In The Still And A Few Other Words

In The Still Of The Morning

In the still of the morning,

In my empty room,

Last word echoes

And things unsaid

Swirl around my feet

Like a brindled cat

Looking for attention.

A few colored hairs

And the memory;

words better left unsaid.

But cruelty spoke

And doors slammed

Are all I have left

In the still of the morning.

---------------

Neglect

Neglect is never what the dictionary says.

Left alone I am capable of being destroyed

Like that old barn that serves no purpose.

The cows ain’t coming home no more.

Left alone I am capable of being destroyed,

Forgotten by the world that moved on.

Leaving time, tides, and the wind to work,

Slowly breaking down with the elements.

Like that old barn that serves no purpose,

But I stand as a sentinel; solemn reminder

Of where we once were as a family,

Solid, sure, and built to last forever.

The cows ain’t coming home no more,

As they say, they have all moved away,

Leaving me with just memory and thoughts,

And neglect, like a worn, dusty dictionary.

---------------

PATIENCE

Planted by birds

Along a dusty sidewalk,

Tramped into a crack

In a concrete path

Easily overlooked,

Now a mighty maple,

Causing an upheaval,

Easing cement aside.

-------------

Time Of Year

This is the time of year

To remember and dream.

This is the time of year

To ponder and plan.

This is the time of year

To look both ways.

Before crossing off days

And starting anew.