Why do you
      .keep
Looking at me
When the reality
How would I know
If I weren't
Looking at you

While you lay dying
In your bed
At home
Christmas lights
Across the street
Blinked off and
On
At each gasping breath
You took
The last of the
Blinking lights dimmed
As  you drew
Your last breath
The last light now gone
From outside
As the light from
Inside
Died

Words can be crushing
Enough to burn your being
Ashes on the ground

Just walk all over me
Leaving your *****
Footprints behind
For me to clean up
Breaking my heart
And scattering the
Pieces all around
For me to pick
Up after
Tearing me apart
Piece by piece
Till only crumbs
Of humanity
Are left
Too broken to
Even piece together
All the kings horses
And all the kingsmen

Take away my pen
My lined paper.or napkins
And a poem has died

I have struggled before
And I will struggle again
Do I get up.from
Where I have fallen
Or do I just stay
Planted on the floor
Do I rise above
Or sink below
Perhaps I shall cover
Myself with thoughts
And let words
Take over

Don't have a pocketful of money
But a *** of memories
No name brands or
Painted toes and shiny nails
Have a kleenex
For a tear
And a song in my heart
You gave me all
That money can't buy
I'm the richest woman
In the world
You shared your wealth
With me
You couldn't talk
But you smiled at me
No walking but
A wheelchair you rode to me
A trembling hand
A three o'clock  hug
All of this and heaven too
That's why I'm banking
Just on you

It was an
Awesome sight
Watching all the
Geese
In December song
Honking with glee
Flapping their wings
Chasing each other
Oh the fun
They had
The noise
They made
Suddenly they took
Off
Their gleeful honking
Echoing the air

share your beach
With ocean waves
Unfurling
Warm speckled sand
A seagull or two
Share your jungle
Loud noises filling
The air
Monkies swinging branch
To branch
Share your desert
A cactus green and
Scorching heat
The deep blue sea
And all her fish
And the sky so
Full of stars
But mostly share yourself
With no one but me
My dearest friend

If we are the land
Of milk and honey
When did it sour
And lose its' sweetness
Or did it

You were suppose to
Shine in the dark
So I hurried to
The door to turn
Off the light
And in the darkness
I fell
Reminds me that
I was suppose to
Trust you with
Open arms
I came and
I fell

You disappeared from me
My pen ink paper
Worst yet my thoughts
Where did they go
Are they out wrapped
Around the moon
Is that what we see
At night
The lost words
Of poetic minds
Or blue cheese

My spirit like the
Morning sky
Can change at
Any moment
Stormy clouds ahead
Questioning what's within
Foggy skies bleak skies
What's happening now
Sunny skies warm skies
Putting at ease
Wandering thoughts
Soft breezes gently
Flowing by
Whispering softly
It will be alright

Up in the air
Up on the roof
Up and at em
"Going up?"
7 Up
Up at the crack
Of dawn
Up per hand
One Up
Some words have a
Way of repeating
Themselves
We have a way
Of repeating .ourselves
Question is
Are you
Up to it

Never liked football
I thought it was too violent
Now I watch it
As much as I can
I wonder if that means
I am violent
What about the sound
From crashing helmets
Knowing someone could
Get hurt
Or the big pile up
And the poor one
At the bottom
Am I violent
Or do sports
Count

Sometimes it seems
Like the sun
Isn't meant
To shine
Upon me
I realize.that
With the good
Must come
The rain
But I get tired
Of the  downpour
In my heart
Thunderstorms that never
Seem to stop
Sometimes it seems
Like a monsoon
Has taken over
But perhaps this
Just Isn't the
Season for warmth
I can't forget
The puddles.I
Have played in
The rain I
Once sang in
An umbrella spinning
Around and making
Droplets fall
Did I just see
A  rainbow

