cigarette
Puffing with purpose as he goes
Down the sidewalk with a purpose
And before long is gone from sight.

Fog Today

Before you can blink it grows
And spreads to encircle you
Thick, then thicker, dulling sound
So that cars going by
And children playing across the street
Even barking dogs next door
Make no noise that might alert you
That the fog is rolling off the lake
Like smoke from bonfires set
In a huge circle around town
Only without the fear, no sirens,
Little change in daily routine
And no sooty smell, but mist.

Winter Still

There are still a few days of winter
But as I drive past the big lake
The water is open and rippling
With no sign of ice except at the foot
Of the red lighthouse at the end of the channel
So much the same as for the rest of winter
This year as much an advertisement
Against global warming, be it ever hospitable
To me, though I’m sad for the polar bears
But isn’t this what our world is about?
To adapt, to move, to change, to renew?
Not so easy for those who must change
Darwin claimed survival for the fittest.
But in the interim, I shall enjoy this warmth
And play in the sunshine, smile in blue skies
And watch a million diamonds sparkle
On the surface of Lake Michigan.

Orion

I look up at the sky and I see Orion
And I try to remember what I have to do
Because there are ages to be recalled
There are tasks meant to be completed
Yet my mind will not recall it, so I watch
And I think there is a movement in the sky
When searchlights will find the blessed ones
Perhaps they will come here, too, after us.
To remind us or awaken us, or help us
To know and to remember the divine purpose
For which we have lived so many lives
For which we have endured the growth, the ages,
On this remote planet of blue where no one
Understands the messages of sound and light
That pass through the atmosphere
From our homeland, from our green hills,
From that beloved place, Orion.