Smile If You’re Feeling Sad

Smile,
if you’re feeling sad,
it just might turn your world around
and confuse the heck out of that misery
who expects you to wear a frown.

Laugh,
if you’re feeling mad,
it just might change your attitude –
and that person who really pissed you off
will just think that you’re being rude.

Sing,
if you feel depressed;
sing a little, happy tune –
and when your gray skies turn a bright blue
you’ll know that the sun will be shining soon.

Giggle,
if you feel upset;
remember a funny, silly joke –
and that pain will never be the same
once you give your ticklish side a poke.

You can change just how you feel,
it is totally up to you;
Smile and laugh, sing and giggle –
such easy, little things to do.

Smile, when you’re feeling sad;
Laugh, when you’re feeling mad;
Sing, when you feel depressed;
Giggle, when you get upset.

Isolation’s Companion

You would think, that as a prisoner,
Incarcerated for a crime you did not commit,
Abandoned by loved ones who believe the imperfect jury,
And thrown into isolation for your inability to get along with the other inmates,
That you would feel lonely.

Sitting in a small, whitewashed room,
With a mattress and toilet as your only companions,
No natural light to cast shadows on the wall,
The opening and closing of the food slot in the door
being the only sound not created by yourself,
You would think that battling loneliness would be your greatest challenge.

But …
… you would be wrong.

For, you are not alone.
You have a constant companion.
Watching you;
Mocking you;
Judging you;
Questioning you;
Laughing at you;
And, waiting to take leave of you.

You are not alone.
You sit in one corner of the cell
and your sanity sits in the other.

And you wonder;
Which one of us will leave this cell when our sentence has been served?

The Blessing of Oneness

Where beginnings are synonomous with ends
Enemies are greeted as friends
Peace and harmony reign throughout the world
The ying and the yang are the boy and the girl

Where birth precedes death and death precedes birth
Love is the center of the universe
All of humanity is an organization of one
When one existence we leave into another we come

Where in the light of the night and the darkness of day
We all help each other in finding our way
Our differences are what makes all of us the same
Acquiring material wealth is no longer the game

This is our heaven right here on the earth
This is what gives our existence its worth
This is the nirvana we’ve all heard about
“Praise be to God”, are the words we should shout

A Piece of Peace

Poets Who Write Love Poems

Love poems are not written by poets in love;
They are written by poets infatuated with the concept of love.

Poets write of their dreams;
Poets write with their imaginations;
Poets write of hope and fantasy.

Only poets who dream of love, write love poems;
Only poets who imagine ecstasy and passion, compose love sonnets;
Only poets who hope to love and fantasize about love’s allure, pen lyrics of love.

Poets who are in love write poems of butterflies, bubbling streams and blooming blossoms;
For, when you are in love, butterflies fluttering by fulfill your dreams;
Bubbling brooks of cool, effervescent water engage your imagination;
Fields of flowers in bloom with rainbow hues and fragrant bouquets are what you hope for and fantasize about.

Poets in love, live love and write about other wonders;
Poets dreaming of love; imagining love’s splendor; hoping and fantasizing about being paid a visit by Cupid’s arrow,
And, only those poets,
Write love poems.

The White Room

I was sitting in a white room at a table, on a chair
My mind was kind of fuzzy; I wasn’t sure how I got there
I was dressed in a white robe with white slippers on my feet
And I had a funny feeling, an Inquisitor I was to meet

Then a movie started playing on the wall in front of me
I noticed it was about my life from the day I was conceived
Some scenes made me giggle, some scenes made me cry
Some scenes were quite embarrassing, of this I will not lie

Some scenes made me happy, some scenes made me mad
Some scenes left me with a feeling that I hadn’t given it all I had
Then I saw a scene of a truck crashing into me
This was a scene for which I had no clear memory

Then the words “The End” were on the wall with a question mark at the side
And I knew a decision was to be made for which I must abide
I pleaded for a second chance to a judge who was not there
And promised that the mistakes I made I would like to repair

The room suddenly went quite dark and nothing could I see
Then slowly I became aware of tubes inside of me
There was a respirator down my throat helping me to breathe
I saw my wife asleep in a chair and suddenly I was relieved

I have never spoken of this room – this room that caused my change
Old friends that I once had, just think that I’m deranged
But now I am living scenes I won’t mind seeing replayed
When once again I’m in that room and the end can’t be delayed

Estella and Holden

Unpopped Kernels

A Sign of Gratitude

As I was sitting in the airport
Waiting on my flight
I noticed young people in military gear
On my left and on my right

I don’t question anyone’s motives
For this path they choose to take
And I felt an urge deep down inside
To get up and their hands to shake

I caught the eye of one young man
Gave the American sign for the phrase “Thank You”
He returned a smile and a big thumbs up
As if this sign he really knew

Then I got the attention of another
And flashed the sign again
She nodded her head in my direction
Wearing a big wide grin

As I sat there waiting
I did it about ten times more
To every young person whose attention I got
In the military uniforms that they wore

One young soldier even flashed me back
With a “You’re Welcome” American sign
Made me feel that while I waited
I was making good use of my time

It’s an unobtrusive way to show our gratitude
To those who are willing to go into harm’s way
So that we may enjoy our freedom
For yet another day

As I sat looking out the window
On the flight taking me back home
I pledged to continue to give this sign
To let these young people know they’re not alone

The Happy Poem

She held my hands and looked up at me, as I sat on the side of our bed.
In the whispered voice, which was all she had left, this is what she said:

“Write for me a happy poem – yours are often too sad;
I know that my journey is done but for the life I had, I’m glad.

I’m happy to be able to die at home;
I’m happy all the kids are here;
I’m happy to have been called your wife for all of fifty three years.

I’m happy for the home we made;
I’m happy for our grandchildren, too;
I’m even happy for the troubles we had because they brought me closer to you.

So do me a favor before I go and fall asleep for the final time;
Take that magic pen of yours and write me a happy rhyme.”

As my tears dropped on the paper and mixed with the ink of my fountain pen,
I tried writing for her a happy poem, so her journey to heaven could begin.

The angels smiled upon us
When they put you in our life
The happiest day I have ever known
Was when you said you’d be my wife

Everyone that you ever met
Was blessed by your happiness
A gift that we will keep passing on
As God is our witness

Heaven will be a happier place
After calling you back home
And knowing you’re smiling down upon us
We will never feel all alone

Thank you for inspiring us
To always see the happy side
With your laughter and your giddiness
And a smile that was always wide

Your passing brings us sorrow
But just for a week or two
Forever after we will always smile
Remembering the happiness that was you