As images float before my eyes,
caressing the Autumn's velvet skies;
With multi-colored sparks they shed,
beyond the window beside my bed.

Gossamer angels of light and life,
teach wondrous tales to ease our strife;
While flying high in such a mystical place,
of constellations covering this saintly space.

The wonders of nature run through my mind,
while the opal moon shimmers like a dime;
I lie awake and watch the starlight fantasies,
which embolden my senses--feeling calm and free.

As I pull the covers toward my face,
yet wondering if reality has taken place;
My eyes close as sleep overcomes every care,
while the stars still twinkle in heaven's lair.

Looking to turn the page of indifference,
spiraling out of control in our world;
Folks gather to share their misgivings,
about whether this will ever be cured.

In equity there's the soul of humankind,
we struggle to meet the expectations;
Of freedom to be who we are and accepted,
to some folks these feelings are just flirtations.

Yet it's important to realize we all have to gain,
the promise of love deep within our spheres;
And touching one another's hearts with understanding,
is the way to create a world without tears.

Without setting goals to be more compassionate,
to use the God-given sense of empathy within;
We're lost in a world that will soon crumble,
and be buried by the neglectful notions and sins.

Look to the heavenly skies above,
and follow your heart to the world of love;
Where night and day are always sure,
to lighten our moods in miraculous cure.

Follow the dreams of your desire,
don't let strangers put out the fire;
Family and friends will stay by your side,
while you enjoy this emotional ride.

Elegant movements among the clouds,
speak to the folks that gather in crowds;
To share the time we have on this earth,
each loving hour of bliss and mirth.

And when you're old and memory dims,
your mind will be filled right to the brim;
With glances of years that meant so much,
easily reached again through a sacred touch.

Saying goodbye to all you've known,
can cause frightening moments--overblown;
But grab onto those memories that rise within,
and follow the pathway--you're bound to win !

I am too old for this reckoning,
I am too old NOT to reckon
     with past promises,
     Of life outside myself-
The shadows call me home,
yet where exactly do I land ?

Only words define the substance
   of Art, Growth, Humanity itself;
I dare to tell tales of which I know
    very little,
But imagining them is how
   I conquer fears,
   create escapes,
Follow my own footsteps through
a tunnel of RECKONING--and REPOSE.

You have walked into the destruction
of your mind and found a place there.
The detritus of a life lived in the face
of cancer, storms, and death abandoned
of the private letting go of acceptance.

You screened a life worth living
and found it wanting of love and
poetry.

Someday we will meet and
our faces, full of knowledge,
will know the relief of a rest
realized. The
nourishment of a kindred
moment of unmitigated
silence.

I will be your welcome.  I will
solve the enigma of two
lives waiting for a single
explosion.

We run now,
members  of the
cloister of our lives


forever.


Caroline Shank
2.1.22