Tuesday, June 30, 2009

04-09-1985

He plays her birthday in the lottery
And plays her music for his birds
When he loves, he loves completely
And he talks about God's word

He finds light in the face of his daughter
And is softened by his grandson's laughter
He is haunted by a difficult past
Where the shadows of addiction are cast
He closes his eyes to the sound of gospel
And familiar faces smile from his walls
Lost in the thick New England
mist
He thinks of the woman who once he kissed
And the girl who was born from all of this
A tiny smile he'll never dismiss


So he plays my birthday in the lottery
And plays my music for his birds
When he loves, he loves completely
And he talks about God's word

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Summer Eternal

The humid summer moistened my face
As I held out a freshly picked favorite
(the tiny pedals of Queen Anne's Lace)
"For you, Mom, I hope you like it"
A cool damp towel shaded my skin
From the dull yellow rays of New England
Just me and her on the glimmering grass
On hot soggy days that never seemed to pass
The high, emerging sun warmed my back
And seagulls snuck up hoping for a snack
Little toes searched for the wettest sand
And a splash of cold water made me laugh
A little unsure, I grabbed for her hand
Steady and smiling with my first best friend
At a flawless time in a memoir with no end

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Paper Past

I unfolded the pieces of the past
To be swallowed by a sea
Of dizzying white and black
Lost in the mist of memory

The faded ink on each sheet
Spilled carelessly into my head
A fleet of emotion that once existed
In the tale of my past and me

Each word swung like a wrecking ball
And crashed into my safety walls
Knocking them down brick by brick
As Future's clock continued to tick