THE SPIRIT OF HER MOM

I’ve only seen her once…in the early morning calm….

looking into our window…the spirit of her mom.

I had been out running…(this is when I used to run)

while the moon was still illuminating…still hours before the sun.

I headed up our driveway…out of breath…hands on my hips

when I saw her…she saw me…and put a finger to her lips.

Immediately I stopped…cautious not to take another step

as she looked into the window…of the room where her daughter slept.

I watched her closely…silently…in the darkness…for a while

then she turned her gaze to me…and she nodded…and she smiled.

I smiled back…calm and unafraid…happy she found a way

to look in on her daughter…and then I watched her fade away.

And I thought how wonderful it is to know the line between life and death is thin…

that even though she’s no longer with us…her mom is looking in.

That night gave us peace of mind…for since then we have found

we both sleep a little easier…knowing she’s around.

I no longer run to begin my day but I’m confident in the early morning calm

If I look out of our window…I’ll see the spirit of her mom

looking in on her daughter…and, perhaps…on her son-in-law too

watching over and…protecting…the way she used to do.

IT ISN'T WHAT I SAW IN HIM

“What made you fall in love with him?” She was asked.

“What in him did you see?”

“It wasn’t what I saw in him.” She answered.

“It’s what he saw in me.”

ON OTHER'S SHOULDERS

He cannot answer how tall he is

no matter how much we implore me…

for he proudly stand on the shoulders 

of all those who came before him.

ROOTED

He returned, 

after many years, 

to sit under the oak tree 

near the house 

where he once dwelled

and smiled 

when he realized

he was rooted there as well.

HEAVEN CAN WAIT

He smiled through his tears as he felt her heart beat a little stronger

knowing his prayer 

today 

had been answered 

and heaven 

would wait a little longer.

I PREFER TO BE AMAZED

Sometimes I wonder about nature’s mysteries… 

how there is so much I can’t explain?

Like why the sand dunes can be heard to sing

or how flowers anticipate the rain.

Like how the sun rises to greet the day

and how at night it bids adieu.

Like how there is a rhythm to the waves

or how the sky epitomizes blue. 

Like how a stream can talk to you.

Like how dew drops nestle in the grasses.

Like how clouds can change right before our eyes 

or how leaves shiver as a cool breeze passes.

Like how life can flourish in the most unlikely places.

Like how the ocean can be so wide.

Like the boisterous sound of crows in flight

or the silence of a pelican’s glide.

Like the sheer force of thunder and lightning

as they announce a summer squall.

Like how a rainbow stretches across the sky.

Like the the wonder of a waterfall…

But then again when I stop to think about it 

I don’t really want to know

what makes the flowers smile

what makes the cool winds blow

because as I look around me…

as out on nature my eyes gaze

I don’t want to know her secrets….

I prefer to be amazed.

MEMORIAL TO A MARRIAGE

How beautiful is a heart that loves…what a wondrous sight to see…

instead of trying to restrict it…we should seek to set it free…..

They fell in love in Roman times because that’s what lovers do

They meet, and in some inexplicable way…their love comes shining through.

When two people are lucky enough to find each other, 

they find love does not confine

It doesn’t follow a set of rules, 

it has no borderlines…

They fell in love in Roman times because that’s what lovers do

but they could not get married…for back then it was taboo.

Two women cannot fall in love…it is not right they’d say

But these two women were not listening…love found them anyway.

Their love was pure and innocent…flowing honestly from the heart

It was universal and unique…

their love…a work of art.

They fell in love in Roman times because that’s what lovers do…

They remained together all their lives before they bid this world adieu…

For love brought them together…never again to be alone…

and here they lie together…their love immortalized in stone.