Forever And Always

I was the shadow

That never went away

Walking where you walked

Every..single..day

You never got mad

Or told me to leave

You'd simply smile and respond

For that, to you I would cleave

You were my hero

The one I would see

When I needed guidance

Someone to rescue me

I loved your face, your smile

Always sweet and sincere

No bad words from your mouth

Did I ever hear

You could never do wrong

To my innocent heart

My best friend forever

I always knew from the start

I'll love you forever

And always, you see?

My hero, my best friend

My Mother, you'll always be

Do You See Me?

I know you saw
The mess I made
As you walked down the hall
Yes, it was mine

But do you see me?
You say I am still in pajamas
And my hair still stands on end
But where am I?

Look, look and you will see
A little child longing for safety
Hoping to be seen

I don't run to you anymore
When I am afraid
My blankie took on that job
You didn't seem to understand
The fear that I felt

Look at me
I am you, once upon a time
Do you remember that little child
Who just wanted to be loved?
I am that child now
Love me, hold me

Do you see me?

I Was Just A Child Then

I was just a child then
When lives were torn in two
He went left She went right
They didn't know what else to do

I thought our family was perfect
Nothing in the world could tear us apart
Now I know that I was naive
Clueless from the start

I remember the day Dad left
One big tear is all I could see
That day, his face
Will forever haunt my memory

'Nothing will ever be the same', I thought
I soon found that I was right
Everything was different
Except the crying would happen every night

I used to want them together again
So my life would feel complete
But now I know that wouldn't do
There are people we needed to meet

Now I can say
That my life didn't end
Our family grew in time
And our lives did mend

Everything IS different
From the days I once knew
We went from a family of eight
To a family of Twenty-Two (ok 15)

When Will She Rest?

I hear her
It's the sound of nature weeping
Mother Earth cries to the Lord;
"Wo, wo is me the mother of men;
When shall I rest?"

She sends forth turmoil
To show her weariness
Earthquakes in divers places
Tsunami's where peace resided

Why does wickedness prevail?
When will we repent
And have compassion
For our Mother Earth
Whom God created?

Enoch wept at the sound of her voice
And plead with God to stop her pain
Repent ye, repent ye
For the day of the Lord
Is nigh at hand
And the earth will rest!!

I Spoke To God Today

I spoke to God today
But I didn't have to say a word
I told him that I was lost
Didn't know where else to turn

I told him about the laundry, not done
The dishes, overflowing
The kids, crying, always crying
I even told him that some things
Were unfair
Can you say that to God?

After that was said
The complaints kept coming
'I haven't showered in days'
'I've forgotten what food tastes like'
'When's it my turn for happiness?'

And then I listened
I heard mostly silence
And then understanding seeped in
I felt overwhelming love and devotion
From One who knows all

After a while, I stood
Many thoughts running through my mind
The only thing absent was me
I thought of my daughter
I hope she can forgive me for yelling
My son, I'm sorry for walking away
My Father in Heaven
I thank Thee for strength
To steady my hand
Strength to love and to give

I promised God I would try
To make my children laugh..more
To dance with them..more
To love them..more
I promised I would be..more
What can I say..more?

Still Singing

In my mind he is still singing
I can hear him in the distance
His laughter ringing through the breeze
I look over to see a tree swaying
It reminds me of him dancing

A radio is playing, it's a guitar that I hear
I can see his fingers
Move so swiftly as he plays
I believe he still plays
All I have to do is close my eyes
And there he is playing just for me

He's not gone, just out of my sight
Now I sit and play the guitar
I know he can hear me
I like to think of him singing

picture by Ryan Ottley