At my mother's knee I learned right from wrong,
I learned life sent trials just to make us strong

In some endeavors I learned I may fail,
But I must keep trying, though rough storms assail;

I learned that at times clouds will hide the sun,
When despair surges, it must be outrun;

I learned that kind words when softly spoken
To distraught hearts were a healing token;

I learned sad folks smile when you caress them,
And when all else fails, ask God to bless them;

I learned to forge on, though weary and tired,
For life's a game where much skill is required;

Walking rocky paths I learned I might fall,
But I must go on, though I'm forced to crawl;
I learned how to fend when push comes to shove,
But having to learn to live without love ..........
Now that was the hardest lesson of all!

A little lady cardinal
One morning perched upon my deck,
Spying the seeds I had placed there,
Hungrily, she began to peck

Soon she was joined by her lover,
With his "tweetheart" he came to dine;
What a lovely couple they made,
Standing there underneath the pine

I stood in awe of their courtship,
Then came a moment of mystique --
Lovingly, he took a peanut
And gently placed it in her beak

His wing lifted to caress her,
So much in love they seemed to be;
Tears started to well in my eyes,
Seeing love's pure simplicity

Suddenly, there appeared a hawk,
A dark shadow touring the sky,
All chirping hushed, fear filled the air,
And then sounded the warning cry

All the birds in the area
Sought trees, left and right they did veer,
But little lady cardinal
Just sat there, paralyzed with fear

Death was gliding on wings outspread,
Lady cardinal in his sight;
Then down he swooped to claim his prize,
Suddenly her lover took flight

Up he flew into death's cold grasp,
Downward fluttered a tattered wing;
Satisfied with his handsome catch,
The hawk soared away, revelling

The red bird gave his life for love,
But his bravery was not in vain,
Each dawn finds his lady grieving,
Singing for him her sad refrain

Pretend loving words are seeds in your hand ---
Toss them to the wind and let them fly!
The receptive heart whereupon they land
Will bid them take root and multiply

Like restless birds, words of love seek their nests
Where they will be sheltered and sustained,
And the lonely heart will welcome such guests,
Giving thanks for what Fate has ordained

Loving words will shine with a radiant glow
Through the darkest nights of loneliness;
And when Love's sweet nectar begins to flow,
Such delight angels could only guess!

Like burning incense your words will ascend,
Rising to the altar of the heart;
What shattered dreams and broken lives they'll mend,
What soothing balm they're sure to impart

For loving words have been known to restore
Calmness to life's tempestuous sea;
They can dispel loneliness from our door
And nullify misery's decree

Loving words, what delights they possess ---
Like the fruits of Eden long ago!
And so to sweeten life's cruel bitterness,
No grander gift could you bestow

In my heart I held one "I Love You",
O, how it longed to be heard!
Three words that I guarded so closely
Soon grew restless, like a captive bird

Three words, anxious to unlock the door
Of my heart so they could flee
To find refuge in another heart,
And form one love for eternity

But these words cannot be flung in jest --
Too rare and precious are they,
Too easily could they be seduced
And then used in some deceitful way

One night, my heart behaved carelessly,
Leaving the door's latch undone,
Acting on a whim, "I Love You" left,
And to a profane heart it did run

He said "Trust me, I'll cherish these words,
I swear by Heaven above you,"
Convinced by his passion, I succumbed,
But he defiled my last "I Love You"

Three words, wrapped in a scarlet mantle,
Would never be repeated;
On a blazing pyre they found their peace,
Their purpose so cruelly defeated

I stood in awe of the sunset
Watching its rare beauty unfold,
Ray by ray, heavenly hues changed
From orange, to crimson, to gold

I saw silhouettes of leafless trees
Raising their bare arms to the sky,
As if to praise some entity ---
Or perhaps preparing to die

For all living things must succumb
Sooner or later ....... it's destiny;
Suddenly I saw the reason
We surrender so willingly

Now it was starting to make sense --
The crucial role Misery plays;
Might it be an act of mercy
That pain and sorrow fills our days?

Flora and fauna share the same fate
As does every being on Earth;
Predators, drought, sickness and blight
Stalk us from the moment of birth

Would any of us welcome Death
If our domain were Paradise?
How could we forsake happiness
If sad tears never blurred our eyes?

Knowing the anguish of loneliness .....
Constant, unsubdued by time;
Dour pain - mental and physical -
All the while faint bells of hope chime

Hope - that vain and fruitless longing
That augments our pain 'til we break,
Finally leaving us to welcome
That impending trip we'll all take

Weak and tired we concede defeat,
And with our last breath we implore
Death's guidance across Life's threshold,
And down that divine corridor

How we welcome this departure
As from pain and suffering we flee;
But what angst we'd feel leaving Eden .......
So I'm thankful for Misery!

How little I care for rubies and pearls
Or the sparkle of a diamond ring,
But when a man speaks tender words of love,
These are the jewels that make my heart sing!

No matter the obstacles in my path --
Be they copious as stars above me;
All I ask is that at my journey's end
There'll be a man waiting to love me

Now I've heard women say in angry tones
When with their lover they have just tiffed:
"He thinks he's special, God's gift to women!"
Well, I think of each man as a gift

His lips, his arms, every part of a man
Are all treasures that women adore;
What else do we need on a stormy night,
Or when winter's winds howl at the door?

Yes, I see each man as a precious gift.
(Perhaps I'm being foolish) ..... yet still
I know of nothing more divine than love,
And a man's touch -  an undefined thrill

With proper intent, I love every man!
(Forgive me if I seem indiscreet)
But God's wisdom shines in His grand design---
Without each other, we're incomplete

And when lonely nights prove unbearable,
We then see the glory of His plan:
Man will rush toward woman with arms outstretched .......
For woman is also God's gift to man!

The morning's dew moistens my eyes --
No, these are not tears that you see!
(Cleverly we learn to mask our pain
When Love's not what it pretends to be)

A lonely wanderer, I strayed
Into a hopeless reverie;
So completely mesmerized was I
By Love's sweet and haunting melody

Throwing all caution to the wind,
I rushed where Angels fear to tread,
Ready to worship at Love's altar ---
What despair to find Deceit instead!

Yet, my heart cannot forget how
Deceit, in its cunning disguise
Took me in its arms and carried me
Through those golden gates of paradise

Now the moon says this day must end ---
Put aside those sad memories;
Tell me, how do I dispel these thoughts
That invade my heart like refugees?

A cold wind blew across my heart,
Then I heard an angelic choir
Prompting me to cast that tear-stained page
From the Book of Love into the fire