The Waterfall

Here I am walking through this forest

The wind whispers sweet words in my ear

The air is warm and heavy with scents

Lilac, mint, apple blossoms, and moss

I follow the sounds of birds and water

To a pool and waterfall; crisp, clear

My frock falls to the ground as I wade

The warm water froths at my knees

Underneath the cascade, my mind blanks

The roar drives away my concerns

And I am left with a heart free at last

Under the Maple Tree

I walked up to the shady hill

And look into the valley below

Saw the people living there

Protected by the mountains capped with snow

I watched them as they lived their lives

Blissfully innocent of the unknown

But I had left and seen the world

And could not return to my valley home

One day a man came to my hill

And saw the pain in my eyes

He pulled me close and rocked me

And I was content to cry

He held me till evening fell

And then he kissed my cheek

He laid me out beneath the tree

For my eternal sleep

You held me close as I cried

You've held me close as I've cried
Even if I didn't know the reason why
You knew my heart was breaking
And you'd do anything to stop the aching
So you held me close as I cried

Last sunset

Peace to all who pass this way,

For today may be your last

And with one sunset left to see

Hold to nothing from your past

And Watch the Sun Go Down

When the years have become but a moment

In a long forgotten childhood

I hope that as I rock in my porch swing

And watch the sun go down

A familiar sweet voice will say

I love you

While my eyes will have grown weary

Seeing just more than shapes and shadows

With my ears sometimes hearing dead voices

But not the living ones next to me

I will turn and smile at the voice

Whose eyes and ears are as failing as mine

And gently reply I love you too my darling

And you will take my hand

And watch the sun go down

Unknown Love

I sit in your lap, arms about you

Your hand at my waist the other comes across

To my face and guides it to your shoulder

Lingering there

The darkness hangs about us

It loiters in the corners

and draps the windows.

It hesitates at the door unwilling to leave

It shrouds the furniture in black sheets

giving the appearence of disuse

And it covers us in black silk gauze

Suddenly I open my eyes

blinded by the high summer sun

I have fallen frm my hammock

which sways in a gentle breeze

My hand goes to my face

expecting to find yours

Instead only tears

It was only a dream

The Ways of the Moon

With a wind so soft and chill

This night makes my heart stand still

It's like I've been frozen in time

Like all the world suddenly went blind

I see life passing me by

I tilt my head to the shimmering sky

"Oh lovely moon, why torment me so?"

She just laughs as she gazes below

Cold cruel fate, I must watch from outside

Until the moon changes the tide

But by then who knows how things will be

And my romance might have become history

A soft Wind

A soft wind is hard to track

One is forced to double back

Perceive the clues to find the trail

To the beginning of the gale

A soft wind was originally strong

Thought by now its vigor is gone

The clouds aren’t stirred by a breeze

They roll by with gentle ease

Blow by soft wind, greet the dawn

The last remnants of a storm gone

The Id

Easy is her breathing, now.

Her moist eyes and tangled mass of hair reveal that not an hour before,

She thrashed in her sheets, with moans and tears to make the hardest heart break.

Ack! She whimpered and knit her brow.

Peace child, sleep sweet and without fear

For these phantoms of the Id cannot harm you.

But tomorrow face the demons in the daylight.

A Chance in the Dark

Ho! Sweet knight! Who are you this night?

Where be the shining, gleaming figure of the day?

You have set him aside as the moon sets aside the sun,

And let your gilded cloak fall away.

A kiss

Ah, so beautiful, so gentle

Pale and radiant.

Long, graceful arms that caress so easily

Bathing me in a wash of fingers.

Oh! I ache to kiss the moon,

But alas, he is out of my mortal reach!

Rose Among Thorns

A rose among thorns

Stems and vines

Roots and leaves

Intertwine

Thorns protrude like vicious teeth

They nip my skin

They keep defend against intruders

Gingerly I push away the barbed brush

Ignore the red beads on my hands

Then there at the center

I find my treasure

A simple rose

Hidden in a dome of thorns

Soft petals, silky and smooth, caress my face

Beauty such as this should not be kept from the world

But for its own protection must hide

And show the thorns

To glimpse the rose, neigh to find

Is be whole again

A rose among thorns

Stems and vines

Roots and leaves

Intertwine

Connections

I describe our friendship as a mountain hike.

A class trip where a single strand of thread connects everyone

As we disperse, groups break off onto separate trails

We seem to follow the same path.

Threads around us snap off as the terrain becomes more laborious

I also notice we are no longer connected by a single thread,

Instead a string of many threads

The ground is rocky like a dried riverbed.

I stumble and fall; you remain to help me up

The string changes a second time, now to a satin chord, stronger but still easily broken.

We’ve come to boulders, stumbling blocks and the chord transforms to twine and becomes Shorter

Our friendship has strengthened, deepened

In our path to the mountain peek is a precipice

The twine multiplies and converts to a strong rope

Together we pull and work our way up,

Struggling as one

The line has reduced considerably

I can’t walk without brushing your shoulder

The mountain sharpens and I stand wondering

Will the rope change?

Will it break and I fall to my death?

I stand and look into your eyes and hold your hand

What awaits us at the top?

Do I really want to know?

Seaside Sleep

The sun sets out over then ocean

Crashing waves sing lullabies to me

And send me with motherly devotion

Off to sleep on the sand by the sea

The waves come, like a blanket cover

Touch my cheek as I dream merrily

Up above the stars seem to hover

They melt away all my anxieties

So here I stay till dawn warms the shore

Slow to wake from the sweetest of dreams

Without worries or sorrows anymore

Leave my beach, which is more than it seems

Vive La Verity!

How I long for a world devoid of lies

Free to speak as one pleased, without a fear

No deceit, no motive behind your eyes

I want to bring my mystical world here

It would be so simple if we spoke true

Doubt would not invade and cloud men’s judgment

And the world would become less cruel

Evils would starve, absent of rudiments

But even I fall short and speak falsehoods

I justify my words with “I know better”

But I’m not; I am trapped by them, like you

My lies are my ball, my cuffs; my fetter

But for miracles to come, I must start

And leave a trail of broken bleeding hearts

Falling Asleep

With a tender kiss he touched her cheek
His hand rested on her crown
Near her ear his lips sat poised to speak
Her breathing was the only sound
"Without you I would be all alone,
I have no one else to hold."
Her heart melted at his sincere tone
And she trembled as if cold
He pulled her close and whispered "Thank you."
Sighed as he laid down to sleep
She paused till his chest slowly fell and rose
Then silently began to weep