Lift Me Up

lift me up to the place I have known
where all lifes mysteries cradeled my soul and
end of days hid deep in the earth -unknown

let me go valiently to meet the day
without shadows of broken heart shapes
nor a tare in my soul for just one day


let my mouth speak graceful words of hopefulness
breathing life to all who are discontent
that my words may count for something and
bear witness to life's meaning

before the promise of death comes surely
and quickly into the night
and steals away the very core of who i am
and always crave to be

do not leave me in this lowely space
where drearyness and despair take place
where I wake up angry to meet the day
trying to forget how death came like
a theif in the night and stole away
my heart forever

lift me up to the place i have known
where all lifes mysteries cradeled my soul
when end of days hid deep in the earth -unknown

The Pianist

While the pianist plays with her

Soul in her hands

Taking us all to a distant shore,

Of hearts and oceans sands

Some listen with content

Some find her 
Melody a faithful friend

While life closes in,

Peace and love find a way,
Through her fingertips,

To our souls

And I wonder how

Deeply she knows?

Red

it grabs our attention
it seduces our intentions
it pumps through our arteries
it gives us life in a
world of uncertainties

red is her favorite color,
for long ago, she was a performer,
she wore red, felt red and sang red

I held her hand, cold as ice
within minutes,
red came nimbly beneath my skin,
warming her soul
for she held on tightly and
wouldn't let go

she listened intently as the preacher spoke
as her eyes held onto his every move
the same ol' message of God's certain wrath
came in the form of shame and the color red

I felt her grip become stronger
then I found myself begin to wonder
how red had become her favorite color

Whatever it Takes

When I began my shift
I was told she hadn't 
dressed or ate all day
My experiences with her 
in the past led me her way
When I arrived, I held her hands and
She opened up to me once again
She misses her husband so very bad
"Seventy one years together" she said
"I don't know how to live without him."

It's been five years since he left
Tears came welling up in her eyes

She explained the day he died
How she couldn't cry
This day, her tears were a surprise

"Sometimes I wonder when people don't cry,
they are afraid it will make the moment real",
I said with a sigh

She felt guilty for taking up my time so
I shared with her my sadness since my brothers death-
We exchanged our memories and the feelings they left

When we finished, she smiled with relief
Not only did she cry, she felt better for helping me

I fixed her hair, then she added lipstick
We smiled together and headed for supper

As she and I walked down the hall,
I felt I had reached my goal
Sometimes we have to do whatever it takes-
As all caregivers know!

(All in a days work)

Your Legacy

My love for you

Has given me a special honor,

To love your sons and daughter

Your love

Inspires me to be a better me, 
For my children and yours

That I may better serve them and

Help them through the coming storms

Since you left, a piece of you came forth in me

Little things like cooking moms suppers for your son

Spending a whole day cleaning like when we were young

Having conversations of dreams with your daughter

Then watching the excitement light up in her laughter

When I'm outdoors watching the kids play,

I recall the baseball game we played with your family and mine

How you wanted to instill in us a memory of happier times

These little things connect me to you

And your absence feels less true

My memories of you make me a better me

Thank you, dear brother, for your legacy!

April Tides

We close our eyes as your ship passes by

The April sun shines upon us as the tides rise high

Your memories are stored away in our treasure minds

The songs you play for us keep your memory alive

We keep living, we keep loving and we realize

How much you love us and how you wish to show us paradise

Days and nights pass and we recall how you shared your life with us

As our father, husband, son, brother and friend

Your memory will always live on in the songs

One day, we will close our eyes and see the sun shining upon the sea

And there you will be, waiting for our ship to pass by

I Am a Caregiver of Time Travelers

I am a caregiver of time travelers,

Each one of them, unique

I use my gifts to love them 

My goal is to meet their needs

Sometimes it's a listening ear

Other times it's what they need to hear

An, "I love you" or a warm embrace 

Turn into small miracles along the way

I say what I need to say, though, some may disagree

My love tells a woman who feels lost; she arrived in a space shuttle

She tells me I'm crazy and her fear turns to chuckles

My love makes fun of a little blind lady

By correcting her when she says, "I'll see you later"

My love guides me to an older gentleman 

Who tells me he loves me with warmth in his eyes
I return his affections, perhaps like his wife, when she was still alive 

My love picks on a ninety-seven year old woman

Who sleeps half the day by suggesting she's lazy,

She plays along with my joke by
Smiling as if she were a disobedient baby

My love pretends I'm Catholic to a woman who assumes I am 

She blesses me with Holy water, and in her eyes, I see the Lamb

I know what I feel and it feels quite right

Though let's assume I'm wrong for the night

For the woman who feels lost, I could tell her she's not

She'd realize her mind is slipping and feel alone in her lot

For the blind lady and the sleep half-a-day lady, 

I could stay quite professional

Never tease them and never crack a smile 

For the gentlemen who tells me he loves me with warmth in his eyes

I could tell him his actions are wrong, though to him, they feel quite right

For the Catholic woman, 

I could break the news to her that I'm not who she thinks I am

She may cease to bless me and neither she nor I would see the Lamb

I am a caregiver of time travelers,

Each one of them, unique

I use my gifts to love them  

My goal is to meet their needs