The Proposal

A billion stars winked at her teasingly
From the clear night sky.
A million thoughts careened inside her head
In every possible direction.
A thousand smiles they had exchanged
Over the years.
A hundred reasons she could think of
To say no.
A dozen roses held tantalizingly
In front of her.
Two people waiting on the moor
In that most poignant of moments.
One person to spend
The rest of her life with?

To find, perhaps,
Countless joys, depthless trust,
Boundless love, endless happiness,
And priceless memories?

She took a deep breath,
And said, "Yes".

The Slightest Excuse

I have fond memories of an old friend.
Even in the gravest of circumstance,
If I looked in to her twinkling eyes,
I could swear she was ready to break into dance,
At the slightest excuse.

A cheerful soul, ready with a smile,
A warm greeting, a kind word,
A disarming joke, and such pretty lips,
I could swear she was ready to launch into laughter,
At the slightest excuse.

When she was around, even the wannest face
Would light up with a smile;
Brush away the tears,
And laugh, and talk, and dance
At the slightest excuse.

Many years passed 'fore I saw her again,
But I scarce recognized her without her smile...
She held her head lower, had circles 'round her eyes,
And could burst into tears, it seemed to me,
At the slightest excuse.

No disarming jokes, but bitter retorts.
No laughing lips, just a compressed frown.
No uplifting words, only cynical taunts.
She could go into a shell, it appeared to me,
At the slightest excuse.

I cornered her later, and cupped her cheek,
And looked at her with searching eyes.
She crumpled then, head on my shoulder,
And let the tears flow free.

What happened, I asked.
Life, she said.
Oh, friend, I realize now,
In grievous, bitter irony..

The person you needed all those years
To keep your chin high, your eyes bright,
Your heart and soul intact..
Was none other than you.

Have Faith

When as a child I played in the fields,
Fell and bruised my knees,
I cried out for pain, and for someone
To lead me by the hand to the doors of my home...

As I pored over my books,
And racked my head at ideas obscure,
I hoped for someone to peer over my shoulder
And bring the elusive meanings within my grasp...

When I stood at the crossroads,
Hesitant and unsure,
I wished someone would step out of the blue
And give me a sign, show me the way...

When I lay fevered in bed,
My face contorted in pain;
I prayed for someone to come to me
And heal me with a touch of his hand...

As I walked alone on a thorny road,
I yearned for someone to keep me company
To keep my thoughts together,
And my sanity intact...

One day I sat, silent, in the House of God,
And asked, by what right do you expect Faith
When you have never been there
As I walked my path of Life?

But now I wonder...

Was it your gentle hand that wiped my tears away
And bade me walk home that day?

Was it your invisible touch that guided me to the right books
So that I may ask, and think, and learn?

Was it your comforting presence that told me
No matter which way I go, everything will be alright?

Was it your smiling face that gave me strength
To face my illness and come out a better man?

Was it you who sent those special friends
To keep me company on the thorny road?

Was it your unspoken voice,
That told me every day,
"Have Faith"?

Slip Away

(Inspired in part by the song Iris by Goo Goo Dolls)

A stolen moment...
Under the stars.
One that I relive...
Every day, every hour.

Memories are meant to be remembered
And tears are meant to be shed.
Dreams are meant to be shattered,
But I know I'll see you again.

All I can see are your eyes
And all I can hear are our heartbeats;
All I can feel is your breath on my lips
The moment will never slip away...

Hearts are meant to be broken,
And wishes are meant to be lost to the wind.
Eyes are meant as much to weep as to see.
And yet I know I'll see you again.

All I can smell is the scent of your hair
And all I can touch is your soft skin;
All I can hold is your hand in mine,
And I refuse to let it slip away.

Hearts and dreams may be shattered to bits
And eyes may weep oceans of tears,
But I'll cherish the memory as long as I live
And I know I'll see you again.

The Last Refrain

(My apologies to Dream Theater for borrowing what I suspect is a copyrighted phrase. And there is nothing wrong with my mood... ask the poem, not the poet.)

I hide from faceless shadows,
I'm shadowed by nameless fears.
I fear nothing, and everything.
Who will take away my pain?

Blameless, yet I regret the past.
Pastless, yet I bear the scars.
Scarless, yet I feel the agony.
Nothing to lose, yet nothing to gain.

Haunted in the waking world
As much as that of the dream.
Who will hear this lost refrain?
Who will hear my last refrain?

My soul is shattered
Like a broken mirror.
I reach out blindly with my hand...
Someone, oh someone, take away my pain!

Wanderlust

As a boy he refused to sit still,
He crawled in caves and plumbed ponds;
Climbed hills and brought back fronds;
To see it all, that was his will.

On a trip to the coast he saw a ship,
Invincible upon the sea surf;
He knew straight his life's calling
And joined their crew for an infinite trip.

He worked and drank and sang with his men,
And ne'er did he know a boring day;
The sea and the stars enchanted him,
And his spirits soared unbidden.

In the winds and the waves they put their trust,
And pirates they fought and storms they rode,
Far they sailed and wonders they saw,
And ne'er did they stop, ne'er did they stop,
For they were struck by wanderlust.

They put to shore on a distant port,
And settled down for repair;
They wandered the town and brought cheer
For making merry was their forte.

A thief there stole our hero's heart
With pretty brown eyes and a ready smile,
Curly locks and a voice divine.
And eager he was to every day's start.

Being away from her became a chore,
And he shared her love for the twinkling stars,
The cottony clouds, the cool light breeze,
And spinning 'round in meaningless terpsichore.

But the time at last came to depart,
"Don't go," she pleaded, and his heart was rent,
"But a sailor's what I am, and sailing's what I do,
I have to go, on the morrow I start."

"Damn your love for the sea,"
She cried, "Fool am I to fall
For a man whose love for her
Exceeds his love for me!"

She ran home and shut the door,
And the sailor trudged on board.
His mood was black as the moonless sky,
As his ship left the shore.

Long years after that fateful night
As he glanced upon the shimmering waves
He imagin'd he saw those sparkling brown eyes
And he found his heart squeezed tight.

But in the winds and the waves he put his trust,
And pirates he fought and storms he rode,
Far he sailed and wonders he saw,
And he ne'er could stop, no, he ne'er could stop,
For he was struck by wanderlust.

Look up!

Cold.
I rub my palms together
And hug myself for warmth;
An unforgiving night have I chosen,
To be walking back.

Dark.
The street lamps are dull and far between;
It is a moonless night,
And just a few minutes into the unwelcoming gloom
A pall settles on my thoughts.

Alone.
There is not a soul in sight;
No pedestrians to smile in passing,
No small animals to amuse me with their antics,
No cars to remind me of reality.

A smile appears suddenly on my lips,
A mirthless, wry smile.
Cold, dark and lonely.
The Surroundings?
My Mood?
My Heart?
My Soul?

I look up at the stars
For it is a clear sky;
At least they are familiar,
And good enough company
Once you get to know them.
I wink at them,
And they all wink back.

Suddenly it seems,
I do not walk in darkness,
But comforting, mellow starlight.
The cold is not overpowering
But rather, rejuvenating.
The loneliness is an illusion,
For your loved ones are always there
Looking down at you
From far away.

All you need to do is look up.