Witness
So sweet the face betrayed by saddened eyes--
Such melancholy time has etched indelibly,
Even written unto sleep.
Do fattened dreams lie supine in your mind,
Exorcised from expectations,
Seldom seen again, save in times of pondered whimsy?
I, entranced by such subtle sleeping form, and sighs,
Would weep, intent to fathom visions hidden deep.
Does such a soul that treads the day with trepid steps
Still dare to dream in slumber--
Or do I witness Circadian surrender?
If this should be the last those eyes should flutter,
I pray your dreams fly free in final whimsy.
Choice
We all feel life and love and loss,
The good and bad, the dreck and dross--
To wear it like an albatross
Would seem to be a choice.
I still recall my Grampa’s words
The final sounds of his I heard,
To you, perhaps, it seems absurd,
But I still hear his voice.
I still recall when Gramma died
How Mommy’s eyes were red and wide
How I returned to child inside
When she said, “We was robbed.”
I’ll never forget Charlie’s face
Or how his smile warmed up the place
His clumsy, oafish charm and grace;
How, when he died, I sobbed.
Yet I have been a lucky man,
Been granted gifts from which I ran,
Been let to glimpse the master plan
Of which we all are part.
No, I do not believe in fate
But rather I can demonstrate
No matter what, it’s ne’er too late
To fix a broken heart.
When I was younger, so naïve
I thought I knew what I believed
‘Til innocence was found deceived--
My conscience lost its ground.
I found myself surrendering,
Foul cynicism tendering
My inner voices rendering
With tempting succor sound.
Oh I was once consumed by fear
That all would crumble should I near--
Then I found one who held me dear
And never let me go.
So this I’d like to share with you
If you can spare a blink or two
There are a few things you must do
For life is one big show:
Prepare for strife as best you can,
Invest yourself in fellow man,
Uplift, enjoy, and play your hand
As if the bad has stalled,
‘Cause bad will happen, this is true
To everyone, including you,
What matters now is what you do
Until your curtain’s called.
Yet while preparing, still be glad
That days remaining to be had
Are yours to fashion, good or bad--
Alone, they're only time.
To strip it bare and parse it out
We make our choices hedging doubt
If that must be what life's about
Then make each choice sublime.
For as I wrote when I began,
I have one life to live as man,
To live each day as best I can
And speak with earnest voice,
And all this life and love and loss,
The good and bad, the dreck and dross--
To wear it like an albatross
Would seem the weaker choice.
Air of Anticipation
Sunlight breaks the sullen sky
Catching bare limbs unawares,
Blinding brilliance bites the eye,
Stabbing back from winter's wares.
Breathe in deep the crisping breath,
Cleansing, quickened, born of dawn,
Nascent spring tells winter’s death,
Nature's cycle moving on.
Extend the exhalation
Purging winter's cold and dark,
Glimpse nascent animation:
Restless rustling ‘mid the stark.
Winter’s pall disturbs the scene,
Shadow cast by cloud in glide,
Creatures twitter hardly seen
Eager for the season spied.
