The Poetry Marathon

Laela’s driving force in life was simply
for all of us to be together
That’s all she wanted

Nothing gave her joy
like one of us returning from a long trip
Or even from a stroll down the street

Nothing quite caused her sorrow
like the familiar scene
of packed bags sitting in the foyer,
signaling the imminent departure of a family member

Her smile always brightened the room,
when we were all gathered together
The delight beamed from her eyes
when she would unexpectedly run into one of us at the park

This past weekend,
After 12 wonderful years,
Laela left us

And even in doing so, she brought us closer together
sharing our tears and our heartache.
Tears that have not openly flowed in unison in years

Her memory will always be a bright spot:
Teaching us that some things transcend humanity
Some ideas are more universal
Some ties are deeper
Bridging species

For the unconditional, limitless, love
For the lessons in loyalty, and family
For the masterclass in the importance of togetherness
Thank you, Laela

Love spreading
All around
Uplifting spirits
Gathering
Healing
Together
Enriching hearts
Relationships blossoming

All his life, the other dinosaurs made fun of his tiny claws
But what he lacked in physical vigor,
He made up for with his curiosity

When the age of dinosaurs was coming to an end,
he had it figured out

He had built the first telescope
while the others continued to ignore the signs

“The asteroid is coming!!”
He announced to anyone who would listen

But listen they did not.

Sourdough slices lovingly prepared
By my mothers hands
Graced with verdant basil pesto
Stuffed with a surprise each time

Mushrooms, onions
Pepperoni or sausage
Spinach and cheese
Grilled to amber perfection

Every school lunch bell
a delightful mystery waiting to unfold
To perk me up and give me the energy
To get through my day

One of the purest expressions of love
Between mother and son

Shadows of the departed live on
In all the places they’ve been

For those who remain behind,
Every visit back is a journey through time
Each moment a recounting of the past

Within the memories of those who loved them
The departed return to life

The laughs shared
The smiles exchanged

The tears consoled
Shadows of the departed live on

Within the memories of those who loved them
Beautiful moments tied to places, evoking emotions
One day, we too will fade to nothing but a collection of memories

Shadows of our full selves, existing only in thought
Time is unyielding in its pursuit of us all

For that moment,
the entire world disappeared
It was just her and me,
together in a field

Alone,
but not lonely
Silent,
but not silenced

Every glance was a conversation
A memory
A story
A lifetime

And it was in what was not said,
that everything was

It may be difficult now to process
that I am no longer with you all

My passing was sudden
and that is why it may take time
to heal

Exactly 12 years from the day you first met me
Life can be strange that way

I know you loved me very much
With all of the games we would play
Yummy treats you would bring home
And cuddles we would share

We were one family
And always will be

And I hope that, with time
you will be able to find comfort in the
beautiful memories we built together
Rather than dwell on the sadness
of the end of an era

Love,
Your pup and second little sister,
Laela

Staring through the window
the sky seemed so inviting
A nice light blue
Carefree and quaint

Just beyond my grasp
freedom from my unlikely prison
This tower that holds me

My hands reach for the sunlight
as they were born to do
Trapped inside for my entire lifetime,
I had always yearned to be bathed in the smiling rays
To feel the fresh autumn breeze

Yet my leaves and stem
My vines and branches
Are not strong enough
to pierce the shining glass

Maybe some kind passerby will help me out?

As I reflect upon what I know
of my great grandfather’s life,
I can only ask:
What were they thinking?

Why did they ignore all the problems?
That now make life so much harder

Why did they let hatred consume them?
And lies divide them

Why did they take for granted
All the wonderful things that they had?

Fresh air
Clean water
Freedom
Democracy
Peace

Why did they let things get out of hand?
With half of the country hating the other half
And steps taken backwards

And if they knew what their decisions
would cause for us,
Would they do it all the same way again?

As I stared into the valley,
I was struck by the vibrancy
Violet Fields
And a lone scarlet tree

Where had I wound up?
Why were the laws of nature different here?

Whether what I was seeing real, or imagined,
I did not know
For perhaps what I was seeing was indeed true
But who’s to say that colors are what they are

What one views as red
another may perceive as green
We will never know.