Her dark hair covers her face,
as if to hide her insecurities.
The black boots which bless her feet;
she walks with dignity and grace.
Despite the fiery hells that she has endured,
with her charred dress and burning skin,
the soil blooms before her among the earth...
As if a divine.
The tears that fall from her pale face,
grazes my skin as she embraces me
and I feel I have entered the eternal life.

You said I love you for the first time
as you stepped from my car;
in a hurry to check us in at the crowded restaurant
while the car and I were headed for the gravel lot.

In that brief moment my hobnailed pause,
unintendedly cruel, must have made you feel
you had betrayed your vulnerable heart.

I considered your courage as you hesitated.
Disarmed by your words, but with clarity in the fore,
I echoed them back to you.

The tale I tell be true,
Just as 'twer told to I.
A tale you may not believe,
Take the plank from out yer eye.

The wold veller what told I the tale
Wuz never one to lie.
I takes 'is word as gospel,
So should you afore you die.

A cold wind blows as I sits by the vire
He perched across from me
Hunched over the flames a'cracklin
Ale balanced on 'is scrawny knee.

I used to worry that our hearts would slip away from each other
Everytime I couldn’t feel the touch of your hand
I used to worry that I would never see you again
Everytime I had to wave you goodbye
I used to worry that you would finally let yourself fall into my heart
And not like what you saw
I used to worry that if your hands did not reach towards me
No one else’s ever would

A bit of gray among the brown
(she thinks she's getting old).
Her forehead wrinkles with a frown.
She's ageless as untarnished gold.

Her recliner almost swallows her
as she paints without brush
using random colors that just occur.
Her fingers move without a rush.

Eyes downcast to busy hands;
legs are crossed to hold her pad.
The sight of her pumps my old glands
moving my mood to totally glad.

This morning I had text
Surprise, my sister Kay
She used to write our mom
every Monday, like a clock

Now, Mom is gone
We have started our own thing
Sporadic, it's true
But satisfying, it hits that spot

Our coffee-time, breakfast
Satisfaction with life
Or the aches in our hearts
From day-to-day living

Discussions of art
Little projects of self-satisfaction
She was up early
Going to have her say, be gone before I got there, busy

announces Summer Solstice 2023
regarding ray zing planetary earthlings

Wednesday, June twenty first
at 10:57 Ante Meridian
Eastern standard time
will find Earth's North Pole tilted
closest toward sun. This demarcates

most daylight hours of the year for
people living in the northern hemisphere.
Just shy of high noon sun (lil more than
twelve hours from drafting these lines)
nearest star in solar system reaches
highest point in the sky.

Take a breath
And a moment.
A mindful
Relaxing component.

Let out sighs,
And emotions
A lifetime
Of devotions.

Push away worry
And sadness
A wishful
Heartfelt gladness.

Paint a smile
In it's place
To dispel
Fears that chase.

Let in love
To replace
To help
Us all face.

Let our hearts
Control lives
As that
Lets us survive.

Something kinder this way walks
The ether feels lighter against my being
Focus birthing new beginnings
What once was hidden I’m now seeing

Hearing voices on the wind
Sweet songs both new and timeless call
I will answer loud and true
Shockwaves breaking down these walls

Beyond the crumbled detritus
A whole new world patiently waits
What may come and what might be
Woven tapestries of fate

Such fragility, such patience. We wait and wait until the shadows pull us in. In the blink of an eye, we become a memory. Forgotten by many, savoured by few. But those few cherish and levitate from our presence, collecting their tears into jars to be saved for us, building into a shrine of comfort and gratefulness. Though their shattered souls may be raw and exposed, we ripple through their currents, guiding them to be a better person tomorrow. No matter the time or distance, the clock continues to tick on, so embracing the love and warmth is all we have.