Those rhymes I once relished,
adorned and embellished
with classical quotes:
(antique anecdotes)

Were lines I once cherished,
Once published – now perished.
Their ghosts in my mind
look to me to find…

the source of the sorrows
that tore my tomorrows
with longing for girl,
in diamond and pearl,

who’d vanquished my verses,
condemned them with curses,
and poisoned my pen:
My cold-hearted Gwen!

Growing old is a bittersweet emotion,
It's a reminder of years gone by,
Of memories and life's devotion.

The days are shorter and years are long,
It's a journey of great worth,
As wisdom is gained through life's song.

The wrinkles that form in my face,
Are a reminder of years gone by,
A life that is filled with grace.

Though I may not be as strong,
It's a journey I fully embrace,
Where I can still sing my life's song.

I wish my father hit me
All the time
When someone says,
“Forgive him, he’s trying”

I wish he used his hands,
instead of his words
Real scars are easier to see,
than the ones on the heart

The questions would stop
If my wounds were visible
A mark to point to and tell them,
“See, see what he does to me”

But they don’t
And he didn’t
I just wish he did

Today we sing the song to praise our son, brother, nephew, and grandson.
This song may not have a beat or harmony.
It has the rhythm of life you gave to us in our daily lives.
You were the carriage we cherished who carried the pillar of our hearts with your smile.
This day is not a day of despair or darkness
Today and our tomorrows shall be an eternal light in your remembrance
Your seeds shall carry on the spirit you have brought forth to us.

A humbling chill begins to fill the air,
as we start to say goodbye to the warmth of summer.
The dark hours of night suddenly last longer,
And the moon appears to take its stand earlier.

A new path is chosen.
The cold creeps in and the trees change colour.
We are reminded of the things that give us comfort,
as we grieve the lighter moments of the year.

I lay down on the ground and take in the annual mystery.
Gaze at the bronze-coloured jewels falling from their homes.
A natural beauty,
Proof of the season’s mercy.

No moon to see this darkened night
Yet there is much that we can see,
The heavens still shine bright tonight
To provide a show for you and me.

Look into the night time skies
The constellations span the scene,
There is Orion and the dippers
On this evening so serene.

The constellations are not all to see
So what else might catch our eye?
The graceful arc of a passing comet
Or a falling star might just fly bye.

I sit highlighting, citing, writing
what I need you to know.
In lines I'm laying, simply saying:
why did you have to go?

From world that’s turning; botched and burning,
with pen, I stand aloof.
In words I’m weaving, grieving, leaving
a page, as pledge and proof.

Of how I’m feeling – raw, unhealing,
on this cruel heartbreak day.
As I sit dreaming, tears are streaming
now that you’ve gone away.

I have not lived standing
balanced barefoot on box cutter's edge.
I once sought the balm of her voice
Laying in a pool of my own acidic longing
That dissolves and burns.

Today I grasp the immediate circle
Within my arm's reach,
Looking for signs of another intelligent life.
One that might beep in old morse code
or futuristic quantum speak,
Subatomic, inhuman, and cold.

SAVED

My father, our father,
Hallowed be thy name, reigning above many reigns
Chosen for eternity, where lights never fades
A government fearing no foe, no surrender
For thine is the power and glory,
All rendered at your feet,
Our Father, saviour of the saved

THE YEARS IN BETWEEN

At first, there was fun and laughter
Youthful exuberance, happy faces
Always smiling from head to toes
Days with so many twists and turns
All bereft of any cares or concerns
It was a life that led me by the nose
Into many new and exciting places
Unlike the times that followed after