What is sadness
But the tearing from asunder
The thought of who we are
Into what we have become
The recognition that
We have facades upon facades
Of who we wish we were
Instead of
Who we are
We fight so hard to become
Only to find out
That we are not
Who we would like to be
And will never be
Because
The truth is that
We cannot be
That which is not
That which is beyond us
The truth lies
In finding out
Who we are not
And then discovering
That
We always were

Life’s twists and turns
Are a journey
Of no return
No matter how we long
We can’t go backwards
Or force the future
To come forward
So
We live in the present
While
Holding on
To all that was
And all that is to be

Do you ever wonder
Who you are
Or where
You have come from
Do you sometimes feel
Like an alien
Well
I do

A mother less child just barely born
Sits on the stoop with heart so torn
Nobody wants her and nobody cares
Not even worth crying while on those stairs
Will somebody come and take her in
Is anyone around to tickle her chin
But still no one comes and it’s getting cold
That little baby lies she’s not so bold
She’s all alone and needing her mother
She barely whimpers would be happy with another
Is there anyone there who really cares
Can someone come does someone dare
To love a child who has no home
to care for one who cannot roam
Will someone take her inside where it’s warm
Will someone keep her from all harm
Can anyone hear that silent child
That’s wanting  some love so undefiled

What is a poem
If not a conglomerate
Of words
Put together
To express
A thought
What is poetry
If not a mangling  
Of ideas
Forcing one
To
Set on paper
Thoughts
Commit
To ideas
What is poetry
If not love
Of thought
Of word
Of deed

I want to paint
I want to put
Colour to canvas
And watch it grow
A story coming forward
From a colour
Well placed
Imaginings from the mind
That play out
Across the white canvas
That grows in words
In wisdom
In actions of youth
Played out
Across the expanse of
A desert
Or a park
Or a water scene
That is remembered
From long ago
Art
The chance to
Tell our story
With canvas
And paint

When I was a child
I used to dream
Of ice cream and candy
Or so it would seem

I would wake up each morning
With thoughts in my mind
Of how to behave
To be loving and kind

And sometimes I couldn’t
And got into trouble
Was sent to my room
Only there it would double

Because quiet and calm
Aren’t the norm for a child
I had so much energy
I couldn’t be mild

And eventually I grew up
And became an adult
And had kids of my own
Tried for a different result

I allowed them to scream
And to have lots of fun
Quiet only came when
The whole day was done

And I learnt to allow
To not stifle a child
To accept without judgment
Allowing them to run wild

With love and firm limits
A child can learn
They are loved, they are cared for
Once doesn’t have to be stern

So if I’ve learnt anything
Things don’t have to be strange
Don’t have to be like our parents
Can have loving exchange