She turned to me and whispers
I love you so much
so very much,

I can hear the cry
of eagles on the mountain
The tinkling laughter of water.
Cascading over stones in the stream.

When I look at you my love
There is only light
nothing is dark
in this universe.
She said.

I looked into her beautiful eyes.
So much what I wanted
so much what I needed
So stunningly beautiful.

And there on a clear summer's day
underneath the timeless mountain of love.
I entered her heart through
The door she had left open
for me
only for me.

And I found my home.
Where I would  live forever,

Tonight I must forget her
My wounded heart must know
No more warmth will she ever bring us
Or light as pure as snow

Tonight I must forget her
And the music of her sighs
No more her love for me will render
From the diamonds of her eyes.

Tonight I must forget her
Let my thoughts of her be blurred
Her voice that's in my memory
Tonight must not be heard.

I must forget her quickly
And lock my memories door.
Or I will surely break my heart
If I should  remember her, once more

The Secret

There are secrets
that I do not speak of.
Even to myself.
They are the same secrets
that separate the stars.
Or allow moons
to change tides.
Invisible and powerful.
And lasting all of time.

My secret
is sealed inside of me.
never to be spoken.
Never to be heard.
It is your heart
I carry it in mine.

She has dedicated her life to love and Romance.
Affection always craved and never withheld.
Living in a dreamlike state of untruths
that to her
were as honest as the day.

In dreams, she lies in fertile fields
the wind curving the golden barley.
Her heart is as permanent as the stones
her love unlimited and free as the summer wind.

She knew men that she called her lovers.
They drained their needs and desires
Into her and she loved them.
She bore their children
and gave them all of her that she could.

When they left her
she  would lose  a small piece of her heart.
Sometimes they took a bigger piece.
After many years she had none left to give.
But still, she tried to give herself to them.

When she died she lay rested
Below the swaying branches
Of the weeping willow trees.
And all the mourning flowers
turned towards her grave.
To feel her warmth
even in death

Finding my Heaven
a letter to my Grandpa

I remember you when mom died grandpa.
I was so small alone and frightened.
You took me to your home.
I remember your unshaven face and
brown hard working hands, Grandpa.
You fixed everything with your hands.
But you fixed me with your love.

You gave me mom's old room.
You told me it was her safe place
and she would visit me there.
When she was settled in heaven.

I told you I did not
believe in heaven, Grandpa.
You said it's alright, I will one day.
Heaven was a different
place for everyone.

When I got hurt
you always picked me up
in your huge arms Grandpa.
it was always so safe.

I never told you Grandpa
I lied when I said
I don't believe in heaven.
You and grandma,
were my heaven.

I know you have both gone
now to your heaven.
Sat in a kitchen somewhere up there
eating food from the old country.

Grandma at the stove
Mom on your knee listening
to stories of Europe
before the war.

I know I lied when I said
I don't believe in Heaven
Grandpa.
My heaven was
with you all, grandpa.
I think I will
change my heaven
to yours after all.
That's all I want Grandpa
just our heaven.

I only wish
there was a post office
in our heaven
and I could send
this letter to you.

All My Love ,
Grandpa
Jude

There was five of us.
we were seventeen or eighteen.
More than friends.
we were closer than wives
soldiers get that way.

we swapped letters to our
girls and mothers
back in the States.
In case...
......well just in case.

We went to sleep saying
I love you, man.
i love you, man, back at you.
There was about five of us.
We were more than friends
we were seventeen or eighteen.

The bullets rained hard
in the clearing that night.
guys fell all around me.
The tracer lights still visit
me in the dark.
even after all this time.
there was now only one of us
I was seventeen or eighteen.

Back in the states
In Columbus,
I passed a letter to his mother.
I lied and said
the blood on it was mine.
She wept as she read it.
And asked did he suffer.
I said
I don't remember Ma'am.
We were more than friends?
we were about seventeen or eighteen,
there was five of us.

In west Virginia
a beautiful young woman
opened the trailer door
she held a small baby boy.

I passed her the letter.
she wept as she read it.
I held his little son to my chest.
And whispered hi buddy
Your not dead after all.

Did he go quickly she said?
I whispered
i don't remember Miss
We were more than friends.
there was five of us
we were about seventeen or eighteen.

Write for me softly in velvet blue
Write me in purple's of every hue.
Fill me with sorrow, fill me with sighs
Sing me a song to bring tears to my eyes

Write me in heaven in mandolin showers
Write me on earth in ivory towers
Take my broken spirit and wish it goodbye
Show me the trees where the nightingales die

Write me one more poem
about loves single glance
Write me a song for
Just one more last dance