The Poetry Marathon

Just a smile can make the difference

between a good day and a bad.

When you feel like giving up

a smile like a sweet caress

envelops you with love.

Just like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day.

Enjoying a home cooked meal with all your favorite things

A smile warms your heart in much the same way.

A smile can make you feel special deep down inside.

it’s not hard to share

and the cost won’t even break the bank.

Up

high up

Up is high

high is always up

high up like a cloud

Clouds float up in the sky

the sky is blue with white clouds

the clouds rise up and over the mountaintops

the mountaintops rise up and over the valley below

the moon is up higher than the sky and the mountaintops

the moon is up higher than the sky, mountaintops and the clouds

yet, up has even more with the stars that twinkle and shine at night

the sun is up and shines over all, never yielding its glory to anyone.

except when darkness covers the earth  and the moon smiles down

Just look up tomorrow and you’ll see another day.

My crown and glory is my hair.

Thinning though it may be

when it looks good,

I look and feel good too.

kinky, curly, wavy or straight

my hair represents me.

It is who I am.

When it acts the way I choose

I’m on top of the world

demanding respect,

and-

crying with a loud voice

without saying a word.

Look at me!

Don’t I look good?

Thick like wool.

Soft like cotton.

Long and flowing,

short and sassy

my hair demands to be noticed.

Although it’s not what it use to be

and may never be again

thanks to crochet, weave and wigs;

a beautiful comb, barrette, or a scrunchy placed just right.

My hair can once again take center stage

as my crown and glory.

What is your comfort zone?

Where do you feel most comfortable?

What do you feel most comfortable doing?

Are you more comfortable with people like you?

Or, can you adapt to those who may be different from you?

What is your comfort zone?

Are you fearful of what others may think

Do you care if others achieve what you achieve?

Can you be satisfied with less so that others may have?

Or, do you just want more and more?

There is no right or wrong in a comfort zone.

It’s all about you and how you feel.

It’s all about being honest to your own convictions.

and not pretending to be what you are not.

Saying one thing and doing another.

only creates a web of confusion

that sounds like a dog whistle

that nobody hears, but the dogs.

Time is important,

I’ve heard people say.

Time is illusive.

Time can get away

If you’re not paying attention

you won’t know where it went.

It just ceases to be.

We all have the same 24 hours

that makes up one day.

We all have 60 minutes

and 60 seconds thrown into the till.

Your day is not shorter or longer than mine

that fact is absolutely guaranteed.

What you choose to do with your time

can never be reclaimed.

I wonder if people with Dementia

ever really feel sad?

They seem to be in a world all their own

while we sit and watch them fade

from who and what they use to be.

Is it sad because we’re sad?

feeling helpless in our dilemma.

Do people with Dementia really know

the pain you feel

because you can’t reach them and bring them back

to the life you once knew?

The life they helped to create.

A life that is all but lost;

somehow erased never to be experienced again.

Where did it all go?

Their whole life is consumed by the here and now

No thought for the past,

no thought for the future.

and  their whole life suddenly becomes your life.

you are now the care-taker

when you once were the child.

Is it cruel

to feel resentment, anger , and shame

when they can’t relate to what use to be

and all you have are memories of what was?

There’s nothing kind about Dementia

for those who have to sit and watch.

The pain is real,

but not for those who suffer with Dementia.

A friend is someone you can talk to

when you need someone to listen.

A friend may not know all the answers,

but they know how to help you find the right one for you.

A friend may not always agree,

but support is always there.

A friend will always remain by you

to show how much they care.

Some friends are temporary fixtures

carving a spot in your heart of hearts.

Some friends are in your life just for a season

leaving a void that isn’t easy to overcome.

Some friends are accidental,

a relationship never meant to be.

and when it’s over you lament the loss that grew out of necessity.

Some friendships develop as time moves on.

Like a fine red wine the value will increase.

There’s nothing you need to do.

Just be yourself because the connection is clear

they’ll stand by you as years go by.

and you have no need for doubt or fear.

Keys of black and white

lined up in a row.

twos and threes, a combination that makes a melodic sound.

Flat and sharp, whole note or half;

when they come together they make music.

Music we all know and love.

Music Unforgettable; like Yesterday. Do you remember?

Music of spring and flowers that bloom.

Autumn Leaves that fall and Wedding Bell Blues.

Words we all want to say,

but Without A song we couldn’t second That Emotion or Cry The Tears Of A Clown when no one is around.

Seductive or dramatic

loud or soft

when the first note is struck

we want to name that tune.

Acoustic, electronic,

baby grand or upright

it’s the player and the song

the voicing you can’t get out of your head.

late in the midnight hour you’ll remember

You’ve Got A Friend.

A friendly little rabbit sits in my yard.

He comes to visit every day just like he has a job.

He has a spot where he likes to sit all day.

He looks around the neighborhood, but has very little to say.

He’s fuzzy and black, a veritable sight.

He only moves away when day changes to night.

He seems to be studying the people as they go by.

He doesn’t seem to be afraid when little children cry.

He’s not afraid of the dogs when they try to scare him away.

He’s a cute little bunny, diligently working all day.

He never bothers the plants, flowers or trees.

I don’t know what he eats, but there’s no food from me.

Why is he there I’ve pondered in my mind.

I think this was his home before it was mine.

My husband and I built a home here you see;

now my husband passed on which left only me.

I’d like to think that rabbit was heaven sent.

A gentle creature of God’s love as a testament.

I know I’m not alone when the rabbit assumes his place.

Somehow this rabbit reminds me of my husband;

watching over me as I’m covered by love and God’s grace.

ears and all.

Keeping a watchful eye when people come to call.

Darkness is the absence of light.

pitch black;

silence

null and void.

shadows that cannot exist,

but they do exist

only in the darkness

in the unexplored places of your mind.

Darkness is a blank mind.

unthinking

unfeeling

no emotion

no where to go

nothing to do,

but what do you do?

Do you seek light

when there is no light;

or,

do you look for light

in the mist of the darkness??

What is light?

Light is the absence of darkness.

bright,

shining,

brilliant,

illuminating and revealing.

light that unveils the truth

that darkness tried to hide.

The truth

that everything

you need still exists

even in the darkness.