April 2024 Poetry Contest - $500 Cash Prize

A horse on a hill
Past the old railroad tracks
Just up the road
From the broken-down shack

I walked through the churchyard
In the overgrown grass
Alone with my grief
That old horse I did pass

He meandered up to me
No saddle to ride
Just a horse with no keeper
Now a friend by my side

We walked slowly along
Lost in sadness and thought
We traveled a path
To the stream I was brought

My mother's reflection
I glimpsed in the water
A moment in time
That we shared together

The lonely old horse
My friend for the day
Brought peace to my soul
In his quiet old way

A gift I was given
From a horse on a hill
A glimpse of my mother
In the water so still

The horse then retreated
In his slow, tired way
To his spot on the hill
His magic spent for the day

A horse on a hill
In my grief helped me see
The reflection of my mother
Was my mother in me

Can there be anything sadder
Than a home that's had its day
Where the children have moved on
And the owners passed away

But the sadness becomes unbearable
When that home had been your own
And it reminds you so clearly
Of the happier moments you've known

Worn knitting needles shine in the sunroom
Protruding from a bag of wool on the floor
But mum's favorite chair is empty
And her needles clack no more

The crystal cabinet in the lounge room has a mirror
Reflecting an old man with the saddest of eyes
The same eyes beam from a picture of young bloke
Ecstatic as he claims some obscure scholastic prize

His brother and his sister are beside him
Sitting on that mantle piece so proud
While an eerie silence engulfs you now
This home had often been so loud

In the bedroom a green chest sits in the corner
A lonely companion that had crossed the sea
All the memories of the old world hastily packed there
Once so precious to my mum and me

In the backyard the shed had been fundamental
To the lives of the people living here
Bar-b-cuing, conserving, eating
Routine determined by the passing of the year

I wonder what my dad would have thought
When I gave his precious tools away
Polishing, honing, oiling he wanted them maintained
I gave most to his neighbor and threw out what remained

A broken bike hides in the corner
Somehow it too had found a home here
Evoking my small son wobbling down the street
His face a contortion of excitement and fear

So many precious items
That have so little value now
Indispensable to the family then
But they must all disposed of somehow

As the shadows start to lengthen
The house seems to come slowly alive
My mother yelling from the kitchen
'Dinner's ready everyone come inside'

An old fashioned yellow light illuminates my father
As he sits at the table so serene
A glass of red wine clutched in his hand
His wife and children filling out the scene

But the fading light is tricky
Your mind sees what it wants to see
As I move towards the house
Only silence comes to greet me

And I know where my mum and dad live now
The priest blessed their souls when we moved them there
So all these memories would be moved to the tip
Why should I even care

But as I shut the gate behind me
There's a heaviness of heart as tears spring to my eyes
Saying goodbye to everything you held so dear
Surely sadness should come as no surprise

And I leave the old house as my mum left it
On her last awful final afternoon
The darkness in my house and heart
I entrust to the fullest of full moons.

Big, pink fluffy hearts could not convey
what you mean to me this Valentine's Day.
A card with fancy words saying, "I love you so,"
could not capture my thoughts, but I think you know
today just how much you mean to me,
without balloons, fluffy teddies, sentimentality,
or a fancy meal cooked with sparkling wine,
to say that you are "really mine!"

Instead, I'll gently kiss your lips,
hold your face, caress your fingertips.
Then you will know how much I really care,
that my life with you, I gladly share.
The joys, hopes, dreams will fade away,
but we'll be together, as we make our way
down through life's pathways, hand in hand,
with our precious love that is truly grand.

I gaze at you with welling tears.
We have been husband and wife for over fifty years!

I see you standing there.
I feel your eyes on me.

I resume my tasks, but there you are.
"Would you please just let me be?"

I turn my head to quickly glance.
You have not moved at all.

But when I turn myself around,
I hear you down the hall.

Before too long, you have come back.
You stand upon my feet.

I cannot resist your loving eyes.
I dare not let them meet.

It is like a game for us.
Who will persevere?

I cannot look above the sink.
Your reflection is in the mirror.

Those eyes, those eyes, those loving eyes;
there you go again.

I think I know what is on your mind;
my will for you to bend.

I place my hands upon my hips.
I look right at your face.

I know you know I am breaking down
like a familiar drawn-out race.

With eyebrows raised and a simple sigh,
I put my work aside.

"Go fetch your leash and favorite toy."
It's  time to go outside.

My chores are never finished.
Some say I am merely lagging.

But he has won and won again.
We stroll with tail wagging!

Looking up at the moonlit sky
In the quiet of the night
I found a truth that stilled my soul
In a tiny speck of light

Something that I'd seen before
But never came to me in thought
It was above me the whole time
The answer that I sought

The stars I see formed long ago
A twinkling memory of their birth
Moments in time from lifetimes past
Finally made their way to Earth

The stars I see above me now
Were born before a time
Of love and laughter and of pain
Yet they still, to this day, shine

Between the space from there to here
That began so long ago
There in the infinite cosmos
Lingers on the human soul

There in the midst of the gap between
What my mind can hardly comprehend
Somehow I know my mother dwells
Still alive and still my friend

There in that space my brother lives
Traveling through the star-filled sky
Each sunset brings a chance for him
To find a way to catch my eye

If stars survive without love and pain
Sending light through the night sky
Surely there between the stars and me
Lives my mother, my brother, the sublime

TRUE HAPPINESS comes
through struggle and pain,
As a rainbow appears
only after the rain.

It's how reaching a summit
takes your time and your breath,
But once with the clouds
it was worth every step.

And for muscles to strengthen
a breakdown's required,
Painful wearing and tearing
and fibers rewired.

As with bone that's been broken
and realigned once more,
How often the after
is stronger than the before.

