One night, while walking in drear solitude,
Delicious thoughts of love dared to intrude;
Soon they overtook like a climbing vine
And I felt a warm hand slip into mine,
Then a kiss gently brushed against my cheek,
But not a word of protest did I speak;
Desire and common sense started to brawl,
Then a shadowy figure confirmed it all;
As I walked faster the shadow kept pace,
Dare I look directly into its face?
It mattered not what that look might reveal,
Love from any source is welcomed with zeal;
On I walked in a delirious state,
Convinced some angel had altered my fate;
The moon had been observing this strange scene,
Judgmental, determined to intervene:
"Foolish woman! you're born to walk alone,
That shadow that stirs your heart is your own!
You're beguiled by dreams that can never be,
End this pretense and face reality!"
How cruel of the moon ...... and I told him so;
The curtain fell, and thus ended the show

It's over, our love is dying,
It won't make it through the night,
The willows are weeping in anguish,
While the stars cry their tears of light

A rose bows its head in sorrow,
Exhaling its last perfumed breath;
A love that once burned so brightly
Is meeting an untimely death

Tonight all the doves are mourning
And asking "How can this be?"
Waves patiently wait at the shoreline
To sweep the remains out to sea

Dismal is the mood in Heaven --
We've made the angels cry;
But come, let us say our last farewells . . .
Heaven knows that all things must die

Whose arms will tenderly cradle me
When through Death's dubious portal I pass?
Whose heaven becomes eternal hell
When I'm laid to rest beneath the grass?

Whose quivering lips will call my name
As tears of remorse stream down his face?
Who will try to raise my lifeless arms,
Vainly imploring one last embrace?

Whose trembling hands will be joined in prayer
Seeking comfort from Heaven above,
While promising never to forget
His fervent vows of eternal love?

Who shall compose the final tribute ---
A sad farewell to the mortal me . . .
Perhaps a poem on a tear-stained page
That I'll carry through Eternity?

Who will mourn by my grave in Autumn
When the fading flowers give up their seeds?
Will I be draped in roses and ferns . . .
Or lie forgotten 'neath a pall of weeds!

Whose light will diminish the darkness
In my passage to Eternity?
If such love is never to be mine,
. . . then dead I would rather be!

Love has flown, and I'm left to ponder
The dark facets of Life's mysteries,
While a tangled web of emotions
Keeps me tethered to Love's memories

I'm grateful for solitude's shelter,
Amidst crowds I hold my head low ---
I keep my heart's anguish well-guarded
From  prying eyes. They've no need to know.

And for sudden cloudbursts I'm grateful,
My tears are concealed by the rain;
I can bravely hold my head up high
Without fear of revealing my pain

I'm grateful for hours that pass quickly,
They say Time heals a broken heart;
Yet with each dawn Time breaks its promise . . . .
. . . . . the healing has yet to start

I'm grateful when sleep numbs my senses ---
For a while my mind is at ease;
O Time, I need your healing essence . . . .
My heart is sick with memories!

He never heard me crying
To the empty and uncaring skies;
I cried about the cold formality
In his touch, and his hollow eyes

He never heard me praying
As the setting sun inflamed the West;
I prayed I might rekindle the embers
Of  love that once burned in his breast

He never heard me calling
To the immured realm of his mind,
Hoping the echoes would shatter the walls
And free the love he kept confined

He never heard me saying
"I love you" -- his passion unstirred;
How silent the cries of the heart can be . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .   he never heard!

I marvel at Nature's wonders--
A rose's scent drifting on the breeze;
I welcome the birds and their warbled words . . .
But I'd rather have Love than these

While strolling the crimson forest
The wind ruffles the leaves of the trees
In their Autumn dress.  My, how they impress!
But I'd rather have Love than these

Puppies and kittens amuse me
As they playfully taunt and tease,
Or when a butterfly catches their eye . . .
(But I'd rather have Love than fleas!)

Snow falling gently at twilight
Helps put my distraught mind at ease;
And the first signs of Spring make my heart sing . . .
But . . . I'd rather have Love than these

For Love is more precious than diamonds,
Or all the pearls in Poseidon's trawl;
But Love's Crown Jewels go unnoticed by fools.
As for me, I choose Love above all!

While seeking the best of Life's offerings,
We tend to overlook the simple things --
The rose's essence that fills us with awe,
The first daffodil that braves winter's thaw

A fledgling's ventures are deemed simple things,
But how grand a sight when they spread their wings
And take to the air on their maiden flight,
Soaring and darting like wild beams of light

A night bird may chant just a simple tune,
But lovers lying 'neath the refulgent moon
Sense the enchantment in that divine hour,
And soon Love's voice flaunts its seductive power

With what magnificence the setting sun
Makes its grand departure when day is done;
A display worthy of admiration,
Just as the moon . . . a poet's inspiration

Among the simplest, yet most cherished things
Are the jewels of a poet's imaginings;
And Love, precious Love that gives Life its worth
Grants us a faint glimpse of Heaven on Earth

Whatever your preference, let us lay claim
To Life's awesome gifts . . .  too many to name;
Your caste matters not - wealth or poverty,
Life's simplest, yet most precious things are free

So let us keep watch with vigilant eyes,
For Life's true wealth often wears a disguise;
From a branch he calls home, the robin sings,
For he knows the value of simple things

In a field of daisies, beneath quiet skies
The stardust of Love beclouded my eyes;
Plucking the petals, I played the game ---
Oddly, the daisies all answered the same;
Amidst dire omens, our passions were stirred,
Warnings from the mute flowers went unheard

In a field of daisies my Fate was sealed --
In a field of daisies, the truth revealed;
His pledges of Love he soon forgot,
But the daisies knew . . . .  he loved me not

What is my purpose for being
In a world that I find quite insane?
If given but a glimpse of Fate's scroll
I might know if my birth was in vain

Baffling questions rob me of peace . . .
Why am I here, and why at this hour?
To kindle Love's torch for the lonely ?
To give strength to weak men who cower?

