I try to envision

Exactly where you are

How far you’ve travelled 

Skating across the universe 

On the brightest shooting star

You left so quietly

Never wanting a fuss

Your goodnight 

A surprise for most

But you’ve known for a time

That you were more than ready

To begin your climb

To soar beyond

Lifes mundane

Abandoning stubborn pride

And yesterday’s pain

To discover

What’s beyond the stars

That shine so bright

Under a golden halo

Of astonishing light

But, try to remember

To send a sign

To let me know

That you’ve safely arrived

A shiny penny

Butterfly wings

A early morning cool breeze

I’ll be here waiting, wondering

Whether you’ve found, your forever

In love's perfect grace

Crimson leaves falling

From deciduous trees

Twisting and turning

As they yearn

To fly free

Under golden rays

Their colors magnify

Soaring like birds

With wings so alive

Leaving their mark  

On the crisp autumn sky

They’re completely content

On their final descent

Landing on pillowy beds

They blanket the ground

Eager for sleep

Before snow touches down

With each coming season

A beginning, an end

An eternal dance

Of leaves in the wind

Feeling thankful 

But undeserving

Asking, “why me?”

While so many others 

Suffer in silence

I was spared 

Set free

How do I repay 

Such a miraculous gift

When mere words 

Cannot explain

How grateful I am 

To be here

Yet, still confused

The enigma remains

I’m just ordinary 

Without extraordinary gifts

Following my path each day

Trying to be 

Better than I was before

Hopefully, this answer 

Will find me 

Quietly, in my dreams 

In this peaceful place 

Where angels whisper

While I listen, intently

The white sands remembering

How she sat on the shore

Digging her shovel in search

Of treasure, years before

Though taller, she walks 

Along the waters edge

Still searching for something

Not knowing

That she’s finding herself

Like the sea

A beautiful vision 

She’s strong and free

But she, herself, cannot see

Her edges polished

By waves of pain

A shining sea glass

She’ll glisten again

Her siren song

Sent in the winds

Was captured by a love 

A world away

Her treasure she’ll find 

Deep within

Her sea of love 

Will rise again

Life now so sweet

Desires of yesterday

So trivial today

Life as it was

Quickly dies away

As thoughts of tomorrow

Take center stage

Plans abruptly altered

No longer time to waste

Words, left unsaid

Once, held inside

Now find their voice

With no need to hide

Life changes unexpectedly

And the future is a gift

Cherish every moment 

That comes to pass

Because, 

Only love matters

And only love will last

Silent whispers 

A secrets keep

Words buried in

A heart so deep

Long to be shared 

To be set free

But fear of rejection

Their destiny

Hours to ponder

Words locked away

Eventually will find

The light of day

When whispered 

To tainted lips

Honesty swiftly 

Becomes a lie

Betrayal, a poison

Takes to the wind

Shared to all 

By evenings end

A trust once broken

Dies on that day

Secrets of the heart

Are best unsaid

Or vowed to only

A love intended

Empty tears

I refuse to cry

As a last ditch effort 

To change your mind

If left unshed

Then you’ll stay

And life will remain 

As it was before

You, still in love

Me, free from pain

An emotional flood

Held at bay

But tears have a way

Of finding their path

When forced to face

Life plans unmade

Your decision to leave 

I don’t understand

I’m too tired to fight

This invisible dam

I’ll find the strength 

To carry me through

The tears I’ll cry

Won’t be for you

Your heart speaks softly

As it consoles

Its cadence a comfort

A place to rest

My face nestled

Upon your chest 

I’ve never felt more alive

Blanketed by the warmth

Of your tender skin 

Together under mountains 

Of downy white

Breathing peacefully

On this coldest of winters night

Embers crackle as though to say

Their flame will burn 

Long after the break of day

How I too, wish

To remain, 

Here, within this loving cocoon

Held tightly while awaiting 

The golden rays of dawn

But all too soon

Dreams fade away

A love once lived

A dying flame

A gust of wind

A melted snow

Everything has

Its time to go 

In silence she works

Sewing fauna with ease

Instinctively planning a home

For her new family

Carefully she connects

One strand at a time

Creating a safe refuge 

To stay warm and dry

She labors by day

With no time to rest

Beneath a flower moon

She seems to pray

For health and strength

As most mothers do

And perseverance

To carry her through

After days of building

Satisfied, she broods

Savoring this quiet time

That won’t exist soon

Slicing through time

Yet falling so slow

Held by the air

As it begins to let go

Free of the past

It’s propelled by wind 

To a new beginning

But first, to an end

Twisting and turning

Savoring the flight

As it paints the sky

With visions of light

Under the suns halo

A warm golden glow 

Surrounded by love

It’s no longer alone

It prepares to land

As gravity calls

Upon blades of grass

It gently falls

Resting on golden leaves

Sleep comes fast

Safe and secure 

It’s home at last

Nature, a beast 

In comparison to 

Such little flapping wings

Fighting the winds, currents

And blinding ocean mist

It struggles to stay aloft

In search of

A meal at sea

It dives but fails

In an effort to catch

An elusive silvery fish

Instead, it touches down 

Upon the wet sand 

And it looks at me

As though to ask

If I could spare 

A crumb to eat

Its wings so tired 

It walks my way

On the tiniest of feet

Closer it ventures so boldly 

And begins to loudly speak

Its chitter-chatter overpowers 

The sound of the pounding waves

It paces and impatiently awaits

A wanted response from me

I try my best to explain 

That I have nothing to offer

It quips loudly 

At my empty hand 

Then advances in a final 

Desperate demand

I utter my regrets repeatedly 

Until, sadly, it understands

It slowly retreats 

Then quietly

Takes to the sky once again

It dips and swoops

Flying blindly 

Teasing the relentless sea

In its final quest 

At days end 

To find a morsel

Before it sleeps

When did we change

Each in our own distinct way

Growing apart 

While choosing to blame 

Time as the enemy

Or that one awful day

Rather than face the reality 

That it’s not just a phase

Change is normal

Even healthy, so they say

But I’ve been lost

Since the day 

That you went away

My mind realizes 

Your need to take to the sky

But a heart 

Never truly learns 

How to say goodbye

Did you try to show me

What my eyes refused to see

That one day

You would actually leave

If there was a way

To regress, to go back

I’d explain my reasons

For all those mistakes

That I never knew 

I had made

Her tears fall

Echoing the rhythm 

Of pelting rain 

Heartbeats against

A translucent pane

Blinding flashes of light

And thunderous cries

As the storm rages 

Deep within

A downpour of lies

She’s drowning 

Her mind 

A flood of memories

A lifeline

To remind her 

It is not as they say

She knows one thing

Her life will never be the same 

The window 

A scene

Of lost terrain

Cold, barren

Lifeless 

She remains

In dismay 

Dismantled so easily 

All those years, lost

She’s swept away

In waves of pain

A hearts deepest love

Shattered amid 

The broken pane

She peers into darkness

Then turns away

For she knows her tears

Will never stop the rain