Resolve

Resolve

I cannot do anything about the passing of time
I cannot slow it down, but I can control how
I use time, how I lead my life. Whether time
will be a blessing or time will be a curse, the
mental choice is mine. I control my outlook.

The only time I have is the moment I live now.
I can remember and learn from the past, but
I cannot change it. I can hope and plan for future,
but I cannot live it. I resolve to live today
in the best possible way. I control my destiny.

The Angel's Voice

The Angel's Voice

You who still live on earth do not need to be obsessive
about time. Just relax and enjoy and know that
all will happen according to plan. Know your life
is eternal, that the segment of life you live on earth
is only a small part of your existance. I was here
when time began. I witnessed your earthly birth;
and I will witness your earthly death and witness
every moment in between. Know that earthly minutes,
hours, days, weeks, years are nothing. Now that
you exist you will live, not only here on earth
which is only a fragment of eternal time, but forever.

Optimism

Optimism

I am thankful and filled with joy
one year ends another begins.

Thus has it been since time began
so will it be until time's end.

I ring out the old and in the new
celebrate rebirth of my soul

along with beginning of new year.
I set aside my past mistakes

January brings a fresh slate.
New year, I will welcome you.

Finis

Finis

Eventually all will end
past, present, future
all will be concluded
no more moments
no more possibilities
no more hopes
no more dreams
no more chances
no more regrets
no more memories
Life lived, book sealed.

No Excuses

No Excuses

No excuses accepted
you must take responsibility
for your life's decisions and
actions which brought you to today.
You are no exception
and you cannot go back.

Time

Time

Young time ahead of us seems infinite.
Old we count the years we think are left.

Young each year brings new possibilities.
Old each year possibilities fade away.

Young we are often idealistic.
Old we are more likely realistic.

Young we save money to buy a house.
Old we save for a a nursing home.

Young we experience many firsts,
Old we experience many lasts.

Young we realize we will outlive our pet dog.
Old we hope our pet dog will not outlive us.

Young the future is decades ahead.
Old the future is next year.

Shared with Open Link Monday -Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

The Blues

The Blues

Some days feel hopeless
I don't know how i will survive
one thing goes wrong after another
I wonder how I can go on.

There have been special challenges
God has put me through and
so far I think I am doing all right,
I am not one to complain.

I generally keep a postive outlook
keep negativity at bay, I just keep
plugging along, one day at a tune,
though sometimes inside I cry.

I've Been Everywhere

I've Been Everywhere


I've been everywhere, so many places in the world,
too numerous to mention, all of them interesting.
but in the end what matters most is the kind of
person I was, what I did with my life. Places visited
in the past and present are icing on the cake.

Response to Mother

In Response to Poem Written on November 18

To Mother

It has been twenty-one years next week since you died.
Though it has been a long time I still see you as you were then,
still hear your words, your voice. Twenty-one years ago
you'd been planning Thanksgiving dinner, all fixings

in the refrigerator awaited the family gathering. At your house, all
was ready to be prepared. Then you died. Suddenly. Heart attack.
We had the turkey, the one from your refrigerator, the day before
your funeral. It was prepared at my sister's home. we knew you would

have wanted the family feast to go on, even though you weren't there.
We had an empty plate at the table. Yours. Two decades have passed.
I think of you again this Thanksgiving. Not that I don't think of you other
times. I wonder if you planned the time of your own death for a time

when the family would gather, so we all would be together in support.
Thanksgiving seemed appropriate as there was a lot to be thankful for,
in your life and even in your death. Mother, I did learn your lessons.
People are most important. Family comes first. Even if you are quiet,

you can do brave things if you have to. One person's voice matters.
If you don't like the way things are, you can go somewhere else where
your voice will matter. Or you can make a change. You can always write
for yourself and for others. You never know where your influence ends.

Your influence lives on, Mother. Know that.

Confession

Confession


I confess I no longer contemplate future.
My only future is tomorrow and what will I buy
at the grocery store and the day after tomorrow,
what movie will I see with friends? I no longer
think about what I will be doing in five years,
ten years. I no longer have a long term plan.
I live in the moment now. Who knows if
in five or ten years I will be alive at all?

