Tag: Poetry

When My Palette is Empty

I wish for songbirds 

to sing joyful songs

around your dwelling

when I carry 

heavy tunes. 

I wish for rainbows

to appear before you

at the wave of my hand

when my palette is empty

and my brushes too dry

to paint them on your sky. 

I wish for the winds 

to lift you from the ground

at my command

when I’m not strong enough

to lighten the pains

that come around. 

And when things are bleak

and my words too weak

to make you smile,

I pray that my hand

in yours

is enough to remind you

life is still worthwhile. 

For I will not stop

hanging little lights up

above your head

to let you know

I am with you

though they may flicker

in hard times ahead. 

My love will linger

far longer

after darkness has fled. 

When My Palette is Empty

April 26, 2022

Fount of Your Smiles

Let me be the cushion on your back

at the end of a long day;

let me be the ice pack

to numb your headaches away. 

Use me as your diversion;

let me sing you songs

with your favorite renditions;

play me all night long

till your rest your eyes

then I will sing you lullabies. 

Let me be the sunlight 

peeking into your window, 

let my sweet little ray write

over your sorrows

with poems of love

and of bright days ahead.

Look above!

High atop your bed,

I am the canopy

embracing your galaxy. 

In truth, I am small,

with a voice tiny and faint.

I cannot be your all;

I am no match against

the offerings of the world

that you most deserve.

But I am true to my word;

for you, I will serve

as the fount of your smiles

for as long as you deem worthwhile. 

Fount of Your Smiles

April 18, 2022

Two Billion Heartbeats

Two billion heartbeats

in a lifetime;

every one of them for you

since we’ve met.

Each as loud as a bass drum,

shouting your name. 

And perhaps the secret chord

is playing in the background

for the heavens seem pleased;

yes, indeed. 

And our song, 

chiming along, 

telling our story

each time the drum rolls. 

A hundred thousand

heartbeats 

in a day;

only one thing they say:

that I love you—

this lifetime, for sure

and perhaps in many lifetimes

before. 

And every minute, 

a hundred heartbeats more

can attest to the truth,

here sworn. 

Not a day is happier

than every day we spend

together. 

Two Billion Heartbeats

March 27, 2022

A Letter Sent Through Airwaves

Long stretches of roads

lay between us.

You said hello

in a letter—sent

through airwaves,

defying distance and time,

past traffic and borders.

And I wrote back…

Now I’m caught

in this electric exchange

of synapses

in which the world dissolves

and the hours stand still,

and only the words between us

remain. 

And it’s a struggle

to stay sane

when I could barely restrain

my thoughts

from going to the private

spaces we’ve reserved. 

But I will hang

onto every sliver

of the promise of the day

my lips would lock

with yours

as our fingers intertwine;

the beginning of a tale

that makes all the wait

worthwhile. 

A Letter Sent Through Airwaves

March 11, 2022

Light the Beacons

Mountains rise before me;

walls of coffee brown

looming taller

with every slope I climb. 

I do not lose heart. 

For soon I will stand

on the point high enough

for me to see—

you are closer to me. 

And I will climb several more,

run from peak to peak,

if only to light the beacons

to let you know

there is nowhere

I would rather go. 

There I shall wait,

sun-up to sun-down

until smoke from the ravages

around us clears,

until all that can harm you

tire and leave,

that you may believe

I have come for you;

it is safe now. 

I will pave the path

on which you’ll walk

to greet me;

rid it of pain.

And if I but must, 

I will do it again. 

For cupcake 🧁

Light the Beacons

February 22, 2022