Sunlight and Shadows


  • Symphony of the Year

    January meanders like lanky saxophones

    Drawling wintry jazz in dark minor tones

    Tinny harpsichords ring in February

    Slinging brittle notes of an icy rhapsody

    March sails in on a dancing fiddle reel

    It flies high, low, fast, and slow with energetic zeal

    Winds turn to rain in April’s sonatas

    Piano keys pattering etudes and cantatas

    May flutters by with breezy sweet flute trills

    Bright chirping melodies of birds and green hills

    June cascades in sunny twirling tempos

    It blooms in rolling bluegrass licks and twanging banjos

    A brass band marches in on July heat

    With blasting horns, great tubas, and heavy metal beat

    August unfurls a grand orchestra symphony

    Flashing strings, thundering drums, and woodwind melody

    Rustic folk music slows the rhythm in September

    Guitar tunes float over harvests in cooling weather

    Trumpets herald October with vivid hues so bold

    A fanfare of color in regal red and gold

    November’s violins promenade a farewell

    They pirouette and waltz like twirling leaves that fell

    December rings out with tinkling bells of cheer

    A joyful silver glitter on the rhythm of the year

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  • Shared Road

    It only takes a little word

    A gentle hug, a smile

    To lift a fellow traveler on

    A long and lonesome mile

    The smallest things bring greatest joy

    The love that evil can’t destroy

    The strength through every trial

    It only takes a little word

    Of cutting scorn or blame

    To drag another traveler down

    And leave them hurt or lame

    The crushing barbs will stick and spurn

    Wreck every bridge and good times burn

    From spark to roaring flame

    ,


  • Dreamland

    Dusk falls in a lullaby

    Rosy clouds caress the sky

    Every bird flies to its nest

    Animals and insects rest

    Music from the stars sings down

    Lyrics for the moon’s sweet sound

    And children tucked into their beds

    Nod off to sleep with weary heads

    Dream sweetly on until the dawn

    ,


  • Loose Change

    Penny wise and pound foolish

    Pinching out the cents

    While coins clatter down behind in

    Spiraling descents

    From holes in your own pockets

    Couldn’t bear the weight

    They roll and spin in figure eights

    Now that’s a pricey cheapskate

    ,


  • Acoustic Guitar

    A tapestry of silky strands

    Pulled from brass strings in my hands

    Chords fanned out in harmony

    Woven around the melody

    In rippling vibrant satin bands

    The melody thread weaves and winds

    Riding on the changing lines

    Through peaks and valleys strong it floats

    Bridging chords of tingling notes

    The filaments of tune it finds

    The rhythm marches sure and strong

    The background warp that holds the song

    As the lyrics weave and bend

    In and out until the end

    It rolls the tapestry along

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  • Daily Strength

    I’ve had my share of grief and care

    So weighed down with woe

    I’ve worked and fought and prayed a lot

    From places dark and low

    With anguished cry I’ve asked but why?

    And here is what I know

    He gives the grace and strength to face

    Each trial as we go

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