Hands of a new mother gently washing baby's little parts
A little hand clasps around her thumb and touches moms heart
An unconditional love that continues to grow at first glance
Brings new meaning to life makes you want to take a chance

Hands of a Lovers first melting touch
Not being able to breathe when it gets to be too much
Butterflies in the stomach and throwing all caution to the wind
Two innocent souls lost in the present and trying not to sin

Hands of a fighter who helped liberate our lands
Bringing countries together and starting a contraband
Hands of the men who were young and oh so brave
Friends and comrades who lost their lives and wound up in a grave

Hands of a writer, a painter, or jack of all trades
Blue collar living but these hands still need to get paid
Calloused strong hands and a hard working class
Got obligations and bills to try and outlast

Hands of a beautiful woman on her day wearing white
Ring on her finger from the love of her life
Hands that promise to love and cherish through all the years
Comfort those worries and help face all your fears

Hands weathered and touched by father time
No longer seeing your lovers hand...your partner in crime
True love that has gone to a much better place
But the hands remain tied and forever laced

It’s a crisp October morning and it is perfect.
My son is nearby digging in the earth for bugs and searching for his new friend Bob the lizard.
I can hear my Boykin spaniel yelping and chasing squirrels in the woods. I am sweeping newly fallen leaves off my front porch and just enjoying all the sounds. The wind is slightly blowing and the sun is warming the dew on the grass. It is the kind of morning where everything seems wonderful even if for just this moment. I am going to fix me a cup of coffee and sit on the swing and enjoy it for just a moment more....❤️

You were born on Wednesday
Almost a year to the day
Since Mamma had passed away.....
Elizabeth Anne
Head full of dark brown curls
Just like your mother
My sister
It was my first time seeing a baby born
It was beautiful and a little disgusting
All at the same time
I may or may not have had to hold up
the wall for a brief moment or two :)
Just goes to show you something beautiful
did come out of this evil darkened world
A world so cruel as to take a mom
from three daughters who still needed her so
I was just eighteen and beginning my freedom
and you were just born and beginning your life

Drawn to each other by some magnetic force
Someone else pulls the strings on this course
Two magnets attracting each other with a tight bond
Meeting any controversy with repellant and despond
This mysterious force drives us together night after night
Never ever fearing because its our preemptive right

Early one morning in a small cafe
I wanted to disappear so I came here
With only a dollar to my name
The waitress was friendly and brought me some coffee
Thank goodness the refills were free
She didn't ask any questions just simple conversation
It is like she knew exactly what I did need
She brought me a plate of bacon before I could resist
Then smiled sweetly and said "this plate will never be missed"
This waitress made me believe in people again and humankind
All because of simple kindness and for giving me a moment of her time
To this day whenever I smell bacon cannot help think of her and smile :)

Pink petals offered
Lips pressed soft on swollen lips
Bouquet wafts the air

Some days I want to be a wild horse
or a gypsy wild and free
Don't put any fence around me
Who would want to tame this
Heart of wild
I just want to be somewhere
Anywhere just not confined

Other days I want to build a house
Build me a home
Build my life around my kids and spouse
Sometimes I can follow the direction of the reins
Even if they do feel like chains
I want to give my all
I am just so scared to answer the call

It seems I want to have my cake
and to eat it too
Its like I have double lives  ~ What am I to do
I want my freedom and I want his time
Cannot divulge all the darkness in my mind
There is beauty in imperfection
and order in the unruliness
I am a walking contradiction
Yes I'm somewhat of a mess
Words rhythm and movement are what I live for
and I can sometimes give up the control
I do what feels right to me
Cause there's a gypsy living in my soul

I refuse to give negativity
and hate any more of my time
Once given the power
it can take over your life and your mind
I start my day with thanks
and end my day with gratitude
My days are a struggle no more
because I changed my attitude
The world is scary right now
that is one thing we can all admit
So I focus on me and my little bit
and simply change the way I see it

Awakening with your
beautiful words
I find a grateful heart <3

One would think that I got
This thing called life figured out...
But that would be wrong
I’ve been in this world for 43 years
And the only thing I’ve figured out
Is I haven’t figured anything out

Sometimes I think I would just float away
If my son wasn’t holding the strings
He grounds me in a good way
With all the light that he brings

