A Corner In The World

At the age of two he knew,
life was not perfect.
As we walked into our new house,
the smell of fresh paint,
held us in a cloud.
I watched him moving
his fort and soldiers,
his face beamed.
This was our corner of the world,
the nightmares would not seep through,
these walls.
I would not let them enter.
For years I held secrets,
in a bottomless purse that I carried.
As he grew,
he scattered them,
as if they were seeds,
allowing them to be free.
As the bubbles came up from the deep,
we rose above,
and began to breathe.

What If

If I had not seen you,

my heart would not flutter like

a butterfly trying to court you.

If I had not seen you,

my eyes would not capture you,

their fire burning bright from within.

It was October many moons ago,

I ached to taste your lips,

I inhaled the words you spoke.

Where do you think we'd be

if I had not seen you.

Our secrets would have remained untold,

our voices would have been silent.

You rescued me from inner storms,

I wiped away your inner tears.

Our ordinary life, days to remember.

Summer thunderstorms in the Florida Keys.

Our canvas blue vast oceans.

Reels singing a sweet song.

Raising boys into good men.

Where do you think we'd be

if I had not seen you

that October day so long ago.

Battles

Soldiers in the window,
colorful, untouched,
works of art.
I think of you,
when you were a boy
and history was your world,
a part of you,
like your pulse.
A part of your passion,
your grandpa surviving the holocaust,
fueled your desire to learn
the pieces of the puzzle.
The motives,
the moves,
like the game of chess you both played,
respectful opponents.
His arms like wings,
sheltering you ,
yet his words hard with truth,
your mind vast
and hungry.
Now a man,
you heal people.
Still famished for truth.
You see the price of war,
my boy no longer dreams of battles
he has grown to dream of peace.

Kind

Fingerprints are one of a kind,
our contributions and visions as well.
Walk in the shoes of another,
on a path unfamiliar and unknown.
And you will understand their choices,
the light doesn't shine on everyone.
Are we born kind at heart ?
Or is there a textbook lesson?
Do we learn from our life?
Question and follow your moral compass.
Be kind to those you meet.
Smile and your soul will sing.
Live your truth, live it well.

On The Way To Paris

A modern day knight
in shinning armor,
for his country.
His official passport wallpapered
with truths untold.
At what cost,
his family?
his soul ?
Saving lives but not
his own.
He dreams out loud of fishing
with his boys,
a snapshot of their life.
His voice trails,
"I lost my family" he said,
defeated,
silent.
Focus the eye on the prize,
but the prize is gone.
It belongs to a man sleeping
with the wife he loved,
raising his children.
Time awaits for no one,
the price was paid,
as the smell of war lingers,
in his senses.
The smell of burnt bodies seared into his memory.
The pain of young fallen soldiers,
he masks the pain,
but I hear it loud and clear,
sharp as a knife ,
the words scar my soul.

Joy

Dance in the flow of life,
fragments of who we were yesterday,
the joy of who we are.
You extend yourself to the universe,
you understand the plight of another.
Your words are kind with understanding,
a simple deed brings you peace.
There is a joy from within,
interpreted to many in different ways,
some find it by saving souls,
others find it in self indulgence.
Joy is simple and yet complicated,
it's sharing a bounty of fish,
it's sharing your heart with someone,
it's drifting and dreaming ocean blue,
it's home with boys I love,
their voices dancing in my soul.