Flowers for the dead, red as the blood you spilled,
Roses so beautiful in their essence
Yes in this symbolic gesture, they ring end
Spelling the conclusion of life’s very meaning

Red mixed with white, making a soul cry out
Drops of tears run down my cheeks
Tears of mourning, tears of loss
The dark creeps into my soul, shattering pain rules my heart

I look down at your face, so peaceful, so serene
Contradicting what surrounds you
Tears begin flowing, unchecked, unstopped
Would you open your eyes one last time?

Would you tell me you love me, just this one more time?
Yet silence reins, your face a mask of peace
I lay a kiss on your cheek, and you are so cold
The coldness of your skin matching the coldness in my heart

I should never have bid you farewell in this manner
I should have remembered you the way you were
Vibrant, alive, full of life and promise
Yet, morbid need overwhelmed any rational thought

You lay there looking so small, so fragile
A shadow of who and what you were on this earth
Yet this is your shell, simply a vessel
Your soul floats, flying free, journeying and discovering

Ascending, moving through the halls of time
Echoing it's unique influence,
Singing it's lonely tune, surreal & sublime
You are missed, sorely, loved greatly still

Now & always

In my father's eyes I was someone
special, treasured, his princess
he expected from me, just me
no more, no less

Before my father's eyes I grew
from small baby girl
to young woman
so fast the winds of time blew

Through my father's eyes
I could literally fly
do anything I set my mind to
even set the world alight

by my fathers eyes
I was never judged
accepted for who I am
though now jaded years later

I wonder how I would now be viewed
Through my father's eyes
for now he is not of this earth
and I can no longer disguise

through my father's eyes
I was lucky enough to see the world
through my father's now sightless eyes
builds a web of trouble and a myriad of lies.....

Let me start….by smacking you upside the head
For all the silly things done and said
Let me continue with words of encouragement
You have not yet lost, what you have not yet met

You flew the coop, excited and young
A new-found freedom flowed through you veins
But, oh what a journey its been, times gone ****
And where, oh where my dear girl were your brains?

Never you mind, lessons have been learnt
Times experienced, both dark and light
Lessons leaving you better off, those that have burnt
Times that have been easy, times where you had to fight

Through the waters of life, you constantly waded
Sometimes sinking in the deeper depths of murk
Yet, though some of the memories have faded
Some do indeed leave you with that fond little smirk

So, to this contest as you post and procrastinate
Uttering words, some wise, some of rebuke
To show others something of what you would say
To a younger you, to avoid rumors of ill repute

So ode to I, tribute to you
Never grovel in the muddy puddles of times gone by
Go forward in all you say and all you do,
Practice kindness, passion and empathy on the fly

A few words to close, from me to you
Remember to always love deeply, truly, infinitely
Proceed with empathy and compassion in all you do
Overall allow your soul to fly free

with much love
Your slightly tethered, now wiser counterpart

By the light of the waning moon
Sat I once again to soon
I would see the light of dawn
Leaking through the tattered clouds

A heart asunder with tears unshed
For its to that quiet place
My dark twisted thoughts have fled
Dark. Self loathing. Destructive threads

Branching out to strangle my soul
To plunder what's left of joy
To tear apart any remnant of a smile
For once I've walked more than a mile

The journey must end. Dissipate
Into the nothingness that is this path
To the unknown unspoken blackness
That is now the dark hole I've dug

Blackness, bile, foul stench of you
Invading my nostrils, choking, smothering
Cutting off much needed breaths
I gasp, struggle, grabbing, reaching

The only thing to greet these empty
Clawing hands, nothing, a void so vast
Left grasping, clutching, fingers clenching
Gasping, panic, closed in, blocked

Breath fading, sight blocked, sounds too loud
A void, vast,infinitesimal. To much
Release me, free me, let me go
Reeling, falling, down, down

Leading to who knows where
This constant descent
Speeding up, shooting through
Each desperate limb needing solid
Hand hold or foot found

Nothing, nothing making sense
Air becoming less and less dense
Darkness. Constant companion why are you always there
Hide me. Conceal me in your embrace

Remove from me doubt. Rip asunder
From deep within in this dark twisted soul
The remains of what chokes, smothers
Kills.....

Be still my beloved, your pain has been heard
Be brave oh suffering soul, you suffering has been seen
You have been so, so brave up till now
No matter how threatening was the breaking of the bough

No matter what the path ahead holds oh loved one
Know that you have always, always done what needed to be done
Have always, always said what needed to be said
You will be missed for all of eternity by all who know your name

Life without you will never, never be whole
Yet, as cruel as this world is and can be, life will move on
Though you will never be forgotten
Your legacy will love on in generations to come

Your gentle smile still lives on
Your gentle, loving gaze will still be felt
Your loving yet, strong guidance still experienced
Your legacy will live on......

You snuffed that God given gift of flame
One cut and all was over
Blood ran, life force drained, you ended it all
Death took you voluntarily, in his dark embrace

Covering you with his cloak,
Whisking you away, to the dark
Have you finally found peace?
Does your soul now roam free?

Brother mine, you broke me
In your constant bid to be free
Brother mine, you left me
With turmoil in your wake

Answers that will never see the light of day
Guilt devours each memory of you
With your voice now silent
You spoke volumes in death

What were you hoping to achieve?
Where were you hoping your journey would end?
What answers did you think you would receive?
What fences had you failed to amend?

Brother mine, don’t you know?
Did you never see or comprehend?
Brother mine, did you not hear?
Redemption was always yours

One moment, one touch, one word
Would that have been enough to sustain you?
One soul to another, one anchor to hold you
Would this have been sufficient to keep you

Your last thoughts lost to the void
Your last breath, lone in the night
You simply gave up, refused to fight
Black. Lost. Darkness engulfed your soul.

Brother mine, wherever you may now be
For you to be finally free is my deepest hope
Brother mine, whoever you may now be
To me, you will always be Brother mine