Christmas Lights

It’s seven o'clock, but it feels like ten!
It seems that bleak winter is here.
Yet in the darkness that smothers the day
There is still great light and much cheer!
Lift up your hearts as the darkness unfolds,
Abandon your sorrow and fear,
For now, though darkness seems to hold sway,
We celebrate Light, for Christmas is near!!!

Thanksgiving Day 2008 Or How to Enjoy a Head Cold on a Holiday...

The first rays of the morning sun,
Thanksgiving Day is nigh.
The house fills up with cinnamon
And cinnamon tints the sky

A lazy day spent snug at home,
The middle of the week.
I’m back to work tomorrow morn;
Today it’s peace I seek.

And peace there was, with my old friends;
A book, a cup of tea,
And all the beauty of the day
Displayed for me to see.

But now the day draws to a close
How fast it passed me by
And all that’s left are memories
Of cinnamon and the sky.

A Winter Dance

The rain has wept and now is gone
The sodden clouds have been withdrawn
The brown leaves dance upon the lawn
A winter night is coming on

The wind picks up and starts to croon,
A chilly winter dancing tune,
The evergreens will sway and swoon
Beneath the spotlight of the moon

The whirling stars in frosty flight,
The dancing leaves, a winter rite,
A carousel of wind and light;
Another wild November night

The Lullaby

The stars sang me a lullaby
The breeze blew hushed and chill
The water murmured on the shore
And all the night was still

The air was light with quiet song
I closed my weary eyes
Then let the night wrap me in peace
And starlight lullabies

A Tortured Heart

Dark the night sky, dark the wood
And dark the winter sea,
Dark the thoughts that tear my heart,
The pain that torments me

Cold the mountain, cold the wind
And cold the bitter rain,
Cold the love that once was yours,
Replaced by mere disdain

Hard the starlight, hard the moon
And hard the endless night,
Hard the wrongs that have been done,
Nothing can make them right

Long the lost road, long the path
And long the way back through,
And long the time that will pass by
Before I forgive you

Drowsing in the Mist

Drowsing in the mists of autumn,
The inlet grey on grey,
The Dryad dreams of ancient things
And of a distant day,

Of friends who walked and walk no more,
Of hopes that went astray,
Great battles won, too many lost,
And love that died away

A mist wrapped dream of what once was,
That perfect yesterday,
Before the mists, like loneliness,
Had trapped her in their sway;

Enveloping the world she knew,
The wood, the sea, the spray,
In shrouds of silent, heaviness
That hope cannot allay.

And so she lingers in her dreams
And lets the memories play
She hides within her mist wrapped tree
And holds her fate at bay

The Old Man's Growing White Again

The old man’s growing white again
Time is hastening on
The days are growing shorter now
The nights are growing long
And autumn’s rhythms soon will fade
Into cold winter’s song

But for an instant time stands still,
A moment in the light,
Autumn’s sunshine still holds sway, though
The old man’s growing white.

Wind Chimes, Wood Smoke and Winter

Wood smoke and wind chimes
And flannel wrapped dreams
Of sunshine dancing
On summertime streams

Wood smoke and wind chimes
And long winter nights
Warmed by the memories
Of summer’s delights

Wood smoke and wind chimes
And where did it go
Summer passed quickly
And soon we’ll have snow

Wood smoke and wind chimes
And settling in
To enjoy the winter
That’s about to begin

Veteran's Day 2008

The sounds of my day off

The wind that rustles the fallen leaves
And those still clinging to empty trees
The wind chime playing a dancing song
Whisp'ring evergreens swaying along

The fragrances of my day off

Chicken and dumplings, bubbling hot
The last tomatoes the harvest brought
Cornbread and cookies cool on the rack
Fragrant wood smoke blown in from out back

The Blessings of my day off

Fresh flannel sheets, a soft feather spread
The chance of a nap, my cozy bed
Tea and hot cider, a favorite book
A long steamy bath, photos I took

The honor of my day off

Dirty and cold in Afghanistan
More weary than’s fair for any man
Patrolling the dark heart of Iraq
Praying to heaven that you’ll get back
Holding the line for the folks back here
Who love you, need you, hold you so dear
Warriors and heroes, who served and still do,
I owe you these blessings, I honor you.

Keeping an eye on Dorie while she Keeps an Eye on the World

Keeping an eye on the world outside
The jay and the killer squirrel
The leaves that could fall and do you harm
I’m keeping an eye on the world

Keeping an eye on the world outside
Protecting my boy and girl
Even when they are out of my reach
I’m keeping an eye on the world

Keeping an eye on the world outside
Where cats with their claws unfurled
Could slip in the yard and run amok
I'm Keeping an eye on the world

Many may scoff at the job I do,
And I’ll never hear paeans skirl,
But I know my duty and I’ll be true,
I’m keeping my eye on the world!!

Sleepng With the Rain

Sleeping with the rain tonight
The steady rhythmic beat
The window’s open just a crack,
A breeze across my feet
The rustle of the feathered quilt
Against the flannel sheet

There’s not a trace of starlight
Upon the cloudy plain
The night, like me, is blanketed
And sleeping with the rain

Tears

Tears in the forest, lost in the trees
Tears in the ocean, salt in salt seas
Tears in the mountains, frozen in snow
Tears spill like raindrops, unceasing flow

Lonely the forest, lonely the sea
Lonely the mountain and lonely me

The Night and Me

The dark, the rain, a cup of tea
The song of winter, the night and me
Wide awake, my dreams all flee,
There’s just the rain, the night and me

Ready or not

The rainy season has begun
It will go on and on
And I’m not ready yet

The darkening now has begun
Long nights and little sun
And I’m not ready yet

The winds that crack will soon begin
The trees will snap and spin
And I’m not ready yet

The brunt of winter's round the bend
The rain, the dark, the wind
And I’m not ready yet

The Dark Half of the Year

The perfect peace of a long, rainy night,
In the dark half of the year
The last of the harvest is stored away
The kettle purrs, warm with cheer,
The days now are short and the nights are long,
The holidays drawing near,
It’s time to treasure the blessings of life
The people that we hold dear.
It’s time to remember the loved ones lost,
A laugh, a smile or a tear.
It’s time to start easing up on the pace
Drop into a lower gear,
To make time to sit in the peaceful night
In the dark half of the year.