ORIGINAL POETRY - PAGE 10

WAKING DREAM

I never wanted this waking dream that is us,
Never had the courage to believe
That dreams do sometimes come true.
But your persistent affections
Won my heart and gave me reason
To believe in myself, in love,
In life once again.
Now, what am I left with,
That you’ve gone, that I’ve bid farewell
To the waking dream of us,
And found residence somewhere
In the void between nightmare and reality? (12-17-2001)

ONE BREATH AWAY

You gave me the courage to believe in myself,
The strength to rise above all hurts,
The ability to put aside all doubts
And reach for the moon.
You taught me to love
And accepted me fully,
Faults and all.
You are the Ever-Shining Knight
That once so bravely guarded my
Honor and virtue,
Who now protects my sleep
And guards my dreams.
I close my eyes and see your face,
Hear your voice in the stillness of midnight.
I feel you in my heart
And smile to know you are
Only one breath away. (12-17-2001)

THANKS FROM "YOUR" KIDS

Mom says time is golden,
Dad says time is our own,
Teacher tells us there'll be time
For fun stuff when we're grown.

But you let me know that I was worth
So much more than time to you,
You spent the time, however long,
To teach me something new.

You worked with me in the pouring rain,
In the heat of noonday sun,
Explaining the rules, how to bat and catch,
And made it so much fun.

You dried my tears when I skinned my knee,
And when I missed the ball,
You patted my back when I struck out,
To me you gave your all.

You taught me how to be a good sport,
And be proud of all I did,
Yet you never lost sight of the simple fact
That I was just a kid.

A kid who sometimes didn't listen,
Or sit still when I was told,
But a kid who wants to thank you now,
If I may be so bold.

Patiently each day you came
And treated me like your own,
I hope someday you'll realize
The blessings you have sown.

This life you gently guided,
And touched in so many ways,
Appreciates all you have done
And will remember you all his days. (6-17-04/coaches)

HEART LIGHT

Yesterday my heart was dark,
A cold and lonely place,
Today you came and cared for me
And filled the empty space.

You held your arms wide open
And beckoned me to come,
And when at last enfolded there
I felt I had come home.

You struck the match that lit
A flame of hope within my heart.
You fanned the flame til burning bright
And gave to me this start.

I wait for you and long to see
The red rose you display,
I eagerly await each word
To hear what you will say.

Your lips I taste within my dreams
Your arms about me feel,
Your words I hear inside my head
You make my senses reel.

Yes, dark has been my heart of late
A place I dared not dwell,
Until you came and gave to me
Much more than I can tell.

A light now glows within me
For you though still afraid,
I wait to see what each morrow brings,
As my heart at your feet is laid. (6-20-04/rkm)

HOUR GLASS

Oceans of time pass so slowly
Between now
And the time I spend with you.
Each grain in the hourglass
A moment
Dripping endlessly down
To collect in a pile below,
Each speck another moment
Building layer upon layer
Of time, that serves to
Bring me closer to you.
Time is both an enemy
And a friend to me.
How I hate and love
This time that rules my life.
These softly-ticking seconds
That hold me captive…
Until at last they release me
Into the warmth and love
Of your embrace. (6-22-04/rkm)

THE DEATH OF A DREAM

Night falls and I sit alone once more.
Tears flow freely and again own the cheeks
Where once your lips burned kisses.
How I ache for you, my absent darling.
How lost my body feels without your touch.
How empty is my heart now, without your love.
Will there ever be a time that I can
Sleep without awakening to this
Loneliness that scars my soul?

I dream of you still,
Of the you and I we always planned to be.
I cling to the shadow of a hope
That on some distant shore you remember
The tomorrows we planned to spend together,
And that those memories would burn
In your breast like a fiery brand
And give you no peace until at last
You return to fulfill your promises to me.

Prayers for your return to me to every deity
Ever imagined are breathed each night
Upon the winds that blow between you and me.
Candles are lit and their light illuminates
The darkness of a soul forever empty without you.
The gods, it seems, have abandoned me.
So my pleas, as yet, go unanswered.
My soul darkens,
And my dream dies a little more each day. (07-12-04/rkm)

MISSING

Where are you now?
My life seems so dark
Without the light you brought
To it so short a time ago.
I miss your sighs, your laughter,
The sound of your voice and
Soft words of love you whispered
Each day.
Where have you gone, darling?

Come back to me.
Return to the warmth and shelter
Of my embrace,
Hear the music of my heart
Play you to sleep as you
Lie in my arms.
Come back to the love
That still scorches my soul
And, I pray, will never leave me at peace. (8-24-04/rkm)

THE SMILE BEHIND YOUR EYES

I watch with wonder and amazement
As you hide your joy so real,
Wondering how you keep contained
That happiness you feel.

Knowing that my own inside me
For you burns so bright,
That scarcely can I find the strength
To hide it every night.

I hear it with each word you speak
Each laugh, each breath, each tear
I wonder how the others who share
Our lives never see or hear,

The way you're so not speaking
All the joy within your heart,
The way I'm so not speaking
How I never want to part,

From that smile within your heart of hearts
That's never allowed to rise
To grace your lips and melt my soul
But only rest there behind your eyes. (10-05-04)

ALL ABOUT YOU

I love the fact we can talk for hours on end
Never running out of things to say.
I love that the best part of all that I am
I can share with you every day.

I love that you seem to truly desire me
Wanting me just for me,
And not for only what your ears can hear
For just what your eyes may see.

I love that you get my silliest jokes,
And laugh WITH me and not AT me.
I love that the purest joy we know
Is found in the perfection of "we".

I love that you say you'd be completely content
To just hold me all night long.
I love that you feel what I feel when we hear
All the love in the words of a song.

I love that the sweetest of aches I have
Is for you in the dead of night.
I love that I wake with the sun each morning
To find my pillow I'm clutching tight.

I love that I dream of the scent of you
And long to bathe in that scent sublime.
I love that I know it's you that I'll long for
And love til the end of time. (10-14-04)