Pre-School
Silently
Please don’t go
Aloud
Go have fun
Silently
Stay with me
Aloud
Go make some friends
Silently
You’re my only friend
Aloud
Go learn something new
Silently
You’re the best teacher I ever had
Aloud
I’ll pick you up soon
Silently
Now what am I going to do
Aloud
There’s nothing to be afraid of
Silently
I’m afraid of losing you
Aloud
Have a good day, I love you
Silently
Let’s just go home and wait another year
TL
Rocking Chair
There is no hint
Of weight or worry
No surface scratch or scar;
Just peek-a-boo winks
Of wear and tear
That rocks the soul
But goes nowhere;
Spit and polish,
Good as new
Few look further
Than the body
Fewer still
Past the bones
To see beneath
The angled eaves
At the bottom
Of the soles
Where the grain of wood
Is worn and weary
From too much rocking
Back
And
Forth
Joy rolled forth
Pain rocked back
And between the flurry
Lied a longing
Creaking ever more
O to be a chair, just a chair
Once more
TL
Wait Awhile
Go tell it to the moon
Don’t give your heart away
Too soon
Save it for
Someday
When time has taken
A trip around the world
And brought you back
Upside down
Hanging by a limb
Where the sun will surely shine
And cast a shadow down the line
Of the shoe
Standing there
In front of you
That fits your sole
Front to back
And side to side
Like a magic carpet ride
That sweeps you up and off your feet
To touch the stars
And toe the ocean
Roaring in the wind
Yawn the sun and wake the moon
Clear the runway
But not too soon
TL
Sand Castle
what of love
hard to know
when i was young, i knew
but time is tricky
and reveals a fool
who knew not
of love at all
for fairy tales are foolish
where is the happy in an ending
magic dust
turns to sand
castles at the bottom of the sea
still I build
knowing what I know
for love is
a fortress
for however long
and I will live there
water and all
TL
Wishing Well
I have no doubts about my life
How it took shape and form
And why the chisel cut so close,
Without tire
As the excess dropped down;
I longed to scoop a handful up
To pocket away
But better I knew
Better still
The lesson hard
Learning and relearning
Taught by ticking time:
To let go …
Of
Youth beyond
Love old and new
Pots of gold
Color of a rose
Touch too warm, to be cold
A dusty road, concrete
Puddle of regrets,
Boxed underneath the bed
Words left unsaid
The face in the mirror
Death your own
Understanding that
In the fullness
Opening and closing
It is less, not more
That is required
To live
Well
TL