week 644 ~ bright lights close her eyes

bright lights close her eyes
squint out at the world
I’m ok she lies

spring from winter flies
windy night unfurled
bright lights close her eyes

head down she still tries
dodging troubles hurled
I’m ok she lies

still her answer buys
time through dangers swirled
bright lights close her eyes

though she sometimes cries
in dread’s cocoon curled
I’m ok she lies

snow melts pavement dries
questions answers twirled
bright lights close her eyes
I’m ok she lies

week 639 ~ anesthetized we carried on

anesthetized we carried on
sleep walking through grave disaster
awakened now can we master
the wreckage left behind he’s gone
but can violent words be withdrawn
can peace and hope return at last
and lies that left us once aghast
be rendered mute become harmless
inoculated can we bless
this day of change and heal the past

week 634 ~ stretch out your arms

stretch out your arms
and touch the sky
ignore alarms
stretch out your arms
not trying harms
dreams that could fly
stretch out your arms
and touch the sky

week 268 ~ gripping the steering wheel tighter

gripping the steering wheel tighter
surrounded by dark and worry
is it time to pause or hurry
the future’s unclear and lighter
days could lie ahead a writer
could plan a path through who can say
all the pieces are falling stay
alert don’t let your chances go
if you dream it it can be so
now’s not time to throw hope away

week 613 ~ helpless but

helpless but
still hoping
one door’s shut
helpless but
ties uncut
lives coping
helpless but
still hoping

week 605 ~ what about our dreams the music

what about our dreams the music
we’re meant to play if not today
then when can we make up time stay
-ing tucked into a detour stick
-ing to a local life we’ll pick
up the rest later sometime how
isn’t clear it’s surreal our now
here and now wiped clean and normal
gone to disinfectants who’ll tell
us what the future will allow

week 600 ~ things you miss but you never

things you miss but you never
thought alot about before
lost hope it’s not forever

hugs handshakes or the corner
coffee-and-ice-cream-cone store
things you miss but you never

went without old friends’ laughter
through a wide-open back door
lost hope it’s not forever

isolation seems to blur
visions of what’s at the core
things you miss but you never

thought would disappear sever
ties meet on zoom sweep the floor
lost hope it’s not forever

though sadness pulls you under
be proud you didn’t ignore
things you miss but you never
lost hope it’s not forever

week 551 ~ a small fragment of hope though unbidden

a small fragment of hope though unbidden
lingers near the corner of my vision
not leading forward for truth still hidden
paints a future unknown how can I shun
the light imaginary though it may
be at this moment still waiting to shine
to illuminate the dream that won’t say
its name not yet the one that could be mine
or could remain stillborn in this climate
of uncertain weather harsh refusals
pound like driving rain I try to time it
to break for the door but life bamboozles
me at every turn flaunting its disguise
I teeter perplexed wishing to be wise

week 523 ~ and we will shout hooray

and we will shout hooray
for no reason at all
we’ve gained another day
and we will shout hooray
holding evil at bay
in hopes tyrants will fall
and we will shout hooray
for no reason at all

week 500 ~ old lady trees in their youthful dresses

old lady trees in their youthful dresses
pink and fluttery you can almost hear
them laughing at their brief finery as
errant blossoms blown loose scatter clear
the fences float high on a lazy breeze
before falling to carpet the sidewalk
once a year lovely we wait for the trees
to convince us that warmth is more than talk
that the exploding newness of color
has grabbed momentum that seasons have turned
pulling us outdoors where new life will stir
pushing forth green shoots whose names we’ve not learned
yet beyond the fierce cold of winter past
we stand taller breathe freer spring at last