Risk Free

“Try my love risk free,”

She whispered ardently,

She said it so earnestly,

How could I not believe?

Her eyes left me no doubt,

Yet the truth took another route,

How could she bring this about,

Had she practiced to deceive?

Her lips were moist and sweet,

She was mesmerizing clear to her feet,

She was a vision of truth, not deceit,

Was there any part of her I couldn’t believe?

She was a veritable love machine,

Grinding, twisting, crushing everything between,

Her love was more hidden than seen,

Had she practiced to deceive?

Her heart and her head were miles apart,

As she torched my love and took my heart,

I wondered, oh why, oh why, did I ever start,

But how could I not believe?

True to her word she was risk free,

There was no love, no commitment, no honesty,  

She didn’t even need to lie to me,

I wanted desperately to believe,

I dared to be loved by her flame,

She drew me in without calling my name,

I fell for love so willingly that I’m to blame,

I didn’t think she would deceive,

All she said to me,

She whispered it so sweetly,

“Try my love, risk free.”

One Step From the Edge

Gary

He came to see me where I work,

“Could I talk to you when your work is through?

No one else will listen to me,

But I knew I could count on you,”

Gary was a straight A student,

Not a clown like me,

He worked hard to get a scholarship,

That was plain to see,

The following day he would travel,

To his appointment to the naval academy,

He told me this was what he wanted,

But he mentioned it so casually,

After an hour of conversation,

He admitted this was his father’s choice,

Gary was stressed, under duress,

His objections he could not voice,

I wondered if this was his only way,

He could talk and slowly vent,

For the conversation was going nowhere,

Or I missed an important hint,

His reticence about the academy confused me,

As he pondered about right or wrong,

Little did I know Gary would hang himself,

Before the night grew long,

Richard

Richard’s dream was to be a policeman,

He mentioned it often when we drank,

No one else cared to listen,

Their eyes were empty and blank,

Richard’s girlfriend left him for another,

He took it personally that she needed more,

A policeman didn’t make enough money,

So she walked quickly out the door,

Richard got a job far away,

Apparently achieving his goal,

But when there was no one he could talk to,

One bullet left a big hole,

How could I have helped these confused friends,

They were so tightly wound,

I could not hear what they desperately wanted,

I could not release the fears they found,

I’ve decided that each person I meet,

Lives a life one step from the edge,

Each kind word, smile, or thought I give,

Will come with my pledge,

If one person feels he walks alone,

Without love’s encircling arm,

That person may have no way,

To keep himself from harm,

 I am willing to be strong and wise,

And I pledge to do my best,

What he says can then be heard,

As he puts me to the test,

Although I’ll do what I can,

To help someone in need,

It takes a community to pull together,

When somebody bleeds,

For each of us lives in a community,

Connected by words, hearts, and smiles,

And the more we share the love within,

The more life becomes worthwhile.

I Decided That as a Seed

Long ago I learned how important,

It was to be like a powerful tree,

As I grew in wisdom and stature,

There were those who relied on me,

At first I was merely like a shade,

To protect visitors from the sun,

As I grew wiser I slowly realized,

My branches were for everyone,

Then I became a resting spot,

For those who were passing through,

My branches as a social gathering place,

Became important for those who flew,

And finally groups came by,

Content that I was safe and secure,

I didn’t charge any to stay,

Because my heart was willing and pure,

My roots stretched wide and deep,

Within the clay packed ground,

And all the denizens within the dirt,

Were proud that I was earthen bound,

I had chosen where to place my roots,

I needed a strong unmovable base,

When ferocious storms came through,

I wanted to be ready just in case,

Yielding only to the harshest of winds,

Often I was unable to save the nests,

Or protect those who depended on me,

But I still chose to remain and do my best,

I didn’t mind being rooted to the ground,

Traveling was something I didn’t need,

 I chose to be happy where I was planted,

I decided that as a seed,

My visitors and the winds kept me informed,

About the bigger earth around,

But I was as happy as I could be,

Content with the world I’d found,

Like a tree I didn’t travel far,

Though my thoughts and wishes flew,

And my dreams and hopes were carried about,

By those who cared and knew,

My home has been available to everyone,

My arms have opened wide,

Like a tree I stand with arms upraised,

While my heart beats warmly inside,

“Do you mind being anchored to the ground?”

