Sunlight and Shadows

Finding poetry in star dust, sunbeams, and passing clouds

  • Valleys

    Confusion is a smoky haze

    That settles on a town for days

    Disappointment is a fall

    From a push off of a wall

    Regret is a relentless flame

    That burns within with deadly aim

    Anticipation is a cloud

    That either sun or rain does shroud

    Exhaustion is a heavy weight

    That slows you down til it’s too late

    Failure is a zero score

    On tests you never saw before

    Criticism is a knife

    You chip away on your own life

    Disapproval is a blind

    To block out others from your mind

    Courage is the faithful trust

    To step out, keep on when you must

    Victory is the summit view

    Of all the valleys you walked through

    ,

  • Struggle

    Give us hope in this dark hour

    Give us unity and power

    Give us wisdom day by day

    Give us truth in what we say

    Show us the right way to go

    Show us answers we don’t know

    Show us how to work as one

    Show us peace where there is none

    Lead us toward our earnest goals

    Lead us each to fill our roles

    Lead us in the way to talk

    Lead our ships safely to dock

    Save us from the storms outside

    Save us from our pasts, our pride

    Save us when we trip and fall

    Save us when we hit the wall

    ,

  • Summer Farewell

    Now the summer’s heat is fading

    The sun begins retreat

    Though the leaves, still green, be shading

    And the birds be singing sweet

    For the flowers cannot last

    And the fruit falls to the ground

    And the seeds and nuts are cast

    And the leaves get dry and browned

    Though the warm sun still needs shading

    And the green leaves cast their spell

    Yet the summer’s heat is fading

    As the birds sing farewell

  • Here

    Here’s to all the things I’ve seen

    The hard things that I made it through

    The special people I have known

    The promises I found were true

    Here’s to the whispers that I heard

    The times I fought to not give in

    The faith and hope I held onto

    The bonds of love that always win

    Here’s to this safe place I have found

    Each day, each choice that got me here

    Here’s to the future that is mine

    To looking forward without fear

    ,

  • Things

    I wanted things – shining worlds

    Rainbows held in drops of dew

    Birds soaring in clear blue skies

    Sunrise from mountaintop view

    I wanted things – twinkling dreams

    Meteor shower, shooting star

    Face always in the warm sunshine

    Moonbeam glow on waters far

    I wanted things – blooming hopes

    Farmhouse nestled in rolling hills

    Chickens roosting on the porch rail

    Waterwheels on country mills

    I wanted things – wide open paths

    Golden fields touching the horizon

    Panorama of green mountain peaks

    Turquoise lake sparkling in sun

    I wanted things way back when

             I found things I could not imagine then

    ,

  • Autumn

    I wandered through a tangled wood

    I saw dead leaves come falling down

    I heard the cries of flying geese

    I smelled the scent of autumn’s brown

    I felt the hint of winter’s chill

    I knew that summer soon would end

    I tasted snowflakes on the breeze

    I saw winter round the bend

    I turned and saw the setting sun

    I watched the last birds leave the nest

    I heard the fading summer bugs

    I smelled the roses at their best

    I felt departing heat waves’ scorch

    I knew that night was shortening day

    I tasted garden’s last fresh yield

    I saw summer slip away

    I said so long, but not farewell

    To every autumn leaf that fell

    For summer will return again

    I feel it far off in the wind