Awakenings

These poems were neither written for the critic nor intended to gain access to the ethereal realm of 'Poets.' Rather they are intended for rare readers of poetry. While written over the past decade, their content spans eighty years. And while the book contains religious poems it is not a book of religious verse. It includes reflections on life’s tragedies, such as Alzheimer’s Disease: 'I live amid shadows./ They fell as imperceptibly/ As the shades of evening,/ Enveloping me in a mist,/ Thick, unyielding, cold.' It describes the travails of loneliness: 'Mourning: It never ends,/ This heaviness of the heart,/ It sits unrelentingly upon the breast.' It covers the ordinary days of people. Jeff and Family: 'Then for a brief moment,/ We pause just to ensure./ Our covenant is still enduring,/ And our commitment is so very sure./ With kindly words and loving gestures,/ We seek to soothe each other’s heart,/ We give the day its final blessing,/ As we experienced its several parts.' Some poems have their lighter side often provided by our Westie, Bonnie Jean: 'The squirrel came loping through the snow/ One sunny winter’s day/ Directly toward the birdseed box/ He carefully made his way...../ Upon the porch the doggie sat/ Quite perky and alert,/ She watched the squirrel his journey make/ She thought 'He’s just a jerk.' It also speaks to the darker side of life: 'Hatred burns the soul/ Leaving it crisp/ Without resilience/ Necessary to thought/ And creative dreams.' Desolation: 'LOST!/ The love that once burned passionately/ And, as a consuming fire, dissolved the nights/ And all too soon aroused the day/ ...../LOST!....../In the abyss/ Which we created,/ Not of malice,/ Nor by intention,/ But through forgetfulness/ To nurture/ That most delicate,/ Most human gift:/ THE CHERISHING SPIRIT.' They seek to inspire hope, challenge complacency, bring smiles and tears, to honor the majesty of human existence. 3