there's a world inside your mind
and it wants you to find
a place for others,
without changing
the bookshelves
the music
or the way that you walk through the door.
It might be the means of replacing
the fear which stops you from living
and giving
and laughing
as yourself.

Dare the day
to raise the light
To dedicate
itself to the Sun's respite

To crush
the shadows
kidnapped
by night

To free the wounds
of fright or plìght

The sunny ray's raucous
crackling whips
Soon the darkness
will be flipped

To hear
the moans of
grinding time
The wheels spin on
as the engines whine

So does the day
dare the night ?
Yes it does
to the Sun's delight

As I trudged home from school one day
A sweet sight met my eyes.
Amidst the dreary clouds of gray
Flew millions
Of butterflies.
On painted, colored wings they fluttered
Delicately, all about,
And even a heart as hard as mine couldn’t have shuttered
Their bright joy
Out.
They frolicked gaily in the breeze
As my wonder-filled eyes watched from below.
Then like a dancing flower from the trees,
One landed softly
On my nose.
Its jewelled eyes gazed into mine
And peered deep into my soul,
And it shook its head sadly when it did find
An empty, aching, armored
Hole.
Its soft wings brushed against my cheek
As glistening water fell down my face.
It gave me a kiss, sweet and meek,
And with its fellows
Flew away.
Now, after heartbreak that pierced me so,
The butterflies’ kind gift remains.
For they opened a door inside my soul
And let me learn
To love again.

Silent Nights

Loneliness closed in on her,
Enveloping her
Like a column of blazing fire.
It hovered at her elbow, always near
And ready to pounce
Like a hungry lion.
Sometimes loneliness roared.
Other times, it sneaked up on her
Like a thief in the night,
Hiding in the shadows,
Silently stealing every last jewel of the joy
She possessed.

Rain falls when
The clouds get heavy. I
Walk with my umbrella, which the wind turned
Inside out. Droplets fall around
My head, and I
Remember when I was a child and got
To play in the puddles. Then I became sick
And cuddled in blankets. Mother puts a hand to
My forehead and smiles at my
Sneeze. I drink hot soup, which warms my stomach.
Now I wetly plod along, and
My soul smiles as I
Recall the rubber ball that I threw
So high it seemed to touch the rainbow that arced down.