Most days I can hold it together
Other days I want to float out to sea
Would anyone miss me?
Yeah some days I am just getting by
Other days...who knows? I can just lie

I watch as an older woman in a red flowery
dress holding yellow flowers looks out to the sea
Searching for the young man she fell
in love with at the ripe age of twenty three
He gave his life that day on the Normandy shore
on the sixth of June the year was forty-four
Every year this woman comes to the sea to remember
For when she said her marriage vows
she meant them to last to the end of her forever
She throws the yellow flowers out to the sea
Always grateful for the love they shared
and proud that he fell in the cause for the free

He held himself with a somber sadness
His massive shoulders sagged to the floor
As if something at his center had just given up
Perhaps life dealt him a bad deck of cards
or perhaps he had just got some very bad news
That is when I noticed the picture at the table
Sitting at his right in his favorite corner booth
was an old picture of a very lovely woman
Come to find out later this was his beloved wife
They were married for 55 wonderful years
She passed away in 2009 but that did not stop him
He still dines with her every day
and kisses her picture every night
He talks to this picture like she is right there with him
Now that is true love my friends  <3   <3

One look was all I needed no words need even be said
You take my hand and lead me outside to Nature's bed
The colorful canopy offers minimal seclusion and makes us feel wild and free
~and I cannot wait to get your hands and mouth all over me
You tune everything else out... I am all you want to hear
My sounds of pleasure ...nothing but sweet music to your ears

My muse can be thought of as a curse
for it comes at the most inopportune times
but she also plays nice
and brings me peace of mind

My muse pounces on me to write
Hit by the force of nature in nature
The sound of crashing waves guide my hand
Releasing words from my body

My muse is like a lover
She comes to me in dreams
She teases, pleases then leaves

Calliope my lover comes often
She's never satisfied
This temptress of the tablet

Just think we could feel
the warmth from the same sun
Hear the same whispers in the breeze
Wish upon the same fallen star
and look up to the same majestic trees

She connects all
No matter the place
Her sirens song on the wind for all
Under the same night light constellations
Wreathed in the fog under veiled trees scribbling

She is a giver
When allowed to live within us
She gives a whole new view
Bringing two poets together
Even though there are miles in between
She gives her heart and soul
and the drive for us to dream

Her gift is poetic eloquence
Stirring within two
Beautifully scribes new words
New places to explore
Distance means nothing to a muse
She bestows everything she has to her
chosen oracles*

By Melissa S and Palmer

Anxiety is hurting my sister right now she worries about everything even worries about worrying :) She is still undergoing treatment for her cancer and is just very emotional right now. I will let you in on a little secret.... I have bad anxiety too!!!  I have somehow been able to keep it in check though. We took a weekend trip just recently to see some family and it was very draining and very good all at the same time.  Keeping my sister's anxiety in check left me needing to see a chiropractor when we got back.  I am not complaining though because I think that is what helps me.

Focusing on my sister and other people hurting helps take the focus off of me.  This time of year is very ******* a lot of people. We worry about not having enough money.  We worry about all the activities and hustle and bustle.  Also we are so deeply saddened by the loss of loved ones and why there is an empty seat at the holiday table.  We are preoccupied this time of year and I just want to say STOP for just a moment and remember to breathe.  Try and take the focus off yourself by saying a little prayer for another person hurting. Even try to do something for another person if you can. It has helped me with my anxiety and perhaps it can help you too!! Everyone wants to be remembered and loved especially this time of year! ❤️ Merry Christmas to all my friends here at HP!!

Imperfections are life ~ Life is messy ~ Why not embrace it

When I think of you and me
I think of a tree

Sometimes that tree is full
prosperous
beautiful
full of life
So full it reminds me of the stars
Where we sit on a blanket and count them
Where we think they are all ours

Sometimes that tree is empty
Each passing day
more leaves
fall to the ground
Until one day
all that is left is one
Saddened by what it has become

Time hasn't healed me of the pain
I will always remember his name

To feel close to him all I have now are his beautiful words
I imagine him saying them to me in a voice I once heard

He was all that I ever could or did want
Now lost to him my darkened eyes will forever haunt

He is still the music that plays ongoing in my heart
He awoken in me a melody before my love for him did start