Some people dare to ask,

I smile and say, “I’m like a tree,

I have a bigger task.”

In a Bad Mood

“You have a hernia,”

My doctor declared,

“You’re going to have problems,

If you don’t have it repaired,”

On Friday the thirteenth,

My surgery was set,

“Be at the hospital at six”,

It was written so I didn’t forget,

I made arrangements with Lori,

To get me there at six precise,

But that early in the morning,

She’d have to sacrifice,

True to her word she was on time,

Though the morning was icy and cold,

“You don’t have to pick me up later,

I have a ride home,” she was told,

Checking in was real easy,

My paperwork was already done,

Yet I was a little tense already,

The thirteenth had just begun,

I got my instructions and undressed,

And slipped on my hospital gown,

It was tied securely but still drafty,

There was no back to be found,

An early shift nurse placed my clothes,

 In a bag and in my backpack,

Out of sight, out of mind,

In a locker they were stacked,

Afterwards while I recovered,

I wanted to know when I could leave,

If it was going to be soon,

I wanted my clothes to retrieve,

According to my nurse,

I was recovering very well,

I could leave if I continued progressing,

But only time could really tell,

If the pain had lessened,

And I could finally urinate,

The surgeon said it would be okay,

For the nurse to release me late,

After much discussion,

A nurse said my clothes were found,

It wouldn’t be long before I was gone,

And I’d be homeward bound,

My thoughts were on Pam,

She’d driven from work afar,

She must be cold and anxious,

And tired of waiting in her car,

I passed nurses looking for someone,

That was my humble conclusion,

“Which way did he go?” one nurse asked,

“Over here,” I heard in all the confusion,

I followed, trying to stay out of the way,

But I lost them when I stopped to pee,

The nurses were hunting for someone,

I didn’t realize they were searching for me,

Strange things were definitely going on,

I heard them calling for “Dan”,

“What a coincidence,” I thought,

“I’ll help them if I can,”

Through the halls I wandered,

I was hot on Dan’s trail,

But the nurses couldn’t catch him,

And I was destined to fail,

However, it was Friday the 13^th,

And a full moon rose to boot,

I forgot about the fugitive,

Because it was time to scoot,

Disheveled and carrying my backpack,

A large bloody spot on my shirt,

I saw no one around to question,

“Sir, are you badly hurt?”

Pam eyed me suspiciously,

When I climbed in and asked to go,

“Did you tell anyone you were leaving?

I think they would want to know,”

“Where’s your nurse and your wheelchair?

I’m sure a release you’ll need,

I think they’ll all be concerned,

If the checkout rules you didn’t heed,”

Pam called the nurse in charge,

Trying to make things right,

In a short while the nurse arrived,

She said, “It’s been a long, tiring night,”

Pam helped the nurse whisk me inside,

So I could be officially checked out,

They both seemed a little peeved,

With the full moon out and about,

I said, “It’s been fun,”

And I tried not to sound rude,

Even though Friday the 13^th,

Put my nurses in a bad mood.

Sonia and Her Cat

Perhaps you can attribute this to fate,

This occurrence was not entirely of my choosing,

So I hope you can relate,

A problem arose with a relationship that I thought strange,

I decided to move away,

 And my life rearrange,

I had considered my trip before New Year’s Day,

And my first resolution was to be organized,

In every possible way,

Since I had planned to move to another state,

Everything had to be packed and wrapped securely,

Before the moving date,

Each box had a number and a name,

Then taped to make it strong,

I thought I could make moving to be like a game,

I thought nothing could go wrong if I was organized like that,

But then Sonia walked up and asked,

“Where’s my cat?”

Our relationship was in total disarray,

But we began to search together,

Because we couldn’t leave it that way,

Fortunately I had rented a truck,

With all my worldly goods loaded neatly,

But I still had bad luck,

Time was a factor and I considered that,

Everything could have been methodically checked,

But she wasn’t leaving without her cat,

Boxes, boxes, they were strewn everywhere,

I’d gone through most of them,

While pulling out my hair,

I didn’t know what to think, my head was in a fog,

I couldn’t find her cat,

But I did find my dog,

I’d done as much as I knew how,

She was still crying,

I asked, “What do you want me to do now?”

