Nurturing and Survival

After we take our first breath,

We have the need for milk…

Most are swaddled through the first year,

In woolen blankets and silk.

We found in elementary school,

Real life pain and tears…

Teachers put band aids on our knees,

And soothed our darkest fears.

As teens, we found pain and comfort,

In first crushes and best friends…

Back then we were immortal,

All had a life that never ends.

Adults discovered happiness,

Via a secure job and a wife…

Two cars and a picket fence,

Proved a successful life.

Now that we are older,

And decades past living mothers…

Some find comfort with a Boxer,

On a heating pad under the covers.

Landing on Top

I had a friend who spiraled,

Into an abyss of deep depression…

He landed on the bottom so hard,

He left a full body impression.

He never completely recovered,

A resounding thud was his last sound…

Was it self-pity or imbalance,

That kept him lying on the ground?

I myself have been there,

I may be the mental one, unstable…

I laugh myself out of the darkness,

With my “Irony Button” enabled.

Stranded

When you live on an island,

Climb the highest bluff from home…

Look out over the ocean

To find the definition of alone.

Then walk home through the graveyard,

Read the names on every stone…

The remains of all your old friends,

Remind you this island is your home.

We face white squalls from Alaska,

The Frasier Valley and beyond…

The wind reminds me I’m a survivor;

The next generation to carry on.

Our water pipes are frozen tonight,

But my neighbors and I are fine…

One bought a gallon of water;

The rest of us, boxed wine.