Lady Raven's Familial Scratchings - Part of a collection of original poetry about my favorite people....
A Strong Man
A strong man
A worker at his given task
Giving self completely to his vocation
And his goals
A lover of home
Protector...
Husband, father, neighbor
When a strong man fails
Even those close to him
Keep it before them
And when the hurt buries itself
Deep inside the child
The child's eyes are changed
To see only the hurt and failure
Despite the honor, strength, and
The character of the strong man
One weakness my father had
One flaw in his character
And yet in my youth
It was all my eyes could see
I did not see the years
Of hard work and prayer
Worry and affection and self-sacrifice
Spent all for family and for me
As I grew in age and wisdom
My eyes lost their blindness
And my heart felt a stabbing
Pain of guilt
For my lack of love and grace
And my undervalued regard
For the strong man
Who raised and loved me
In spite of myself
Copyright ©2003
The Vagabonds Daughter
I am the vagabond's daughter
Long of hair and ruddy of face
Gathering memories like water
As I move from place to place
A warm and and inviting home
Is ever a dream for me
To cease to wander and roam
Ever one place to be
The souls I love I leave
Leaving footprints along the way
Not a one of them believe
It was in my heart to stay
New places I do not need
Of those I've had my fill
Only a garden to seed
And cottage on a hill
A garden for plants to grow
Warm beds for family too
Where kith an kin all know
Their welcome through and through
The vagabond was my father
Of that I'm proud you see
I am the vagabond's daughter
But his life is not for me
Copyright ©2003
Memories
Sweet David, my little son,
I still see you clearly
Wrapped up tightly like a little burritto
Those big blue eyes, that cute little nose
Perfect mouth peeking out from your blanket.
Your laughing eyes looked up at me in trust
Your chubby little fingers
Clutching my breast, my clothing
My hair or my hand while you lazily nursed.
I will never forget the music of your voice
The warmth and scent of your little body
The way you snuggled me back when I held you
Your oily little head Your dry little feet
You blessed my life only for a short while
There were so many things I wanted
To teach you, to show you, to share with you
I wish I still had the chance.
I love you, sweet little David
My little Burritto Baby
and I will never forget you.
Copyright ©2003
He's old now
And I think of how
He won't be with us
Much longer
He's tired
And sore
He stands up
And begins to stretch
and scratch
The itch behind his ear
And shakes
He's the pet
The comforter and protecter
The exercise machine
And alarm clock
Many of our tears
have been wept into
His long soft fur
He watches the sick
Defends the weak
Warms our feet
And keeps us company
He looks up
His gaze fixed on me
And somehow without words
He speaks
Through his eyes
You know it is
Close
I'll miss you
Old friend
Copyright ©2004
The Gift
Comfort comes to me
In the rythmn of his breathing
As I sit beside the bed
And watch the young boy sleeping
The damp sweaty hair
Laying on his forehead
The chubby little body
Snuggled in his bed
The smile upon is mouth
The flush upon a cheek
It is such a precious gift
Only one thing else I seek
Thank you Lord, with all my heart
For the life he lived today
And I ask with all I have
To keep him one more day
Copyright ©1998
Teenager
He stands on the threshold
No longer a boy, not yet a man
In front of the mirror
He regards his eyes
Teeth, Hair, Nose
And the shape of things external
he believes these things
Are what defines him
He does not look inside
At the quality of person
He could be
The spark of knowledge
Lies kindled but unfed
And partially hidden
The divine spirit within
Barely nurtured
The kind heart and strength
Of character remains unseen
If he looked inside
Would his teenage confusion
Hide these things from view?
Copyright ©2004
Unless otherwise credited, the poems, short stories and other works found here are all original to me. Do not copy them without permission. Copyright violators will be prosecuted. Besides, I have made it sort of difficult to copy these things, haven't I?
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