Poems: Life's Dark Paths

I wrote this when I was 10. Haven't changed a word, so it's not very good. I had a thing with rhyming "hold" back then and I used the word "gotten". Hey, I was a kid.

As I've walked along life's dark paths,

I've stumbled, fallen, cried, and laughed.

Each mistake, a lesson that makes me strong,

And a hint to keep moving on.

 

The falls were all warnings, as was the pain,

Once I had heeded, I got up again.

The weeping was anger and sometimes bruised pride,

But this went away as I found my stride.

 

The laughter was an expression of the happiness inside,

The unguarded moments with nothing to hide.

The stumbles were hard and often too cold,

But laughter could save me and make me bold.

 

For everything I've learned and the bruises I've gotten,

For all of the crying and the laughter forgotten,

For the love that came, and the pain of my losses,

And all those tears shed for those worthy causes.

 

Finally I've learned to let go of things,

I stopped crying, now I laugh and I sing.

The way things are now is much to behold,

What once was so dark has now turned to gold.

Poems: The Bond

Digging through old chests you find all kinds of things. This week I found a poem I wrote when I was 9 or 10 that I wrote for my grandmother. It was clearly a school assignment as it had an A+ written on the top, but I remember little else about it. Still, I thought I'd post it since I've been posting poems for the last few weeks anyway.

You let me be who I had to be,

Not just wild but fancy free.

We once spent summers without end,

Out in the country as special friends.

 

I've never been all meek and mild.

I know I was not an easy child.

But never a harsh word did I hear.

Instead you soothed my deepest fears.

 

In the sun we ran and played,

Until we laid down in the shade.

I always basked in your concern,

And my respect you quickly earned.

 

You taught me not to feel depressed,

Or mock myself or be obsessed.

Accepting things you cannot change,

This I taught you in exchange.

 

You never minded little things,

So our bond flourished and grew wings.

And when time came for you to go,

My love for you could only grow.

Poems: For Svend

Ever had a teacher assign poems as assignments? I had a teacher who had us write different poems on a weekly basis. One week, we had to write a poem about our father. I was nine years old and adored my father, so I liked the idea, but poems came hard to me then. It took the better part of the week to write the following poem. I got an A and my dad still has a copy of the poem in his truck. It's not the best poem ever, but for a nine-year-old writing a poem for her dad, it was pretty good.

There was a man large as the sky,

Who always lit up Mother's eyes.

He had a son and three daughters,

Who were always proud to call him Father.

 

We'd hurry home from school each day,

Just so we could run and play.

All we wanted was to be with him,

And bask in his light ... it never dimmed.

 

He did not whine or even complain,

But ran with us through the rain.

He always dried our childish tears,

And chased away all of our fears.

 

He raised us to be kind and bright,

And always stand up for what was right.

As we grew he became a friend,

And always loved us without end.

Poems: By Your Side

There was a really serious reason I wrote this poem, I know there was, but a decade later I simply cannot remember what it was. Maybe it will come to me tomorrow...

Strong for you, I had to be.

For only you believed in me.

I knew one day that I would leave.

But how could it have been this eve?

 

I know that I will always be,

Held in your heart so perfectly.

You stood by my bed every day.

Though we knew it would end this way.

 

I know I asked you to keep your distance,

But really I needed your assistance.

Alone I would have pined and cried.

And wasted away before I died.

 

But you stayed ... what can I say?

I'm thankful you were here today.

If not for you I would have been alone,

Made of nothing but skin and bone.

 

And now I'm gone, but still around.

Listen close ... you'll hear my sounds.

In your heart is where I reside.

Always know I'll be by your side.