A phantom ship on a sea of gray,
He drifted, unfinished, through the fading day.
The study room, a cage of stifled breath,
Where smoke curled slow, a harbinger of death.

In fields of dreams, he soared, a graceful flight,
A rumble deep, a primal, savage might.
With kindred spirits, he would fiercely roam,
But thoughts like moths, would flutter far from home.

A mind adrift, a canvas torn and frayed,
By colors swirling, shadows disarrayed.
ADD, a whisper, a forgotten tune,
A symphony of chaos, born too soon.

I went to bed and said my prayers,
Now I lay me down, free of cares.
I wished to swing from a mighty tree,
On a half-inch rope, wild and free,
Like Tarzan did, so bold and sleek,
A thrilling sight each single week.

I prayed for the rope, with hopeful plea,
But like a dope, it came not to me.
So I asked my dad, with hopeful start,
And he got that rope with a loving heart.
I was a good boy, to say my prayers true,
My dad came through, just like dads do.

The fuse is short, the wick is lit,
Soon frustration, I admit,
Will bubble up and make me grit
My teeth and want to just up and quit.

But later, ah, a different tune,
The sun will break, the sky, the moon,
Will smile on me, arriving soon,
And I'll enjoy this afternoon.

All things must pass, the wise men say,
The dark of night gives way to day,
So in this moment, come what may,
I won't give a rat's ass, hip hooray!

Moon waxing gibbous from freckled skies
As breakers roll and wash the sands.
Far, far out in the abysmal deep
A lover waits with outstretched hands.

Deep deep below she pirouettes.
Sways, graceful as a Degas girl.
Wrapped as the tide does ebb and flow
Held for all time in Neptune’s web.

Taken one night as the typhoon raged,
Sleet straight as arrows shredded sails,
Masts cracked, they splintered, decks heaved, they split
Till Into the maelstrom the hulk was swept.

So many eyes are looking at me,
all the judgement, the good and the bad.
Waiting for all this to disappear into the abyss.
But nothing is worse than my own eyes,
seeing all the anger dancing around the happiness,
twirling through the sorrow, teasing the hunger.

Sometimes, it feels good, to feel the anger
all through the waves of eyes, and the wind of ears.
I'm tired of these eyes crashing into my vision.
Tired of my ears stealing my breath.
I can only feel this way so long.

Eighteen might be special, it's true,
Or twenty-one, or fifty-two.

He thought that seventy would be grand,
But sixty-nine, a place in his heart's land.

The day arrived, then slipped away,
No party graced the passing day.

Just wishful thinking, dreams in air,
The day's demise, beyond compare.

The birthday party, a phantom's call,
Perhaps at seventy, joy will befall.

Or maybe seventy won't appear,
Could he be smaller than small, gripped by fear?

The map of future, folded, creased, and worn,
Lies hidden, like a secret yet unborn.
Around the corner, shadows softly creep,
Uncertainties that lull my soul to sleep,
Yet rouse it too, with whispers of the new,
A vibrant life, though tinged with shades of blue.

Deep within the forest's heart, where whispers softly speak,
Stands the mighty Twin Oak, resplendent and unique.
Its roots run deep in earth's embrace, like kidneys pure and strong,
Filtering life's essence, in the dance of nature's song.
Its trunk, a steadfast column, the spine that bears the load,
Uplifts the weary branches as they lighten every road.
The branches stretch like arms to hold the sky's embrace,
With leaves like fingers, tender, caressing air and space.

Across the peaks of life I ride,
On mammoth's back, with strength and pride,
A tree saddle holds my fate secure,
Through valleys deep and mountains pure.

With every step, the world unfolds,
A tale of courage, to be told.
Beneath the sky of azure hue,
Onward we march, through morn and dew.

The mammoth's tusks, like ivory gleam,
Pierce through the mists of fears unseen.
His mighty trunk, a clarion call,
To face the trials, to stand tall.

Extended heart attack,

A sudden, gripping fear;

In the sterile halls so stark,

Where hope is often near.

Hospital was difficult,

Each day a trying test;

With every beep and pulse,

I longed for peace and rest.

Pretty nurses I loved,

Their presence a gentle balm;

In their care, I found solace,

A whispering, healing calm.

Through the trials, I emerged,

With a heart both strong and new;

Grateful for the hands that healed,

And the love that pulled me through.