A Fallen Tear
Rubber Boots
Wind Chimes
Oh Tall Lonely Fir
Healing
Quiet Snowfall
Thank You, Father
* * *
A Fallen Tear
That single, silent, burning tear
Held the tight throat ache of this endless year
Swelled with empty loneliness of the night,
And our hopes and dreams hiding from my sight.
~ ~ ~
Filled with deepest grief from a little lost face,
It absorbed in his shirt during our embrace.
It spilled from the helplessness of the day;
And, unknowing, he carried it away...
* * *
Rubber Boots
Discarded
like old rubber boots
~ ~ ~
my life lay cast upon a dusty
second-hand shelf waiting for someone
to fumble through the dark corner and find me
as the soles swelled with moisture and softened with age
until they could no longer keep even tears away they
were pockmarked where betrayal ate holes
and trust fell out; where fear chiseled
through me and peace fell out;
where loss consumed me
and love fell out;
where time
gouged
holes
in me and
youth fell out; but
then a light shone and I felt
God’s ancient intricate wisdom, kind as
sunlight on a mountain morning
crawling through the holes
into the hollowness
~ ~ ~
bringing a
candle.
© 1997 Rosemary J. Gwaltney
* * *
Wind Chimes
When you came back home,
You collected old discarded pipes,
Cutting them to chime perfectly on key;
Lifting them with caring hands -
Hanging them from the fir tree just so.
Now wind chimes ring pure in the darkness.
~ ~ ~
When you came back home,
Piecing together my scattered life
Meticulously - as you tuned the chimes -
Your smile warmed the leftovers of me,
Long stale in the ice-box of loneliness.
~ ~ ~
You brought back my broken fragments
That had been in your pocket since you went away;
Breathing new love into my withered heart. Then
Taking out the perfect pearl called trust,
You tenderly tucked it back in.
~ ~ ~
Tuning up our ancient chords, with quiet resolve,
You patiently shone our old fine memories
With your gentle, caring soul;
Blessing my life with sweet sensitivity,
Until our deepest passion shone again,
Chiming new love perfectly in tune in the darkness.
* * *
Oh Tall Lonely Fir
Oh tall lonely fir,
leaning sad across the sky,
I’ll be the cloud you dream against
when darkest winter’s nigh; when the summer sun’s
memory is haunting you, and long-gone clear skied moonglows
are taunting you.
I’ll be the quiet brushing of spring breezes surrounding you with
fragrance and warmth. I’ll be the breath of a bird’s wings
fanning your branches. I’ll touch you with the freshness
of the rain, the tenderness of the snowflakes against
your graceful form. I’ll be the song that lilts
around you. I’ll be the silent fingers of
light trailing over the mountains at
sunrise to caress you.
Oh tall, lonely fir, leaning ever
sad along the wind, I know your
roots so deeply spiraled
into your earth’s
sorrow.
Peace.
* * *
Healing
Mountain stars draping overhead
A majestic black shawl sequined in silver
The magic of your presence surrounding
My pain like a down comforter
We stand hand in hand by the clearing
Fringed in black laced firs
Watching the moonlit gleaming river below
Long have we waited for our forest again
Our wounded souls leaning together
Healing spirits calmed at last
* * *
Quiet Snowfall
And when the snow began,
The glass windows frosted over,
And every twig glinted with ice.
~ ~ ~
A memory floated down with the flakes
All silver and white
Its anger long bleached away
Singing ancient songs
From dreams preserved carefully
Within the velvet lining
Of my heart’s jewelry box
Bringing back the music
Rocking me with love for you
And shining that pearl called trust;
Carefully returning it
To its rightful place.
~ ~ ~
Then I heard once again, our music
Ringing together as of old,
Through the winter night.
* * *
Thank You, Father
You brought him back
To lift the heavy gray tapestry
And hold out his hand
He led me from my living grave
A Lazarus with new breath.
You allowed his eyes to meet mine
And You guided my footsteps
Out of the darkness
One by one, holding on.
Father, You created fresh love
And graced us with it.
When we both felt hopeless
You blessed us with new hope.
When we both felt empty
You filled us with new joy.
When we both felt hollow
You shone our pearls of trust
And gently, slowly sealed them back
Inside our wounded spirits.
Thank You, Father in Heaven.
Thank You
* * *
mountainrecluse@yahoo.com
© 1997 - 2002 Rosemary J. Gwaltney All
rights reserved.
