1 - Willow

The weeping willow waltzes

In the gentle summer breeze.

She saunters gracefully between

The tenuous, tired trees

That create a property line

Between a world and fantasy

With trunks like fence posts

And branches like barbed wire that keep me From seeing what is on the other side - Where the grass is green and the sun shines brighter And there is a pond of endless reflections

And there is no room for desire.

In this fantasy, things are perfect.

So why does the willow weep?

She weeps for she stands on the threshold Between the worlds, only to keep

Seeing things the way they could be

Against the way they are.

This world is weary

And wears at the willow’s heart.

This world is full of people

Who refuse to smile back.

Some days I forget to smile first

Because I lose track

Of the people who will look at me

Instead of looking at themselves

Vanity is a deep and beautiful trap

That leads to a lonely hell.

This is why the willow weeps

And weep, so do I

Until there will be a day

With no more need to cry

Just time to smile

And time to laugh

A time to love

Without holding back.

But that is not today.

So the willow’s company will I keep

And with her I will cry

And if anyone asks us why we weep

I will give the reason why

With eyes full of sorrow, a heavy heart upon my sleeve But bright eyes on the silver lining

And an ear toward the humming wind between the trees That sings a low song

With a gentle melody

Full of beauty

So why does the willow weep? 

Happy National Poetry Month!

So "The World Within" is now a video

The World Within

My mother always told me to be wary of the outside world

She would hold my chin and tell me, “Mary, you’re just a girl.

this world will hand you war, disappointment, and defeat.

It will knock you down again and again before you can get back on your feet.

You might love, but your heart will be broken.

You will be robbed if you leave your front door open.

You are vulnerable and you will experience pain,

If you sing to the sky it will probably rain.”

so I learned to live my life inside myself.

With my heart and feelings stored on a shelf

Gathering dust, far from hurt

But it’s hard to live life without some time in the dirt

and I still had my highs and I still had my lows

But the thing about life - it continues to go –On.

Until it doesn’t.

Do you inhale or exhale your final breath?

That’s something I’ve never understood about death.

How one life can suddenly just … stop

While the lives around it continue on

No matter the brokenness, nor the hurt

It’s just one more absence in this world.

People will hand out hurt and hate

It’s nearly impossible to walk through this life unscathed

The world around me is falling apart

And it’s trying to tear at my heart

But

What if the world outside isn’t so bad

and the world within me is what I had –

mistaken for a predator, coming for me?

The world within me; crumbling

Depression, doubts, darkness

All within me - the funny thing is

That no one sees it, and it’s all consuming

It’s all inside me - everything

I’m damned to the world within

Damned inside my head with my sin

Damned to crumble with this world

Damed to be just another victim,

Just another girl

another casualty

Stuck in a dream

Where no one can see the danger isn’t around me

It isn’t the world that surrounds me

In all honesty, my struggle begins

Deep inside,

with the world within

Oh, What a Day

Syncopated rain drops fell,
Serenading me on my umbrella.
Sighing into the mist
Slightly morning dew kissed.
Seas of puddles before my boots
Slow rainy afternoons ruin my lists of to-do's.
Small puddles ripple and never stop –
Smiling and laughing with each new rain drop.
Seldom do the days bring me peace
So I really enjoy days like these.
Sheets of haze cover the hills
Scenery that fades and gives me chills
Sheer grays and lights surrounded by halos
Seem like orbs that hover and glow
Sort of like fireflies
Seemingly careless on summer nights
Summer nights, cooler than summer days
Shivers and sighing, meeting one another's gaze.
So many memories, oh what a day
Significant days often begin with rain.

The Shrinking Woman in an Ever Expanding World

The shrinking woman tugs at the waistband of her jeans first thing in the morning
"They've stretched," she declares
To anyone who cares.
Her dress slides off her shoulders, barely clinging to her frame.
"After a few wears, this dress never quite fits the same."
No one really notices or cares about how she looks
As the bag on her back seems to overtake her with the weight of growing books
Books that didn't seem so heavy a few weeks ago
Back when there was a schedule she used to live and know
"3 square meals a day
can keep you going a long way."
But there are guilty pleasures and temptations to sin
Keep to the straight and narrow or sacrifice "thin."
The shrinking woman becomes so small in the eyes of the world
The world that sees her as nothing more than an attention-starved girl.
But she is not shrinking to fight the loneliness consuming the edges of her mind
She is shrinking back, unable to handle the size
Of a situation she can't control
She feels like she's falling and unable to grab a hold
Of anything constant.

She is shrinking because she feels small
The weapons that once were held tall, strong, and proud
Now fall and lie dormant on the ground
Instead of pointed out, they're pointed in
Causing hurt and turmoil within
She thinks she has no problem coping
As she begins to shrink.
But she declares that she is not shrinking.
The world is just ever expanding.