Poems by Pat Fleming

The moon reflects the fallen snow
And makes it light as day
I lay awake upon my bed,
As the clock tick tocks away.

A sound pierces the silence,
Perhaps a sleigh upon the roof.
And rushing to the chimney,
The clip clop of reindeer's hooves.

My heart fills with excitement.
Could Santa Claus be there?
I gently tip toe from my room
And down the wreath-lined stairs.

Then almost in a whisper,
I hear a Ho, Ho, Ho!
And spy a hulking shadow
In the trees' prismatic glow.

I peek around the corner,
And sitting in Dad's chair
Is Santa Claus in all his glory,
Munching cookies I prepared.

His cheeks are pudgy, rosy red,
And his eyes are kind and bright.
I feel frozen there right where I stand,
Bewitched by such a sight.

He seems a happy fellow,
As he finishes his snack.
His bulbous belly shakes with glee
As he gathers up his sack.

And then I see beneath the tree,
Toys of every size.
Everything I ever wished for,
Laid out before my eyes.

And there beside the chimney,
As he prepares to take his leave,
Santa gives a hearty Ho, Ho, Ho!
Then winks and waves at me.

Then suddenly he vanishes,
As the chimney shakes with soot.
And all I see at that last moment
Are his black and shiny boots.

I feel so sad and thoughtless
As I watch him cross the sky.
I never even thanked him
Or wished him luck and said good-bye.

Well, next year will be different,
For I'll be waiting there.
And when Santa makes his visit,
I'll show him just how much I care.

I'll knit for him the longest scarf
To keep the cold at bay
And a huge and cozy blanket
To warm his lap inside his sleigh.

And when it's time for him to go,
He'll not use the chimney anymore,
For I will shake my good friend's hand
And blithely walk him to the door.

Dear Mother, I've so much to tell you,
I wouldn't know where to begin.
There's so much I've learned in the years since you've gone,
How I long to just see you again.

It's amazing how now at this point in my life,
All your words of advice ring so true.
And I know now you spoke from that place where you came,
And from all that your life brought you through.

I recognize, too, just how hard you had tried
To prepare me for all life could be.
And surviving through my own life's struggles
Made me see what your words meant to me.

I regret how I took you for granted,
Just expecting you'd always be there.
Too self-involved to take time to see,
Just how much it had cost you to care.

There were times when I know you felt frustrated,
There was only so much you could do.
And despite how much guidance and help that you gave,
I know the hell I put you through.

I remember those days when you seemed very sad,
But I never took time to ask why.
But in life I've discovered when you give of yourself,
It can make you feel empty inside.

I know there were so many hopes that you had,
Dreams you could never see through.
Instead, you spent each precious moment you could
Trying to make all my wishes come true.

What I miss more today than that mother I loved
Is that woman who became my dear friend,
With her hysterical wit and her warm open heart,
And a loyalty that remained till the end.

If I could just see you for just one last time,
If I could just hug you again,
I'd thank you for being all that you were,
And for making me all that I am.

The sun set in the early eve.
No light could pierce those mammoth trees.
Dark and dense for miles wide,
You could wander lost forever inside.

Oh, the tales of horror that Forest weaved
Of monsters and ghosts behind each tree.
Werewolves howling at the fullest moon
Those screeches of witches and baleful loons.

We'd hike all day and camp at night
When those campfire stories would fill us with fright.
Tales of terror too grim to conceive
But anything goes on All Hallows' Eve.

We knew we wouldn't get much sleep.
Instead, we'd listen to footsteps creep.
We'd watch the shadows in the firelight,
Staying quiet and safely out of sight.

Blood splatters upon the walls of our tent.
We'd cling and we'd cry, repent and lament.
We'd tell ourselves that it was all make-believe
And that anything goes on All Hallows' Eve.

The night was so black, and the air was so chilled,
The hours passed by as if time had stood still.
Some fetid, foul creature whispered nearby,
And from deep in the woods came a scared baby's cry.

Some would become full of panic and fear,
They'd run into the forest and just disappear!
Filled with such horror, they'd suddenly flee
Forgetting anything goes on All Hallows' Eve.

We would doze off and awake, again and again
Until the harrowing night finally came to an end.
And we'd wait for the welcome light of the day
And see another Halloween just creep away.

Then the sound of the leaves in the soft autumn breeze
And the sun peeking through those fluttering leaves
Filled us with so much relief inside
We couldn't believe we had somehow survived.

