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Love

This love poem section is dedicated to all those whose hearts I have had the privilege to share in discovery, delight, despair and, yes, even death. They all have an especially tender place in in my heart, yet the one whose love and "soft hand touched spark to tinder in my heart and set the flame of love alight" is singularly cherished and enabled me to learn to love, to trust and to be loved. It is with life's finest feelings then, now and always, that I dedicate this page to Elaine Windham Queener.

What many months that grew to years have passed

Since that soft hand touched spark to tinder in my heart

And set the flame of love alight.

That love, quite like a flame,

With quiet plume, burned on with warmth from day to day.

Was like the moon and stars or dawn to dusk in constancy.

With sudden emptiness, no warm reflecting face returned the light.

The flame shrank back from sharp, cold, winkless stars of night.

The days and nights

Their times and places kept.

Till years swept by like mist.

Multitudes of feet and faces

Filed by to note the fire burning low

Yet carried on as though they noticed not.

Then, from within the passing throng, a pause.

Two feet passed close to ponder why the fire burned so low.

Fanned by the north wind,

Leaped the flame to warm and light the hope

That seemed so near yet stood afar and glowed so dimly that the blaze,

Though bright, could not illuminate the night

And to its former self returned.

However cold ensuing nights would be,

The fires height had warmed the fuel so,

That even though the will to live had fled,

The warmth remained

And urged the flame to grow and light the way

For someone's unseen need.

Softly dusk became the night.

Yet more softly came a shadow that would use

The fire's dim but steady light.

Slow at first, but with a gathering intensity,

Burned the flame, illuminating beauty that the shadow held.

With modesty and feeling the fire and the figure

Exchanged each other's light for light until the radiating glow lit brightly

Two diverging paths that they must take.

Time and fortune pulled them on their separate ways

Till only darkness camped about the flame.

But seeing that in dimness lay no strength

The flame took faith and burned on brightly,

Sustained by patience and humility of that departed form.

Now the fire has a clean and steady flame

That burns with increased brilliance when the need is great

Or dims a bit when the slings and arrows of misfortune bow it low.

Yet, however bright or dim the light or warm the glow,

Its power lies within the fuel of faith it burns.

Alive hands,

Strong softness, caressing, creating,

Reaching to fill needs

Of small heads, small hands fleeing,

Flying into flowered meadowlands of growing up,

And on.

 

Alive heart,

Though it break-mend-break giving love, living love.

 

Alive faith,

Knowing kneeling seeing walking blind in His hand in Him

In His love.

 

Alive eyes,

Radiant or tearful, filled with care

Glimmer glint glow-share the hearts most

Tender sad wonder joy feelings.

A window on your wonder person.

 

Alive touch,

Warm gentle giving caring lips.

Calling telling wonder beckoning

To be one in communion of love-touch-love.

 

Alive mind,

Sensing scintillating singing sighing

Flying with me, around me.

Moments musing memories soft in my heart-hand.

 

Alive you,

yes, alive you.

You are the most alive person I know,

And love.

 

Day, night, night, day,

Time spun the earth but my heart and soul

Echoed within me and I was but a shadow.

A hot wind blew and swirled parched dry facts

That are life without love . . . .

I live!

I love!

The cool swift sounds,

That make life the exuberant hope that it is,

Shout, pound, ripple, and caress the silent sands of life

And love.

Be loved.

Love.

Love till your heart bursts with joy

And fills the crisp clear air with a song

That only two can sing.

One day as I stood in the sun by the sea

On top of a sandy hill,

There came to my ears the sound of soft wings

When all the world was still.

 

I looked up from that place on the earth where I stood

With my feet in the warm white sand,

And beheld in the sky a beautiful bird

Sailing in from the sea to the land.

 

The bird circled over my head in the sky

And seemed to say as it flew

Tell me your thoughts on the things you have done

And I'll tell you of my thoughts too.

 

I fell in love with the beautiful bird

That soared so close in the skies.

I fell in love with its elegant grace

And beautiful bright dark eyes.

 

I extended my hand to offer it rest

From softly circling above.

I extended my heart in a way I thought best

And called to it all of my love.

 

The bird looked at me with a look that was care

Then looked far out to the sea.

I knew that the bird had another love there

And that it could never love me.

 

I lowered my gaze to my feet while I heard,

In the cool of the evening light,

The bird fly away with my heart on its wing

Far into the gathering night.

 

The wonderful bird had returned to its love

Far over the restless tide.

There I was left with the sound of the sea's

Soft whispering by my side.

 

I stood there and pondered the first of my thoughts

I was grieved by the loss of my love;

But the feelings remaining deep in my soul

I have cherished no others above.

Dearest Reba,

I mean it, Reba,

From the bottom of my heart

I mean it.

 

I think that we could learn to live,

To love, and care.

I think that we could learn to see,

To know, and share.

But love's not blind to other love,

Though sad it is.

I'll stand aside, yet love no less,

And let Your love be his.

 

We can remain the very best

Of friends, I trust,

Continue on each day and do

The things we must.

We'll meet to paint, discuss, or talk,

Or just to think.

I can be sure you understand

By when you wink.

 

Still if sometime your thoughts should change,

I would they could,

Thus welcome you with open arms

And heart, I would.

 

Till then I'll be a friend in deed.

