Dad

Let me hold your hand for a moment.
Your skin once soft feeling weathered
Your strong grasp has weakened just a slight bit, as mine has, as mine will.  Let me walk with you, your legs, once filled with stamina, now filled with pain in each step, yet you walk proudly, not acknowledging your truth.  Let me hold you when you are down, take care of you as you still take care of me, even though I'm grown, even though I should be standing on my own two feet . Let me love you like the superhero you still are to me at 44 years old, and you at 72.  In my eyes you can do no wrong. I am so proud to be one of yours and look forward to each shared moment with you
Let me thank you for all you are, all you have been and forever will be.  Let me bask in pride, as I call you Dad, forever.

Leilah

She likes to get her hands dirty, mud piles become her instant friend.  She wears homemade crowns of flowers and magistrates over a magic land far greater than ours, unlimited by societal rules.  She is a princess, a ruler, an artist, a tomboy swinging from a tree all wrapped up in one package.  She is fiercely independent and will literally create beauty out of almost nothing.  She is gifted and greatness shall come of her.  She is Leilah.  She is six.

Prism

Trying to keep my balance I tiptoe across the floor, jagged pieces of glass scattered haphazardly, taking on a life of their own, hoping, yearning, begging for me to slip and indulge them in my  mishap.  I hear breathing in the room and faint laughter, sadistic, perhaps content on  watching my every move.  I pick up a shard of glass and it is momentarily transformed, and the with sunlight casts a prism.  I am not fooled, and eventually make my way out of the room quickly, but gingerly, without looking back.

Raw

It's too much what I've been hearing in the news lately, so painful drumming up memories from 20 years ago. She was unconscious  you had no right to lay a finger on her no matter how intoxicated you were, she couldn't say no. She was lucky to have heroes step in for her though your punishment was weak and you should have to serve a steeper sentence for stripping away her value and self worth and dignity. At least there were witnesses and she was believed . Imagine what it feels like to be told you are not believed and have it promptly swept under the rug. Imagine those closest to you, turning their backs on you and leaving you to pick up the pieces.  Imagine 10 years later as a new mom, crying that you don't deserve to be one due to your past, and the worthlessness you feel, still not being able to express it as it will turn your life upside down.  Your spirit and life profoundly damaged forever . So you repress it, feeling like a nothing in the process , like you don't matter.  You've ruined her fucking life bro, and it's just starting
I pray she gets the support she needs in time, before it's too late.  I remember the outfit I was wearing.  If I could find it I'd fucking burn it.  If 20 years ago I knew what I knew now, life would be very different. I'd put away your broom and stop sweeping shit under the rug to protect everyone else.  I'd protect my rights instead.

Word

Words should be chosen wisely

They can build up

Or tear down

Bond or break

Excite and entice

Or abhor and bore

The power of words is infinite

Yet we often fail to comprehend

The magnitude or attitude of what

We are putting forth to others

Finding that perfect word to describe an experience is like finding a lost puzzle piece.

Just the right amount of curves, edges, and corners that nothing else could fit nearly as well.

The wrong words, words that are hateful, demeaning, degrading, upsetting or rude, whether spoken or written cannot be taken back easily as an imprint is often left in the recipient 's mind. Please choose them wisely

Moments intertwined

Moments
I feel happy to be and exist fully in the present
Moments
I question my purpose of even being
And hardly feel like I exist at all
There are moments I am proud of my accomplishments.
Moments I wonder what, in all these years
Have I actually accomplished, what have I done with my time
Moments of confidence
And moment after moment after moment of self doubt,
These moments, intertwine, each taking just a second or a minute, or 40+ years of my life. These moments are many, yet leave me yearning, for just a few more moments, for a few more chances, to get things right.

Dirt

It turns over and exposes, unearths a part of itself that has been up until this moment living in darkness it the cool damp ground.  It is frightening after first experiencing it's first bout of light and it desperately tries to burrow itself deeper into the Rocky soil until it can't go any further.  The sun is exposing it's vulnerabilities yet it cannot deny it feels a bit consoled basking in its radiant warmth, instinctively it knows it has a job to do and digs horizontally loosening up the soil, remembering that moment, but quickly resumes it's former position in its comfort zone.