Refuge from pain;
Balance of thought;
Constant defender;
Patient ear;
Loving support;
Now my turn.
I need to protect you;
To hold you steady;
To redirect;
To make it right;
To hold you tight;
To hide my care.
To love you
With all my heart.

In my own space,
With my own thoughts,
Roaming all the territories
Of what I want.
Just a moment to spare
about the thought that as
we age sometimes our minds
no longer are.
God seems to grant a contract
for the mind that expires
Before life.
So I will sit and enjoy
while I still have value.

It swoops about me;
I catch what should
be caught
Dropping a few:
I push away
What can wait.
I reach with eager hands
Life’s great blessings.
To live the mix of
Good and bad.

Stolen with a bit of silence.
Seized by a lack of flow:
Lack of self with numbness;
Self  is gone.
Shocked away.
The thief left with her
Leaving just a shell.
Gone before leaving.

Patience, wait outside the door,
Gentle look as approach,
Cautious step as walk by side,
Nudges to feel the pulse on wrist.
Gentle licks for temperature.
Knowing something not quite right.
Awaiting the need with careful thought.
Something born to and not taught.
Some creatures just know the task,
The want to cure,
Know the careful wait,
Nurse dog deep inside.

With seashell propped
Against her curls.
Her mouth held
In line of concentration.
Her five year old self listened
For sound of ocean.
Last summer’s trip
Trapped inside.

Once I knew my way;
No need for a map;
Sometimes I grew bored
Or tired with the journey;
But I did not lose my goal.
Then I began to walk
Others’ paths
From my own.
Somehow they slipped me.
Now I am lost
Without a map.
Please return me to my way
So that I may complete
My trip.