Oh, were it more!

I love you, Reba, very much,

Just as before.

Many of these thoughts you know and appreciate

Some you must live to understand.

I hope these thoughts I cherish can help you

Live life more fully, more deeply.

They concern whomever you love.

 

Trust, Reba, trust.

Trust your love in each small thing.

Then trust in peace when trouble's yours.

Trust him, Reba, always.

 

Hope, Reba, hope.

Let hope carry you Through joy and grief.

Hope for a better tomorrow.

Search for the good in today.

Hope, Reba, together.

 

"Faith, hope, love, Abide these three,

But the greatest of these is love.

 

So love, Reba, love

Love with a boundless joy that fills your heart and soul.

Love with a reasoning love that examines every detail.

Love with a thoughtless love that needs no reminding.

Love him every day as if it were his last.

Love, Reba, deeply.

 

Trust hopefully

Hope continually

Love all you can

Yes,

And pray.

Reach out to life

And love.

Know your life and love

With every fiber that you are

And then stand back a bit in awe

Of what two souls can do.

 

It takes great strength

To love and lose

And live to love anew.

It takes great strength

To love to live

And think of others, too.

 

It takes courage,

Compassion, hope,

To resolutely stand

And let the winds blow

As they may

Across life's shifting sand.

 

It takes true love,

A higher kind,

To love with all your soul,

Then refuse

To live that love

But set another goal.

 

It takes wisdom,

Strength and love

Compassion, hope, and trust.

I pray that I may have

Each one

To bear the grief I must.

Michel,

Michel,

A book

Of words,

Of thoughts

Of wrong And woe.

The words could say

True tragedy

But stop

Just short

To let one think

How power of character

Made it be.

 

The lies

That tried

With love

To cover up

The love

That tried

To fill the half-full cup.

 

Marcia,

Marcia,

I see

These words

Yet on beyond each leaf I find,

When one does look,

A greater grief;

A hurt

That's felt

From deep within.

 

A pain

That's passed,

Though woe it is,

From kith to kin

An anger

Fraught with futile hopes,

A rage

For wrong

Done as if 'twere right,

Or worse,

A wrong

That knows it's wrong

But will

Not shout to stop.

That will not

Cry out in the dark

For light.

 

You see

These travesties of heart,

I know.

I thought,

Marcia,

You'd like

To see,

To know,

I know.

 

As love is given, loved and lost,

Discovered hoped and found again,

As kinder feelings fresh and fade

And sometimes turn to pain.

As emotions lived each day

Become the one you are

Your life is made of things unseen

Gathered near and far.

 

Gather in with each lost love,

As years are made from days,

An understanding kindness

With soft and tender ways.

Learn to loose yet love again

Joyfully at best.

Let love triumph if you can.

It's loves severest test.

 

Yet, Marcia, as you live,

Please remember I'm remembering and knowing,

"Love comes in its own good time".

Dearest Donna, troubled soul,

God has made you less than whole.

Formed and molded all of us

Part unfinished, created thus.

 

Take your life, the one you know,

Torn and tattered, crumpled so.

Smooth it out and look a bit.

Stand with me and ponder it.

 

I see with each unsightly tear

Understanding crouching there.

Each small wrinkle means to me

Loving, feeling, sympathy.

 

I feel that only warmth and love,

Helped with guidance from above,

Can lift a spirit trodden so

Crushed and wounded, bowed so low.

 

Help me, Donna, love that way

Easing hurts that dim each day.

Helping footsteps as you learn.

Asking nothing in return.

 

Let my love be willing hands

To help you walk life's shifting sands.

Undemanding brotherhood,

Understanding, understood.

It took great strength for you to see

That love, just love alone,

Can't make a marriage fruitfully,

Not all the love you own.

 

For faith in all its aspects

Provides the stone to build

A lasting understanding

That God with love has filled.

 

You need the faith that tells you

Beyond a shadow of a doubt

There's only one man for you.

The one that you pick out.

 

The faith that God is with us

To help where we must fail

To set our keel right again

And swell a lifeless sail.

 

A faith that storms and sorrow

When met in later years

Will bring a bright tomorrow

Instead of bitter tears.

 

Oh, love, all faith I'd give to you

Yet this I can't begin.

For faith like this, as you well know,

Comes from deep within.

It's clear

for all to see,

It's vivid as the

colors of a rainbow,

that when an observer

apprehends its full colors

and its sweeping brilliance

LOVE is visible only to

the feeling heart that

reaches out to love.

May this very

special time

bring you

joy !!

 

I'm Gaining altitude of late.

Things are a rarer blue.

I owe to God my newfound height

But the wings I owe to you.

1981

 

I miss you this evening my darling

Intensely with all of my heart.

I yearn for the sound of your laughter

These days when we must be apart.

 

Tonight when a moment of peace was

Free from the doing and din

Your presence and loving demeanor

Flooded my heart from within.

 

I desire, I crave and I hunger

For the love and the touch of your care.

I will it. I wish and I want you.

I covet your company rare.

 

Caresses of fingers and kisses,

The warmth and the voice of my dear,

The thoughts and the moods of my missis,

I want and I wish to be here.

 

I miss you a lot there's no doubting

All the hours of darkness and day.

But this eve all my senses are calling

Mon amie, who is far, far away.

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