You Live In Memory Now

Which star are you orbiting now?

I look up at the Pleiades, trying to find you there;

Wishing I could talk to you today,

Hear your laugh, or feel your small hand 

Holding mine with such surprising strength

That I believe you could still climb tall trees to save your son

Or dive into bright blue water to rescue your daughter...



You taught me to be strong

(My moral compass comes from you)

But now my strength is failing, fading...

I reach out for you, bereaved and bereft -

My eyes full of brine and regret -

Searching for those small, strong hands

To keep me afloat in these dark waters...



You live in memory now,

As I dutifully dog-paddle through my life -

No more birthday cards to make

Or Mothers' Day flowers to send -

And it's impossible to forgive myself for my failures,

But I get some small comfort from my memories,

Like all orphans who search the sky for departed souls...

Saving Ladybugs

Today I'm saving ladybugs
They're on my window screens
I'm rescuing a wasp as well
I want to set them free

They feel the sun, they see the sky
They sense the trees, the grass
I know they cannot free themselves
They cannot go through glass

I let them fall into my hands
Or catch them in a cup
They spread their wings and fly away
I wish them all good luck

Today I'm saving ladybugs
It's not that hard to do
Tomorrow maybe I'll be saved
Who knows? Or maybe you

No News Is Good News

Monument at Gettysburg National Park

So much time has passed...
The Writing Muse is quiet,
Or maybe just asleep

Thinking isn't writing
Planning isn't doing
And wishing isn't having

We make our own destiny
And the road to Hell is almost always
Paved with good intentions

But Hell is here
The sick and dying are here
The survivors are still here

And we will rise
Tarnished by our copper tears
But we will rise

Better, perhaps, than before
A little worse for wear
And ready to rise again

Rise with humility
Rise with compassion
Rise with gratitude

That is my hope
And if I prayed
That would be my prayer

That we would see and be our best selves
Even in the darkness
And also in the light