The Poetry Marathon

You taught me of beauty, of hope and of love
And how all that we are is born up above
Your hard work and struggle, and yet all your grace
Shown brightly despite the lines on your face
Your love for one man left you widowed for years
Yet you held tight to memories to conquer all fears
For you long believed that true love comes once
’tis something you shared in e’er abundance

I grew up not dreaming your life would be mine
As I sat, mourning in each mope and whine
Of how cruel men had come and hurt my pride
So certain I’d never be anyone’s bride
And yet, you kept preaching of e’erlasting bliss
Of a heart made for me I could never miss
As years trudged on, I was ready to fold
On the prospect of this true love I could hold

Then one a day when all things went wrong
It was finally proven, you were right all along
He did not come forth as a great, beaming knight
But an average Joe which was quite alright
And now I am certain, Dear Grandma I love
That you and the Good, Gracious Lord up above
Came together to heal this lost heart of mine
With an everlasting love so sweet and divine
And now that I’ve found it, I can understand
Your thought that once in a lifetime love is His plan
For I’ve never known a feeling like this
Thank you for granting me eternal bliss

The world is now much smaller
Long lost friends reunite; lovers meet defying odds
Strangers comes together to help in need
Online dating, crowdfunding, Classmate finders
Words unheard a few decades ago… yet
In today’s world, they are ever life changing
While sure, technology can be targeted by the weak
And online bullies do exist
It’s all how you look at life
Do you see the positive or the negative
The glass half full or half empty
Focus on the good; focus on the upside
And log on
Good or bad, right or wrong
Stay plugged in to life

Once I was a lonely girl
By myself in the dark and crazy world
No friends, always judged by others
I spent my days with just the thoughts in my head
Over time, my sanity suffered and more people criticized
Phrases like “she’s sick” or “she’s crazy” or she’s depressed bellowed
I had convinced myself I’d be all alone forever
Then you came
You saw through the pain in my heart
You eased the hurt; you healed me
One special memory at a time
Thank you for loving me

The clouds this morning look of rain
Will the flowers rejoice
For weeks, their buds have cried in vain
With nary another choice
The heat has risen from the ground
To smother and to steal
The sacred drink they need for life
That they now need to heal

The flowers’ leaves, once bright and green
Now wilted, spotted brown
The happy little blooms of hope
Now bow their heads to frown
But, wait…. alas what’s that I hear
A loud, thunderous boom
Maybe today shall bring the end
Of summer’s drought and doom

I long to cuddle ‘neath the quilt
In precious morning hours
To spend time making memories as one
Dancing in aft’noon showers
To sit and laugh for hours on end
O’er our respective shifts
And raise each other up on high
When our spirits need lifts
I long to do these things with you
Each day we both shall live
And celebrate the love we share
For all we have to give
Replaying daily all these times
That leave us up for greatness
One by one, as each one comes
In the hours before darkness

The waves carry my heart away
On every ebb and flow
Further and further out to sea
I watch its shadow go
For love – not I – at least no more
My love has traveled on
To some place greater than it left
Where angelic halos don

His smile stays with me every morn
In every sun-kissed beam
His memory lives on in my mind
And visits in each dream
I find much peace, despite the waves
Sending my heart away
For I have faith we’ll meet again
One bright and blessed day.

I saw a world in shambles
Lost and broken; in despair
Without some form of anchor
To hold its peacetime wear
But deep within that sadness
A faint beacon still remained
Within the little children
To whom hate must be explained
For they know not of races
Of gender or of creed
They see the world as equal
When they ask “Please play with me”
What if we all were children
Back in grade school once again
Maybe we’d take life lessons
And rid life of pain and sin.