Ink in the Blood Posts

Daddy’s Girl

What’s he to do

But stand

Where he’s stood

 

Waiting in the wings

Case she needs a hand

With the laces

 

Think she’s got it now

Watch her run

Back to him

 

The care

He took

Wasn’t lost

 

It swam with exotic fish

It hopped free

In a carpet-chewing field

It moved aside to let

An old dog by

It made room for

A new breed

It was tested

In the “absolutely not” cat

Kept

 

It was in the packet of seeds

Ever growing in the breeze

 

It was in the every day

Constant way

He loved her mother

 

It was in the no matter

what, when or where

He’d make it right

 

It was in the gentle nature

That needed no voice

To hear it

 

It was in the prayerful way

He went about the day

 

No it wasn’t lost

The care he took

 

For in her daddy’s eyes

She can see

All he ever wanted

Her to be

TL

Ago

Across the table

She looks

At the lady

Staring back

At her

In careful conversation

They talk about that dress

They saw and the shoes

They had to have

They laugh about the

Gum they stepped in

The time the washing machine

Flooded the floor

That Thanksgiving turkey

Burnt beyond crispy

As she studies the menu

She studies her

And wonders if she’s doing okay

As she turns the page

And taps the table

In a flurry of pink polish

She longs to hold her hand

10 fingers, 10 toes

What she wouldn’t give …

To sing her to sleep

Once more

And hear her breathe

Good dreams

To wake her up

With a morning kiss

And hear her say,

In that sleepy wonderful way,

“I love you,

Mommy”

As the waiter scribbles

Their leafy order

They toast

The day

Then take turns

To the powder room

Never knowing …

The mirror was the same

The tissue in the trash

Held twin tears

They return

To the table

And smile

TL

Decide

Maybe someday …

Isn’t that what people say

 

But then

They forget

They ever said that

 

Until they see

Someone else

Living their someday

 

And then they wonder

How they kept their day

When there were so many

In the way

 

Maybe one night

They tossed and turned

Had a nightmare

Saw themselves

Somewhere

One in a chair

One in a box

With their someday

Buried in breath

 

Maybe they woke up

In time

In tears

And decided

To turn that day into

Their someday

 

Nightmare’s no stranger

So why is it

That some succumb  

While others someday

TL

Life

Figured it out

 

Let me know

If you do

 

Cause I sure

Could use a clue

 

Sometimes

It seems

So clear

 

Beyond the blue

 

Like there are no

Graves of gray

 

But birthdays

Have a way

Of blowing out

The candles

On your cake

 

As you sit

There in the dark

Waiting for a slice

 

There is no frenzy

For the frosting

 

Forks replace

The fingers

 

On a small square

 

Mumble

How good it is

 

Let the joke

Be you

 

But when

The party’s over

 

And all is quiet

In the house

 

You roam from

room to room

 

Aimless as

A broken arrow

 

Until you find

Your bed

 

Sit on the side

And sigh

 

Another year

Gone by

TL

Bittersweet

Watched a

Silver tear

Trickle

Down

The years

 

Once upon

a time …

it fell

so smooth

and straight

 

Now it takes

Its time

Amid so many lines

TL

Graduation

There she is

 

black and white

 

Lovely

Like a lady

 

From a bygone

Book

 

Still without a shoe

Running whereto

 

Left me a coat

Of laughter

 

To cross

That puddle there

 

But the hills

Are hers

 

Where she goes

Been before

 

Won’t be the top

That tests

 

But the

Bottom

 

Where tangled

Roots are buried

 

Dig out the dirt

 

One handful

At a time

 

For however long

It takes

 

Swim in the stream

Look for the bridge

 

The one that

Brings you back

 

To the beginning

TL

Give and Take

Some only

Reach for

The sun

 

Others open

Their hand

To the rain

 

Some wish

On every

Star

 

Others wish

They could

See a star

 

Some look

At land

And see

Pots of

Gold

 

Others look

At land

And see

Treasure

In a tree

TL

Scales

Looking back

What weighed

More …

 

                                                                                                                        What is

 

 

 

 

What was                                                                                                            

 

TL

 

Steel Armor

Wielding

sWords

 

Cut

The core

 

Of who

You are

 

Or ever

Hope to be

 

Stabs to

The back

 

Hurt

 

But jabs

To the heart

 

Bleed

                    TL

 

His Love’s Gone By

36 years

And she’s gone

And left him

London, Paris

Egypt, Africa

They would have …

Now, it’s hard for him

To get out of bed

And put his

Boots on

And move

He’d rather

Go under cover

Pretend

It never happened

So, he’s going through

The motions

A stranger to himself

One day

the mask

he’s wearing

will replace

the face

he was

with her

But his eyes

Will never hide

What her leaving

Did to him

                       TL

Maintain

What once

Was new

Lost its glue

 

Fix the faucet

or

watch

 it

drip

 

Clean out

The closet

Or close

The door

 

Give that plant

A drink

Or let it dry

 

See yourself

As you are

Or pretend

You haven’t

A scar

 

Take a

                               hard turn

Or stick

To streets

You know

 

Control it

Or let it

Control you

 

Understand

Or stand under

 

Simplify

Your soul

Or cover

The surface

 

Take the time

Or let time

Take you

             TL

Just a Few …

The sway

Of a tree

You and Me

 A cup of

Tea

Rain on

A roof

Smell of

Spring

The first

Time

Color

Blue

Rays

Of light

Drops

Of dew

The fall

Of snow

One more

Kiss fore I go

Ships at sea

Big screen

Movie

“The Road

Not Taken”

A country

Song

An empty

Pew

Bubbles

On the breeze

When you

Come home

Yellow roses

Just because

Vegas lights

White linen

Candlelight

Running in

The rain

Slow moving

Train

Reading

My mind

Time

After

Time

TL

Grandfather

When she

Was three

She wanted

To see

A picture

Of me

When I was

Little

 

She turned

The pages

Of the book

And asked,

“Who’s that?”

