The Poetry Marathon

It is remarkable to think back
On the first day we met
You were anxious to work with us
To teach the children of our center
Your English was adequate
Enough to get your point across
Even if it took some time
Your happy spirit was, to be honest
Quite contagious

It’s been a year since you moved back home
I cannot believe how far you have come
From your confidence, to your language skills
To your knowledge of teaching
You have grown so much
And I know you’ll continue to do great things

In this business it is easy to think
Of one’s influence on the children we serve
But I never realized the kind of impact we have
On the teachers we train as well

I wish I could tell you
What’s been on my mind.
Tell you all of the thoughts, the feelings
That have been plaguing me.
I want to tell you how much
Just knowing you means to me.
I want you to know how much I care,
To know that I love you.

I wish you loved me back
But, strangely enough, I am content.
Just having you near
Brings me more joy than I could ever hope.
I want you to stay
Not as a lover, per say,
But at least as a friend.
To think of losing you
Makes my heart hurt.

Someday, you will have to leave.
I get it, I can’t change it,
And I wouldn’t want to keep you
From your happiness.
But please, for now
Just stay,
Don’t leave me just yet.
Let me enjoy your company
A little while longer.

Dear Future Self,

How are we doing?
Have we accomplished great things?
Did we reach our dreams?
Did we graduate from the University?
Did we actually go for that double major?
Have we visited Rome?
Have we climbed the steps of Notre Dame?
Did we see the mountains of China?
Did we see the cherry blossoms of Japan?
Are we still friends with Kayla?
Is our family finally getting along?
Are we married now
with a husband and child?
Did we ever publish
that novel we were writing?

So many more questions running through my mind,
but right now I have something to say.
I hope we are happy.
I hope we still love superheroes and anime
and that we are still going to Comic Cons.
I hope we haven’t lost our love of imagination.
I hope we still love working with children and young people.
I hope we still love having fun now and then.
I hope we still go to movies at the drive-in
and go on long drives just because we can.
I hope we still think of epic fanfiction stories.
I hope we are still writing.
I hope we are still smiling each day
or at least as often as we can.
I hope we know that we are loved.

Dear Future Self,
Please know that I am still rooting for us.
I still have hope for us.
I still believe in us.

Until the day our paths finally meet,

Your Past Self

They were the mountains
Immovable, looming above
Looking down on us
Telling us we could not
Telling us we weren’t enough
But we traversed the trails
Climbed the rocks and cliffs
Over the top, and down the other side
Then moved along
Until they were nowhere in sight

They were the blazing sun
Beating down upon us
Burning with it’s touch
Demanding to be seen
Demanding to be heard
But we found refuge in the shadow
Of a tall, old tree
Laughing the day away
Watching the sun as it set
Leaving us to the night

They were the night
Casting darkness upon our world
Shadows to hide us
Fear to consume us
To tear us apart
But our dreams were the moonlight
Banishing the darkness
Our hopes embedded in it’s pure white glow
And we
We were starlight

Somewhere
Far away from here
Another place, another time
A place of safety and refuge
A place of quiet
A place of love

Something
In the back of my mind
A house, a home
Windows and doors
To shut out the world
And keep you all to myself

Someone
Stranger, friend, lover
Together to live and grow
Together to conquer it all
Together until the end

End
The end of everything
Everything we worked for
For our happiness
For our ambitions
For our independence

Love
So easily forgotten
Forgotten and tossed aside
It meant nothing
It meant something
It doesn’t matter now

In a hidden valley
With tall, waving grass
There is a small house
Run down and abandoned
Time has not been kind
Windows have been broken
The door is nowhere to be seen
A few appliances, left behind
By those who once occupied
The wooden structure

Where did they go?
Why did they leave?
Were things just too hard
For them to stay?
Did something awful happen?
Were they driven away?
Maybe the house
Just wasn’t enough

In a little room
With high, dusty light fixtures
There is a small child
Ragged and abandoned
Life has not been kind
His spirit has been broken
His hope nowhere to be seen
No keepsakes left behind
By the ones who brought him
Into this harsh world

Where did they go?
Why did they leave?
Were things just too hard
For them to stay?
Did something awful happen?
Were they driven apart?
Maybe the child
Just wasn’t enough

Looming, Calm
Immovable, Quiet
Majestic, Peaceful
Filling me with euphoria

Unexpected
Terror fills me
As I think of the shame
How do I even explain?
I hardly understand it myself

The time comes
It’s painful
But to my surprise
Ends quickly
The result of my labor
Rushed away

Time ticks on
Friends and family visit
I haven’t told them and yet
There is something in their eyes
A secret of their own

It’s been too long
They tell me everything is fine
But I know it’s not
Where is she?
I have to see her
I have to hold her

No one will talk to me
They act like nothing is happening
But their faces betray them
I prepare to interrogate them

Jolting awake
A moment, and then clarity
Just a dream
Yet there is an aching in my chest
A longing for her
She who is nothing more
Than a hope and a dream

Early sunrise and late sunset

Popsicles and iced tea

Camping and barbecues

Road trips and family vacations

School time anticipation

Swimming and hiking

Bike rides and marathons

Staying up late and sleeping in

Sunshine on my face

Sunburns and dehydration

Family reunions and sporting events

Starry night skies

Blazing heat and forest fires

Fireworks and festivities