24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Finally I can see the peak,
the journey turned out to be so neat,
didn’t realize we came to the end,
time to leave until we meet again.
One can take some rest,
enjoy the view,
you are on the top,
time for something new,
we will gather once more,
and celebrate this journey we began.
Time to leave now,
see you next time,
we will meet again!
P.S: Dedicated to my fellow poets who took part in the marathon.
Beside the water where fishes live I sit and dream about the day that children and fishes together at the bottom of the river can play I dream of the moments I can soar with the ravens and eagles, starlings and more high above this fertile earth Ants will show me their tunnels below where families together build a home and bees will guide me to their hive teach me how to build a comb Elk and moose, deer and bear take me to sacred spaces where babies are born and share the lands where the elders go to rest I dream of the day when we will be one in love, acceptance, understanding and compassion as we respect the earth, moon and sun growing in knowledge and inspiration
Few things are warmer
Than sunbeams in summer
Filtered through
A shady breeze
Sometimes I wonder
If I could perhaps
Eat the trees
Green leaves
But be it a light alike to nothing
Be it a trustworthy ally
I always love to see
Sunbeams filter through the sky
Someone posted a picture
The Lahaina Banyon Tree
A block-sized wonder
Over a hundred years old
Thought to be lost.
In the deadly fire.
It’s branches black.
Its trunk dark and lifeless.
As the endless stream.
of sad stories and
deep loss
bombarded us every day,
some experts decided to try to save it.
They watered it, fed it
Babied it, cherished it
Three weeks later,
signs of life surge through the trunk
New saplings grow from old, lifeless branches
Hope is a tree
In the center of Lahaina Town
Doing it’s damnedest
to bring hope
to a town broken in pain and loss.
Hope in the form of a tree.
Little Eulogies for the People I Have Been
– She was around a lot longer than she ever thought she’d be. Honestly, she’s still here but in ways she never could have dreamed of.
– He tried. He tried more than he probably should have but he’s a stubborn asshole who wouldn’t have it any other way.
– She was just a child and didn’t deserve how the adults around her reacted to [it]. I wish that, for her sake, they had been able to access [help].
– They’re a dumbass in the kindest of ways. Not like a puppy but also not as jaded as they should have been. Which they paid for but I know them and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
– He loved [them] with his whole being even when he wasn’t sure how to best show it. I’ve never heard an inkling of regret for any love he’s even given no matter how it was returned.
– They made a choice and sometimes we can’t choose the choices we make. It sucks and they knew it but when you’re out of options…
– She needed her [parent] but the other side of the bedroom wall might as well have been a stranger’s house.
– Every version of me that I have been made what I thought was the best decision based on the information I had. I can never fault myself for that nor would I want to.
End is near, I hope
without a rope, I say nope
blank mind, sleep, elope.
– Sandra Johnson, 9-3-2023
“Closets are a big deal inside a house, but also metaphorically. One can be in the closet, or come out of it, for example, But they are also places of safety and joy for small children, or where a monster is lurking, depending on the small child, and/or time of day.”
The place where I am most truly myself-
where I sing loud, not caring if I miss the notes and tones
The place no one hears me or looks upon me with ‘judgy’ eyes
The place where I think I can win an Oscar for my notes,
The place where I look in the mirror to practice my speeches
The place where I applaud myself for my braveness.
The place I reveal my initial fears and start to overcome them,
The place where I start to nurture the thought of letting the world see my amazing colours
The place I gain confidence before letting this inner child out to the cruel world.
As a child I was scared of the dark.
As an adult, I found myself always seeking the quietness it came with.
As a child I thought monsters were hidden in the corners waiting for me to step in at night
As an adult, I see that the monsters live outside, waiting to shred every bit of me
This is my haven
This is the place I am most truly myself. I’d rather be here than anywhere
I’d rather glow in the darkness of its safety that reveal myself to the light in the world
I’d rather fill this place with my colours till I’m ready to show the world
One
after
the
other.
Hope is a hard subject to write for
in a world where there are no guarantees.
Hope is like a wish you want granted
there are no guarantees.
Hope is like a blanket
warm the elders and the sick
still no guarantees.
Hope is like a promise
it can be broken
like tomorrow’s no guarantee.
The day is done,
And we pass each other, like
So many birds trading schedules in the dark.
Hope plays upon our crests and roosts in our chests,
As we continue our lives in concentric circles from each other.
Owls nestle now their heads and red-winged blackbirds stir,
Dancing past hollow trees to congregate to meet another day.
As long as there is song in the air,
The still of calm will have foothold over us.
As long as bird breath comes out loud and strong into brightening air,
It means humanity gets one more day to try again,
And do it better.