The Vow

Old and wizened now,
They squabble and snipe.
The halcyon days of love
Replaced with gripe, gripe, gripe.

With fading minds and hearts,
Hands that tremor; gone or graying hair,
They sit across from one another,
Lost inside the memories they refuse to share.

But then she recalls their wedding day,
The vows exchanged under shining sky and God.
The beauty of their youth; the promise in their future.
Now she thinks, “He’s really not such a sod.”

Life has had its challenges,
Many times she feared their plight,
Then, he, her hero, would come along
And save the day … her White Knight.

Hiding in the man across the room from her
Is still the youth she married long ago.
For him, she had not changed one tiny whit.
She was still the girl inside that only he would know.

“She remains so beautiful,” he thought.
He peered at her across the Persian rug.
“And such a trouper too ... been through so much.”
He stood on wobbly legs and crossed the chasm, giving her a hug.

With her head upon his shoulder,
They sat entwined in sunset’s fading light,
The vow they made so long ago to love and honor
Still seemed, somehow, absolutely right.

Ode To April

Oh, Lovely April, fresh and maiden pure,
You bring to me harbingers of summer.
Fluorescent green leaves effect a winter’s cure, 
And raise my spirits from long night’s slumber.

Oh, Gorgeous April, the month of daffodils
And iris, when tumbling brooks rush to sea,
The month of quickening and songbird trills,
When love songs’ sweet music beckons me.

Oh, Whimsy April, Aphrodite’s child,
Dancing through the mist of time’s ancient hall,
First dark and brooding, then joyous eyes wild,
You lure me with your nascent, untamed call.

Oh, Fickle April, usher Aries to the fete,
But leaving him sad, in no man’s land,
You skip to fertile fields and initiate
Garland strands with the Taurus, Ferdinand.

Oh, Darling April, enjoy your fleeting stay,
For too soon the sun and earth press near
To escort in your older sister, May,
As you exit stage for another year.

My Mother's Touch

Old and wizened now,
My mother’s hands still
Hold the healing touch
That quelled a fevered flame.

Her gentle fingers
Lifted limp, damp strands
From my burning brow,
Bringing blest relief.

Her ever-soothing hands
Upon my small child's
Back brought sweet slumber
Welcomed by my tiny soul.

Though I’ve long been gone
From maternal hearth,
I do still recall
The healing comfort,

The holy, loving gift
Of those once soft, white
Hands; worn and gnarled
By endless tasks and time.

Love's Long Search Ended

I’ve searched for you
My whole life through.
Now that you’re here,
I’ll keep you near.

They’ll say we’re wrong
But life is long,
And we will show
Our love can grow.

Past space & time
Our bodies in rhyme,
Love’s music will ring,
Our hearts will sing.

May & December’s
Passion embers
Burn forever—
Fading never.

Katrina the Pure

My strength is formidable, none can stand before me.
I sweep the earth clean to begin anew again.
I gather rain and wind and swirl it into a vortex from which there is little escape.
Run for your lives, you puny creatures!
I’m destroyer of islands, annihilator of coastlines. I bring death and destruction. 
All creatures must run and hide for hundreds of miles.
The innocent and holy are not exempt. They will be swept away and die, just as will the evil.
There is no refuge. You cannot burrow, I will find you there—the floods will wash away your sins.
You cannot climb. I will find you there and tear you away from whence you cling.
You are mine to swallow whole within my deadly maw. You are mine to spew forth—digested—or not—at my will.
You will pray for deliverance, but deliverance will not come. I am the one whose passing will leave eternal signs.
I am Katrina—the Pure—I am the one whose name will never be again.

Halloween

Ghosts and goblins haunt the streets,
Miniature Wookies roar,
Little bags reach out for treats
When I open up the door.

Ballerinas and pirates,
Princesses, and cowboys too,
Dancing through my garden gate,
Proudly giggle and shout “boo!”

Another year has come and gone,
Trees have turned to gold from green,
Imps and fairies on the lawn,
Let me know it’s Halloween!