Ghosts

Ghosts

Sleepless nights, I sort through my mind
for ghosts from my past, people almost forgotten,
but not quite, those I knew long ago, weeks or months,
a year or more, even two or three years,who might still
be important to me yet today if only they had not walked
out of my life, if only I had not walked out of theirs.
Sometimes the exits were not deliberate Someone moved
or graduated and went their own way. Sometimes the exits
were intentional. A friendship didn't work out. A relationship
didn't gel. Someone just walked away no reason mentioned.
Those were the hardest times. I still wonder about some of
these people, only during sleepless nights. Sometimes I wonder
if I made mistakes the times it was my choice to walk away.
I wonder if those who walked away wonder the same thing
during their sleepless nightsor if I have been totally forgotten.
If only their stories had not ended abruptly, never to be
updated, I might know what happened to these people from
my past, and they might be friends. I wonder where they are
now, the ghosts from my past. Sad that I'll never know.

The Big Picture

The Big Picture

I am Life Itself.
Birth, Death, and all days in between.
I am Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Alpha and Omega on one page.
No past, no future, only present.
All lives that ever were, ever will be
exist now on this day, in this time.
I am Life, I am God, I am Love
This is my plan, Follow Me.

Words from Mother

Words from Mother

Twenty-one years ago next week I died.
I have kind of lost track of the exact date,
as I have been so busy here in heaven since
the time of my death, but i know I was looking

forward to preparing Thanksgiving dinner. The
menu had been decided on. The food was in
the refrigerator. It was sudden. My death.
My heart just stopped. No warning. I didn't

mean to leave so quickly without saying
good-bye to everyone I loved, but maybe it
was for the better. Good-byes sometimes
can be long and drawn out, not to mention

being filled with much pain for those dying
and those left behind. For me, it just happened.
God called me home. He must have had His
reasons. I know my husband missed me.

You know how quiet he was and how he
depended on me for social things. He hadn't
made a lot of friends here in heaven since
he'd arrived. No surprise, he had been waiting for me.

I suppose you'd like to know what I've been
doing here, but there's no time for that right now.
Just know that there is more than enough to do,
but also all the time in the world. Here in heaven

there is no real past and no real future. Everything
is the present, and present is eternal and perfect bliss.
No pain, no one ages, everyone is happy. Yes, just
as you learned in Sunday School. But don't rush

to get here. Enjoy those moments, months, years
on earth. They are special, and you will never forget
your experiences or the people you know. Your
memories last forever. God does have a plan.

He is yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is
eternal, and you are also. Know we will meet again!

(In Memory of my mother who died November 24, 1987)

To Mya, With Love

To Mya, With Love

I love you, Mya, in all of your innocence,
unexpected child, but welcomed into the world.
You smile and laugh, delight in your surroundings.
Your eyes eagerly explore, and your legs are
almost ready to propel you across the room.
But this moment you sleep soundly, warm in your blankets,
no fears of tomorrow, no memory of the past,
alive in the present, relaxed, trusting your world.
Happy birthday, Mya. May your world always be
as warm and nurturing for you as it is today.

(In honor of Mya's first birthday, which will be November 26!)

If it Lives

If it Lives

If it lives it will die
a fact of nature
to be accepted
not ignored or denied.
Live the moment.

Surrounded

Surrounded

I am surrounded by a circle of clocks: old clocks,
new clocks, alarm clocks, cuckoo clocks, grandfather
clocks, small clocks, large clocks. Each clock ticks
loud, then louder, as the horrid procession moves in closer,
tighter. Each clock face sneers, jeers with intense eyes
and curled toothless mouths. Clock hands reach away
from the clock faces, attempt to seize me as I attempt
to run; but their spindly legs grow long, strong. The
unwelcome intruders move in so close I can smell
stagnant breath as the wire fingers begin to assault
my body. The clocks stop ticking. I cannot scream.
I cannot run. I'm trapped in time. No escape possible.

Warning

Warning

If you do not take the time to do
what you want today there may be
no opportunity tomorrow. If you live
in the past, you won't appreciate
the present or you will not see
the opportunities before your eyes.
If you live in the future, you will be
old before you know it and you
will have accomplished nothing.
If you lack time consider your
priorities and readjust them. Know
that you cannot escape the ravages
of time, so be sure that you use time
in a way that is valuable to you so when
you reach old age you can look back
with pleasure and satisfaction and know
your life was well lived. Time the most
valuable gift you can give yourself
or someone else. Time is limited.
There is no fountain of youth. You
will not escape death. Meanwhile
heed these words and live.

One

One

One day is all I have
one moment, one hour
this moment, this hour
live right now.

One life is all I have
one chance, one path,
my choice, to get it right,
live right now.

One day, one life
this moment, one path
this hour, my choice
live right now.

In One Second

In One Second

In one second life can forever change;
someone becomes pregnant, falls
downstairs, opens the door to the
intruder, hears it's cancer, it's over,
it's too late, sees a look she was not
meant to see, speaks words without
thought, cannot pull them back, pulls
the trigger, encounters black ice, skids
can't stop. All it takes is one second
for life to twist down an unforeseen path
and directions to the former path are lost.

