The way sunbeams
Pierce the gray
Morning clouds
The way a melody
Sweetly greets
My morning yawn
A quiet breeze
Causing the trees
To gently sway
A blade of grass
Singly illuminated
By the afternoon sun
The way pinks and reds
Grace the horizon
Right before nightfall
The way Grace
Eases the fears that
Arrive with the dark
Each experience
Accepted with
No sense of doubt
Knowing the Source
Is always present
Even though unseen
Old hurts suddenly
Rear their ugly head
Bringing new
Aches and pains
To the surface-
Fear closely follows
Afraid the fractures
In an already
Fragile armor
Might give way
Leaving behind
A pile of rubble
To sift through-
Then I remember
Strength resides
On the inside
It feels the hurt
But also sees the light
Finding its way
Through the rifts
Into the Hidden
Recesses where
Healing continues
The light shines in the darkness
And the darkness
Has not overcome it.
John 1:5
We all begin
As a clean slate
Or do we?
How much of my mom
Was present from
The beginning?
What about my dad?
The physical likenesses
Are obvious, even expected
But what about nature-
Was I already more
Like one than the other?
Or did watching
Their example
Produce gradual growth
Transforming me not
From a blank slate
But from the outline
Of a complex
Paint-by-number portrait
Coming into view
As each new color
Is added and blended
Brushstrokes
Of emotions
And experiences
And connections
Rendering
My journey
Of Becoming
This year carried
An increased awareness
Concerning the
Life of leaves
Usually, there’s
An excitement
With the appearance
Of new buds
A sweet sigh of relief
A sure sign of
Surviving the cold-
And, of course,
There is always
Oohing and Awing
Over their magical
Color changes in Fall-
But this year…
This year, it was
The bright green
Of newly opened leaves
That filled me with
Joy and hope-
Just like the smile
In my granddaughter’s eyes
Another poem from the writing circle. Thank you, Ali ❤️ https://flashlightbatteries.blog/
When clouds appear soft
Their colors muted
Blending one with another
Covering the sky
With a grace-filled blanket
Evenly sharing their weight
Allowing for a healing release
Of raindrops so gentle
You barely notice them-
We forgot our umbrella
Should we go back?
Let’s follow the raindrops
Into this unexpected reprieve
From the busyness of life
From present to past
And back again
One step in your direction
And time was somehow erased
Another glance
And I saw us both
As younger and older
In the very same second
Smiles and hugs
Remember when’s…
But only a few-
Those memories
Were already lived
Now was the time
For sharing the space
That passed in between-
A foundation of knowing
And now a re-knowing-
You said it was a
Full-circle moment
And I think you were right
To friendships, old and new. ❤️
Cloud and Sun struggled
Over their place
In the sky today-
One provided shade
While carrying
Hints of rain
The other interrupted
With light and warmth
There was an ebb and flow
Within their banter
More like siblings
Vying for attention
Instead of a competition-
Of course, they had a
Captive audience-
Newly Bloomed Rose
Reported the following:
There was an encouraging air
Of cooperation overhead today
I love that
You send me
Pictures of clouds
Telling me how
Pretty they are
On a particular day
Where you are
I love that you
Take time to notice
Assuring me it is ok
For me to pause
And take notice
Of the clouds
Assuring me it is not
Time wasted
But rather a time
For deep breaths
That leaves behind a
Happy, thankful heart
All it takes
Is one early
Spring shower
And bright
Green smiles
Suddenly appear
Around every corner
The color is so vibrant
So fresh and new
It causes me
To question
Whether or not
It is genuine-
Then, a quiet breeze
Happens to pass
And baby leaves
Begin to wave
Their friendly wave
The smiles growing
Instantly wider
-Theirs and mine-
And I am gently
Reminded to embrace
Each new season
With hope and faith
Oh, and maybe a smile
When the notes
Fall out of tune
Will you still listen?
When my hands
Grow stiff and slow
Will my music still
Make you smile?
When wrong notes
Become noticeable
Will you still ask me to play?
Music played in the past
Not always playable
In the future-
Notes too many
Rhythms too complicated
Tempos too fast-
But what if
I intentionally
Left out a few notes
Simplified rhythms
Relaxed tempos-
As long as the music
Remained centered
In my heart, perhaps
You would not object
To my necessary revisions
Piano Girl 