Hers was the smile
Of a mother in thrall
For her child’s joy
Though her eyes gave way
To the mother’s worry
For the inherent risk of play
Hers was the smile
Of a mother in thrall
For her child’s joy
Though her eyes gave way
To the mother’s worry
For the inherent risk of play
It was in her eyes
Where I first read
Words unspoken
Words arising
From her mind
Her heart
Her spirit
In those eyes
Was love
And disappointment
Hope
And discouragement
To hold that gaze
I would have to do better
Have to be
Better
Not just for her
But for myself
In those eyes
I read a truth
About me
I didn’t like
I thought of it
As abandoned
Until I realized
It was simply empty
But for the light
I fall
To the merciless stone below
Which I not only survive
But somehow
Shatter
Fragments and rubble
Tumble to the lake below
While I stand above
Shaking
My fist
At the world
That tried to take me
The land needs more
Than water
To sustain life
When the soil itself
Is toxic
And yet
Even here
Against formidable challenge
Life finds a way
Amongst the nooks and crannies
Of possibility
Daylight waning hour
A beacon stands the ready
Darkness guiding light
The path I find myself upon
Began within a vast unknown
In which I couldn’t find my heart
Though the path, it seems
Unwinds in random ways
Through places unfamiliar
A light calls out
Both day and night
Drawing ever nearer
The road I travel
Seems ever bound for darkened sky
Though the curve ahead
Suggests reprieve
So I stay the course
Hope good fortune
Diverts me once again
To better light
Love fills him
Overflows
A river
A gentle flood
Of love
Washes over me
Over all of us
Fills us
Intoxicant
His smile
Radiant
A broadcast ecstacy
Writ across his face
An unfathomable beauty
Of being
Filled with love
I remember
Being filled like that
Being love
Being grateful
For every moment
In every moment
I remember
Being flawed
Knew I was flawed
Still, I was full with love
I remember
Being in pain
Debilitated by suffering
Still, I was full with love
I forgave the flaws of others
Because love forgave my own
While I worked to repair them
I empathized with the pain of others
Because love allowed me to feel my own
While I followed a healing path
So I thank him
Up on the stage
This beaming intensity
Of beautiful light
As I sing the refrains
As I sway
To the rhythms of the music
To the flow of his love
To this man
This beautiful man
Who is not without faults
Who is not without pain
Yet is filled to overflowing
With love
I thank him
For the reminder
That I can be filled with love
That I can be love
Without first making myself
Perfect
Because I have been
Before
Because in this moment
I am again