God's walk in the sand
Leaving the prints of His Life
Softly led the way

Heard sermon today
Good seed fallin on ground
Do we let path be trampled on
Or do we build a path
For growth
Got me to thinking
Where.have I planted
my seed
Or have I even planted
Is it too late to
Change my course
Can I permanently pull
Out weeds
Never meant to be sown
Can I start over
With Sonshine and rain
Cleansing me free
From all that was
To a new and
Glorious way
Let me scatter seeds
To my soul
To your garden
Of Eden
Where once was Life
If I crawl in the dust
Let me be buried
In You

Turnin round to celebrate
The breeze circlin through
My walking shirt
All.around spinnin
Flirting with the breeze
Though in public
really don't  care
They're moving in cars
I'm left on ground
They will pass me by
Without a thought
And if so its okay
I'm praisin God
For this moment in time
You can think
I'm just crazy
But I'm crazy in love
With Life
And I'm just
Letting God know

Yesterday.i went into
The darkened room
To write with words
Today I come out
Into a lighted room
With a poem

You were my past
And into my present
And gone in
My future

Cold darkness outside
Stillness all around
Lights glimmering from
Windows
Signaling the end
Of day
Smoke coming from
Chimneys
Houses warming
As grey puffs
Dance in the sky
Roasty smells filter
The air
Soon it will.be
Time to bid the world
Goodnight
As the moon tries
To peek thru
The darkness
Evening prayer
Has begun
As another day
Ends

I've run out
Of places to hide
Somehow you manage
To find me
Is it my
Pounding heart
Or maybe my
Tangled hair
Are my legs
Hanging out
It didn't help
That I just
Sneezed
I can't go now
There's nowhere
Else to go

Jumping from my sleep
Is that really you again
The one I don't know

Grasshoppers jumping
All around
Birds soaring overhead
Bikers saying
To the left
Lake is dancing
Speckled in diamonds
Leaves are falling
Joggers softly
Running past
Dogs strutting
And me thankful
To be alive

Reflections of you
Crashing from the waves of time
Serenely float by

And if not for you
My family who held me strong
I would not have bloomed

The moon in the sky
Looked grey
Yet bright enough
To shine
Through the peaks
In my blinds
And bold enough
To wink
Goodnight
To me

This early morning
A Crayola box
Of one hundred
Exploded into the universe
More then one
Versions of
Pinks and yellows
Blues and purples
And oranges
What an awesome
Sight
Awaited me
As first I peeked
Through the
Slitted blinds
And upon pulling
The blinds
The Master's Peace
Appeared

Most times we write
What we know about
That's a safe way
It takes courage
To pen about
What we don't know
About
But only surmise
Words come from deep within
Taunting us
Playing with our emotions
Forcing us to release
What's inside
Lest we explode

Covid dreams racing
Through my mind
Going at full speed
Avoiding obstacles
Along the way
One hurdle after
Another
Avoiding crashing
But cannot brake
Spinning in circles
Stirring up dust
And making
Lots of noise
Where is the
Finish line
I ask
Gasping for air

Puppy out for
Morning walk
With owner
Sees a stick
Of course bigger
Then he is
Puts it in his mouth
And carries to
Next crack in
Sidewalk
So proud of his
Treasure
As he struts along
As the stick
Gets heavier
He drops it
How often have
We found a
Treasure right
In front of us
Gave it a few
Minutes' time
Then dropped it
Because it was
Too heavy to
Carry

May all of you from.
Hp family
Who are hurting
From mishaps and mistakes
Sadness. Grief
Mental.physical anguish
Loneliness breakups
Ups and downs
Sickness and pain
Self loathing
And more loneliness
May balm from the caring
Hp family from
All over the world
Heal you
And cover you
With a love
You have
Never felt before
When you feel most desolate
Read a poem
In fact
Several poems
And know
That you
And you alone
Are loved
A very special love
For the coming year
A blest new year

