Four poems

CHANGES

When thirteen came around
My little clown
Turned into a body full of anger
Full of happiness
Full of mixed up unhappy feelings
That made the whole family
Step Back.

When thirteen came around
This young boy
Turned into a body full of emotions.
Full of different words
Full of mixed up feelings for girls
That made the whole family
Hold our Breath.

When Thirteen came around
My oldest son
Turned into a wonderful man-boy
Full of different actions
Full of mixed up love for family
that made everyone
Swell up in Pride. written in 1987

ARMS CONTROL

He knocked down a picture
When he walked through the door.
As he turned around to pick that up
The bookcase fell on the floor.
He said "excuse me" as he picked up the books.
The rest of the family just gave him exasperated looks.

He finished picking up the books
And sat down with a sigh,
But when he did that
His long arm hit his brother as he walked by.
He said "excuse me" as he got hit upon the head,
Then decided he'd be safer snuggled up in bed.

So, my youngest son climbed the stairs
(Only falling up them one time)
As he opened his bedroom door
We nearly lost our minds.
Even though he tried his best to not make a mess
He hit the chest of drawers...which is now drawer-less.

Mind you, he tried hard not to be careless,
It's just that at this age
Parts of him seem out of proportion...
Maybe he should be in a cage
Until we believe this growing has slowed
Or at least until he can prove he has arms control. written in 1987

MELISSA
My daughter you remind me of a butterfly
You are neither here nor there.
You flutter around seemingly aimlessly
I don't think you even know where.

My daughter you remind me of a lion.
You are untamed and loud.
You stalk around your room...trapped
Your one voice sounds like a crowd.

My daughter you remind me of a cricket
Your voice goes on and on
You jump from one subject to another
And you always think you're being stepped on.

My daughter, you remind me of me
Your insecurity and your doubt.
You have grown up so much this year
But there's still so much to talk about.

My daughter you remind me of a dream
I had once when I was young...
You have the ability to make dreams come truth
And this one...I want to belong.
written 10/18/1986


HOPE AFTER HELL
In my life you reared your ugly head.
I felt I would be better off dead.
You took every emotion I ever had
Mixed them with waste and everything that is bad.

You took my heart and broke it in two
You took my eyes and made them blue.
You took my breath and left me void.
You took my emotions and with them you toyed.

In my life I fought you tooth and nail.
And I am around today, my story to tell.
How I went from heaven to utter hell
Then from hell to heaven...now I am well.

I took my heart and gave it to God.
I took my eyes and read the Word.
I took my breath and used my voice
I took my emotions and recovered from divorce.
October 1984