What is it about the seas...

What is it about the seas

That calls attention from near and far?

Perhaps it’s the way the salty breeze
Softens and smooths the roughest scar;

Or how, despite the sun, one clearly sees
The hopeful hint of an evening star;

Or how one collects seashells with ease 
To keep forever in a crystal jar;

Or how the incoming waves taunt and tease,
And we jump and giggle right where we are;

The number of reasons span galaxies —
Most are rational, some bizarre.

But one thing the seas surely guarantees
As I search for inner peace thus far —

It’s the perfect place to release melancholies

Trapped deep within my beating heart.

The Climb

Your summit may seem unreachable
From the base looking up at the top.
Lower your eyes to the rocks in front of you—
Start climbing and don’t ever stop.

Your looming anxiety may hail doubt and fear
And freeze the new path before your feet.
Don’t retreat to the comforts by your fireplace;
Keep digging your boots into the sleet.

And yes.. your errors and failures may produce
Abysmally cavernous holes.
If you fall in, take a breath…
Climb out…
And get back on the trek to your goals.

So stop wishing and dreaming and plan your route,
And take your first step without dread.
Ignore how impossible the journey seems—
Don’t create another mountain in your head.

Our Loved Ones Never Die

Our loved ones never die.

Their spirit transforms into

Birds chirping in the early morning,

A gentle breeze caressing your cheeks,

The serene warmth of the midday sun.

Our loved ones are all around us.

They're in the old song on the radio,

In the scent of their favorite flowers in bloom,

In the worn-out photos on your walls

Or a birthday gift you've treasured over the years.

Our loved ones still live through us.

They're in the stories you pass down to your children,

In silly jokes you've told a thousand times,

In the memorabilia on your side table,

And in the customs you've carried on.

You cannot touch them.

You cannot see them.

You cannot hear them.

But you can feel them.

Our loved ones will always live in our hearts.

A Young Dreamer

A gentle wind flows in through the trees

Carrying the scent of apples and pears.

I awaken under the sound of rustling leaves,

With flower petals in my hair.

I dreamed of flying with mighty dragons

And swimming at the bottom of the sea.

I write my dreams down as fast as I can

Before they scatter away from me.

My journal is filled with endless scribbles

Of ideas that stretch out towards the moon.

Stories, poems, an ode to my (soon to be) true love, 

And sometimes I draw silly cartoons.

The sun is setting, so I'll be back tomorrow

To dream and doodle away.

My time is my own, but not for long,

For all of us have to grow up someday. 

Resigned

Of all the errors I have made

The ones that are worst to me
Are those that raise doubt,
Giving room to flout,
Of my humanity.

These chimeras tend to linger
In the calm meadows of my mind,
And keep me awake
Until daybreak
When my confidence has resigned.

The Prize

My daughter cartwheels under the sunset sky,

Each flip squeezes my newborn heart.

I wonder, as she learns to fly,

Will I adequately supply

The foundation to give her a running start?

My daughter's smile is like a wild rose,

Captivating anyone with honest eyes.

I wonder, as she endlessly grows,

The mother that she currently knows,

Will she become, as much, her prize?

-------

Found this piece perusing old emails from my last corporate job.

Written back in 2005.

Natural Choices

Sometimes, unexpected winds of change
Uproot everything in your path
And force you down to your hands and knees.

You can stay low and still,
Surrender to your altered surroundings,
And hate the universe for cursing you.

Or

You can rise up from the ground,
Dust yourself off, adjust your goals,
And persevere in your new world.

The choice is yours.

Rebirth, a Haiku

From the bright embers

Of life's pain and misery,

Your strength will arise.

Misery & Loneliness

The distance between you and people you love
Has nothing to do with being
Physically apart.

It has everything to do with
How much unconditional love you give
And how much you forgive.

The more free love you give
The closer they feel,
Even when they're thousands of miles away.

The more you feed your anger inside,
Or hold on to grudges,
Or find something to hate...

It doesn't matter how many people
Are within arm's reach,
You will always feel alone.

Footprints

As you worry
About your classmates transforming,
Becoming smarter, stronger or faster than you,
Maybe even better than you...

As you fret
About your clothes making you look chubby
Because you still have some baby fat,
And the mean kids at school make fun of it...

As you wonder
If you're good enough to start the next game,
Or skilled enough to make the team next year,
Or smart enough for the science program...

As you agonize
Over a project that was harder than expected,
Or homework that kept you up past midnight,
Or a bad grade on a tough test...

As you watch
Your childhood friend abandon you,
Too afraid to stand at your side
When you go up against a bully...

Know this...

I cry inside when your tears flow.
I feel your failures as if they were my own.
I clench my fist with each injustice.
My heart breaks with yours.

I will
Always hide it from you,
Because you don't need me to fret.
You don't need to worry about me.

I will
Encourage you to climb with all your might,
To learn from your falls and your failures,
To never give up on your dreams.

I will
Warn you about friends caught in the tornado,
Being pulled in all directions, out of their control.
Patience, the storm will reveal your true friends.

I will
Make you realize you're a lion in this jungle.
Bullies and fake friends are weak sheep,
And lions never worry about sheep.

And if none of that works...

I will always listen.
I will always be here.
I will always love you.

Time Froze

We met for coffee that normal Fall afternoon.
An odd and unusual event
Of which we thought nothing peculiar at the time.

We laughed about silly things,
Talked about how good things were going,
And then departed to our normal Fall evenings.

