Oscar

A poem for one of the best dogs ever and an important part of my family that we lost a few months ago.

Oscar

Black as midnight
Brown as caramel
Sweet like it, too

He ran into our lives
out of a leafy bush
at the bottom of the driveway

Humility, playfulness
with a deep bark
he protected our family


Black as midnight
Brown as caramel
Sweet like it, too

Always cheerful to greet
his excitement showed
that you were home

The softest, floppy ears
Full, short legs loved to run
up hills and together


Black as midnight
Brown as caramel
Sweet like it, too

He was a part of us
carrying comfort and peace
We'll always remember


Black as midnight
Brown as caramel
Sweet like it, too

As Weightless As Water

As a child I feared its depths
wondering what creature might seep in
through the tiny cracks of filters

And then, with inflatable help,
my daddy taught me to swim
and float on the cooling surface

I learned to live in the bubbles,
surprise splashes and explore corners
where bright pink goggles took me

The unnatural blue felt like freedom
like I was a bouncing astronaut
and the water my untouched moon

And I matured in an over sized rectangle
with every handstand and each dive
I learned to trust weightlessness.

The Porch View

Craving the trees

and the crest of leaves

and the alarms of birds' songs

Like the bread and butter

I need

to sustain daily life

Is it in a southerner's blood

to feel alive

rocking on an open porch?

Or is it that

when the open air is gone

for a long time

You suffocate without

breathing it in?

Suns set, pines fall,

and the sky is a daily masterpiece

no artist can recreate

And we find these things

set before us

every minute

But smog covers our view

and says "It is like

any other day.

You have more important

things to do."

While the heart,

the artist's soul,

says, "Oh no.

I painted these hues

just for you...

So you would sit

and find nothing

but breathing to do."

Monsters

The monsters in my closet

At eight years old

Surely have followed me

Into my twenties

Bringing with them scarier costumes

And graver consequences

For believing their power

My fears have followed me

But so has my spirit

Strength

Strength should not be measured
by weight or appearance
nor by how much we withstand

Strength is more
knowing full well
what lies ahead
experiencing the disasters
of the world
listening to the words
spoken against you
And standing in the midst
feet planted
into the concrete
raising your gaze
from the ground

To see what is ahead
to see what is good

That takes strength