I stroll daily through the Garden of Rhyme
Picking from the fruit of the vine
Making sure it's perfectly ripe
Where I slice it into poetic line

Then take it and bake it into Poem
Out from the oven the moment it's done
Sharing it whole while it's still warm
So others may enjoy the taste of the Poem

And when the Poem has all been given away
It's back to the Garden for more of the same

Silence,
Beautiful,
The swishing of the snow
Falling, swirling down.
It is dark, and I am alone.
I had forgotten what peace was.
Throughout the noisy school day
And the crowded workplace.
But then I come here.
And I hear,
Silence.

I don't show weakness,
Others come first.
I cannot falter,
Others come first.
When I am weak and weary,
I push on.
When I am sick and frail,
I carry on.
I refuse to acknowledge my humanity,
Because others come first.

Trapped in the bottle of reality
I bang on the glass to scream for help.
Trying to tip the bottle with my forceful body,
I begin to roll down the massive hill of the sad truth:
There is no getting out.
I aim the heavy bottle toward the ocean,
Hoping someone will save me.
I am the message in a bottle crying for a solution,
Waiting to be found.

Lost and alone,
I am caught in the shadows.
I stumble and fall,
But you  don't catch me in
Your warm embrace.
When did it get so dark?
When did life become so bleak?
Since when did
My ever present smile fade away?
I kiss the unforgiving pavement..
Ears ringing, and I cry out.
I wish you were here,
Picking me up and holding me
Close. Soul mates, that's what you called us.
Then you turned and ran away.
Now I battle this rage, this "red"
You aren't here and I need you.
So much for soul mates right?
So I steel myself and I stand upright,
And force myself to go on.
To go back to the world of the living.
I am awake again.
And you? You were just a dream.