To Life

Through all that life has brought to me
the difficult and cruel
the endless tears for untold wounds
of countless lies and fickle youth
the things that I cannot change
these tragedies remain

yet, what I find most fascinates
what occupies my waking
thoughts
is not that life has dealt me wrong
or that I suffer more than most
it's that with all the counted tears
Life still brings such great  joy
and I am sane and strong

I find that I am easily
mystified by life and love
each loss of immeasurable pain
is balanced by delightful gain
so that I know by holding fast
the light I seek shall show itself
and treasures unbeknownst before
reveal themselves at last

And so I weep and moan and cry
when life so fragile takes its toll
and takes away some treasure mine
no measure of fairness found
Yet, still and all it passes on
And I rejoice at loves sheer pleasure
and know, with each sad, broken treasure
I drank deeply the sweet wine

DANCE

I heard a quote the other day
it went something like this
If perchance you should stumble
on unfamiliar terrain
do not bother to right yourself
rather, take a quick step or two
and dance away the pain

For life is full of missteps
of potholes, uneven roads
and sure as life is a journey
the road is uneven at best
so make every stumble a
pirouette
And life will be yours to finesse

When My Sister Cried

When my sister cried
It seemed the heavens wept
The pain encased in her silent tears
Was so much larger than her
Slender frame could bear
Yet, silently the tears crept down  
Her cheeks
Dripping from her chin in silent rooms
She'd strum her sad guitar with quiet grace
Such anguish pulsing from her ravaged face

She cried as if she didn't have the right
As if she weren't deserving of our care
Alone she'd hide her feelings from our sight
Her tender broken dreams upon the floor
And as her tears sprang hot from deep within
She'd strum her sad guitar and turn away
Pretending tears weren't sliding from closed eyes
Never to acknowledge we were there
Feeling undeserving of our care

Never have I witnessed anyone
Whose pain was so intense and sorrowful
As when I'd watch my sister play guitar
Tucked away from any prying eyes
Pretending that the pain she so denied
Wasn't running down like rivers from her eyes
So quietly she cried and played guitar
No mask to hide the tragedy inside
And still I feel the burning deep inside
The agony of when my sister cried

Edgar

Brilliant, brilliant broken man
Painting vivid images
With tantalizing word and phrase
Dazzling our hearts and minds
With lines that flow and ebb
With such fluidity

Brilliant, brilliant broken man
Take us to the heights of terror
Telltale heartbeats 'neath a floor
Take us to the depths of sorrow
With simple phrase of "Nevermore"
Languid lines, fraught with feeling
Leave us ever wanting more

Brilliant, brilliant broken man
Brought us tales of love undaunted
Perfect loves end tragically
Leaving us with memories haunted
By fair maiden, Annabel Lee
Perfect, tragic love undaunted
Lying by the sounding sea

Exiting this earthly hell

You, who left us all too soon
What tales had you yet to tell

Were there more glad tales of yore

Or Raven from Plutonian shore
To hold me raptly in your spell
So shall I ponder, ever more

Brilliant, brilliant broken man

Distant Echoes

All around the quiet evening
Fleeting glimpses, memories stir
Lovely memories soft as rain
Bring her to this place again
Sweetest memories lure her there
Distant echoes of despair

As she wanders going nowhere
Longing pulses through her veins
For a lover long since taken
Gentle breezes now awaken
Tattered remnants long since hidden
To her heart now come unbidden

Walking slowly through the twilight
Humming softly some sad tune

Missing, still, loves sweet embrace
Gentle lips once hers to taste
Knowing that this longing aching
Remnants of a heart still breaking

Horrible

I know I shouldn't ever wish
for unkind things or elegant
disasters
to fall upon another
yet, there are times
yes, there are times

It's not as if I ever would
actually want these petty
spiteful things to occur
yet, there are times
yes, there are times
I am truly horrible
in my head

Anticipation

I keep trying to describe
This need
This longing
This incredible anticipation
Trapped within me

It wants to be both
A song
And a wish
A dance and a dream
That isn't quite it

What words can describe
With proper
Intensity
The anticipation of achieving
A hearts desire
No words

Yet
I am bursting
With the sheer joy of it