There were no arguments.
No rancor. No angst.
Just laughter and smiles.

That evening, when the call came,
Lightning struck our core.
Time froze.

Our family broke.
We all crumbled.
Our hearts were left in ruins.

But day by day, week by week,
We put the shattered pieces back together,
One tiny fragment at a time.

Some pieces are lost forever,
Like your laughter and your smile.
Your pieces.

Now, a year has passed,
Since that day we had coffee,
The day lightning struck.

We commemorate this day
As the day our family, our world,
Lost a lot of its sunshine.

And as time continues to pass,
I hope, eventually, to forget this day,
To forget why it's commemorated.

I want to forget it's sadness and pain
And replace it with
Happier memories of you.

Raindrops

The sounds of droplets against the window

Call distant memories to mind.

I'm thirty-six, staring past the window sill,

Drinking a glass of red wine.

I'm twenty-eight, working late,

Struggling against a deadline.

I'm twenty-one, kissing my boyfriend,

Our bodies intertwined.

I'm fifteen, writing in my journal,

Questioning mankind.

I'm eleven, drawing silly pictures,

Without direction or design.

I'm seven, staring out towards the sky,

My imagination unconfined.

The sound of raindrops brings back simpler moments

That real life leaves behind.

Sisterhood

Blood is thick,

But love is thicker,

And often that love comes from a friend.

Family is given,

But friends are chosen,

And the best ones never have to act or pretend.

Maybe you have that love

From your family,

And if so, you have luck many of us can't comprehend.

But I don't lose hope,

Because at my side
Is the love and compassion of my friend.

Our meetings are rare,
But when we get together
We talk about everything and laugh to no end.

We're so close
That we're mistaken for sisters!

It's a compliment we all commend.

We might not share blood,
But we have true friendship,
And it's made me come to understand

That sometimes blood ties
Just can't compare
To the sisterhood I have with my dear friend.

......................

* Dedicated to my girls. You know who you are.

Long Forgotten

Long forgotten are the days when...

Tickling was the best thing ever,
And laughing made you spit up your food,
And pillow fights were eminent before bedtime,
And puppies and kittens ruled the world,
And Mom and Dad were the strongest of superheroes,
And your little brother was your partner in crime,
And dolls and make-believe were the craze,
And you sang at the top of your lungs without a care in the world,
And danced wildly without coordination,
And played instruments without a tune,
And you lifted your head upwards to look at me,
And my hug was the only one that could comfort you,
And my kisses were like gold,
And I held your hand to cross the street,
And I bandaged up your scraped knees,
And you wanted to be a movie star or chef or dancer or lawyer or pianist...
And rainbow colored socks were vital,
And so were pink and purple winter hats,
And playing zombie makeup was Dad's thing,
And softball and sports was mine,
And we all played board games together at night,
And we would go on long walks to get ice cream,
And...

I haven't forgotten a single day.

Anger

Anger,
If you allow it,
Will cloud your attitude,
Block out the sunshine in your day
And the moonlight in your night.

Anger,
If you permit it,
Will ruin your friendships,
Break apart family ties,
And push you to a dark and desolate place.

Anger,
If you give it access,
Will feed upon your frustrations,
Devour what little happiness you have left,
And leave you depressed and alone.

Anger,
If you try,
Can be overcome.
Be thankful for the sun, the moon, friends, family, life,
Accept them as they are,
And your anger will die.

A Lone Journey

I walk alone
Down this desolate road
In the middle of a lightning storm.

You call out my name,
Playfully, with a chuckle,
Telling me to run, to have fun, to play.

But thunder roars, muffling your voice,
And a streak across the sky
Shines upon the long, empty road ahead.

The black pavement stretches for miles
Until it shrinks into nothingness,
Disappearing into the horizon.

When the thunder fades
I hear your infectious giggle,
And you ask me why I don't laugh anymore.

You tell me a joke that only we know.
I smile for a moment, and the clouds part,
Granting me respite with the moon's warm glow.

I see twinkling stars.
I hear silence.
I feel peace.

...

Sharp winds creep in, scraping my cheeks.
Thunder rolls once more.
Thick, black clouds swallow up the moon and stars.

Lightning bolts streak across the night sky,
Pellets of frozen rain pound the earth.
I crouch low to the ground to protect myself.

The storm hovers so close to my soul -
I close my eyes, cover my ears,
And wait for the end.

...

Then... I hear your voice
Assuring me that the storm will end
And the moon and stars will shine again.

You shout at me in your commanding tone,
To move forward and never stop,
To withstand the storm's fury.

And to laugh, damn it!
For you.
For myself.

...

I stand up and wipe my tears
And look up at the clear blue sky
And smile as if you can still see me.

I hear your infectious laughter once more -
And I chuckle with you
As I continue my journey, alone.

Differences & Similarities

Wherever you are born...

That is not your origin.

We are all from somewhere else.

From a long line of people long gone.

I have yet to meet someone

Who can trace their lineage

To only one country,

One race, or one religion.

But the more we advance in years,

The more we divide

And identify with our differences.

Instead, why not focus on our similarities?

Such as... how we are all from elsewhere,

Of other people of other eras,

Of other parts of the world,

Of other religions.

Mixes between lifestyles, 

Across country borders,

Language barriers,

And conflicting beliefs.

Until we accept our similarities

For what they are,

Universal,

We will always be at war.

And we will miss out on 

Our potential love,

Our pure friendships,

And peace.

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.