She glared at me for a moment until an idea hit,

I’d use my dog to find her cat,

My idea was the perfect fit,

I was brilliant but my dog was dumb,

It wasn’t long before the place was in shambles,

And I was just a bit numb,

Sonia didn’t seem happy although her cat was okay,

My dog wasn’t happy either,

He still wanted to play,

Carefully I straightened up the mess,

Then I drove down the street slowly,

It was time for me to leave, that I’ll confess,

When I had traveled a thousand miles,

I stopped to walk the dog,

And remember Sonia and her smile,

There was no way I was turning back,

Too much had happened between us,

We couldn’t even keep track,

While I leaned against the truck and thought about her,

My dog looked at me in surprise,

He, too, had heard a purr,

There just wasn’t anywhere I could unload the truck,

So I just turned it around,

And attributed it to bad luck,

I was tired and hungry and everything seemed so wrong,

When I pulled up to the house,

I heard, “What took you so long?”

Sonia was waiting with a smile and all that,

Then she helped me find the box marked “C”,

Where she had hidden her cat,

It was the best start to a New Year ever,

For we bonded at the heart,

That no move could ever sever.

The Winter of Our Love

Remember in the spring when our love,

Was so sparkly fresh and clean,

Everything we did was perfect,

Nothing could ever come between,

From that budding of our love,

Which later fueled our lust,

We were united against the world,

But with each other willing to adjust,

That summer our love deepened,

It became full and rich and ripe,

We wrote poems and sang songs,

You were such the romantic type,

I couldn’t get enough of you,

You were my very best friend,

We shared our hearts and our world,

We believed love would never end,

Then came the falling autumn leaves,

As we harvested the love we planted,

But because life kept us on the go, 

We took each other for granted,

It was a time to look back and contemplate,

To see if all of our goals were met,

We realized there was much more to life,

And we hadn’t reached it yet,

Then came the harshness of love,

When all warmth was met by ice,

There was utter chaos in our lives,

And our love did not suffice,

Winter brought our love near death,

Which promoted worries and fear,

We were anxious to recreate our youth,

And hold on to all that was dear,

Winter changed our outward mien,

Though my heart yet held desire,

I thought a younger woman might hold me tight,

But she couldn’t light my fire,

My winter love waited alone,

Until finally you went on your way,

If you return there’s love I would give,

If your ice will melt away,

Remember the goals we shared,

As we reaped the dreams of gold,

We thought spring would always be here,

And we would never grow old,

Through the years our lives have changed,

We didn’t feed the fire and let our hearts grow cold,

If we once again let our imaginations flame,

We might rekindle what grew old.

Death and Destruction

I chose to be open, knowing what could happen right from the start,

Without the protection of stone walls I had a vulnerable heart,

And when death and destruction arrived on the very same day,

I took them in voluntarily, that’s all I can say,

My heart was unguarded and death’s attack was swift,

Vicious puncture wounds were left and the sudden lift,

Blood draining, life waning, in the aftermath was fear,

Destruction’s devices were different, slow, abrasive, and clear,

Humiliation, fear of being left, or not being good enough,

My heart struggled to find even ground, somewhere out of the rough,

Without someone to lean upon I searched for ways to reach the sky,

But loneliness filled my nights while my unfulfilled dreams marched by,

Yet when mornings brought the sun I smiled as I soaked in the heat,

Each day I faced the world again with many experiences to greet,

Neither love’s demise nor slow destruction would pin me for long,

I was determined to love again for my heart still pounded strong,

Though wave after wave had crashed against my heart’s core,

I still stood, a lighthouse beaming from the ravished shore,

As I round another turn, it’s clear what lies ahead,

I could wind up with the roses, or eat dust again instead,

Love will forward surge even beyond the finish pole,

For I will give what it takes to reach my own true goal,

Love marches on with opportunities life so freely gives,

I’ll stay the course and keep on track, for love in my heart still lives.