As He Slept

As he slept
the old man died,
a baby brother
to take his place.
And as he slept,
the whole world sang,
celebrating in the hope
of a brighter year ahead.

James E. Roethlein copyright 2021

The hospitals full
The ambulances all gone
My heart empty
My trust gone

The hospitals full
The ambulances all gone
The doctors and nurses maxed out
Can life still go on?

The hospitals full
The ambulances all gone
The morgues and mortuaries over-spilling
In the City of Angels and lost souls

The hospitals full
The ambulances all gone
I wear two masks, a smile and one of cloth
Life must go on

The hospitals full
The ambulances all gone
As ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three
Happy new year?

In the City of Angels and lost souls
The hospitals are full
The ambulances all gone
as we ring in a "new" year and life must go on

The hospitals remain full
The ambulances still gone
as one, two, three, four, five, six friend and family we bury
as living death still stalks on

In the year of missing kissing

it was masks for simple tasks like queuing for bread

ditching foreign travel so we all stayed home instead

we swapped hugs for elbow rubs and waves from afar

coffees in the car instead of drinks with a friend

oh the fun of this year

Will it never end?

There are memories attached,
With each day, I keep re-living,
Years go by, it does not matter.
There are things I keep feeling,
Your absence does not bother.

I see the marks your feet leave,
You wander but not that farther,
Away from me, here is my plea,
That on days like these i miss,
A piece of myself taken from me.

I am stuck in this lapse of time.

Constant

yet, ever-changing.

Just as waves

on the beach;

so are the years

and us.

I cried again, at the thought of her
in between all the drifting stars.
I cried again, at the thought of her
in between my throbbing scars.

I asked my papa, when it'd leave
when my pain would finally stop,
but he shook his head in reprieve,
and from his mouth came a cough,

"It never leaves, only dulls,
never hardens, but never is the same;
you're my daughter, my only daughter,
you and I, we share a pain."

Mama, I cried, at the thought of her,
especially on the day when I left;
I came back into your loving arms,
and from my mouth, I finally wept.

Some roses are red,
Some tulips are magenta,
We hardly can believe
Four years ago we met ya.

Most grass is green,
Diamonds and ice are rocks,
We hope you enjoy your books,
new clothes and socks.

Nighttime sky is black,
The ocean (I guess) is teal,
How lucky we are
To have you is so unreal.

The sun appears yellow,
Boogers are chartreuse,
If you were a ******,
We'd always pick you!

Tomorrow,
Begins a whole new world.
Gone are the days of rampant tyranny
And years of wondering whether
Tomorrow would be safe.

“He’s won, he’s won”
They cry, the tears tumbling down their faces
Red raw with the cries of freedom
And repentance, because everyone is alive
In this brand new world.

All those who were lost are found.
All those who were corrupted are pure.
He’s healed us all; we’re all anew
And we are safe
In the future that he brings.

“Rejoice, rejoice!”
They say, “For we have been broken
From the prison of tyranny
And we can finally sing our song of freedom,
Like a waving crowd on New Year’s Day

We don’t know what the future could bring,
All we need to do now is sing.
For auld lang syne, my dear
Is all we know of now:
Old long since

We tasted freedom.”