My Perspective

It is a fact that past
led to present which
will lead to future,
inevitable that people
disagree about politics.
What good to discuss either?

To Survive

To Survive

I try to bounce back
from difficult times in life
sometimes with the help of angels,
a plan, random luck, or passing of time.
But most often it takes will and energy
to survive a challenging time.
Is it survival of the fittest
or the most determined?

Nightmare

Nightmare

I stand on the edge of a cliff,
vultures of the past surround me,
and grunt, flap their wings, hiss.
l Iook into the abyss of future,
know If I jump I am doomed,
I cannot see the bottom.
If I do nothing I will be prey
to the vultures whose hot breath
I feel on my neck. With their bald
heads ready to feed, they sense death
is near, present will soon be past.
it is my choice how to die.
I jump.

A Fact

It is a fact that past leads to present
and present leads to future, also
a fact that all we have is the present.
We can never experience again what we
experienced yesterday nor can we know
what will happen tomorrow. We have
only one moment, this moment
to live. If we ignore or waste this moment
it is lost forever, never to be reclaimed.

Cerberus

Cerberus

Cerberus, three-headed dog of past, present, and future
you guard your iron gate with vicious and awful fury.
What an ominous task, a gruesome chore for you who
stands in the place neither dead nor living can cross.
You alone watch the gate. Innocence of birth, youthful
dreams,old age regrets all converge in your domain. I cower
before your serpent tail, hair of snakes, fearsome face.
Your shadow looms along the River Styx. I await my time.

Praise

Praise

This poem is in praise of nothing
I have nothing to praise tonight
one of those bleak times I have
from time to time. Somewhere
there is something praiseworthy,
but today it escapes my view.

Buried Treasure

Buried Treasure

Treasures from yesterday
stored in boxes bring the past
to life as I retreat into the attic
late at night when I cannot sleep.
It is bitter cold in winter, sweltering
in summer, sometimes musty,
often dusty. I close the door,
choose a box, open it with care,
explore its contents, whether
it be books, dolls, old photos,
certificates, framed pictures,
nicknacks, old wallets, jewelry.
With so many treasures to investigate
during late night exploration, I lose
myself in my finds, embrace memories
brought by each, then bury them again
in the boxes of my late night hideaway
where they will be until I discover them
the next time I am unable to sleep.

Soap Box

Soap Box

We are on the cusp between the past and future
I watch television as wins and losses are projected
and I wonder how they know who will win a state
when only one percent of the votes have been tallied.

Everyone thinks their candidate has the answer
It will be a late night, I am sure, as I watch somberly,
hope people look at issues, not only party,
hope people know George Bush didn't speak for all.

I believe many people are following a Pied Piper
someone who speaks well and inspires hordes
but I do hope that his words have substance,
that he will accomplish what he states he will.

This may not sound like much of a soapbox
but it is all I can muster tonight as I
look back at the past, ahead toward future,
so tired of the word 'change,' fear tomorrow.

Ghosts

Ghosts

I sort through my mind for ghosts of my past
people almost forgotten, but not quite,
those I knew weeks or perhaps months
who might have been important to me if only
their stories had not ended abruptly, never
to be updated. I wonder where they are now.,
the multitude of faceless ghosts of my past.

A Lesson

A Lesson

Remember, you who care about the past,
take more heed of your present and future.
Life is today and tomorrow, not in ghosts
of yesterday. Embrace your present as you
look ahead. The past is fixed, unchangeable
a book that has gone to press, no revisions
possible. Do not be trapped within its pages.
Look forward, not backward. Lessons learned
or teachings ignored may influence how you live
your life today, but are not today. Live now to
the fullest and your mind will stay forever young.

In Remembrance

In Remembrance
(College Speech Class - 1963)

This is the only speech I remember:
Jerry spoke about his brother Gene,
captured by the Pathet Lao, early 60's,
then held until he and others attempted
escape. He was recaptured, tortured,
later seen alive, but never attained freedom.

I 'd forgotten about Jerry for decades,
but he sprang to mind last week, a phantom
from my past, and I tried to discover what
had happened to classmate Jerry and Gene
who in the mid- 60's was listed MIA Laos.
I hoped I would find Gene had come home.

I discovered Jerry journeyed to Laos
after the war to search for his brother,
never found Gene, though live sightings
were reported into the 1990's. Jerry remains
an advocate for his brother after forty years,
still considers Gene his mentor.

Despite the likelihood of Gene's death,
I want to remember and honor his life,
and that is why I wrote this poem.