The feel of sand beneath the toes.
The smell of sea breeze fills the nose.
The sigh of foaming surf soothes the ears.
The heady taste of a few cold beers.
Where the ocean meets the sky,
Oh so easy on the eye.
Leaving everyday troubles behind.
In a paradise state of mind.

As I begin my poem, holding my pen,
I realize when I finish. I'll be older than I've ever been.

Is this really the best way to spend my time.
Trying to connect to another, with my rhyme.

Perhaps the worst thing that I really do,
is stealing the finite time, that belongs to you.

Oh, the  size of my inflated ego.
To do this insult, to someone, I don't even know.

For this I hope you'll forgive my sin.
For now, you're older than you've ever been.

The chill is seeping
Through my sweatsuit
As I walk this
Cold December morning

My cheeks feel icy-
My nose is red.
(Rudolph will not get
The best of me.)

A con-trail rips
Across the sunrise sky -
White slash against
The pink-tinged blue.

An increasing yellow glow
Begins to seep its way
Slowly down the
Jagged mountains.

And the gentle rising
Of the Winter Sun
Gives promises
Of warmth and comfort.

To a world in need of both.
                                ljm

A world slowly woke from slumber
Stumbled through a sense of Deja Vu.
Free from sheets of sleep and dreams,
Borrowed stitches pay the seams
Of patchwork quilted promises,
Forgotten threads of make believe.

Two eyes, 👀 see the world for what is,
two hands✋ to pray on bent knees.
Flesh of flesh, blood of my blood,
all those down to earth, raised from mud.

One mouth, 👄 speaks of my worth,
scent of desire tickles my nose.👃
Flesh of flesh, blood of my blood,
flow of words, will be like a flood.

Two feet, 👣 lead to where I'm meant to be,
one mind  to unlock knowledge is key. 🔑
Flesh of flesh, blood of my blood,
guilt tripping yourself, it's never been judged.

One soul, spirit full of vigour,🔥
one heart ❤ filled to brim of a caregiver.
Flesh of flesh, blood of my blood,
how we were created, knowing we're loved.

We're the images of God.✨

The terrain of your loneliness falls under my hands
soft as cinders in a snuffed fire
We have both burned, in our way
and under my breath
Embers ignite, the soft glow
And incandescent heat of our palms, tenderly met
Lanterns in a grey sea
we light as beacons
For our lost ships
calling them
To safe harbor.

when life seems hopeless and despair
has grabbed hold and kept you there
inside the blackest places known
you feel scared and alone

search within, look deep inside
a tiny speck of hope implied
will grow so slowly then collide
with helpless thoughts that try to hide

it shimmers, swirls, burns like fire
picks you up and takes you higher
lifts you from the pits of hell
and suddenly, you can tell

your spirits brighter than the dark
you are a flash; you are a spark
that bathes the world with golden light
a lighthouse shining in the night

with your spirit that has grown
you sense a presence yet unknown
you squint to see, and you're shown
you have never been alone

a field of radiant, brilliant sparks
they glow and pulse, leave their marks
upon your tattered weary soul
they help to make you feel whole

so when the darkness has a grip
around you, helpless feelings slip
the light that's in your soul defends
the sparks are all of us, your friends