Poems by Laura Sanders

They sacrificed their lives, entered the gates of hell,
Onward they stumbled, while all around them fell,
War weary, ragged, faces dirt encrusted, black.
Impatient for the whistle, ready for attack.

In their hearts burned everlasting hope,
Carrying love letters and handwritten notes,
Tiny mementos and gifts tucked into pockets,
As shells blasted like exploding rockets!

They died as all good soldiers die,
Hoping for a better world for you and I,
Wanting to set the world free,
But many would shudder if they could see

The selfish world we live in today.
Would they be pleased with its uncaring ways?
Because "for our today, they gave their tomorrow,"
So let us be grateful, not wallow in sorrow.

Let us make their sacrifice worthwhile,
And help each other with willingness and a smile,
For at our darkest hour, our country they did save,
With their lives, which they so bravely gave....

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 would be enthralled at the stories the ocean could tell,
about explorers and adventurers that traversed its swell,
of the lives lost in shipwrecks and of pirate tales of old,
and legends passed down through generations, told.

The ocean is mysterious, enchanting us all,
and contains many strange creatures both large and small,
a vast body of water, we challenge with our might,
sail our boats across, battle it by day and by night.

It changes character, furious brooding one minute,
next it is calm and serene, then we can overcome and win it!
But when I see its rolling, crashing waves,
I am glad I am on terra firma, as it's stability I crave!

Autumn leaves dance gaily around,
they swirl in a haze towards the ground.
Auburns, golds, russets, too,
offering different shapes, differing hues.

The wind picks up and blows the trees.
The foliage is carried from the canopies.
Fine English Oak and Beeches shed all to the land.
Maples and Sycamores add to the dance.

Falling, falling with the season's formation,
picking up speed, they collect for soil fermentation.
Witnessing the act brings happiness, delight,
but it can also be a sobering, somber sight.
Winter will at last be on its way.
The cold, icy blast will freeze leaves well away...

Let me go, release me like a flying kite.
Let me go, let me fade, like day turns to night.
Watch me sink, like the deep orange setting sun.
For 'twas a sunset of dreams I once provided for everyone.

Let me go, the person I used to be,
For I'm no longer her; I've changed to a new me,
Someone who is forgetful and confused with time and place.
Soon I will not recognize you, may not even know your face.

Let me go, remember the good times we used to share.
Just hold my hand and show me that you care.
As we venture onwards, my love to you I send.
Our love will keep us going, as I near the final bend.

September enters- Autumn's hazy days...
Warm golden sun, shadows dance and play.
Seeds are released, Finches feed their way,
Blackberries plump, ripened, have come to stay...

Yellowing, swaying, ears of wheat,
on a polished table top, a fruit basket treat.
Arrival, of the late harvest heat.
Swallows begin, to safely retreat.

Signs of early Autumn here,
Leaves drop and fall, like tumbling tears.
Browning plants, hedges cleared,
prelude, to Winter's icy cheer.

Rosy red apples, ready to be picked.
Crane flies in and outside, flit.
Green Dragonflies the sky, have lit,
trees turn to colour russet.

A mother is someone who cares,
Someone who will readily share.
Who tries to bandage up cut knees,
Who likes to give and to please.

A mother is someone who smiles a lot.
A mother is someone who gives all she's got.
She loves to make others smile,
Tries to go that extra mile...

A mother like this is a rare gemstone.
With a mother like this, you'll never feel alone,
For a mother can be your best friend,
Caring, sharing, pleasing to the very end.

The end of the world has come,
it is hopeless to hold just a gun!
Do not want your sadness and pity,
when the Russians shell our lovely city!
Just make a no fly-zone,
"Seal the skies", give us airplanes and drones,
Tanks and missiles, here are the norm,
Putin will pay for this storm!

I watched  as our cities crumbled,
saw the menacing tanks, as they rumbled.
Oh Lord, I can't see how we can win now,
with our few weapons, anyhow?
How can we get out of this mess?
Each man is being put to the test....
We are outnumbered, ten to one,
The end of the world has begun....
So I stand here alone quietly pray,
praying for help to come  our way.

My son will be fatherless , I feel bad,
He will grow up and feel terribly sad.
He will always remember this hideous  attack,
how Russia turned on us,  how we tried to fight back.
Dad was a hero , in the Ukraine-Russia war,
but a tear will come, when he thinks what was it for?
It is a David and Goliath affair, make no bones.
Will we win though, with just a few stones...?

After the snowfall.

The snow flakes fall like soft, downy feathers from the sky.
Soon it drifts and piles up, as I look outside.
The landscape transformed, looks clean and bright,
hills and lanes, seem fresh and white.
The virgin snow, beckons me to come outside and play.
Already visitors have been, as I make my way.
Bird prints, a cat's paw marks, dog tracks, galore-
have impacted the snow, more and more...
Seems I am not alone, in this winter landscape,
where crystals, has fallen, from an ice maiden's cape.
Soft caterpillars of white snow, cover objects in the garden.
Elsewhere, water has frozen, and like tough glass, has hardened.
As I crunch about ,in my snow boots, hat and warm scarf,
I feel once more enlivened, as I make a foot print path...

Spring seems to burst forth with avid jubilation,
Animals and birds emerge from their Winter hibernation.
The Blackbird sings its sweet melody,
and the Bumble bee hums around- happy to be free!

Honey bees buzz, from flower to flower,
as the days grow longer, hour by hour.
But glorious,  is the Spring time sun,
enabling us, to have more outdoors fun!

Spring- time  flowers colour the land-
Yellow Celandines, Buttercups, Daffodils grand.
Clear weather ahead, no ice or mist,
Winter has retreated, no longer missed...

Clutches of speckled eggs spotted, in nests,
and Easter is the celebration, Christians like best.
Spring heralds in , the new born lambs
and baby creatures frollick and try hard  to stand.

Blossom adorns  trees and shrubs reveal their hues,
Spring's  entrance, is to  Summer, where the heat will burn through!