Her wardrobe an
Array of colors
Translucent  for each culture
Flashy colors and sequins
Pale and simple
What she wore
Didn't matter
The message was the model
Only certain people saw
And would acclaim
Mary^s beauty in
Her native dress
And tongue
Mary is our Mother
And Jesus is her Son
We worship not a statue
Nor a picture painted
On canvas
But we are reminded
Of the Mother of God
We hold gently in
Our Heart

Don't give me those
Sad puppy eyes
When you broke
My heart
Don't try to erase
My tears drip dripping
Down my face
Instead just quietly
Leave me behind

i am here
You are there
Why are we apart

Had feelings just once
Shared all the good and the bad
Never will do that again

Just stepped in
A glob of mud
Leaving my grey shoes
Brown
Stepped in
A teachers lounge
Leaving my sad heart
Warm with sun
Stepped into Church
With an open heart
Leaving with an
Imprint of love
Walked into.a
Grocery store
Leaving a masked
Goodbye
Hope when  I leave
This world
I'll leave. God's
Love behind

You can see all sides
Of me
But the bottom
Waiting to be revealed
To be set free
Must come at the right time
Feelings all around
And deep within
Just waiting to happen
Dare I make that move
Do I put.myself on
Display
Or stay buried
Deep within
Turn me all around
Seeing who I am
I hesitate to share parts
That belong only
To me

Birds singing this
Morning in the
Early a m
Waking me from
A dream that
Needed to finish
But perhaps that
Was a wake up call
To rescue me
From a nightmare

Another virtual television
Sunday Mass
No priest choir more importantly
No  Holy Communion
Under the Species.of
Bread and Wine
Where is the offertory
The priest.offers Bread and Wine
Singing.and Prayers
I miss the quiet moments
Where God and I converse
This reminds me
Of childhood Mass
Where.ourAltar
A cardboard box was covered
With a sheet or towel
Grape juice and a piece
Of toast made circular
By my mom
One.brother was the priest
While two were servers
My sisters and I were
The congregation
Though both give offerings to God
There's  nothing like going
To the real celebration
Of Mass where we celebrate
Our Lord

Time to take a break
From the busy world of ours
Just sit and be still

Fishing for dinner
Or just fishing for a line
Something has to give

Stay outside my bubble
Draw near and
I shall. Burst
Never to be22
Seen againq223322222521i2

Did I just imagine
Twenty four gulls
Soaring over the lake
Diving into the water
It's lonesome without
You here
Did I just imagine
The grasshopper
In the blade of grass
What about the last
Of leaves
Gracefully falling to
The ground
The red tipped wing
Of the black crow
A frost tipped leaf
In early morning
Light
Did I really see all of
These wonders
Today there are no gulls
How sad as I slowly
Walk the path
Just beginning to
Think my imagination
Was just absurdity
Suddenly a gull.came
Soaring past me
Reminding me
It is real

Saw a Jay today
Showing off
Flitting from.tree
To tree
A woodpecker near by
Making decisions
For a wholesome tree
Robin's singing
Crows joining
In chorus
A wondrous show
For so early
In the morning
I think I'll stay
Awhile longer

Clicking a summer morning
ALLEUIA chorus
A melancholy sound
Fills the air
As summer draws to
A close

Stench of decayingwords
Piled deep within me
Repulsing my soul
Burning a hole
In my heart
Waiting to be released
Nothing emerges
Tears of long ago
Have driven away
The desire to let go
Only ashes remain

Hello morning sun
Lighting up my room
Thought I left
The light on
Don't need a light
Switch
You know just
When.to
Turn.off and on

I liked sadness
Or so I thought
Until Nature
Presented herself
Before me
Where moonlight
And starlit skies
Danced before me
And the magic
Sound of frogs
Croaked goodnight
Amidst the stilling waters
The hush of mommas
Singing sweet lullabies
To their children
Dogs waiting by their
Master's slippers
Hoping for one
Last walk
Fires glowinginside
Sending signals of smoke
To travel.in
The sky
Perhaps it's not
So bad after all
To join in
The rhythm of
The night
Knowing.somewhere
You are loved