When the Glass Breaks is a collection of poems divided into four sections: Living, Breaking, Mending, and Reflecting. The following poem is from the first section, Living. I hope you enjoy it! 💙
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The warmest of oranges
Disappears into the deepest,
Darkest of Blues –
Perfect backdrop
For a display of
Silhouetted trees-
Their true colors
Temporarily invisible
Yet, they stand tall
As details of their searching
Rewards from their reaching
Are etched into this brief
Window of time-
A reminder that each day
Will come to an end
But on the best of days,
A lingering gratitude
Like glowing coals
From a dying campfire
Holds enough affection
To warm my hands
Leave me with rosy cheeks
All the while, melting my heart
Gray clouds linger
Matching the heaviness
Hovering over my heart-
As deceptions spread
Anger and sadness
Try to sneak in and
Overtake my emotions-
But worry and fear are not
The way forward-
Returning hate for deception
Will not lift this haze-
Love enveloped in grace
Mercy grown from love
Sentiments that begin to
Calm my anxious thoughts-
The gray clouds will lift
Long before this heaviness
Hovering over my heart
But I must believe it, too,
Will eventually clear-
In the meantime,
What can I do?
Love my neighbor as myself
We teach by example
Intentioned or not
They learn from the example
Intentioned or not
Little eyes watching
Little ears listening
Little hands reaching
Little souls speaking-
If I look long enough
Glimpses of my actions
Will be seen in
The hearts of those I love
There is no avoiding-
Praying I give more thought
To the intention
And reflections seen
Give cause to smile
Each tiny twig
Like a cold hand
Reaches toward the sky-
Too many to count-
Each held in place
With its larger branch
Securely attached to the trunk-
The roots, always unseen
Yet, their presence felt
With every passing storm
Their wisdom entrusted
In this season when youth
Fades with the falling leaves
And lessons emerge
From an intricate design-
A skillfully drawn
Pen and ink against
A blue-pink watercolor sky-
Teaching my outstretched hand
To soak in the warmth of even
The most short-lived
Patch of Sunshine
Remembering my sweet Dad today. Miss him so much. ❤️
Tea parties and bears
Building blocks and bubbles
Favorite shows
Favorite snacks
Silly Songs
Belly laughs
Rocking chairs and
Rhyming books
One more drink
One more snack
Soft blankets
Sweet lullabies
Sleepy eyes
Dreamy naps
After all the leaves have fallen
And bare branches
Are covered in snow
Only then can we see
The precious homes left behind-
Homes constructed using
Carefully gathered materials
Perfectly woven in preparation
For a season of life
Lived in the trees –
A temporary season
Filled with holding
And protecting precious cargo-
Fragile eggs and then tiny birds
Chirping and eating
Sleeping and growing
Until all are ready to fly off
Into their next adventure
Leaving their home behind-
Providing an opportunity
Within their leaving
For us to wonder, reflect,
And possibly even relate
A patch of baby blue
Cheerfully smiled, Good morning
A welcomed greeting
Following recent gray
Heavy-mist days-
Even the sun
Attempted a greeting
But its rays produced only
A white glow behind
The lingering clouds-
An overcast day lay ahead
But one glance in the rearview
And there was that smiling
Patch of baby blue-
Reminded me of you
Your brief smile in passing
Always a welcomed sight
Remains close by-
Whether the day is long
Whether the day is gloomy
Whether I’m simply wishing
For more time with you
Bright colored paper
Covered in pretty designs
Artfully placed around gifts
With the help of sticky tape, of course-
Shiny bows, perfectly placed
The recipient’s name, neatly written
Waiting to be opened
As soon as we are together
Recollections, clear and faint
Covered with faces and places
Interlaced around my heart
With the help of time, of course-
A name, sweetly spoken for each face
A feeling taking me back to each place-
Waiting to be shared
Whenever we are together
An endless supply exists
For these instances of
Wrapping and unwrapping-
Joy linked with grief
Love bound to loss
Sealed with mercy and grace of course-
Working to create
An entire lifetime
My attempts to ignore you
These past few days were futile
You just kept knocking –
I should have expected your visit
After all, It’s Christmas time
Dad loved Christmas
Baking pies, giving gifts, helping others
I miss him–
That’s why I opened the door
And let you in
To remember how much I miss him-
At first, your visit caused panic
Sending me on a fruitless search
Through old voicemails
Somehow, the resulting tears
Cleared space for sweet memories-
One year, when I was grown
Dad gave me a tiny doll for Christmas
I would always be his little girl-
What I’m trying to say is
Keep Knocking, Grief
I may not answer right away
Still, I promise I won’t forget
Piano Girl 