from that moment on
I was no longer just mine —
I knew I was yours

There are days you look at the mirror,
admiring yourself,
congratulating yourself
for surviving what no one saw.

But there are days—
you sink into the sorrow of the unknowns,
the weight of unanswered prayers,
the silence that grows too loud.

There are days you smile,
not because all is well,
but because you’ve learned
how to wear light even in the dark.

Dear Father
I’m alone in a very scary place
And I’m not certain how I got here.
I lost sight of the footprints I was following
And wandered off the pathway you laid out for me.

The wind is cold and the sky is dark.
I just heard screeches from the nearby woods
And this path ends in only brambles.
Kneeling on the rocky ground
I beseech the Lord to rescue me.
He either doesn’t hear my cry
Or this is where I need to be
To learn to never take my eyes
Away from the light that guides me.
ljm

I smile just enough
and I talk just enough to
keep the questions out

I saw you walk in—
to this place like an ocean
wave — reclaiming land
                                            (I'm the land)

as long as the sea
ends up on top of me — claimed
inevitably

what if the only
thing I can give you are the
things I leave behind

this feels like a long
ride where everyone got off —
and then it's just me

always a lone chair
at every table — am I
meant to be alone?