You call it self-esteem,
But I'm out of steam
To fight this fight
That you call life.

I'm stuck in between ... unseen.

My time to shine?
I don't have time to polish,
To wade through this anguish
That binds me to my anxiety.

Instead, I hide. You are the only one
Who sees me for me;
Yet you don't know how to help me
Become the me I want to be.

Why am I so defensive,
Unable to express myself?
I'm tired ... I'm wired,
I'm all fired up ...

But before I get started,
I find myself guarded.
I weep myself to sleep -
Maybe tomorrow I'll try again.

(March 2012)

Beauty,
It can never be seen
But felt
It can never reside on a face
Beauty,
Its in a smile given
The stillness of the lake
After a storm
Leaves coloured, and falling
A summer rain
Beautiful,
Is words spoken in love
A feeling of kinship
Its the smile on a sleeping babies face
It can be found in laughter,
Sometimes tears
Beautiful,
So elusive, yet everywhere
Skin, will fade, wrinkle, and sag
It will age and turn to dust
But real
Beauty,
Never fades
As real Love,
Never dies