Crispy, crunchy bits on the floor
Remnants of what was once me
Speak in sequestered voice
Whispers for none to hear
Memories masked in flimsy gauze
Distort into moaning miseries
Slices of soul oozing through my eyes
Trek along determined trails
Hollowness hails each morning
Darkness so deep that no light gleams
Heaviness haunts my limbs
Paralyzes rational thought
No hope, no light
Nothing but everlasting midnight
Covers my heart
Entrapped in cement, I wail
Despair disrobes my aching soul
Twisting me into nothingness
Stealing my solitary goal
Filling me with dire hopelessness
I cling to pleasant memories
Striving to erase my own pain
Fighting against complexities
That confuse my poor little brain
Hopelessness outweighs all pleasure
Crashing me into thick steel walls
Shielding me from golden treasure
Blinding my eyes to pleading calls
My life is pettily pointless
Of what use is continued fight?
To die, I must nevertheless
Today, no; and please not tonight
With a glimpse over my shoulder
I do catch Your glorious face
Floating, like a granite boulder
Uncomfortably out of place
Is there some hope? Will I survive?
With Your strong arms carrying me
I do believe that I may thrive
To express creativity
Hopelessness is driven away
Which cleanses my still burning soul
Nothingness chooses not to stay
I rejoice and set a new goal.
Alone
In the middle of a crowded room
Silent voices scream for recognition
Fear
Twists guts into compressed clay
Paralyzing limbs, numbing throats
Degradation
Fills the ears of the emotionally injured
Ruining scarce moments of hard-fought joy
Depression
Carries sinking hearts into oblivion
Erasing memories of happiness felt
Hands
Reach out, begging for salvation
Yearning for one sign of love
Answers
Arrive in rain-soaked clouds
Pouring down tears of understanding
Compassion
Clears the night of unmasked terrors
Awakening remnants of esteem, long forgotten
Joy
Blooms in multi-colored bursts of words
Spoken, thoughts shared, kindnesses felt
Light
Seeps into crevices of the heart
Obliterating shards of self-doubt
Happiness
Explodes in multicolored bursts
Opening souls to welcoming voices
Surrounded
Encased
Enfolded
Alone no more
My path wasn’t always paved with smooth stones.
The bumps and crags caused me to stumble,
To veer away from my God,
Thankfully not for long.
Life would be good for a while
I’d pass a difficult class,
Date a nice man
But then an obstacle would rise up
It’s not that I forgot how loving God could be,
Or that I lost faith in His love.
I’d get lost in my own drama
Thankfully not for long.
I’d forget to look up
And enjoy the blue sky above.
Be mesmerized by the clouds floating by
Instead, I’d plod along lost in my sadness
.
I thought I had no one to turn to.
No one who’d care if I bared my soul.
Not one single person who’d dry my tears.
Thankfully it didn’t last for long.
When my world fell apart, dragging me into the depths
I’d wallow in misery, tears washing my face,
Blocking my vision so completely
That no joy, no hope could penetrate.
But then something wonderful happened,
My husband-to-be entered my world
And everything changed.
Thankfully for a good, long time.
He was there to bolster me up when
Sadness weighed on my shoulders.
He was there when I felt incompetent,
Incapable of succeeding in whatever I chose to do.
He showed me the blue sky, the clouds drifting by.
He held my hand and made me feel loved.
Together we laughed and smiled.
Thankfully for a good, long time.
He brought God into my life.
Together we’d pray, attend Mass,
Take classes to be better parents.
Walk with me when the path got bumpy.
He changed my life in so many ways.
And still does, all these years later.
He’s shown me unconditional love.
Thankfully for a good, long time.
I dreamt that I traversed the sands of time
to a place mysterious and sublime.
Where gigantic trees with branches stout,
safely nestled all feathered friends about,
providing shelter from many foe,
yet allowing freedom to come and go.
Silky soft leaves whose gentle caress
becalms restless souls, soothes with fine finesse
young and old alike; no bias here
where all live in peace for many a year.
Through the sands a winding river ran
giving sustenance to both beast and man.
Surprisingly blue with not a trace
of sinister longings upon its face.
It speaks of a sweet love; it calls to me,
“Step right in,” it says, “ and I’ll set you free
from all that ails; as well sin and pain.
You have nothing to lose, but much to gain.”
With tremulous step I slowly crept
into her warm, comforting arms. I slept.
Or thought I did, for there soon appeared
hosts of angels. I panicked, afeared
of my demise. But to my surprise
they lifted me on high with joyous cries.
The night did end. My dream soon left.
The suffering world found me quite bereft
and yearning for that heavenly place
whose welcoming arms did me quick embrace.
One thing alone I brought home with me:
knowledge that all men could soar high and free
seeking truth, wisdom, righteousness, and grace.
making earth a truly heavenly place.
Crispy, crunchy bits on the floor
Remnants of what was once me
Speak in sequestered voice
Whispers for none to hear
Memories masked in flimsy gauze
Distort into moaning miseries
Slices of soul oozing through my eyes
Trek along determined trails
Hollowness hails each morning
Darkness so deep that no light gleams
Heaviness haunts my limbs
Paralyzes rational thought
No hope, no light
Nothing but everlasting midnight
Covers my heart
Entrapped in cement, I wail
Words and Thoughts 