I know he is lost to me but I still revisit him in my mind
I relive all the memories of us together all the time

I  try and remember our last conversation our last kiss
then wrap my arms around the air of emptiness

Time hasn't healed me of the pain
I will always remember his name

I guess its fair to say he will always remain my lethal dose
I will be forever chasing his ghost

Sometimes I feel like I am walking the length of a tightrope while you hold all the strings
Normally I would gravitate toward your end because of it being familiar
but I also want to just let go and see what the unknown below brings

It seems I have been underestimated since day one
yes I am small
yes I do cry pretty easily ~ it's genetic
yes I am naive...mostly about seeing the good in people when it is not there
but I also have a core strength inside me that is unrelenting in times of despair

So letting go of that tightrope does not have to be the end
Closing the door to some ...just opens the door for new beginnings to receive
Happier ones too.... it does seem

Broken mind Broken soul
lost and out of my control

Need appreciation and adoration
someone to step up and have maturation

Imprisoned by the pain
and lies you've told
Is there anything left to gain?

You were so perfect in my mind at one time
did not want anyone but you
but now I see a different side
Think I should find someone new

Your silence and your lack of care
means to me you were really never there

Don't tell me I couldn't survive without you
You do not know the battles already won
and the fears I've already outgrew

I've gotten stronger now... not so naive
And would only be my choice to grant you any reprieve

No passing security, no breaches, and no keys
There are only alarms and pass-codes you need

My guard stands at the ready on the outside of my heart
Dressed in camouflage with a black-belt in all the martial arts

I only have to ask guard of my heart shall I let him pass
With his awareness he knows when to do kung fu on that ***

My heart is now my most prized possession
and my guard rarely takes breaks or any vacation
The battle not always won but always suffers deprivation

All is Quiet
Its the breath
before the deep plunge

I no longer cross the bridge to meet you
I cannot
I have my own needs to attend to
but wave to you on the other side

The journey does not end here
It has only just begun
A change is in the air
and there is nothing to fear

Let the water rush over me
Let the caterpillar get its wings
Let the renewed strength of the birds sing

How do you pick up the threads of your life?
By Forward Marching....

I wish to go back to being little
back when things were fun
and just stayed simple
I may be getting older
but I refuse to grow up :)

Today...
I could buy a new dress
I could pretend to be a princess
or not
But I will love til I can love no more
and will always be more thankful
than I was the day before

Do I smell cake? Yessssssss!!!!

The ghosts of our past haunt us
They dwell deep within
They are called regret, guilt, failure, and secrets
Our childhood was traumatic
We were preyed upon
when we really could have used some prayers
We were both victims and monsters
We were latchkey kids with major attitude
My eldest sister was left in charge but
she was just a kid herself
Kids with nothing else to do but find trouble
or is it that trouble will always
find kids with nothing else to do
Things happened that should
have never happened but they did
and my sister blames herself for this
She actually thinks she is being punished
with cancer for all of her mistakes.
I keep telling her she is wrong that bad things
happen to good people all the time.
That the past is just that it is in the past
We were just kids who made some mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes but we have to learn
To forgive ourselves

starts off as a whisper in your ear
something you hunger to taste
something you long to feel
and something you yearn to see
Then becomes a tormented dream
something you ache to have
something you crave to savor  
and something that...
just can never **be

Piece by broken piece has been taken away
Until I have found I am lost to myself

A friend recently told me when I asked her
totally out of the blue ~ "Who do you think I am?"
She said," You are kidding me...right?"
"You are the glue that holds us all together"

I find that very ironic

Will someone pass me that glue please
so I can start putting myself back together  

                 Thank you :)

I followed his footprints in the snow
Thinking his path was the way to go
He didn’t even seem to notice I was there
I spoke to him as we walked but he didn't care
I stopped at several places along the way
He just kept moving forward with nothing to say
After a while I felt so alone and so tired
And I began to drift further and further behind
Though I could still see him way up ahead
He turned onto another path to walk instead..
Eventually I realized I could no longer see
As he moved relentlessly on without me
His footprints start to fade and then they disappear
He never even knew I was near
I stood at the path he turned to walk on...
Unable to move forward
And I turn to walk...
Away...