 

I told her

That was my

Dad

 

She asked,

“Where is he?”

 

I didn’t say

Anything

 

She asked,

“Did he die?”

 

“Yes,” I said. “His heart gave out.”

 

She asked,

“Do you miss him?”

 

“All the time,” I said.

 

She cried and said,

“I wish I could known him.”

 

“He sure would have loved you,” I said.

“He would have been your grandfather.”

 

She asked,

“Do you still miss him?”

 

“Yes … I missed him when

I married your dad.

I missed him when

You were born …”

 

In tears she asked,

“Will he ever come back?”

 

“No,” I said. “He can’t.”

 

She asked,

“Why not?”

 

I put my hand

On my heart

And told her

he lives

Right here

 

She asked again,

“Will he ever come back?”

 

I told her

That I believed

There was a place

Called Heaven

And that he could

See us from there,

But we couldn’t

See him

 

She asked,

“Why not?”

 

 I told her

It was

Like magic,

Like Santa Clause

And how we never

See him

When he puts

Our presents under the tree

But we know

He’s been there

 

In tears she asked,

“Will my daddy ever die?”

 

I hugged her

Told her not to worry

About that

 

She asked,

“Will you die?”

 

I hugged her

Told her not to worry

About that

 

She asked,

“Will I die?”

 

I hugged her

Told her not to worry

About that

                     TL

Still

When you left

There was nothing

To say

 

Wasn’t long

Yet long enough

 

To know

 

Love doesn’t

Take a lifetime

 

Just a moment …

 

Used to

Talk to you

 

Shared

Our meals together

 

Took you

To work with me

 

Brought you home

 

Dared to dream

 

But we had

Different dreams

You and me

 

They never said

But I knew

 

You were

Baby blue

 TL

Regrets

Said a lot

Of things

I never meant

To say

 

Meant to say

 A lot of things

But never

Found a way

 

Did a lot

Of things

I never meant

To do

 

Didn’t do

A lot of things

I really

Wanted to

           TL

 

Gift

She sees

For me

All the sticks

I missed

All the stones

I didn’t throw

 

She hears

For me

The dog

In the distance

The airplane

Headed for the moon

 

She feels

For me

The stranger

We drove past

Walking nowhere

The stray

Walking the same way

 

She runs

For me

Without fear

Or hesitation

Straight for

The puddle

Both feet in

 

She holds

For me

What I let go

The magic moment

Here and now

The simple

Shrug

That says,

“Forget about it …”

“Let’s just play”

 

She is

For me

Heaven here

The gift of

Love

That speaks

To me

Without words

                  TL

 

Helpless

He was the last to leave

His wife left 10 years ago

His children 30 years earlier

 

When he bought the house

He imagined them there forever

He forgot about time

How it changes

 

He woke up one day

And he was old

 

His wife had died too soon

His children rarely came around

 

The house he bought

Was bought

 

Now he sits

In a rolling chair

Parked in a

Homeless hallway

 

He lays his head

On a narrow bed

In a narrow room

With a narrow view

 

He can’t believe

This is it

That’s all there is

He’s not supposed to be here

He’s supposed to be at home

Asleep beside his wife

With his kids down the hall

Work the next day

 

So who turned off the lights?

                            TL

Solitude

Standing there

Anywhere

Shadows form

Stone smiles

 

Walk away

Back to bare

Face falls

As you are

 

Like a lonely

Willow

Weeping

In the wind

 

Told my sorrow

To the sun

Bathed my body

In the rain

 

Stole away

On a moonbeam

Picked out

A star

 

Morning light

Without a breeze

Songbird sings

The sweetest song

 

Before the rush

Of hours

And the storm

Of buzzing bees

 

Let me linger longer

In the mist

Of gardenias

And ballet of butterflies  

                            TL

Sundial

Telling time

Late 30

Half past one

Ten past ten

“If not now –

Then when”

Go to sleep

Wake up again  

Quarter

To midnight

Wasting wind

Shadows lie

Rest gone bye

Blue blanket

Patch of clouds  

Green carpet

Concealing root

Wildflowers

Dots of dew

Butterfly petals

Falling free

Half past one

Ten past ten

“If not now –

Then when”

                  TL

Grace

Ever wonder

Where I went

What became of me

 

Ever wonder

What I look like

If I’m happy

 

Ever wonder

What I did with my life

If I found love

 

Ever wonder

“What if”

Regrets

 

In case you wonder

I went on

Survived

 

In case you wonder

I don’t look like anyone

Happy just the same

 

In case you wonder

Went to college, got a degree

Love found me

 

In case you wonder

“What if”

Don’t

 

I found my place

A world away

And I’m doing ok

 

All my dreams came true

Hope yours did, too

                                   TL