But we'll do it again come this time next year,
With no trepidations, hesitation, or fear,
Because nothing was really as sinister as it seemed
It's just that anything goes on All Hallows' Eve.

I'll stand firm for love of country
And I'll speak of her with pride.
I will be grateful for those freedoms
Under which I've lived my life.

I will respect her Constitution
And every right bestowed therein,
And recognize those rights belong to me
And to all my fellowmen.

I will try to know her intimately
And her lavish history.
I'll learn the truth of her transgressions
And all her noble victories.

I will observe my solemn duty
To protect this venerable land
And choose wise and honest leaders
Who hold her fate within their hands.

I'll keep abreast of all those issues
That plague my country every day
And accept responsibility
To be a conduit for change.

I'll speak out against injustice
And admit when she is wrong
And I'll stand with her, not against her
To keep her values strong.

I will never take for granted
Those brave who stand before us all
Who serve with grit and fortitude
When their beloved country calls.

I will treat this land with reverence
And help her be all she can be!
I will perpetuate her beauty
From her grand mountains to her seas.

I will not ignore the warnings
And I'll accept my share of blame
That all nature and humanity
Must be honored and sustained.

I'll look to God for help and guidance
When she seems to lose her way.
But I will never turn my back on her
Or her dignity betray!

And when I see her Regal Stars and Stripes
Fanning boldly in the breeze.
I will Admire and Acclaim her
For all she's graciously given me.
 

When I stand small before the ocean
In her vast infinity,
I'm consumed by all her beauty
And my profound humility.

When I succumb to her enticement
And the beckoning of her waves,
I become her eager servant
And her shameless, willing slave.

The chill in her mighty, salty touch,
My mere self in her boundless embrace,
Sharing the rhythm of her shifting surf
Everything else in the world is erased.

When she slowly grows more placid
And I float limp within her peace,
I see only the blue sky up above
I hear only the sounds of the sea.

But alas she's a moody enchantress
Turning fierce when the harsh wind blows.
She'll come thundering forth without mercy
To warn me it's past time to go.

As I sit on the toasty, sparkling sand
And I watch her play tag with the shore,
People stand by her quite mesmerized,
She's a marvel that can't be ignored.

There are moments I call her my loyal chum
And I trust her implicitly.
But then she may wield all her force my way
And I realize I'm out of her league.

When the summer is drawing nigh to a close
And my visits more precious and brief,
When the chill of the winter is all there is
I'll find warmth in her sweet memory.

I will think of her beauty in the early morn
When the sun starts to light up the sky
And she shimmers upon her in sheer delight
Like bright diamonds before my eyes.

I'll imagine the boats in the distance,
The wind pushing their bright, graceful sails
The aroma of the sea and her salty bite
As I lift up my chest and inhale.

I will think of her often as time passes by
So unfettered, dynamic, and free
I'll imagine the joy when I see her again
And hope she'll be glad to see me.

How do I cope with the shame that I feel
And then look you straight in the eye?
And how do I claim to stand for what's right,
Then accept disregard for your lives?

I grew up in a place that was safe and secure;
Opportunity knocked at my door.
I never accepted enough was enough
When the world always offered me more.

The schools I attended were cloaked in pure white,
And I watched from their lily white halls
While you had to fight for the little you had,
And I was just handed it all.

The black of your skin made you different from me,
And I learned from the powers that be
That we'd never be allies in living this life
And should remain on our side of the streets.

But as I grew up, I became so confused,
And I wished to get closer to you.
But how could you trust a word that I said
When all I'd shown you was callous abuse?

How do I make some sense of it all
When injustice can't ever make sense?
And how do I seek your forgiveness
When I can't begin to know how to repent?

The cycle of hatred is hard to escape
When adults in your life lead your way.
And how do you face that those "truths" once believed
Were just words to control and betray?

I know I can never right all the wrongs
Or remove all the scars left behind.
But my heart feels the weight of the hurt that we caused,
And your torment encumbers my mind.

I ponder incessantly on what I can do.
I don't want to seem shallow or fake.
Is it enough that I willingly stand by your side?
Or are there far too many amends to be made?

I need you to know how sorry I am,
Though I'm sure it's too little too late.
But I want you to see that I won't let you down
And your hope in me ever forsake.

My promise is now to bear witness.
I won't leave you alone in your pain.
And for the sake of your children and grandchildren,
I'll fight for a world filled with change.

Your survival is proof of your courage
And exposes what cowards we've been!
And I long for and pray that one day I'll be blessed
To, perhaps, hear you call me your friend.