gardenhackle Poetry (100)

Into my home I brought you.
It's been a decade hence.
I knew that we were family
And we've been together since.
Together we grew older,
You before your time.
Your journey so much bolder
And much more fleet than mine.
You've always waited there for me
To greet me at the door.
But now your eyes can barely see
And moving at all is a painful chore.
My heart is truly breaking
So great will be the pain.
And this decision that I'm making
Is one that chills like winter rain.
One last time I'll stroke your ears
And tell you nothing's wrong.
And tonight my eyes will flood with tears
That your life so short and mine so long.

Men lean on shovels
Orange barrels block the road
Tax dollars at work

If walking on the beach one day
I found an ancient bottle near
And if I rubbed it the right way
And a fearsome genie did appear.

And if the genie tersely said
Three wishes I will grant
But make them quick or you'll be dead
Because I shall recant.

My three would quickly pass my lips.
I know just what they'd be.
I'd wish for love that did eclipse
The sun, the moon, the sea.

I'd wish my love was sweet and kind
More lovely than the the sunset
That lovely also was her mind
More wondrous than I'd ever met.

And I'd wish her heart was made of gold
Her voice delightful to my ears.
And that together we'd grow old
With only laughter causing tears.

Yes, those three wishes I would seek
And those three I would say
Loud and boldly I would speak
And I'd be with you on that day.

There are those in life who drive to win.
They stumble and fall and get up again.
They will not settle for second best
And till they're first they cannot rest.
They struggle and fight throughout their life
Their very existence defined by strife.
Success in life their only care
Pursuing at will whatever they dare.
But to fail is such a stress free thing
Never to feel disappointment's sting.
Never to worry - no mountain to climb
No deadlines to meet in the nick of time
Nothing to lose and nothing to gain
No thrill of victory or losing's pain
Never the best and why even try
When one can relax letting life drift by.

A babe is born naked and pure,
A blank slate of infinite promise.
From his arrival into our world,
We teach and preach and tutor.
We define all his limitations;
Educating him in all that cannot be,
Finding and sorting and showcasing his faults.
We bless him with our dysfunctions,
Teach him our skillful conflict resolution
And chip away tirelessly at the magic.
We clip his wings and hold back things
And mold him, forming him, shaping him,
making him, glazing him and baking him,
Hardening him into what is proper and good
And we do it all with love.

In the background Bach is played
In the foreground wine is shared
Candles flicker, small talk made
And hearts become ensnared

The chemistry is strong, refined
A hungry longing permeates
Hands touch fingers intertwined
Eyes meet; recognizing soul mates

Lips meet, delicate and sweet
Reunited, familiar and new
A liftime traveling it took to meet
Perseverence it took to see it through

Enchanted evening, love in bloom
And the love won't be denied.
And they knew their lives beyond the room
Would be a journey side by side.

I've got ten minutes to pen a rhyme.
What can I do with so little time?
Well, maybe jot down random thoughts
Do they rhyme? Maybe not.
Scratch them off and try again?
Task the mind or task the pen?
White paper waits as seconds tick
A better pen might do the trick.
I hate this crappy useless Bic.
5 minutes gone and I still feel thick.
So I'll cut it short and post these lines
Not clever but taking half the time!

A precious gem that can't be given
Is but another rock.
A precious thought that's never heard
Is wasted idle talk.
A thing of beauty never shared
is one that never lives.
A mate that can't receive your gifts
Makes one that never gives.
Love is like an endless well
Of water clear and sweet.
Unless my love takes long deep draughts
Our souls can never meet.
Two lips can join and skin may touch
But eyes are sure to cry.
For an endless well that goes untapped
Ends barren, deep and dry.

Spirited warbling notes break the misty silence
As milky dawn light paints the room.
From sleep, I stir a day to commence
Swathed in linen from English loom.

Barely stirring at my side is all my heart desires
Hair is mussed, breast untrussed, her inner beauty glows
My eyes absorb naked beauty that resting never tires
Within my chest my heart beats love that only grows.

The dimness fades and time escapes me
Stirring again, the window's sill the sun peeks above
And my touch finds her arm stroking sweetly
Enjoying make sure her day will start with love.

Jazz in the breeze
faintly drifting, you could smell it.
The Live oak spread, casting shade
As dew fled before the morning sun.
Off the St. Charles trolley line,
The great park spread endlessly
Golden rays dappling the mottled grass
Undefiled by feet that tread before mine
Shoes unwelcome defiling holy ground,
The earth begged for my touch,
And my feet found solace lush and sweet
Soothing love and peace in this caress
An easy smile, sigh of contentment
Toes wiggling and giggling
Cool, refreshing, invigorating.
So wonderful, I thought!
And the higher grass I sought
More is always better.
Take it as far as you can.
Treading with delight
to more tangled depths
and then... too much.
Dead grass around my feet
Clinging, unpleasant, brown, dry and wet.
Of course, the sin of excess
Punished by discomfort.
A wrong turn and something learned.
The shorter, more manicured, the better.
Tighter, cleaner, more refined.
And so I changed my course
And found the shortest and most even place
A finely crewcut swath
With grass blades sharp and prickly
Though beautiful and neat.
And punishing, not sweet.
I see. Too much again.
Too structured and too strict.
Too controlled and unnatural.
All love withheld. All pleasure denied.
So simple nature told me.
You can feel it more than see it.
Listen to your feelings
And stray far not right nor left
Keep lush green grass beneath your feet
And walk the middle ground

Ringing hammer blows on steel and anvil
Shaping the metal, rearranging it's structure
Work hardening as it become transformed,
The stresses build inside the steel
With every blow that lands,
As it gets harder and harder while worked.
One blow too many can crack it
And ruin it forever.
Hardness is a fragile thing.
The steel, cold and blackened
must once again be bathed.
Immersed in heat red and glowing,
Normalized as it's temperature rises
And then cools, tough, unbreakable once again.
Ready to be worked and formed some more.
Refined, polished and keenly honed.

'Tis no surprise at least we meet
I've known you nigh forever.
And gentle candor so discrete
Has been my life endeavor.
Down countless random nameless trails
In life did we meander
Or did a course our ships did sail
To something so much grander?
Free will, perhaps, or was it fate?
To crash the party, though invited?
To luck upon a perfect mate
Or two souls reunited?