War

What will you do when your war is over?
Fighting each battle day to day
Those inside and those without
Both the minuscule and the mighty
We all carry on with our own
Marching into the fray, armed
With only the weapons available
Yet one day and end will come
Peace will reign and your war
Over and done for good
What will you do?

Truly

Hey you, yes you over there
You amaze me, in every way
Strength and intelligence
Tempered with compassion
Perseverance and grace
Combined with razor wit
Inner beauty to match
Everything else about you
Caring and standing up
For those who can't and
For those you love, truly
An incredible person

Dawning

Cave like blackness outside, yet
A new day is dawning, new chance
For adventure or to find the good
All the things unwanted, still there
Can't let them take hold, control
Positivity must reign over all
Setting off into the rising sun
Allowing my spirit to rise with it
Something not quite possible
Once long ago but now, the norm

Unheeded

Loneliness creeping in
Rifling through my thoughts
A jewel thief clandestinely
Searching for that priceless gem
Leaving no stone unturned
Warning not heeded at all
No real precautions taken
Occupying my wandering mind
the only possible defense
Tiring myself out, work and miles
The only method of attack
Finding a smile and kindness
At those unexpected moments
My means of escape

Being

Each day my best
In the face of odds
And no easy decision
Right or wrong only
Time can tell me
But striving harder
Staying in every
Moment that comes
Being not just surviving

Storm

Fatigue weighing down upon me
Like a wet wool coat, oversized
Lying heavy on my shoulders
Buoyant in spirit I remain
Catching pleasure in the sound
Of down pouring rain, the wind
Grey storm passing mightily
Above, around, and inside me
It's cacophonous din, roaring
With a power and beauty all its own

Undercurrents

How can my heart be
Both heavy and light
Weight of a thousand mountains
Yet, airy as if the wings
Of a single beautiful butterfly
How can so many singular emotions
Coexist within me, blending
Into this waking life
Smiling and happy but also
Undercurrents, never letting them
Get the best of me
I will prevail

Insight

Insight and advice
Always wanted
Needed, required
Self awareness
Not easy for me
But for you
Something incredible

Days Ahead

Each day a new challenge
Combining with the old
Accepting like one does
As if a gift from a friend
Possibly unwanted but taken
Seeing what it is and deciding
To meet head on or else
Give in to likely defeat
In reality, not a choice
Already decided for me
By what I've learned
How I've changed
Another gift taken once

Another Step

Each step, each pounding foot fall
Focusing the mind on what's at hand
Clarity coming with each drop of sweat
Becoming sharper, hungrier, better
Void yawning open lessens and soon
Forgotten as just another challenge

Fortunate

Profoundly, completely changed
Fortunate are we lucky few
To have in our lives, our worlds
Worth any price to maintain
Not take for granted, nurture
Truly rare gift bestowed
Allowed to run free, fly high

Light

Existing
But not merely so
Shadow
Playing on the wall
Spirit
Infusing everything
Longing
For the light to play
Feeling
Waves tumbling over
Grace
Suffusing all around
Radiance
Echoes inside me

Rally

Ecstatic
Different it may be
Difficult at first
It's not an end
Provoking
Thought at what
Is a new beginning
A chance to enjoy
Rallying
Around you, your life
Your happiness
And what is needed
Loyalty
To you, to them
Necessity of being
Without loss of the good
Positive
Thoughts and actions
Cornerstone of what
Is to come

A Pause

Unsure if this is a pause, brief
Or and ending of what has been
Please let it be only a pause
A chance to regroup, recharge
This friendship can't be allowed
To abruptly end with misspoke words
You're not only my inspiration for good
And my motivation but someone
I can count on for the truth, to be there
Please let it be only a pause

Are we still friends?

Valued

Empty feeling in my stomach, deep
Of all people I should know
The power contained in words
Forgetful that those written in ink
Or typed to stand forever electronically
Don't carry the inflection of voice
Or body language necessary
To convey their full meaning
What was the word or phrase
I don't know, seemingly ordinary exchange
Damaging what's become a valued friendship

I'm just so confused.

I'm not totally sure how that escalated so quickly or what I really did. I'm sorry. I hope I get a chance to explain and understand. I only sent that because I was excited and didn't even expect it to be read til later. Please accept my apology. Please.

Desolate

Windswept cliff dropping away to vivid cerulean water
Sheerness of the face mesmerizing and terrifying
Nearly tornadic winds whip at your clothes
As you peer over the side, heart pounding wildly
Behind, darkest grey rock, almost nightlike
Stacked against some ancient foreign invader
Foreboding, lonely, and desolate

Fleeting

Fleeting
Everything around us
Possibly gone in a flash
Cherish
Moments of joy
Letting go the bad
Looking
Forward just enough
To keep moving ahead
Deserving
Of what comes to you
Of being loved and happy

Stillness

Disappearing into the vaporous appearance
Of damp early mornings ghost, blanketing
The lush verdancy of late summer woods
Stillness a balm, soothing,  reminding
There can be moments of peace anywhere
If only you pay attention to them

Myth

Within us all
A struggle
Different for each
But real
Only true action
Our best
Perfection a myth
Unattainable
Good and bad
Within us all

Specks of Time

Those moments that come and go
Good, bad, indifferent or otherwise
Are such fleeting specks of time
All gone before the realization
Of what they contain is made
Reflection on the memories possible
But not to look back and miss
The next one to come, no matter
What it may be, good, bad, indifferent

Evening Kitchen

Diffused light golden as it streams
Through the kitchen window
Adding a bejeweled glow to all
Late evening sun causing this
Timely moment and adding
It's voice to the aroma still clinging
It's last smells to the air inside

Strive

The trick I think as humans
Is to hold out hope for all
Yet not lose sight of each day
To strive and work towards
A better tomorrow and more
Importantly a better now
Without losing hope for all

Mist and Fog

Mist creeping, floating
Over the mountain tops
Reflected in the morning
Ground fog rising, hovering
From fields and hollows
Cool evenings herald