Fear (working title)

I hate this hateful darkness.
How I long for the light.
I yearn for the radiant sun
To bring me back to life .

Surrounded by these raven walls
Enclosed, I can't break free.
Shackles burden,  hold me down
When will I become me?

For much too long, I have bowed
Fear dictates my when and how
It points my finger, and runs my mouth
I can, I cannot. It ends now.

"No more, no more!" my soul cries within
But am I too broken to begin again?
On my knees, I beg for peace
For mercy I plead, I plead.

Breaking point. Waking point.
I fight for what was mine.
Blessed light. With all my might.
A spark begins to shine.

A miracle begins in me,
The black begins to fade.
Face arise, feel the heat,
No more to live in shade.

Grateful heart, hopeful start
Where will I go from here?
I may not know, but I do know
I will not go in fear!


*Author's note:  As you see, this piece only has a working title. I just cannot decide.
What do you think?
Post your suggestions for alternative titles in the comments below.
Thank you!

Untitled

The taste of betrayal lingers long after the fact

It's funny how it continues to sear

Whether one or twenty acts


Promises broken, lies spoken, knives in the back

No matter what form it arrives in

One is never ready for the attack


Heavy heart, painful chest

Longing for reprieve

Praying for the kind of rest

That comes when heartache leaves


Trust is gone, dreams are broken

The scars may never heal

Wounds created from venom spoken

This lasting pain is real


Trying to steel up courage to face life again

Moving forward, the past has passed

Time to let the healing begin.


*Author's note:  Do you think this piece is best suited as "Untitled?" Can you think of a better alternative?  

I welcome your feedback in the comments below! Thank you!

Earthbound Sun

You are my Earthbound Sun
Ever a source of blinding light
I feel your warmth deep in my heart
Never to be touched by night

You are my Earthbound Sun
A Divine celestial gift
And though you may be trapped below
The farthest Heavens feel your glow

You are my Earthbound Sun
Such a miracle to behold
I am in awe of your radiance
You bring a smile to my soul

And though shadows may briefly block your light
I know you will emerge on the far side of the gray
For nothing is powerful enough
To take my Sunshine away.

-For Keelee

"The Fall"

The Fall


Entrenched roots, digging deep

Grabbing hard, implanted feet

Did lose their grip when set upon

Ripping, breaking, sad defeat.


Scraped and shorn and battle torn

The aftermath of violence.

Lying prone on the earthen floor

The mighty king has fallen.


Golden scarlet flows beneath

Once his crowning glory

Grand and proud-now struck down

No one lives to tell his story.



Limbs askew, digits crumbled

What weapon came against him?

God’s great breath did cause his death

Oh how the mighty tumble.


In this shallow grave does lie

The monarch of the trees

Divested head, dank final bed

Outranked by death. No authority.


Even kings shall fall.

Descent

Descent

The shocking cold enveloped her as she tumbled into the icy water of the lake. Sinking fast, she began to thrash in panic, watching the light from the surface retreat further away. The thrashing and the weight of her heavy winter clothes only succeeded in bringing her down faster. Her chest was aflame with the need for air. Instinctively, she inhaled only to ingest freezing water into her aching lungs. Completely panicked now, she felt the darkness encroaching, all light diminishing. Hope of surviving sank with her. She closed her eyes and stopped fighting. Her descent slowed.

Just as the blackness arrived, it was gone. Her eyes opened as powerful bands wrapped around her waist and she felt herself being hauled quickly up. A shadowy mass was working hard to pull her to the surface. In her diminished state of mind, she imagined glittering wings attached to what must be an angel rescuing her. The wings were folded back against the shadowed form rocketing them through the water.

The burning in her chest had only increased until she thought her lungs would burst with the need for oxygen. Watching the light from above get ever closer, she prayed she would be able to survive. A fleeting thought crossed her mind that perhaps she had not survived and the angel was pulling her to Heaven. Before the thought was completed, she was breaking the surface and being carried to shore. Her angel laid her on the rocky surface and turned her on her side as she began coughing up the water she had inhaled. Her rescuer was pounding her back with his open palm. Shaking uncontrollably, she was finally able to take a breath and hold up her hand as a signal for him to stop. He rolled her onto her back, with his arm bracing her underneath. She looked up into his face and
found concerned blue eyes staring back.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Able to see clearly now, she saw that he was simply a man with no wings. But to her, he would always be an angel.

　

　  

A Night On Fire

This was a memoir assignment.

A Night On Fire

"Mom, Dad! The house is on fire!" I awoke that winter night to my older sister Jamie's panicked cry to our parents. I instantly saw the angry flames raging down our bedroom wall from the ceiling where, unbeknownst to us, faulty wiring in the attic had started this living nightmare. The electric heater which was plugged into the same wall was now engulfed as well. My skin was heated. The bedroom that we shared was beginning to fill with plumes of smoke, flames snaking toward my sister's now vacated bed. My eyes and nose burned with each breath. I sat frozen on my adjacent bed until I felt Tina, my sister's overnight guest, shake me and say, "Laurie, come on!" She lead me into the cold, darkened living room where we dodged the shadowy forms of furniture. Echoes of my parents' orders for us to get out pushed us faster. My father was a blur in my peripheral vision as he charged into the bedroom wielding a blanket to smother the ever-growing blaze.

My heart pounded in my small body. This was almost too much to take for a five-year-old. Clad in only a white and yellow E.T. t-shirt, I grabbed the gray wool jacket I had thrown on the couch after school.　 Tina and I rushed out into the frigid November night, followed closely by Jamie. Our bare feet crunched the frozen grass. The smell and taste of acrid smoke accompanied us, clinging to everything. As we stood huddled together, shivering in the frost-covered yard, I longed for my parents to appear. The red glow from the fire at the back of the house was visible to us in the front. Our fear grew as every second the dancing glow increased, devouring more and more.

Inside, I later learned, after urging my dad to get the family pictures from the closet, my mom crawled beneath the cloud of life draining smoke to the phone in the kitchen which was past the living room. In the light of day, the kitchen was a cheery yellow but on this night, like the rest of the house, it was plunged into darkness. Mom reached the phone on the wall and made a frantic call to the fire department. Long before the advent of the 911 emergency system, Mom had to explain where we lived. The dispatcher did not understand her urgent, near hysterical directions. Finally, after several attempts she shouted, "It's the one that's on fire!" and dropped the phone to let it dangle by its long spiral cord. Grabbing her purse, she ran outside to join us in watching our home succumb. She gathered us all to her as tears streamed down her face and her mouth moved in silent prayer.

Dad later told us that while Mom had been on the phone, he had opened their bedroom closet door to grab the treasured pictures. A blast of heat and smoke struck out at him like a blow to the head. A large man, he was still temporarily overwhelmed and he fell to the floor in an unconscious heap. Miraculously, Dad was able to quickly regain consciousness. Finally, after realizing any further attempts to battle the flames or save precious possessions might mean his life, my dad stumbled empty-handed out of the house. As we drove to my mom's best friend's house nearby to seek help, I looked back to see the roaring inferno making light work of destroying our home. This night would be forever seared into memory.