Am I here to sharpen the sword
When the battle's about to be lost?
Might I calm and appease the tempest
As the frigate's being helplessly tossed?

Am I destined to be the beacon
For a traveler who has lost his way
When Life drops its mantle of darkness,
And neither sun nor moon lends its ray?

Perhaps I'm to be the salvation
Of some fool hurrying toward Hell's gate;
But each day seems so ordinary ---
I've no glorious feats  to relate

Will the answer be found in my poems?
When into my soul I dip my pen,
Might I alter the course of the world
Causing Heaven to shout out Amen?!

O please, pardon this bit of folly ---
Now and then I must create reprieves
From Life's ridiculous mandates
To escape the tangled web it weaves

And so I still find myself pondering
What Life has kept so well concealed:
Its mysteries, conundrums and puzzles,
And my purpose . . . yet to be revealed!

A darkness hovered over me  
Like a mourning widow's veil,    
But I knew Love could dispel such gloom  --  
(I'd read that in a fairy tale)

In my loneliness I despaired,
Awaiting my prince and his kiss;
Then doubt and fear merged with loneliness . . .  
Could Love's bridge span such an abyss?

Though caught in the grips of darkness
I still sought salvation's light,
And while Fate scoffed at my brazenness
Hope's hallowed flame kept burning bright

And then came that glorious moment
The hand of Fate could not subdue;
My dormant heart awoke to Love's kiss,
Proving fairy tales do come true!

Awake at last, I savored Life
With a sweetness I'd never known;
Love marched in and swept me off my feet,
Trampling  seeds of woe Fate had sown

But Fate always claims victory ---
This Love was not mine to keep;
Bitter is the song of loneliness,
Once again, it lulls me to sleep

As night falls it brings a foreboding -
A sinister omen of fear;
What will I do when the clock strikes twelve,
When it's midnight and he's not here?

Each tick of the clock seems to mock me,
How do I flee its taunting jeer?
A starless mantle of black and gray
Steadily falls . . . and he's not here

And I plead,  but will God hear my prayer,
Or into my heart ****** a spear?
The hour hand of the clock slowly crawls
Toward midnight . . . and he's not here

Has the fount of mercy stopped flowing?
My cup remains devoid of cheer;
I brace myself for doom's messenger . . .
Midnight arrives . . . and he's not here

Each night the clock eerily echoes
The ****** of a drama so drear,
Repeating over and over again
Not here . . . not here . . . not here . . .

He'll take the helm and guide me through
The storms besieging my soul;
When doubt leads to indecisiveness
He'll step in and take control

He'll be the wind beneath my wings,
Saving me from swift descent;
He'll intervene when he perceives
A choice that I might repent

He'll know my strengths and weaknesses,
For he will have forged the key
That permits entry to my heart,
Revealing each mystery

Before my cup of hope is drained
He'll refill it to the brim;
He'll tranquilize my restlessness
With poetry, or a hymn

But cherished most will be his love
That's searching relentlessly
For a heart to combine with his
In flawless harmony.
This is the man I've yet to meet . . .
These are the things yet to be

Life causes so many problems
That ruin and upset my day,
So I try  to escape through poetry --
Just hit the road and get away!
But it seems every street I travel
Only leads to 502 BAD GATEWAY

I've grown so tired and weary
Of the same old message each day,
I can't reach my friends, the road is cut off
By barricades blocking the way;
Other streets bring me back where I started . . . .
That **** 502 BAD GATEWAY

So please HP, fix this problem,
Don't let my poetry go astray;
Without my dear friends what would I do?
Please reunite us without delay . . . . .
And permanently close that wretched street
Named 502 BAD GATEWAY

Was his love just a dream,
Did it ever belong to me?
Or was it a breeze whispering to the trees,
Those words spoken so tenderly?

Dreams can distort the facts
And make common things seem divine . . . .
Was my heart afire with burning desire
In a realm of my own design?

Yet, I still taste his kiss,
And feel his hands stroking my face;
But loving him so, I don't want to know
If this is love Time will erase

Was his love just a dream?
Time's reply was harsh and unkind;
Joy and bliss have flown,  I still walk alone . . .
He only lived in this fool's mind!

One man to fulfill my destiny,
One heart that pulsates just for me,
One love to last through Eternity ---
Or one lifetime, if that's what must be

Two lips, warm and sweetly pressed to mine;
Two arms that send chills down my spine
Two hearts - may they forever entwine,
But even two hours would be divine

All I ask is one heart that beats true,
Two arms to shield me from Life's rue.
And three words that give Life a bright hue:
Just these three simple words:   "I Love You!"