Just as sure as the night claims the moon,
And every dawn claims the rising sun,
I'll gather the woes that burden your heart
And claim them all,  one by one

Just as the tide claims the waiting shore,
And the soil claims every seed that's sown,
With fortitude only love can renew,
I'll claim your pain for my own

Just as the rose claims the morning dew,
And the bee claims his throne on the flower,
I'll stay with you, sharing your darkest nights,
And I'll claim each lonely hour

Just as all stars lay claim to the sky,
And for their theft they need not atone,
So I feel no guilt in stealing your heart
And claiming it for my own

Just as death will one day stake its claim,
And over my grave they'll place a stone
So inscribed: His love was a fleeting dream,
Yet, she claimed it for her own

Are you still recalling that dispute
You had long ago with a loved one?
It's time unkind words were rendered mute,
Let go of the reins, and let them run

What torment petty quarrels can dispense!
We say things, then later wonder why,
Hurtful words that never made much  sense --
Bind them to swift wings and let them fly

Time is not what heals our broken hearts,
Or brings comfort to a shattered soul;
Gently gather all the broken parts --
Mend them with Love's threads to make them whole

Focus on the things that made you smile,
Words and deeds that made happiness flow;
When sad memories taunt you with their guile,
Raise the window wide and bid them go!

As thoughts tumble from my pen,
Who is collecting the words,
Scrutinizing, dissecting them,
Until they cry like wounded birds?

Let the words be as they fall,
Don't change their identity;
Drenched in tears or writhing in pain,
They're my feelings, finally set free

Please don't question my intent,
Each word was chosen with care,
Not born of whim or wanton chance --
What you see is my heart stripped bare

While the coals of passion burn,
Slowly, back and forth I rake,
Purposely I disturb their sleep
Until the ashes are awake

Don't search for hidden meanings,
There are no encrypted codes,
Just feelings, repressed and smothered
Until each emotion explodes

Look more closely at my words --
Transparent as summer's rain;
Don't interrupt their fragile voice,
Although you're tempted, please refrain!

I must clear my mind and reclaim the peace
I lost amongst accumulated things;
Enough! This endless confusion must cease,
So to all sad memories I'll give wings

Like bats, let them fly to dwell in dark caves,
They've no place in a mind seeking the sun;
Or let them die and be laid in their graves --
I'll not grant refuge once this day is done

Reaching into corners long undisturbed
I find dust-covered memories of youth;
What comfort to find no expressions curbed,
But to hear tender hearts speaking the truth

Blessed were childhood's days, passing like a breeze,
But somehow ensuing years went awry;
Foolishly, I've harbored dark memories,
But now the hour of their fate hovers nigh

Good-bye to those who brought pain and deceit
To this heart that could never comprehend
Why, as their flowers lay withered at my feet,
Their deceitful love I would yet defend

Away with the tattered remnants of love
That once composed a lovely tapestry;
To the trash pile I'll send them with a shove --
No longer will they cause me misery

Upon the pyre dead flowers will be tossed,
But there remains one rose of fairest hue
My mind cannot dispel, at any cost --
The one love that has proved worthy and true

So I shall guard it deep within my heart,
Lest the failing mind let it fade from sight;
To all the rest I now bid them depart ......
Will the last to leave please turn out the light!

What happiness I glean from these hours
Strolling Eden's garden with you;
Severest storms become mild showers,
For all tempests are now shared by two

Two fraught hearts, weighted down by the chains
Of loneliness found each other
Amidst the dust of love's remains,
Igniting sparks Fate could not smother

Drawn together by despair's drear pain,
Our hearts met on that rocky cliff;
No longer would solitude's rain
Overflow and sink our fragile skiff

Timeworn remnants of two shattered hearts
Reassembled, beating as one;
O, what joy, the sum of all parts!
Such love's seldom seen under the sun

Two frail hearts altered their dismal Fate,
Love's light now dwells where darkness had been;
How blessed was the day that Eden's gate
Opened widely and welcomed us in!

Never again will I say "I love you,"
Feeble was the passion returned;
But I swear by heaven above you,
I'll regard this as a lesson learned

Maybe I will miss him from time to time,
But he'll never hear it from me;
Perhaps I'll cry at the midnight chime
For this pipe dream that could never be

But for a brief time I flaunted a smile
Dismissing those dark hours of tears;
Happiness walked with me for a while,
Erasing the pain of lonely years

Why do hearts engage in such foolish games?
When someone wins, someone must lose;
And when our dreams have gone up in flames,
Self-reproach comes to collect its dues

Then Hope raised its head and spoke to my heart:
"If you don't play, how can you win?
Forget the past and make a fresh start . . . "
Oh, what the hell, let the games begin!

Why is it that petals fall from the rose,
Leaving only thorns upon the stem?
And why do lilies bend low to the ground?
It's so out of character for them

Well, roses know when love has deceived,
The petals they let fall are their tears;
Strangely, flowers can sense love's fickle ways,
In their own way, they vent mortal fears

And when lilies are seen bending their heads,
You can be sure they're in deep despair;
Love has once again shattered someone's heart,
Setting dreams adrift on sullied air

But Love will not be held accountable,
A free spirit -- thus it must remain,
Bringing unbelievable happiness,
Or rendering unbearable pain

And so I just glue the petals back on,
(The rose thinks my tears are morning's dew);
While I run a wire through the lily's stem,
I lift its head, and say "This love is true"

O, I'm aware such folly has its price --
Pretense stains life in a somber hue;
But when Love dons a dark, deceitful robe,
Just what is a broken heart to do?

So I start each day with my hope renewed,
Yet, anticipating old sorrow;
Full well I know as long as this life lasts,
A new love will find me tomorrow

And my life goes on - it's a brand new day,
Another rose is starting to bloom,
As I wait for petals to fall -- and they will,
I'll plant more lilies -- just in case -- if there's room