A synergistic principle's
alive in our hearts,
Where joy is now greater
than the sum of its parts.

TRUE HAPPINESS comes
through struggle and pain,
As a rainbow appears 
only after the rain.

Though, at times, we may ask
while engulfed in our fears,
"Is the outcome really worth
all this blood, sweat and tears?"

But with one simple glance
to our left and our right,
We see warriors beside us
to help fight the fight.

Surrounded by those
who knows what it takes,
They augment our talents
and forgive our mistakes.

Oh, the joy that is found
when we all come together,
Through trials and triumphs
in good and bad weather.

It's no hologram, fantasy, mirage
or unknowing
It's tangible, achievable
if we just keep on going

TRUE HAPPINESS comes
through struggle and pain,
As a rainbow appears
only after the rain.

I gaze through the window pane,
At the freshly mown lawn.
The deep green color
Takes me back to a day gone by.

Lying on my back,
Looking at the bright blue sky;
An occasional cloud floats past
Creating an imaginary shape.

Summer days,
Water hoses and sprinklers.
Lightning bugs,
Tag until dark.

Those were the days
Of my generation.
Those were the days
When I was young and carefree.

Now I am older,
I'm a mother and a grandmother.
My children are grown,
With children of their own.

The world is different,
For children today.
Things aren’t as simple
As they were for me.

I long to share
This past of mine,
To show my grandchildren
The pleasures of my past.

Green grass, blue sky,
Shapes in the clouds.
It’s all there waiting,
Just beyond the window pane.

With the dawn of each new day
I realize this more and more
There is something I need to say
That I never really could before

Not because I didn't want too
Just chose to keep it inside
So now I confess to you
For with you I now confide

I count each second precious
As if it were my very last
Just to be in your beautiful presence
Even though the time goes very fast

I could go on about your smile
But there is more to you I know
There's also beauty in your eyes
You make the world around you glow

Even on the darkest day
When storms are at their worst
Just the very sight of you-drives the storm clouds away
So, with my sadness completely reversed

There's calmness in your voice
That puts my soul at rest
With your laughter bringing me joy
And your happiness leaving me refreshed

So, there is no other way to say
With all my heart I have to confess
This message I'm going to convey
Everything about you I seem to obsess

Boom. Boom. Boom.
The rhythmic sound wakes me
From a deep, peaceful sleep
What could it be?
It's the middle of the night!
I'm alone in my apartment

Boom. Boom. Boom.
I get up slowly to investigate
The room is dark
The hour is late
Fear makes its way inside
And finds me where I'm standing

That terrible sound!
How do I make it stop?
Run and scream?
Flag down a cop?
It's 3 AM!
I'm alone in my apartment

The floor vibrates; the windows shake
Reluctantly, I cross the room
Am I testing fate?
Will I meet my doom?
My horror realized
It's coming from the alley door

Am I dreaming?
My heart begins to race and pound
Is it me?
Is my fear the sound?
In this old building
That once was a convent

I place my hand on the cursed door
Terrified of what it may be
A ghostly messenger?
A macabre delivery?
I don't really want to know
So I stand there draped in fear

Time slowly passed; the booming faded
Who or what was at my door?
On the alley side
On the second floor
Of a former convent next to a church
That I now call my home

Time for me to pack my things
Sleep paralysis, nightmares
I wanted to leave
I had my fill of midnight scares
And the rhythmic booms that shook the rooms
Of that dreadful, old apartment

"Aren't you glad you moved out?
It sure is a creepy, old place.
It's haunted, you know."
Wish you'd seen the look on my face!
I'm glad I didn't open that door
I kept it shut till it boomed no more

Stay away from 615 North Street!

please reassure me
that your love is still true,
that the distance between us
hasn't worn out our glue,

does your heart skip a beat
as my name pings your phone,
do you pretend to check the time
as an excuse to get us alone

do you still find me beautiful
when I climb into bed,
wearing my oversized t-shirt
and a bonnet on my head?

when I stand in-front of the camera
and my nakedness is all you see
does the earth still stop for you?
is it still hard to speak?

when my train pulls into the station,
how fast does your heart race?
do you find it beats the same way,
when we met face to face?

yes we live most of our us
in the rectangle on a screen
but can you reassure me still love
that you will always choose me?

because while our long distance has been hard
for me this always remained true,
the miles in our long distance never felt long
when I thought about the longevity of love with you.

My love is all my own
I will never stop loving you
As the years pass and I grow old
Like a withered aging tree with branches tired and wrinkled
No winter winds or storms will sway my heart
My love will remain intact and untouched
The roots that bind me to you, hold fast and run deep
The trunk that is my body will remember your gentle touch
As you have carved your way into my soul
Some dark and gloomy days will pass with the seasons
Rain and hardship will always come for different reasons
And I will be cold and alone in the night
But not forever, as I look at the shining stars
And remember how sweetly I held you in my loving arms
As we once danced under silver moonlight
I dream quietly of those days as I close my eyes
And rest with the sunset, you were the morning sunrise
You were as beautiful as the sun, your smile warm and bright
Nurturing the earth with your love
Each new budding flower has your scent and carries me to you
The leaves that were once dead and brown, regrow a bright green
Birds chirp and sing, as the seasons change from winter to spring
You are the light of my life, my beloved wife
Forever
Loving
You

He said he needed some head space
Ya know, just some time to think
His head was apparently cluttered
In the orbit around his brain
This entire time I thought
That I was apart of his universe
But he pushed me away so easily
You'd think I was his black hole curse
All the stars in his galaxy
Go by different names
They look like pretty
Lipstick wearing
Sweaty porcelain shame
Now I'm wearing Saturn's ring
And though I thought I liked Earth best
He said he needed some head space
And now he's a supernova mess