Grow in peace, grow in grace
A lioness-yet soft as lace
A somewhat serious smiling face
Glory and a song to last

Sorrow smiles to hide its face
Remembrance is never past

My day’s done;the night begins
With narry a star in my sky
Of dark clouds and memory’s stings
Harkening back to days gone by

There was a time ,still’d by thoughts
When rythmic words did easy flow
Some spoken and some silent kept
The treasured hoards from long ago

No turbulence could hold its sway
Dawn and dusk both wore a smile
Dark shadows heard a silent prayer
For lingering dreams to last a while

Alas the pen that once could craft
Words -that made  passions flare
Now lies dry - like an aged man
A withered tube beyond repair

Yet I try with care and skill
Just a drop of ink to find
To write of laughter and of joy
And still the torments of the mind

--There was a fragrance in the air.
Always - when you were there.
Now I breathe  and seek  to find
A whiff recessed deep in my mind.

You're gone- the darkness spills
And shadows clamber over the sills
As I strain and strain your face to see
Amidst jumbled memories  left for me

I'm aging but still try to walk
Wobbly  feet and knees that knock
They no longer heed my will
Command me ‘sit’ and just be still

The  shadows say touching my cheek
You no longer see nor do you speak
They say that soon it will all be gone
The despair, lost hope, the daily dawn

My heart beats; its still quite strong
Awaiting the lilt of another song
That'll lighten the temper of my room
Rid of the shadows and the gloom

But sure it's told me, old man
The time's near; I'll do all I can
But it's  getting somewhat rough
Keeping you alive is getting tough

And then one night I hear a sound
That I sense  within me resound
A quiet sigh— then all is still
Life's gone; like a shadow on the sill.

A new morn and the sun's alight
Children play, charming and bright
They dance on a flat piece of ground
I lie inert with nary a sound

There's company here of others too
Who lived lives- like me and you
We often talk of days long gone
In comfort— ‘cause we're not alone

I keep asking myself-was it real
The Time that you and I were together

Or was it merely a quirky gambit of  Fate
Whose cup, tho' full, needed a drop.

Lord just take my memories away

They wont let me sleep – they ruin my day

Let me be blessed with a baby’s mind-

Gazing only ahead —with nothing behind

Sometime, with a thoughtless flick of the hand
You plant a seed in the soil--and it grows
Like the huge mango tree in my back yard.

Over decades it blooms, bears fruit,
And grows tall and sturdy
A resplendent umbrella

Beneath which to rest a tired soul
With a sigh of joy-and wonder
At the experience that permeates your being.

But the God's are envious that
A Creature fashioned by them
Can sigh in joy-More than once

A bolt of lightening incinerates
What you worshipped
And as you watch the scorched roots, burnt leaves and ashes
You find yourself wondering--

"was it  ever worth the value you placed
on the result of a thoughtless moment
-that fashioned times of intense beliefs
and emotions blessed by  nature

Yet left you alone with the carcass of your dreams

NOTHINGNESS

I look often at tomorrow
Sensing a deep darkness
In the heavens and below

I search through my past
For that one little light
Just a moments soft glow


To end this nothingness
I wish time would hurry
But it too moves slow

The wounds are still open
And the blood still pools
At my feet-Defiant and aglow