Erased, eradicated, wiped clean away
That is how I am wishing I was today
No more sorrow, hurt, anguish or pain
No more heartbreak for me again

I tried to explain and do what’s right
Never wanting it to be a fight
I only ever had your health at heart
Now it is the cause of our being apart

A mother’s love is unconditional and true
All I ever tried to give to you
Tossed back at me like yesterday’s news
Beaten, crushed, my heart a bruise

So have your wish and be let free
No more input or advice from me
To live your life as you desire
From this battle I will retire

But just remember as years go by
I wasn’t always the only bad guy
Take time to think and maybe reflect
About my love you chose to reject

So I wish you well and pray for success
A life of joy and free from stress
Be happy and healthy and always take care
Be true to yourself, honest and fair

Standing at the ocean’s edge
A slight breeze tugs at my hair
The sun shining oh so brightly
A saltiness to the air

Thoughts abound in my head
Emotions running high
Whipped away on wings of wind
A deep contented sigh

Your arms wrapped tight around me
Holding me to your heart so near
Protecting me with your love and strength
Vanquishing all of my fear

Today you asked me to be your wife
Now and forever more
My answer a resounding heartfelt yes
As we stood on that ocean shore

You are my love and my life
Eternal as the deep blue ocean
Droplets of sea spray on your cheeks
Like tears of intense emotion

As we look out at the horizon
As far as the eye can see
So will our love be immeasurable
When you and I become ‘we’

Departed from our earthly lives
At peace in heaven
Days are not the same without you
Daddy dearest
Y**ou are loved and missed

The old man walks down the street
Cobbled and uneven
Bent over against the cold
Of this the winter season

With the aid of a stick he navigates
The badly rutted lane
Deeply etched grooves line his face
From surviving in constant pain

In his head his thoughts are in
A constant random wander
Precious moments of his life
Lost in contemplative squander

'Tis his daily chore bestowed
On him to buy the bread
To fail in this a simple task
Would bring war down on his head

Reaching the store he enters
Hiding from pitiful stares
Head downcast he makes his way
To the shelf of required wares

His basket full he makes his way
To the counter to pay his bill
Purchases paid, he turns to leave
Praying his shopping not to spill

As he leaves the store he hears
The whispers behind his back
"Why does he keep on doing it?"
His drooping shoulders slack

Once outside he hurries
Scurries back from whence he came
As fast as his arthritic legs will take him
An added burden is his shame

Back to his eternal prison
The place he once called home
Never left to his own devices
Perchance he should choose to roam

His wife is standing waiting
For him at the front door
Her face twisted in roiling anger
Her venom over him to pour

A nasty piece of work is she
No patience for his age acquired senility
Treating him like a mongrel dog
With waves of open hostility

So sad to see this once young man
Who has seen life and so much more
Reduced to being a bidden slave
And forced to daily chore

How life can be so cruel and fate
Play the meanest of all tricks
Just by choosing a wrong life mate
Be caught in constant conflicts

Yet day after day he continues
To walk the road of shame
For go he must and listen he does
For the woman who bears his name

Through our love of poetry we met
Perchance, as if fate decreed
Two strangers

Living so far apart, oceans away
Yet held together by bonds of friendship
So strong

Your sweetness and kindness
A true gentleman I have come to know
And love

Sharing our days, overlapping and beginning
As you awake and ending with me asleep
Keeping company

The weekends so long as Friday we bid goodbye
Until Monday dawns and again
We greet

Your compassion and kindness shown to me
During my heartbreaking loss, you became
My rock

Thank you for being a part of my world
Enriching my soul and heart
My life

Let this Valentine’s Day be a chance to say
What you mean to me
For ever

No flowers or gifts
Just a few words to let you know
You are loved

Poetry is the music to my soul
The words that bring about healing
Putting pen to paper and writing
Leaving emotions open and revealing

Cathartic release as the words flow
Staining the blank white page
Helping to raise and deal with all
The bitterness, sadness and rage

My poetic journey takes me
To places that need to be faced
No matter how hard or painful it may be
How bitter the aftertaste

Emerging from the final line
Renewed, refreshed and calm
Shedding the pain of writing these words
The finish, a soothing balm