Sunday, July 31, 2016

Through the Field

It was a late afternoon during a warm August day
Walking through trees and tall grass
I came across a field filled with seeding dandelions

White puffballs seemed to float above the ground
The afternoon breeze gently caressed the seen
I stood amazed, lost in the personification of forever

I was tempted to disturb the scene
To pull a single stem and release the seeds
With a belief that dreams could come true

Instead, I stood watching the dandelions sway together
Almost envious of the way they moved
Each white puff seen but a part of the field

When I saw a flash of red rise then fall below the wave
On the horizon to my right
With it, the seeds rose angrily into the wind

Leaving a chunk of empty green space
The flash of red burst diagonally across the field
Small explosions of white marking its progress

I can tell it is a fox. I am unsure if it is chasing prey
Or playing with the dandelions, enjoying the way the
Seeds fall into the wind, paratroopers of the future

The air is filled with white tomorrows
The field looks like it was hit with bombs or meteorites
The fox playing the role of both

I watch the fox move to the wooded area to my left
Leaving the field damaged in its wake
Not a care for, or even a look back

To watch the wind clear the sky of the seeds
To see the holes it left in what was once a peaceful field
It cares not for the field it just passed through

I squat down to look at the line of dandelions
I touch a single one in front of me
The head seems so perfectly round

The seeds are soft against my finger, almost tickles
I stand back up, hand empty
The field is no longer the same powerful vision

The fox’s rumpus trot made sure of that
But I couldn’t bring myself to pluck the stem from the ground
Not my place to determine the dandelion's future




Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Didn't Know Forever Looked Like This

I believed in your whispers
 And words spoken in quiet moments under moonlight
I believed in your notes and cards
 Left on pillows and steering wheels
Forever looked different then
Forever was our fingers intertwined
Your head on my shoulder

Forever was a given
Never questioned
Always believed

But now
Forever looks like crumbling clocks
Rings that have broken to have a beginning and end
Frowns
Turned downed eyes
And unanswered messages

Whatever happen to kisses that stopped time
To holding each other until the sun broke through the blinds

I didn’t know forever looked like
Silent dinners
Stay late at work
Infomercials at 2 a.m.

I didn’t know that forever could look like goodbye

Thursday, July 7, 2016

As My Daughters Sleep

4:48 in the morning
My day begins
Coffee is brewed
I try to stay quiet
Everyone else is still at rest

5:25 in the morning
Time to get ready
For work
Teeth brushed
Shoes match my belt

5:55 in the morning
Computer packed
Coffee mug filled
And I head for the door

Two of my daughters share the room
Next to the entry way
Their new string of lights glow
Soft and pink in the morning light
They lay sprawled out like dolls
Blankets twisted between legs and arms
They are Peace personified
My heart jumps
As I consider the world I will open the door to

I fight the urge to lock them away
To stand in front of them
As the world shoots arrows of discourse
Aiming for their hearts and minds
Aimed to destroy

6:00 in the morning
I make my feet move
To enter a world meant to destroy
But I have the strength to go
Because my daughters will be awake
With smiles and hugs
When I come home