Think hard and think long,
About what you’ve done.
Heed not your mind’s herald,
Warning, “run, baby, run!”

For there’s no escape to be had,
There’s no where to hide,
Sweeping currents run deep,
Spawning personal rip tides.

Conversations rehashed.
Every word that you said,
Second-guessed and replayed,
Crashing ‘round in your head.

How could you have said that?
What must they now think?
You probably pushed them,
Right over the brink.

Opportunities lost.
You missed your big chance.
Should have done this.
Could have done that.

Delusions of control,
Self inflicted responsibilities,
Always lead to the same question -
“What is wrong with ME?”

So the dance goes,
Sleep and peace are forbidden,
In the long lonely hours,
Of the hopelessly guilt-ridden.

~smj

Frozen green grass,
Crackles under my feet.

Ice covered mud,
Refuses to capture my prints.

Shiny black ice,
Pretends to be street.

They all force me to walk
Slowly
Carefully
In boots.

All the while wondering,
What kind of Spring is this?!

~smj

Little footsteps overhead,
Tip-toeing down the stairs.
Half asleep I hear his voice,
“Mommy? I am scared.”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
I pull back the covers for my reply.
He climbs right in and snuggles up
Between his father and I.

“Mommy, can you move your hair?”
“It’s right where I want my head”
And just like that a swap is made,
Hair replaced by his warm breath.

I move and inch - he moves an inch,
Closer he couldn’t possibly be.
As if he still remembers once,
When he was part of me.

Bad dream or simply missing me,
To me it doesn’t really matter.
I’ll always draw the covers back
And move my bothersome hair.

Someday when he’s a child no more,
And, much larger seems my bed,
Half asleep ears will miss his voice,
And little footsteps overhead. …

~smj

Oh silent magician,
Grandfather of Old.
Deny selfish wishes
Grant memories re-told.

Silent your footsteps,
Sneak up on us all,
No need for speed,
You’ll wait till we fall

Making your move,
Some unknown morrow,
No way to bargain,
Beg, steal or borrow.

Denial precedes you,
Mixed with some sin,
Pour it on thick,
Before reality sets in.

Break the news gently,
Or hard as a rock,
When the truth hits,
Still comes as a shock.

When the smoke clears,
Time’s waiting for you,
To show you the riches,
Young ones never knew.

~smj

Alright, now where did KnotKeats  go???  So many people seem to be dropping out of the blogging world…  = (

As I mentioned elswhere to yet a different blogging buddy who recently thre in the towel - I said, “I can’t say I blame you… I have my moments when I back slowly towards the door and then run like hell… usually, only to come slinking back un-detected. “

I hope some of my friends “slink” back in…

~smj

The best laid plans often lie in wait,
Only to find a sudden goodbye.
Forcing them to cease and desist,
Before they chanced to go awry.

Spectacular feats never to be seen.
Letters written never sent nor read.
Artists who never made their mark,
Bleeding hearts that never bled.

Lives that could have chanced to change,
Remain grounded like windless kites.
Oh, what pray tell might have become,
Had only that plan took flight?

~smj

Watch the smiles melt from her face,
Into an ocean of false bravado.
No more will they be her saving grace.
Shielding shame and hiding sorrow.

Watch them swirl and form at last, 
One last fake smile, one empty laugh, 
They gaze up at her from reflections past,
A last ditch effort to win her back.

Watch her struggle to break their spell, 
Reluctantly she lets them go,
For they no longer serve her well
Still smiling, they sink to depths below.

Watch her wonder what now to wear,
See her tears, her fears, her sins.
Vulnerable, naked, exposed. She stares.
Wanting, waiting.  Let the healing begin. 

~smj

Sleep eludes me.
I hear every cricket.
Their song confirms,
No rest for the wicked.

Think of plans overdue,
Make more for the morrow.
It’s no wonder we need,
To beg, steal and borrow.

Throw on just one more,
How many can we stack?
Before that final straw,
Breaks the camel’s back.

Sweet meltdown at last.
Can we now relax?
Toss worries away,
Like  graduation caps.

Let me collapse into bed,
Where the pillow’s so soft,
Please, on your way out,
Can you switch my brain off?

Ahh… at last sweet silence.
Yeah…. that’s the ticket!
Wait…what’s that off in the distance?
No No!  
Inbound crickets!!

~smj

Try to breathe tomorrow in,
Try to exhale today away.
For the future is the hunter,
The past is only prey.

Yes, tomorrow thinks it’s won,
It’s faster on it’s feet,
Still, it should remember,
You are only what you eat.

Past lives and painful memories, 
Repressed and left for dead, 
Pick up the pieces that you want,
Sweep the rest under your bed.

But, no matter how you slice it,
All the pieces play a part,
Managing to come together, 
Creating singular works of art.

~smj

I feel your eyes set on me now,
Daring me to glance your way,
But I ‘m afraid and won’t look back,
I avoid your hypnotic gaze.

And all the while I do ignore,
And talk and smile with them,
I feel your stare piercing thru,
My heart beats fast again.

Just as the night so long ago,
When all was almost lost,
The night my guard crashed down hard,
And lines were almost crossed.

I was yours for one slow dance, 
Your eyes locked into mine,
Souls exposed, hearts beat as one,
For one brief moment in time.

Sweet and interupted dream,
Is all that it can be.
It wasn’t real.  It wasn’t real.
It was pure fantasy.

So, why do you stare now?
From far across the room?
I can not look. I will not look.
It’s like wishing for the moon.

~smj