Then Again, Maybe Not

Of course I'm surviving, but thriving?

A chore.

I get through each day,

nothing less

nothing more.

And I wake just to tackle

what each sun has in store.

My glass isn't empty,

but I'll wait for the pour.

A life overflowing

with oil and grace:

skipping through time,

not this snail's trudging pace,

A full day of smiles affixed to my face,

the feeling that home, 

it just might be this place. 

To Do List

Hedge some funds, hedged my bets,

life is more than old regrets.

Plant a seed, wait for growth:

rain and sunshine, you'll need both.

Read a story, write a poem,

buy a silly garden gnome,

fly a kite, dance or sing, 

find a hidden tire swing. 

Mood's not blue, but skies will be,

sunshine shining down on me. 

Paraku #10: Keats

Beauty is pure truth,

That is all you need to know.

Truth is beautiful.

gillless and gutless

Living at the bottom of the lake, 

I watched those around me grow gills,

and still I lacked the oxygen to scream.

Advice to My Daughters

Follow your own path,

it leads to your destiny.

Live the life you want.

Just Do It

Do not wait 

for 

tomorrow or

next week or 

next year or

for the kids to be grown or 

the bank to be full or 

for the time or

the freedom.

This is your new beginning:

today,

this very moment.

Do something spectacular,

and do it now. 

Paraku #9: Holland

Death means nothing, Love.

Everything is as it was-

I am waiting here.

Paraku #8: Emerson

You have been lied to:

Happiness is not life's goal.

Just live and live well.

Pitch

Never mind what I said, 

now I'll speak my mind.

The truth is a spark

that's just too hard to find.

I looked for a lamp-

thought I had one to light-

but the glow quickly faded

and left me in night.

I can't seem to stop now,

I'm searching the sky

for a star or a satellite-

proof morning is nigh.

So until the dawn breaks

I'll be straining my eyes

to locate some truth

underneath all the lies.

Missing You is Hard

Some days it is small, 

a whisper in the darkness, 

but other times it is unbearable, 

nails screeching down 

the chalkboard of my mind. 

Do not believe for one second 

that I have ever let a day go by

without missing you. 

Here Comes the Sun

The rains rolled in like thunder, 

and when it was quiet 

I saw only you. 

You, 

as you have never been able 

to see yourself. 

Like you are the first star 

in the blackest sky, 

and the last ember 

in a dying fire. 

You, 

the everything that I was missing. 

The rains rolled in like thunder, 

and as they subsided 

I saw only you. 

You, 

standing tall, 

impervious to the threats 

the sky shouted down at you. 

You, 

two arms and a smile 

looking so much like home. 

You are the reason that I know 

the sun will shine again.

Ch-ch-ch-changes (Turn and Face the Sun)

Today I discovered myself

somewhere between who I was, 

and who I am meant to be.

They claim people don't change

but I wasn't always this version of me,

and a glance back shows exactly 

how far I've come.

Maybe I didn't change the whole world,

but darling, I changed myself, 

and my whole world changed because of it.

Whether something was meant to be 

doesn't matter anymore. 

I will breathe the breeze,

I will feel the sun,  

I will fly.

Paraku #7

Time always passes,

so have courage and be kind. 

Pain turns to memory.

Frankie Says Relax

"Lighten up," they told me

and so I got a lamp-

"Aren't you a happy camper?"

but I've never been to camp.

I've run clean out of chill pills

and stews are meant to simmer,

Relaxing is for hair,

a chicken dinner for the winner. 

Authenticity

Authenticity:

The greatest risk you'll ever take,

To be who you are.