Mixed Blessings

It takes the unlovely to see the lovely
To appreciate spring it takes winter’s cold
It takes the tear to cherish a smile
And loss to see what we hold....

Tis not the bloom which drops the seeds
It takes the dry and withered hull
To give there must be one who needs
And death; to live life to the full

Janet~

Unforgotten Things....

Now and then the twilight steals
An hour from the dreamers calm
Entranced by sudden phantom reels
Playing out across its palm
Suddenly the landscape rings
With songs of unforgotten things……..

….and there beneath the willow tree
And the locusts serenade
We gathered in camaraderie
Sipping ice-cold lemonade
And dreaming dreams befitting kings
Molding unforgotten things

Upon the cold and frosty air
I hear the soft and gentle tone
Of a mother’s voice in prayer
When her day of toil was done
And the night wind softly sings
Of dear and unforgotten things

I view in silent reverie
Each scene that passes one by one
Through portals of my memory
Here for a breath and then it’s gone
Until perhaps a moment brings
The sigh of unforgotten things

Janet~

When I Am Old.....

When I am old, said daughter
When I am old like you
Let me tell you, mother
What I am going to do….
I’m going to build bigger
Fly farther
Dream broader
And smarter….
I’m going to travel the whole world o’er
I’m going to LIVE!!! And explore…

Mother looked at daughter and tilted her head
After a moment she smiled and said
My dear, here is what I wish for you
I wish your wishes may come true
And you may dream bigger and build taller
Daughter, once I was much smaller
I had big dreams and aspirations too……
when I was young….
like you
But then I grew
.....and I had you
and all my dreams came true...
I built bigger,
Flew farther
When I became.....
a mother

Janet~

Over a Cup of Tea.....

This is no ordinary event
When we share a cup of tea
This is the portrait entitled ‘content’
And moments that form history
For over a cup of our favourite blend
Be it chai or simple earl gray
Are the priceless moments shared with a friend
Over a cup of tea

Here we can share the moments of life
Between each comforting sip
We share our victories, our sorrow and strife
As some wee flowered chalice we grip
Moments flavored with lemon or mint
Chamomile or wild berry
Become rare memories heaven-sent
Over a cup of tea

Over a cup of tea we delve
Into matters of the soul
Sharing little pieces of ourselves
Yet, in it becoming whole
We speak of our children, our hopes and our fears
Dreams of what yet may be
Flavoring the moments with smiles and tears
Over a cup of tea

Over a cup of tea we restore
Our faith in fumbling mankind
Many like us have come before
And many will follow behind
Yet with every challenge that life may send
I pray there will always be
The moments we may share with a friend
Over a cup of tea

Janet~

Hi Lucy……
It was easier to rhyme ‘friend’ than sister…..
All I could come up with for ‘sister’
Was ‘mister’ and kissed her’…..
And THAT would have taken this poem on an entirely different course!!!!
And after all ……
A sister is most surely the dearest friend on earth!!
Love and prayers,
Thank-you for the tea last night,
It was special.

Retrospect......

Lay down your timbrel, violin, flute
Blow out the candle tonight
There is no music when the spirit is mute
No flickering whispers of light

But here in a cradle of mournful desire
I savor a tear and a sigh
There is no warmth in a loveless fire
No dream in the down-cast eye

We yearn for the freedom and tenderness
Of love's unbridled laughter
But here in the cell of retrospect
Silence weeps from each rafter

Janet~

Irreplaceable You.....

Of all the hands which I have clasped
Of all the love’s that I embrace
Of all the moments I have grasped
There is none to take your place

Of all the love songs I have heard
And all the moments thought can trace
Never have I quite been stirred
As then; no one can take your place

As shadows sprawl across the eve
Blotting out your lovely face
Silently my heart will grieve
There is none to take your place

Janet~

Bookmarks......

I placed a bookmark there
Between the pages where
I knew
I would need to return to
Again and again…..

Echoes scrawled across the air….
I placed the bookmark there
On pages stained
With smile and tear
To contemplate
Not what we have lost
But what we have gained……..

I placed a bookmark there
Words, like whispers in the night air
Bind the pages of memory…
I placed a bookmark there,
You see……
For I return to remember
What I want
And want not to be……..

Janet~

Play It Again.....

Play me that song love, play it again
Take me back to the moment when
Love was a meadow, a daisy-strewn floor
No wolves howling at the door…..

Play me that song, love, over and over
I was a maiden and you the fair lover
We are not children anymore
And we have a love worth fighting for……

Play me that song love, a grave melody
Rising and falling like waves of the sea
Its cadence drifts across life’s sweeping shore
Oh, we have a love worth dying for………..

Play me that song love, play it again
Cradle my heart in its riveting strain
Over life’s ocean I hear it implore
Oh, we have a love worth living for

Janet~