*Maybe one day our paths will cross again

Such warm inviting eyes
I see from across the room
As if they are calling out to me  
Pure joy in my heart and mind
Thinking was it like this all those
years ago when we were young and free
I wrap my arms around you so close
I can almost feel your long hair on me
Music plays softly in the background
I catch a glimpse of our reflection in the mirror
our bodies look as though one
Time seems to pass so slowly
It's as if our motion seems to bend
the very fabric of time and space
I whisper my goodbye  in your ear
Same day same time next week my dear
Oh how I just love to ride those carousels <3

I would try and hide from the horrors
and try to hide from the pain
but no matter how deep it is buried
the fact is the pain...it remains
The pain is still there every day
sometimes it is just hidden further away

I had to learn how to hide and how to retreat inside
Tried so many things to fill the emptiness the hole
So much hatred for a thief who stole so many innocent souls
Even though there are no scars on the outside to see
does not mean it did not happen to my sisters and me

thought I was to young to have a voice
to young to have a choice

Where there is darkness there is also light
Maybe some goodness can come of this after all
We can learn together how to come around that darkened wall
Our pain can produce a voice for all to hear
Make a stand.... speak up and listen with our ears

Thanks for going back in time
Visiting some of the thoughts of my mind
He is a Traveler of time and space
Always in search of that perfect place
He has crossed the distance and the abyss
Into areas that don't even exist
Often heard but rarely seen
Even visiting me in the In between
He looks up to the stars and sky so clear
Always with wonder never with fear
May the compass of this traveler's soul
Keep directing him onward and forward
Always discovering new lyrics and words
Keeping the ladies happy and stirred
Really hearing what his heart wants to say
Maybe even find that perfect place to stay
Travel on good traveler but just know this
I will always leave the window open for that kiss :)

I would like to say that I am not selfish
but I would be wrong
I think we are all born this way
and before you disagree with me
Think about it....
We are all constantly in the
Pursuit of Happiness
We want to escape from whatever
is making us unhappy or suffering
No one wants to be miserable (all the time)
There are lots of ways to do this
There are many choices out there
Even when you are thinking of others
It is of some benefit to you
because making others happy
Makes yourself happy
This is just the way I see it
I know some will disagree and that is okay
It doesn't make us bad people
To want to be happy
It just makes us human

I'm still waiting on my happily ever after so to speak
For my prince to rescue me and ride off into the sunset any day of the week...

Someone to love me for who I really am
to appreciate me and nudge me forward where they can
Someone to have that unconditional love and love me best
wrap their arms around me and lay all my worries to rest

Wonder how many frogs you have to kiss for it to be the one
may just start kissing girl frogs till then and have a little fun :D

The way you kiss me
Reveals to me the kind
of person you are
Don't just jab it in
Be soft and slow and sweet
Use a little less tongue at first
Tease me then bring on the heat
Let me set the pace
Then you follow my lead
Slow it down this is not a race
Taste me ~ Savor me
Marinade me in your mind
Think of me until we meet next time
We can keep it going trying
as many times as we can
if it's not right change it up
And just start again :)

You there.....Yeah You
Why did you put me up on this pedestal
You see I am really scared of heights
And not sure how I will get down
What the hell happens once I am on the ground
Will you just build me up again
I am afraid that you will
And what I really want is for you to see
That I just want to be me

A day in the country
A day made for you and me
Beautiful fields of wild flowers
and trees as far as the eyes can see
We run and try to catch butterflies
then stop and pick flowers for my hair
Next we go fishing at the pond
and kick golden leaves up in the air
We take the back roads on the four wheeler
to try and catch the last rays of sunlight
Then we chat beneath billions of stars
that came out to say hello to us tonight
We talk about everything
and talk about nothing...
We agree that there is beauty in belonging to a place
and then we laugh till we cannot feel our face
Now we both just stare at the fire
content with just our thoughts at this hour
This day and place is full of wonder
and magic that you cannot believe
A place in the country
A place that we never want to leave

The night was so lovely
neither wanting it to end
Maybe that is why we joined
together in the dark cool waters
With the moon as our only witness

There was freedom in the water
Freedom in looking at the moon
and what a moon it was :)
I could only ask of it one thing
Please don't let the morning
and him come too soon