Humor in the Annoying

An empty gas tank in the middle of the road;
Slipping on a discarded banana peel;
Locking yourself outside in the pouring rain;
A huge zit you just can't conceal;

Your keys tumbling down the storm drain;
A bug flying up your nose;
A broken high heel shoe at work;
And the pain of stubbed Pinky toes.

Stepping in a fresh pile of dog poo;
Poking yourself in the eye;
Losing a crisp twenty dollar bill;
Dropping a fresh baked apple pie.

So many silly accidents happen everyday;

There's no point in getting annoyed.

Chaos is all around us;

It's not something we can avoid. 

So the next time you trip on nothing at all,
Or get brain freeze from your favorite ice cream,
Remember to laugh at those silly moments -
They're never as bad as they seem.

Glamorless

Often, 

The richest people

Are people who 

Appear to have the least.

No big houses.

No fancy cars.

No large bank accounts.

Yet, they are full of riches.

They value people more than possessions,

Experiences instead of prizes,

Friendships over status or rank,

And giving more than taking.

And very often,

Their lives seem simple,

Less glamorous,

And yet, they're genuinely happy.

Frozen

In the midst of my darkest
Of nightmares,
I’m the last one alive.
I can't speak,
Can't move,
Can't escape what's coming.

My feet are
Cemented to the floor,
A whirlwind of fear
Churns in my stomach,
And my pounding heart
Muffles the noise around me.

My attacker approaches,
With a menacing sickle
In his bony hands,
His black hooded cloak
Flowing in the inferno
Trailing his path.

He strikes,
Swinging down upon me,
Aiming for my chest,
For my soul,
And I can't do anything
But brace for impact
And scream.

I force my eyes open
And sit up in my bed,
With beads of sweat
Trickling down my back,
Gasping for air,
And ever so thankful
To be awake.

Early Morning

Although the wood blinds are down
And block out most of the oncoming sunlight,
The shuffling of little paws,
The melodious chirping outside the window,
And the glow of daytime at the edges of the curtains
Drag me awake.

I step outside my back door
And inhale crisp early morning air,
And stretch my stiff muscles outwards,
And gaze towards the horizon
As the sun makes it's presence known.

I sigh. It's another brand new day.

I blink, and remember all of yesterday's sorrows,
And lament all of my failures,
And ache for everyone I've lost.

I blink again, and I recognize my successes,
And recall the smiles of the people I love,
And of all the love I’ve received;
Things that are so easy to forget.

I walk inside, away from my thoughts,
And plan out today's events,
And take a sip of warm, fresh coffee,
And wallow in the silence of my peaceful home,
Before the kids wake up,
Before the bustle and hustle begins.

Yes! It's another brand new day.

Deadlines

It often seems
I have the most free time
When no one needs me
For anything.

But once I get busy,
Everyone needs me,
And I can't find the time
For anything.

Chasing Echoes

In the late hours of the night,
As I turn off the lights throughout my house
And the whole world sleeps peacefully,
I see your face in my mind,
And I hear you call my name.
When I turn to look for you,
I find no one there.

In the wide open fields of our park,
Where the wind creates green waves
Across rolling hills,
I hear your laughter
And the slush of your footsteps in the grass.
When I spin around against the wind,
I find myself standing alone.

In my dream, we are young,
And Mom tells you to watch over me,
So you take me to the park with your friends
And teach me how to play ball,
Pushing me to be as tough as the boys.
When I wake up, after a sobering breath,
I find myself numb with disbelief.

Even though you're gone,
You're still around
In my thoughts,
In what I see and hear,
Or want to see and hear,
And definitely,
Absolutely,
Forever
In my heart.

Because Of You

There was a time when I'd awaken
Angry at the universe
For the rotten lemons
Sent my way.

There was a time when I'd ignore
Everyone in my life
Who didn't assist in my goals
And only got in the way.

There was a time when I'd only see
The doom in everything,
And miss the brighter side
Hidden away.

Until...

I heard your first cry,
Felt your tiny fingers,
Caressed your flushed cheeks,
And caught your innocent gaze.

Your smile.
Your giggle.
Your scent.
Your existence.

Because of you...

I've learned to make use of life's worst lemons
In a different way,

I've had incredible conversations with strangers
Instead of turning them away,

And...

I refuse to see anything but beams of sunlight
Shining your way.

Because of you,
I'm no longer astray.

Artistic Masterpieces

I watch my young son play with clay.
He kneads the dough with determination,
Pushing and squeezing,
Not knowing exactly what he's working on.

He presses it and tears it apart,
Watching closely, inhaling its scent,
Smiling as he squishes the clay
Into a logical form he sees in his mind.

In the end, he is satisfied with his statue;
Its uneven edges and bumpy shape
Made up of carefully selected
Rainbow colors.

He places it on his shelf
Next to his other masterpieces
Of unidentifiable objects,
And picks up another fresh piece of clay.