My Mother..

Her natural beauty, accentuated by her smile,

Her graceful poise, and sense of style.

Soft, flowing dresses with lace for trim,

Long, flowing hair and figure so slim.

Looking so regal, walking on Daddy’s arm,

Always getting her way, she had such charm.

Constantly busy, with good social skills,

Single-minded, with the strongest of wills.

Her laugh when she finally “got” Daddy’s joke,

Or quietly reading, beneath the cigarette smoke.

Her turned-up nose, when something appalled her,

The joy in her voice when Daddy called her.

Her meatloaf was awful, and the green beans would squeek,

Strong housecleaning skills, but cooking skills were weak.

Her garden was beautiful; she loved it out there,

And she wore a white gardenia in her dark brown hair.

She wasn’t perfect, but she always tried to be kind,

And when she wasn’t, well, I didn’t really mind.

For you see, to me, she was like no other,

A woman, so special: she was my mother.

She’s been gone now for so many years,

Yet time can’t erase my mother’s tears.

It was much too soon that we had to part….

Though she’s gone from my sight, she’s alive in my heart.

Happy Mother’s Day

Sunrise, Sunset….

Wherever you roam, wherever you be

Please come Home and spend sunset with me.

The day is long and filled with chores,

Working all day and shopping in stores.

Buying the food and fixing the meal,

I cook, you wash dishes, that’s the deal.

And finally, when the day is done

And we’re slipping fast, just like the sun

We’ll sit together on our couch, at last,

Talking quietly about the day that has passed.

The talking dies as the miracle starts….

Breathtaking red sky warms our hearts.

Together as the sun dips at last into the sea,

My hand in yours, your arm around me.

We’ve weathered together another long day,

And ended it, always, in just the same way.

Watching the sunset, regardless of the weather,

When we are once more together, always together.

And tomorrow is another day...

Thoughts On Being A Nurse..........

What should I do when all seems lost?

When it is gone, where does hope go?

When dreams die, do they fade away?

Or is there something I should know?

I work each day as a home health nurse,

Dealing always with illness and dying.

Providing support, and comfort, if I can

To those who are angry, or sad, or crying.

On and on the suffering goes

Hurting everyone in its path.

What kind of Being could be in charge?

Why are so many subject to His wrath?

Is there no light at the end of the tunnel?

No source of renewed hope and grace?

Is nothing that is done going to help the suffering?

Why is this such an awful place?

No! Stop! Don’t go there anymore!

Don’t spread the blackness and the doubt!

I reach inside my heart of hearts,

And pull a ray of sunshine out.

I smile and laugh, and hug a lot,

Giving back what has been given to me.

Seeing the goodness and worth in everyone,

Hoping that they, too, can see.

Life is a gamble, life is a challenge

For every bad thing there is something good.

If I could spread sunshine and love every day,

Trust me, I’m a nurse, and I surely would!

And So, I Closed the Door…..

Long ago, I loved a boy

Our love was the stuff of dreams.

He loved me, too, and told me so,

Every minute, or so it seems.

Our parents did not approve,

They wanted us to be apart.

His parents sent him away to school, 

And broke my teenage heart.

He wrote for awhile, faithfully

And then he wrote no more.

I had to think he didn’t love me,

And so I closed the door.

I cleaned out the attic and found a box

Full of unopened letters from him.

Mailed to me, at least twice a week

Hidden away in the attic dim.

Romeo and Juliette

Was no more of a tragedy

Than keeping his love letters

From ever coming to me.

Denied the knowledge of his loving words

I thought he had forgotten me.

I moved on to other loves

And thought it was meant to be.

Why did these precious letters

Show up long after my teenage years?

Where were they when we were in love

And why do they bring me tears?

A love that was lost is precious

It grows inside my mind

Out of proportion to reality

Into something undefined.

Was it really so wonderful?

Could he have been my one true love?

Did we possess something special?

Was it like a hand in a glove?

I thought that I would never know

Until the doorbell rang;

I opened the door, there he stood

Suddenly, my heart sang.

He looked at me with loving eyes

He smiled from ear to ear.

I came to ask your parents

Where I might find you, Dear.

Just then a curly-headed little boy

Looked up at him and said “hi”

Yes, my love, this is my son,

Our time together has passed us by.

Still smiling faintly, he looked at me

I could feel my poor heart melt

For walking away, down the front steps

Was the greatest love I ever felt.

Once and A While...

Once in awhile, something happens,
Someone comes into your life.
You see him with different eyes,
Eyes you have ever used before.

Colors are brighter, lights are lighter
Everything around you has an aura.
Nothing is as it once was
All is old, but new again.

Rain is refreshing, sunlight is brighter
Grass is greener, its smell: sweeter.
Things that bothered you before
Are now really quite tolerable.

Things that merely made you happy
Now make you incredibly joyful.
Have you changed yourself?

Or did his presence change you?
Or has the truth just awakened
Your sleeping heart?

Does it matter what happens next?
Or can you be content with today’s joy?

Can you be who you really are,
Once you see who he really is?

Do you need to see the future?
Or can you be content with today?

Spring….

Winter’s pale, dark days have given way

To the joys of Spring, once again.

Frigid Arctic cold has retreated

Now blustery winds blow puffy clouds around.

Melting snows provide the thirsty ground

With nourishment.

Flowers bloom, against all odds.

Events that caused such discomfort

Give way to things that now delight.

Dark, shivering cold reluctantly gives way

To golden sunshine and all things bright.

Renewed, refreshed, revitalized, reborn

From Winter’s death, we have arisen,

To walk along the garden path,

Taking time to smell the roses

As we pass by.

Life is full of seasons, too…

Just like each calendar year.

As one time gives way to another,

We look back at memories made,

And ahead with a heart full of hope.

Stay, my friends, on the garden path,

Don’t give in to the slippery slope.

Some say we should heed Nature’s call.

Why I Write Poetry.......

Taking little snippets of time,
Stolen moments, spent together.
Too nice a day to spend inside
Still, I have to ignore the weather.

The thought occurs, spinning round
Inside my head, so fuzzy at times.
I think of phrases fleetingly
Or words come to me in simple rhymes.

My head is full, my heart is pounding
I hear the words, spelling out the thought
And try to capture it before it goes
On the screen appears what I have wrought.

Rhyming words, so simplistically
Brings to me such lasting joy
Rhyming one word with another
Using all that are in my employ.

Putting words in sing-song phrases,
I could do it all the live long day.
Making rhymes and singing songs,
I like to do it because I like to play!