AJ

It doesn't seem fair
To find brilliance
Again
After so many years
Only to lose it
In so short
A time.
It doesn't seem fair
That we should lose
The heart of something
Just to gain
Things that
Don't matter.
But
Whatever
You do,
Your brilliance
Won't fade
And what you
Brought to us
Will always
Matter.

Martesisimo

Beautiful day -
So enjoyable.
To watch
Things and
Sing along
And see people.
It makes every day
Better.
It makes every day
Grand.
So enjoy the day
While you
Have it to spend.

Conflict

Tell me something
I don't know
And I will try to
Help.
Tell me something
New tonight
And I will
Treat you well.
What to do now
And what to do
About it all
Before I face
Tomorrow
Or about-face
Today?

Outlook

The way this life
Plays out
Depends upon
So many things.
What we choose
To believe, and
How we choose
To behave,
And react,
And our attitude
All make a difference.
So let us
Have an outlook
That mirrors
What we want
To get
Out of life.

Parameters

Good is whatever
We want it to be
Without letting things
Get too crazy.
Good can be a TV show
Or good can be a meal,
Good can be a memory
That time alone can't steal.
Good can be
A lot of things.
Good can be
A face.
Good can be
The feeling
At the end
Of all
Your days.

Embrace The Tragic Magic

A beautiful thing
Shattered -
Broken down the center -
How can we keep her
Out of harm's way?
Her faith is broken -
Tattered -
And still she believes
Inherently
In the goodness
Of others.
Past choices don't much
Matter,
Even though they do,
Because they change
The game.
And if everything happens
For a reason,
What reason
Is there
For this?

First And Last

First things first
And last is later,
Waiting for
This charming caper
To end when
It once
Was just the
Beginning -
A discovery
So sweet,
We hardly
Could fathom
The way it
Would unfold
With one favorite
Leaving
And another
Just giving.

Amaze

It was a day
Full of pizza and pie -
Casserole and TV
And Jake, and my
Oh my
What a day
This was.

Mia

What's in a name
Or a day
Or a week?
What gives such things
Power to take
From the meek?
Not okay.
Not allowed.
I won't accept this
Screaming silence.
Let me end this
Breaking chains,
Saving veins.
Make a way.
Stay her place.
Soon, okay?
Scream out loud.
Wake from your slumber
Sleeping Beauty.
Truly, there is
So much left
For your little hands to grasp.
Don't let this last.
It's all I ask.
Until...and unless...
They wait in this strange world
Until something changes.
Until then, rest.
You're always blessed.

Wherever I Go

My life is a crazy swirl of colors
Falling around me and
Bringing up my
Heart so much.
There is a place
Within, where I keep
All these colors
Just for me
And all I want.
It is a precious place
Where prayers reside
Inside.

Aqua-Deficiency

Turn off my water
And watch me flounder -
Where will I shower
And how can I drink
When my sink just
Spits and sputters?

Fall Love

Oh, how I love
The crackly orange, the
Apple cider
And pumpkin spice,
The costumes,
Vivid colors,
And the first snow
That falls
In the fall.

Dance Lesson

Sometimes
Things take
Precedence
Over feeling
Tired or
Sad or lame.
Sometimes
I just need
My cousin
To brighten
Up my day.

Loving

Loving these
Little surprises
That come in
Unexpected packages
To brighten my day.
Loving the people
In the corner of
My world -
Who go out of
Their way to make
Others feel better
No matter the
Time.

Losses

How can it be
A just world
When right in my corner
Kids feel hopeless and
Languish with
No one to protect them?
I will rise up
And vanquish this hate
Masquerading
As well-meaning -
When really,
There's no meaning
To this
At all.

Voices

To hear your voice
To know your thoughts
Will be such a joy.
To have you joining
Conversations
Once again...
There are no words
For this.

About Gifts

It is such a gift
To reach out
And help others.
It is such a gift
To lift their spirits.
It is such a gift
To share our lives
And be there
For one another.
Life's a gift
And we are gifts,
So let us remember
To give ourselves
Freely.

Nutella

Just let it be
Leave well enough alone
When things are going well -
Don't want your cover blown.
Just sit tight,
Just take it easy.
Just look to tomorrow
If you please.
I'll spread some
Nutty, chocolate goodness
On just one
Slice of bread,
And when I
Take a bite of it
Heaven will be
Had.

All That Matters

When the world around you
Comes crashing in
And crushing forces
Won't give in.
Just look around -
If you forget -
At least you'll know
We love you, yet.

Happenstance

What happens next
After all the smoke clears
When the storm passes
And all disappears?
What happens now
That everything changed
When we can do nothing
But wait, hope and pray?
What happened then
Before it all happened
And how can we get
To that place again?
This is what happens:
We do what we have to -
Hold tight to each other
And know it's not the end.

Dreams

Tell me your problem
And listen to me
Listen.
Don't think it's fake
And know that I'll take
You so seriously
And we will roll
Around in flowers
And we won't trap
Ourselves in towers.
Just me to you.
Just you to me.

What Is This About?

Light around
Without a sound
It hits low and dirty
And leaves here without me.
What is to say
When nothing makes sense
When all left behind
Are paper and pens?
So let me go there
Say you don't care
Or let me speak
The words you need
And understand
That this is not
The kind of thing
To take lightly.

Fallen

Sitting where I stand
I'm standing still
With the world turning
Around
Carved out of insecurity,
Insincerity.
Please share with me
In this time we've got
Before it's gone, like smoke
Before my eyes.
But it's okay to sit
Where you're at,
With the ruins of
Everything
At your feet -
Just to be -
Because there's
Goodness here,
And when you least
Expect it
There it is -
A hand extended -
To help you up
From where
You fell.

Beauty In Imperfection

What's so good about a song
Or a gift unshared
Or a flawed design
Or a poem, uninspired -
The goodness in them
Is their imperfection.
Their ability to draw out emotion
We all need the dark
Equally as much as
We need the light.
Look under the bed before
You say goodnight.
Find the monster beneath
And thank him for your plight,
Because there are positives
To be gained in every
Negative situation.
What's so perfect
About perfection?
I'm deflecting.
To be honest I'm worried
About losing my mojo -
I'm nervous I'll write something
Not at my level, but well below.
What's so perfect
About perfection?
Let us not object
To the imperfection
Surrounding us.